Marat Safin just completed the worst three months of his career perhaps. A horrible 1-5 going into April and clay is not where he wants to be. Need I mention that he is on his way out of top 100? He started the year on a poor 56th position and has fallen like a rock. His career has been filled with ups and downs and injuries and breaks, but I can’t seem to find one time where he has fallen consistently over the course of 1,5 years.
So what is wrong with today’s Safin? Has he grown old at 28? Is he tired of his job? Does he need another trip to the Himalayas? There’s certainly some level of carelessness when you see him on court these days and that is not what characterized him back in 2000-2002 when he was fighting for the #1 spot.
His last final appearance was in October 2006 when he lost to Davydenko in Moscow. You would not believe when he won his 15th and currently latest title. Does Australian Open 2005 ring any bells? Wasn’t that supposed to be his comeback?
I don’t see the road ahead for Safin, but he is clearly a guy who needs to win matches to keep himself going. If this form continues this year, I don’t see why he should continue playing. I just hope he does find his old self and starts challenging some of the top 10 clowns. In my opinion, he still belongs in the top 10 today.
Tags: Safin
ATP Tennis Blog 
March 28, 2008 at 6:42 pm |
Hi backhand, like the blog.
you’re right, things are tough for Marat at the moment and its only going to get harder.
There’s no doubting his ability. The question is, how bad does he want it.
it also shows you how difficult it can be when you slide down the rankings and out of the seedings.
if you are interested you can read more of my thoughts on Safin on my blog topspintennisblog.blogspot.com