I found this on Mens Tennis Forum ;D
www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=658&page=455&pp=15]Marat’s not a poor thing Russian tennis player Marat Safin keeps trying to come back to his former level
Aleksander Erastov 11-AUG-2006
He himself wants to be the first one in the world, at least to be on the same level with the top players. Still one should admit that even if he makes that great come back, rushes into the ATP top he will not be able to stay there for a long period. It doesn’t suit him at all. Consistency is simply not his cup of tea. To stay in the top 10 for a considerable time is not in his character.
Once again to challenge the fate
On Monday 26 years old Marat Safin will get another the 32th in this season chance to challenge his fate. He’ll come on court to win. The Russian tries to find his game after missing the second part of the last season because of the serious knee injury. In the year 2006 he leads in his rivalry with himself, the score is 17: 14. His best results so far are semis in Valencia and Washington. By the way, thanks to the Washington achievements Safin has significantly improved his position in the ATP rankings (he was in the top 95 as far as I remember). His current result is number 77 and it means that he is not only out of the seeded players list but also out of the main draw of some tournaments. There’s still opportunity either to receive a WC from the organizers or get an easy draw….or finally find the game.
Charisma is still here
It’s strange, but whatever Marat’s deeds are he’s still the number one in the people’s hearts. Do you remember Safin having got to the extreme of courage pulled his shorts down on court, or crashing racquets by dozens, or swearing loud on court, or ignoring post match press-conferences, or not giving hand to the umpire and finally keeping screwing the matches up! And crowds still love him. They say he has charisma, peculiar magnetism. God must have possibly given it to him. After all the word “charisma” is being translated from Greek as "Grace", "God’s gift". It’s interesting to know that journalists have defined Marat as one of the greatest tennis charismatic personalities. There are not only the Grand Slams winners and unbelievable records owners as Sampras of the USA or Borg of Sweden.
Marat Safin’s won two Grand Slams tournaments; they are USO 2000 and AO in 2005. Still this is not the case. Safin is an unquestionable leader in the tennis pros popularity lists. Good sense of humor, ingenuousness and frankness, charming open smile... See what French Monde gives on his first round loss in the RG 2006: "Trying to get his Titan power after numerous hardships Demigod Safin will always be a magnet for the crowds’ attention unlike patient and emotionless Fernando Gonzales of Chile who’s technically won over him". Later Marat got into “Chilean trap” again.
Honesty is Safin’s prerogative
He has a reputation of the most equitable ATP player. Marat has proved many times to his opponents, umpires and crowds that if he says “the ball’s in” the ball is in, and if “it’s out” it is out. It often happens so that he umpires in favour of his opponent and never hashes up.
If there’ve ever been any doubts considering this feature of the Russian they are to be eliminated with the introducing of the Hawk Eye technology in the US tournaments. Last weekend I watched Safin’s semifinal match. Marat serves, the umpire says “out”, one more serve and once again the ball is supposingly “out”. Marat seems to be fed up with that and asks for the Hawk Eye check. The ball is on the line, so the point should have been given to the Russian. And though Safin proved to be right whenever he asked for the Hawk Eye check, he’s against it. "I think it’ll ruin the game, take its tempo and dynamics. - He says. - Who is the genius that came up with this idiotic idea?"
Aborigine in Australia he is musketeer in France
Being a couple of years ago in AO held Melbourne I got a new name there. Of course this name was Marat. When a taxi driver or a hotel server learnt I came from Moscow they said smiling “Oh, Marat Safin!” Although Melbourne was full of local hero Hewitt’s pictures, all what one could hear there’re conversations about Russian tennis player. Being a relaxed nation Australians are venturesome. They used to say that Marat’s Australian aborigine character, i.e. he stays cool and calm and then suddenly blows up…
In France for example people believe that Safin is named after their compatriot - famous revolutionary Marat. During recent DC matches in Pau Safin looked spectacular with his moustache, little imperial beard and reach chevelure. When Marat came to the official sortition I heard some of the local journalists whisper “d'Artagnan!” He really looked like a musketeer in the town considered being their place of origin.
We need your comebacks
Unlike Zemfira (Russian singer) singing “the last thing I need is your comeback”, we do want Safin to come back. Voluntarily or not the Russian carefully follows the “charisma rules”, i.e. if you really want to be cheered for, make the crowd get worried. Since there’s nothing more boring than consistency and predictability. During his tennis carrier Marat experienced a few impressing ups and lots of downs.
2003. Injuries come one after another: wrist, shoulder. Shamil Tarpischev counted then that for 8 months Safin got 7 various maladies with different gravity degree.
Then suddenly in the January 2004 came fabulous success. One by one he took out of the AO tournament Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and lost in the finals to Roger Federer. As an answer to the question how he had managed to achieve this he joked: “Traveling, fishing in California, driving. Wine, it helps to relax. Oh, I’ve forgotten training”.
In the year 2005 success found him in Melbourne. And then recession and what’s more significant - the injury. This spring Safin said "It was extremely hard for me to get into the game, to find my form, rhythm. And it is the most important thing to find your rhythm".
Now Safin says: "I’m physically ready. Maybe the legs are a little bit weak, but the head’s strong, and this is the most important thing in sport. Staying this way I’ll be defiantly back in the top10.
He is not like he used to
Marat’s father, Mikhail Alekseevich asked not to wait for the immediate results from his son. "Patience, - he says. – Marat is not interested in doing nothing, he works on the limits of this abilities. He just needs some time. And as far as I know he is not going to be into something but tennis".
Peter Lundgren, Safin’s trainer, admitted that he’s pleased to work with Safin.
A few days ago Nikolay Davydenko said: "No doubts, Marat is the leader in our DC team. He was the world top player, won Grand Slam’s tournaments. And I’m sure he’ll come back to the top10". Then kolya added: "I think it will happen next year".
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