Marat Safin: Career at a Glance
Born on January 27th, 1980, in Moscow, Russia, Marat Safin’s interest in tennis can be easily traced to his family background. His father, Misha, managed a tennis academy in Moscow, and Rausa Islanova, his mother, would oversee her son’s development at the sport from the time he first tried his hand at tennis at the age of 6 till Marat turned 13. Safin’s younger sister, Dinara Safina, is also a professional tennis player who has previously spent a spell ranked WTA Tour (Women’s Tennis Association) world number one, just like her brother reigned ATP ( Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour No.1 player in November 2000. Safin grew up idolising NBA (National Basketball Association) protagonist Shaquille O’Neal, and is an avid supporter of Russian football club Spartak, Moscow. At 14, the absence of sophisticated tennis instruction facilities in Russia prompted Safin to travel to Valencia, Spain, to hone his tennis skills and developed his game further in the company of several Spanish players.
Safin turned to the professional game in 1997 and the following year he made waves after overcoming Andre Agassi and title defender Gustavo Kuerten successively at the French Open in Roland Garros. The Russian landed his initial ATP victory in Boston, U.S.A., aged 19 and the following year Safin made it to the coveted Paris, Bercy final showdown where he eventually fell to Andre Agassi after putting on an impressive fight. Safin came into his own in 2000 when he demolished Pete Sampras in straight sets at the U.S. Open, marking his first Grand Slam win. The victory made Safin the only Russian to have taken the U.S. Open Men’s Singles title ever. His first major triumph also made Safin the ATP rankings world number one player for a stretch of around two months in 2000.
The same year he was heralded as the “2000 Newcomer of the Year” at the season’s Laureus World Sports Awards. Safin also bagged the 2000 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year title and made his mark in People Magazine’s “Most Intriguing People” December 2000 release. After his sensational progress in 2000, Safin made it to the Australian Open final in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The Russian put the 2002 defeat down to his nerves and remarked that the 2004 upset was a result of physical burnout. The Russian’s 2003 campaign was frustrated to a large measure by recurring fitness issues that ruled him out of much of the season.
Safin finally took the Australian Open title in 2005 after overcoming crowd favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the final showdown. The Russian’s win had come after routing world number one Roger Federer in the semi-finals, a defeat that put to halt Federer’s 26-match victorious run over the 10 highest standing players. Safin has also had the honour of landing five ATP Tennis Masters Series trophies over the course of his career. In 2002, the Russian was the driving force behind Russia’s first ever Davis Cup triumph. The Russian side comprising of Marat Safin, Mikhail Youzhny, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Andrei Stoliarov, and squad captain Shamil Tarpischev overcame a French opposition in the ultimate showdown at the Palais Omnisports Paris Bercy. During an injury marred 2002 season, Safin nevertheless managed to make it to the semi-final of the French Open. In 2006, Safin guided Russia to Davis Cup victory for a second time.
The Russian’s 2005 and 2006 seasons were blighted by a severe knee-injury, and his ATP ranking consequently took a dip when the fitness issue forced him out of the 2005 U.S. Open, Tennis Masters Cup and 2006 Australian Open. In 2007 Safin returned to fitness to triumph in the doubles championship at Moscow’s Kremlin Cup. Marat’s form improved significantly in 2008 when he reached the semi-finals of the All England Club Championships at Wimbledon. Known for his volatile on court temperament, the 6’4’’ tall Russian hunk finally bid farewell to the sport at the 2009 Paris Masters and now busies himself working in collaboration with the Russian tennis federation.
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