Safin Seeks Glory at Masters Cup

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The New York Sun

Since Marat Safin announced himself to the tennis world by bludgeoning Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open final, the Russian has shown himself to be a man of multiple personalities.


There’s the Marat Safin who plays brilliantly from all corners of the court, as he did in two consecutive five-set victories against Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi at this year’s Australian Open. That Safin serves as well as any man alive, and takes on the look of a tight end as he bullies his way through overmatched opponents.


Then there’s the Safin who seems to fall asleep on the court, as he did in the first round of Wimbledon, or the Safin who tosses his racket around in anger. Instead of pumping his fist to celebrate a great point at the French Open, the silly Safin drops his tennis shorts. And as you might have seen last week in the final of the Paris Masters, there’s also “Safin the Bored,” who takes commanding leads and then nearly lets weaker opponents back into matches as his mind wanders.


For all his physical gifts – and Safin is often given credit for having as much or more talent than any man on the tour – the rugged Russian has yet to put together a stretch of impeccable play that returns him to the top of the game, where he sat just four years ago. When the Tennis Masters Cup kicks off this weekend in Houston, Safin will have his best chance yet to prove that he can break the habit of poor concentration that plagues him.


Like the year-end tournament for the women, the men’s Masters pits eight players against each other in two groups of four. The players face each group member once, and the top two in each group take a spot in the semifinals. Losing a match in round robin means nothing if a player can right himself and reach the semifinals.


The top seven ranked men qualify for the Masters, along with the highest ranked Grand Slam winner who is not ranked in the top seven. This year, that player is French Open champion Gaston Gaudio, and the odd man out is Andre Agassi.


The ranking system denied Agassi his fifth straight appearance in the year-end tournament since it was renamed in 2000, though he has himself to blame, too. Agassi could have qualified with a strong showing at the Paris Masters, but he backed out at the last moment with a recurring hip injury, angering officials there who were already facing a tournament without the injured Roger Federer.


Agassi’s absence is a certain blow for television ratings next week, and it might also be detrimental to the competitiveness of the tournament. Gaudio plays exceptionally well on clay, but he has not won more than one match in any hard-court tournament this season. He’ll likely be out of the running early against a lineup of superior hard-court players.


Federer leads the pack, of course, but the game’s greatest finds himself hampered by a thigh injury that’s caused him to miss the month of October. If he’s at his best, he and Safin or Roddick could produce wonderful matches as the tournament progresses. No matter how he fares, Federer has the no. 1 ranking wrapped up for the year.


Roddick, on the other hand, will have to fend off Lleyton Hewitt and Safin for the no. 2 spot. After winning the U.S. Open last year, Roddick has enjoyed a consistent 2004 but doesn’t have a Grand Slam to show for it. Roddick has beaten Safin twice in a row, but he’s beaten Federer only once in eight career chances and has lost three straight finals to him. A win here would highlight his season – unless he and his American companions win the Davis Cup against Spain next month.


Hewitt churned his way to the U.S. Open final and seems to have recovered from the burnout that caused him to fall in the standings last year. His steady game can often neutralize bigger hitters like Roddick and Safin, but he’s at a disadvantage in the round robin portion, where each match is only two of three sets (only the final is best of five).The longer his opponent has to stay on the court, the better for Hewitt.


Rounding out the field are Carlos Moya, Guillermo Coria, and Tim Henman. Coria is also injured, and a withdrawal by him or Federer could open the door for Agassi or David Nalbandian. Henman has put together a fantastic season despite recurring back problems, but is still in search of his first Grand Slam title. A win at the Masters – as unlikely as that is – might count for just as much. And if any man wins the tournament without losing a match, he’ll take home the largest single-tournament prize in tennis: $1.5 million.


With Federer’s health uncertain, Safin stands a great chance. He can also thank Federer for deciding (rightly, it turns out) that he no longer needed a coach to succeed; after the world no. 1 parted ways with Peter Lundgren, Safin snatched him up.


Lundgren, once a solid tour player who lacked physical gifts, is proving so far to be a fine influence, and Safin recently credited him as the biggest reason for his recent successes. If Lundgren can keep it up, perhaps his latest pupil will yet catch up to his former one.


The New York Sun

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