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Marat Safin, aged 25 years, and standing six-foot four in his socks and sporting a killer smile did the unthinkable (if you happen to be one of those morose Australians rooting for Lleyton Hewitt) –
he just won the Australian Open in the most emphatic way. He simply blew away Hewitt off the centre court after a shaky start that soon found him one set down.
His great semifinal match against World No.1 Roger Federer, and then his come back from one set down against Lleyton Hewitt in the all deciding final is not at all surprising if one takes into account his prodigious talent.
At 20 he had the crowd at his feet by winning the U S Open in 2000. That particular win initiated a consensus among his peers and tennis buffs that he was one of the most talented tennis players ever. But his subsequent loss the same year in the first round of the Australian Open and his further losses in the finals in 2002 and 2004 of the same event gave rise to one pertinent question – did Safin have a head on his shoulders?
In fact, he was soon being called by his critics as the ‘Headless Horseman’ referring to his brand of tennis of galloping through the sets without a proper plan or focus as to how he should try and win against more shrewd opponents. Here was a man with a hedonistic approach towards a game that needed huge amounts of concentration, focus, hard work, and application. Safin, though abundantly gifted in talent, was seen to be lacking in all the other key areas.
Safin’s greatest problem was not his game but his innate inability to keep his head where it should have been. He was portrayed rather amusingly to carry his head in his hands instead of the tennis racket, that in itself wouldn’t have been such a bad thing either but for his desire to think with the tennis racket when he should have been using his head.
’’I think it must be frustrating when you’ve heard everybody tell you that you’re one of the most talented players ever, but ’Would you get your head put on properly’. That’s tough to hear. It’s a lot easier to hear you’ve got a shitty second serve. How do you work on your head?’’
Peter Lundgren, the Swedish mentor’s successful partnership with Safin has worked to the advantage of Safin because the coach has focused primarily on his head, rather than his topspin or slice.
’’I played here against Johansson, I didn’t have enough experience,’’ Safin said yesterday. ’’I mean, last year, I had no chance at all because I was completely burned out. This year, already I have experience of playing two finals. I had a good year last year, coming off from the injury.’’
’’He’s very human . . . he’s easygoing. But he’s calmed down on the court, he’s much better focused and I think that’s the key to his game, why he’s playing better.’’
What I personally observed most astounding was Safin’s all court game which kept improving dramatically as he progressed through the tournament blasting out one opponent after another he faced.
After he reached the finals, he began believing more and more that he was indeed a horseman but with a difference, this time he was riding the horse of destiny with a perfect head on his shoulders galloping in the right direction for a tryst with the crown and to etch his name in tennis history for ever. The victory was all the more memorable because the Australian Open crown had slipped out of his grasp on two rather forgettable occasions.
He started off in a most uncharacteristic way by losing the first set 1 – 6. If Lleyton thought he had a firm grip on the crown, he didn’t know what hit him in the next three sets.
Safin’s semifinal match against Roger Federer was widely believed as the greatest ever battle in the Australian Open history. But, his last three sets that blew away Lleyton Hewitt off the Rod Laver Arena centre court are in my opinion the most memorable three sets he has ever played.
With the Australian Open Crown under his belt and playing like a dream, will Marat Safin be able to get rid of the sobriquet of the ‘headless horseman’ that has been haunting him since his first round loss in the Australian Open in 2000?
The answer lies with Safin himself, and we can only wait and watch how his career is going to unfold. In the meantime, let us admire the flawless, down the line, ground strokes of the new tsar of tennis – Marat Safin.
(c) M B Farookh. Jan, 2005
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Pros: |
Prodigious talent, All court game, Power serve.
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Cons: |
Not great at using his head, Prone to overconfidence, Plays to the gallery.
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