Heavy Metal Tennis Star
Professional
you heard it here first.
seacrest, out!
seacrest, out!
Safin will win atleast one more slam before retirement!
- Thread starter Heavy Metal Tennis Star
- Start date
lambielspins
Banned
Do you believe in Santa Claus or maybe the Easter Bunny.
andyroddick1
Rookie
He will win. If he stays healthy and Fed pulls out of the AO.
A.Davidson
Semi-Pro
^^^
And Roddick, Nadal, Nalbandian, Blake, Djokovic, etc. are all killed in a tragic submarine crash.
And Roddick, Nadal, Nalbandian, Blake, Djokovic, etc. are all killed in a tragic submarine crash.
Are you the same guy that posts the "Safin to win _______(fill in slam here)_______" at the beginning of EVERY slam?
If so...at least you're beginning to come back to reality by toning it down to "1 more before he retires"
Dimonator133
Banned
he won't, and the deciding factor is that he knows it, too
ps60
Professional
Safin's strokes !
Just watched the match btwn Safin and Bagdatis.
when he lost 0-3 in the final set. I went out to buy medicine for the puppy (no eye see). But he had a good (great) fight in the 3rd and 4th.
One thing i noticed is, after long time no watch his games, that his strokes are different now. On both sides he added much more topspin. His form is more like other players now. He's not the Safin i admired a few yrs back when he nailed down 5 Americans to face Fed and the one when he really took the crown at AO. He's not one of a kind now.
IMO, even he stays healthy all yrs, he can't beat Fed and many others on his best day if he couldn't get back the original, unique form he had.
Anyway, it's a great match today. Best wishes for him in the coming months N yrs.
Just watched the match btwn Safin and Bagdatis.
when he lost 0-3 in the final set. I went out to buy medicine for the puppy (no eye see). But he had a good (great) fight in the 3rd and 4th.
One thing i noticed is, after long time no watch his games, that his strokes are different now. On both sides he added much more topspin. His form is more like other players now. He's not the Safin i admired a few yrs back when he nailed down 5 Americans to face Fed and the one when he really took the crown at AO. He's not one of a kind now.
IMO, even he stays healthy all yrs, he can't beat Fed and many others on his best day if he couldn't get back the original, unique form he had.
Anyway, it's a great match today. Best wishes for him in the coming months N yrs.
![shwetty[tennis]balls](/data/avatars/m/23/23325.jpg?1435130997){kind=avatar}
shwetty[tennis]balls
Rookie
Well it definately won't be at the 2008 Australian Open!!! Personally, I think your statement is ludicrous.
lambielspins
Banned
Mary Pierce said the same thing before the 2005 U.S Open final, that it was her destiny for that reason. Didnt work out too well.
Vermillion
Banned
don't compare safin to the goddess Mary Pierce
Encouraged by Safin's Performance
I got up early this morning to watch the Safin - Baghdatis match and was impressed by Marat even in defeat. He appeared to be hitting the ball much better than he did basically all of last year, and he didn't throw in the towel after falling behind two sets. The key was obviously the second set, in which Safin had some chances to pull ahead after he broke to get it back on serve. Baghdatis was on his game for sure. He looked similar to the player that reached the final two years ago.
Safin's movement seemed to be better as well. Though he did come up with some big serves when he needed them at the end of the fourth set, Marat didn't get enough first deliveries in in the fifth set, which allowed Baghdatis to start too many points on even ground. I hope that Safin stays the course and continues to stay positive. He should build on the way he played in Australia even if the result doesn't look that great. There's no reason why he can't still be a factor.
I got up early this morning to watch the Safin - Baghdatis match and was impressed by Marat even in defeat. He appeared to be hitting the ball much better than he did basically all of last year, and he didn't throw in the towel after falling behind two sets. The key was obviously the second set, in which Safin had some chances to pull ahead after he broke to get it back on serve. Baghdatis was on his game for sure. He looked similar to the player that reached the final two years ago.
Safin's movement seemed to be better as well. Though he did come up with some big serves when he needed them at the end of the fourth set, Marat didn't get enough first deliveries in in the fifth set, which allowed Baghdatis to start too many points on even ground. I hope that Safin stays the course and continues to stay positive. He should build on the way he played in Australia even if the result doesn't look that great. There's no reason why he can't still be a factor.
I highly doubt it, Safin just doesnt have the game anymore to win another grand slam. He hasnt even won 1 tournament since winning the 2005 Australian Open. Not just that but he hits with hardly any power off his groundstrokes anymore. From watching the Safin- Baghdatis match it looked as though Safin was hitting with no power except his serve. He should consider switching to a larger headsize for the added power.
lambielspins
Banned
So according to you he played very well and still couldnt even beat Baghtdatis in the 2nd round of a grand slam. That says enough right there.
G
Gugafan_Redux
Guest
I only saw starting at 1-4 in the 5th set, so I understand I missed his best form, but he looked pretty lackluster. Just kind of hitting the ball over, approaching up the middle, getting passed. No real energy or tactics. That's not going to get it done against the top players.
Furthermore, I watched his 2000 US Open win, and he was a lot faster. It was his his wheels that got him in position to hit he great strokes.
Furthermore, I watched his 2000 US Open win, and he was a lot faster. It was his his wheels that got him in position to hit he great strokes.
Yeah, you're exactly right. I'm not sure what was to be expected from Safin, but Baghdatis is pretty good. He was on his game. That's a pretty difficult match for anyone to face Baghdatis, a guy who's been around the top ten for a couple of years, in the second round of a Grand Slam that he made a brilliant run to the final of two years ago. Baghdatis would've been tough for almost anyone other than Federer last night.
Remember, Safin was pretty much a total non-factor for all of 2007. He didn't string any wins together against a lot of opponents with lesser credentials than Baghdatis. To the earlier poster who claimed that Safin was not hitting with any power off the ground, I'm not sure how you came away with that feeling. There were momentum swings where Baghdatis was in control and when Safin was in control, but I certainly didn't come away thinking that Safin wasn't hitting the ball hard from the backcourt. Again, compared to the matches he played in 2007, especially the ones later in the year, there was no comparison. Safin moved better, hit the ball more cleanly off both sides, and appeared to be much more focused. His serve actually let him down in the fifth set, whereas Baghdatis saved his best serving for the fifth. Was it the Safin from the 2005 Aussie Open? Definitely not. But it was a far better player than we saw in 2007.
I'm as skeptical as anyone though. He has to build on the way he played and string some wins together before I'll believe that he can really be a factor at a big event. He's never played very well in the late winter/early spring events, so the next couple of months will be very telling.
superman1
Legend
1st set he didn't play that well, 2nd set he played well but Baghdatis was able to take it (if the ball had been 1 cm higher and was an ace instead of a let, he would have held serve, might have taken that set since he was starting to play really well, and maybe won the match - that's how close it was). In the 3rd and 4th sets he was pretty much at his best. Just running Baghdatis ragged and blasting the ball with amazing power. He was pretty flat in the 5th, not really dictating play anymore, and Baghdatis was just on fire.
Overall, I'd say Baghdatis deserved the win, but Safin showed the world that he's ready to make 2008 his comeback year.
0range
Hall of Fame
How did Blake get in there?
T
TennisandMusic
Guest
I think it's far more likely that any Slam Safin gets from this point forward will have to be from Denny's...
IMO we've got to give it 3 or 4 months before we'll know where Marat's at- he trained hard in the off-season apparently, and his movement and all-round game looked in pretty good shape against Bags, but he's not match-tough after a 2007 of throwaways and injury. Also, he's never come from 2 sets down to win a match, so kudos to him for not letting that play on his mind and throwing in the towel.
I think his aim should be to get back into the top 10, and I think he could. It's easier to keep your head together when you've got the behind-the-scenes work already done and in your back pocket. Win another slam? No, but I expect him to have one last glorious deep run in the next coupla years.
I think his aim should be to get back into the top 10, and I think he could. It's easier to keep your head together when you've got the behind-the-scenes work already done and in your back pocket. Win another slam? No, but I expect him to have one last glorious deep run in the next coupla years.
At least (last?) he's analysing what when wrong (instead of wind, courts, right shoes, blah blah) and he's right on. Interview exerpt:
Safin said he had paid for making a slow start.
"The first two sets should not have happened. That's the first and last time I make that mistake."
However, the Russian said his performances in Australia had given him belief that he could rejoin the game's elite.
"It's actually a little bit surprising for myself to be in such a good shape and to play good tennis and be able to compete against top players for five sets with a chance to win.
"The year is pretty long, so I'll have my chances, that's for sure."
Safin said he had paid for making a slow start.
"The first two sets should not have happened. That's the first and last time I make that mistake."
However, the Russian said his performances in Australia had given him belief that he could rejoin the game's elite.
"It's actually a little bit surprising for myself to be in such a good shape and to play good tennis and be able to compete against top players for five sets with a chance to win.
"The year is pretty long, so I'll have my chances, that's for sure."
lambielspins
Banned
Calling Baghdatis a top player is a big time stretch.
Heavy Metal Tennis Star
Professional
safin just let baggy win, we got partyin to do
Heavy Metal Tennis Star
Professional
im surprised and touched i have not been forgotten :twisted:
sharks195
New User
M
Morrissey
Guest
He's more capable of it than Roddick is that's for sure.
arvind13
Professional
Safin
you guys are not giving Safin enough credit. put safin's loss into perspective, and his second round loss isn't that bad. with Andy murray a top 10 player losing in the first round Roddick losing in third round, Nalbandian losing in third round, and Fed (almost!!) losing in third round, Safin just because he lost in second round doesn't mean he can't win another major. infact, he has had dramatic improvement from 2007 when he lost to much much lower ranked players in bageled sets. Safin's tennis has improved. he just made unforced errors which cost him. if he just irons out a few kinks in his game, he could win another major.
you guys are not giving Safin enough credit. put safin's loss into perspective, and his second round loss isn't that bad. with Andy murray a top 10 player losing in the first round Roddick losing in third round, Nalbandian losing in third round, and Fed (almost!!) losing in third round, Safin just because he lost in second round doesn't mean he can't win another major. infact, he has had dramatic improvement from 2007 when he lost to much much lower ranked players in bageled sets. Safin's tennis has improved. he just made unforced errors which cost him. if he just irons out a few kinks in his game, he could win another major.
federerfanatic
Banned
It doesnt matter if Federer almost lost in the 3rd round. He didnt, and hasnt lost before the final since in almost 3 years now. To even bring Federer up as an example to compare to Safin is stupid.
The fact is he lost in the 2nd round to a player who preceded to lose in the 3rd round. The guy is washed up, finished, stick a fork in him.
The fact is he lost in the 2nd round to a player who preceded to lose in the 3rd round. The guy is washed up, finished, stick a fork in him.
federerfanatic
Banned
Even if I chose to humour you Safin fanboys by actually talking in terms of his possability of winning another slam his best chance to win a slam this year would have already passed and he will be even closer to 30 by his next one. He obviously has no chance at all to win the French Open or Wimbledon, in fact he never did even in his prime. The U.S Open has too many people who peak for that event, and he hasnt done well there since 2001 when he was in the semis. So his next chance would be next years Australian Open, and by then he will be going on 29.
CityHeightsTennis
Rookie
i definitely think safin will win 1 more slam maybe more...?
Why do you think that? Not busting you, it's just it's not like the famous names in tennis share them out through the year for posterity, even if Fed and Nadal were injured for a major there's a host of hungry young players in the wings, and almost on centre stage in the likes of Djoko.
That's a looong time ago, he's had a serious knee injury since then and is now 28 in what is increasingly a young man's game. Just because Federer has kept his level in that time doesn't mean Safin has, and that can be tracked by his world ranking, which was around 4 when he beat Fed and is now 58.
D-Generated
New User
Oh believe me, this injury has. Did you ever have a knee injury? I did. Very similar to the one Safin had. Not thaat bad (I could handle it without surgery - yet at least, I am still not 100%) but still not very nice and as well treated improperly. It cost me also nearly three years of my tennis life.
Leublu tennis
Legend
As much as I like Safin, I am getting convinced that he will not overcome the psychological handicap that he has developed in the last two years. There is no way that he will pull out, without the help of drugs, which he can not have. So ... no more Safin. I just don't see it. I held out for his chances at this AO but am now sure that he has reached his end for another chance at greatness. Very, very sorry about that.
arvind13
Professional
clearly safin's game has improved a lot since 2007. psychologically he seens better. not as erratic. if he continues this improvement, he can win another major. his injuries are healed up and he looks in good physical shape. remember, Ivanesivic won wimbledon at a time when people thought he was washed up, and could never win a major, that he should just hang it up and go on. he was ranked 125 and still won.
lambielspins
Banned
Yes, a dose of reality.
