Is Murray the next Safin?

C

cadillac303

New User
Is Andy Murray the next Marat Safin in terms of how much of a flake Safin was?

For many years Safin was considered by many, even though Federer was winning the Grand Slams, to be the BEST player in the world. Safin could beat anyone in the enitre world if he was playing his best and kept focus. However, this unfortunately happened very rarely, and Safin didn't win near as many grandslams as he could have. Many matches that he could have easily won were lost because he lost his temper.

I see these same characteristics In Murray. He has beaten all the best players in the world, and has shown the potential to be the best player in the world. However, his temper hold him back as well, and he reminds me very much so of Marat Safin's younger days.

Agree of Disagree?
 
GameSampras

GameSampras

Banned
cadillac303 said:
Is Andy Murray the next Marat Safin in terms of how much of a flake Safin was?

For many years Safin was considered by many, even though Federer was winning the Grand Slams, to be the BEST player in the world. Safin could beat anyone in the enitre world if he was playing his best and kept focus. However, this unfortunately happened very rarely, and Safin didn't win near as many grandslams as he could have. Many matches that he could have easily won were lost because he lost his temper.

I see these same characteristics In Murray. He has beaten all the best players in the world, and has shown the potential to be the best player in the world. However, his temper hold him back as well, and he reminds me very much so of Marat Safin's younger days.

Agree of Disagree?
Click to expand...


Well Safin managed 2 slams and both were over 2 of the best to ever play the game in Pete and Roger. Murray was thumped by Roger at the USO and he hasnt done anything of significance to win a slam yet. He hasnt proven yet he can reach that next level. He can win all the smaller HC tourneys he wants. He has to prove he belongs with the likes of Nadal and Fed. And to do that he needs to prove he can win a slam. So far he hasnt proven that
 
P

Pirao

Semi-Pro
yeah but Murray will probably star winning slams, if not this year, the next. I think he has a chance to win the USO this year. And I would be really surprised if he doesn't win at least a slam in the next two years.
 
Feña14

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
I think there's a chance it could work out like that, for sure.

Murray is probably a bit stronger mentally than Safin though, he is a bit of a nutcase with some of the things he comes out with.
 
C

christos_liaskos

Professional
Personally Djokovic reminds me more of Safin than Murray does. Both have a slam at an early age. Both demolished a contender for GOAT to do so (Safin beat Pete, Novak beat Roger.... I'm not taking into account any circumstances, eg.glandular fever etc..).

Djokovic seems like he could be distracted by partying, lifestyle and money that comes with being a top player. Just take his decision to change to HEAD as an example of chasing doh rather than results, whether that was a concious decision or not.

Just my thought on this thread.
 
tacou

tacou

G.O.A.T.
I haven't seen murray's temper in awhile, in fact he's kept cool under pressure (Roger IW, Del Potro Miami)
 
GameSampras

GameSampras

Banned
I dunno if I would put Murray with Safin in terms "headcasing". Murray has shown some good mental toughness overrall recently. He isnt as bad as used to be. I doubt we will see Murray go completely off the radar for half a decade like Safin. Djoker we could though. I dont think he has both oars in the water.
 
Kobble

Kobble

Hall of Fame
I think Murray is more like Hewitt, than Safin. Just like Safin is Safin, Murray is really the first and only Murray. I would rather keep it that way.
 
C

canuckfan

Semi-Pro
Safin was an offensive monster when he destroyed sampras at the us open. Murray feels his way through matches. Very different players. Murray has not shown the same self destructive tendencies on court. Not a close comparison.
 
8

80'stennis

Rookie
I agree with kobble and canuckfan. Murray is much more of a tactical player rather than a pure shotmaker like Federer and Safin.
 
C

ChanceEncounter

Professional
Not the same kind of player.

Safin still amazes me to this day. He has very poor mental toughness, mediocre point construction, and still managed to simply out-talent his way to two slams.

I wonder what could have happened if Safin had Nadal's mental toughness.
 
saram

saram

Legend
Do me a favor--look at the men's tour since Wimbledon...Murray has the best record and has shown as much focus and determination as Rafa. He is NOTHING like Safin....he's better and completely different.
 
egn

egn

Hall of Fame
Safin was something amazing..yet depressing. He could destroy a top player one day than lose to someone like Johansson the next. Safin was amazingly talented but just so fragile and undetermined that it hurt his career. The fact that in 2005 he just waltzed into that AO and took out Federer..someone who nobody at that time was beating on hard courts and took him down. Safin also might be a reason Sampras has less slams. Safin stopped him at that US Open and in 2002 at the Aussie handled him there, really nobody in that 2002 Aussie draw besides Safin could have stopped him..Hass was not going to and neither would Johansson, but Safin lost amazingly. Murray cares way to much, works hard and puts 110% in to his game some things safin never did.
 
mawashi

mawashi

Hall of Fame
No way Murry is like Safin I totally agree with the posters here who say Murry is so much more focus than Safin ever was.

Djoker seems more like a young Safin n that's sad.

In terms of talent n sheer joy to watch, Safin is in a class of his own especially the racquet breaking n temper tantrums LOL!

mawashi
 
ShcMad

ShcMad

Hall of Fame
cadillac303 said:
Is Andy Murray the next Marat Safin in terms of how much of a flake Safin was?

For many years Safin was considered by many, even though Federer was winning the Grand Slams, to be the BEST player in the world. Safin could beat anyone in the enitre world if he was playing his best and kept focus. However, this unfortunately happened very rarely, and Safin didn't win near as many grandslams as he could have. Many matches that he could have easily won were lost because he lost his temper.

I see these same characteristics In Murray. He has beaten all the best players in the world, and has shown the potential to be the best player in the world. However, his temper hold him back as well, and he reminds me very much so of Marat Safin's younger days.

Agree of Disagree?
Click to expand...

Nah, man. I don't think Murray is or will be anything like Safin. Murray is already displaying signs that he's way more consistent and mentally stronger than Marat.

But who knows what'll happen? Only the future will tell!
 
nhat8121

nhat8121

Semi-Pro
disagree, they're not the same

murray is on the rise, he will start winning slams soon

to say murray never win any slam as a point is kinda stupid to me...he's only been in contention/talk since what? late last year? the man is improving and on the rise, he'll win.
 
C

ChanceEncounter

Professional
KPS88 said:
I really wish people would stop compareing players....
Click to expand...
Me too, especially when the comparisons don't make sense.

Safin wishes he has Murray's mental toughness right now.

On the other hand, I think most players (Murray included, probably) wish they have Safin's talent.
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
Well, Murray's game is more consistent, and safer, so it's hard to tell. Instead of making errors, maybe he will leave sitter shots to be eaten up?
 
dParis

dParis

Hall of Fame
I think the previously mentioned Djokovic comparison works better if you want to go that way. Personally, I find all the Marat Safin love on these boards a little bit nauseating.
 
Antonio Puente

Antonio Puente

Hall of Fame
Murray turns into a spoiled baby the second anything goes wrong(pretty common behaviour for a Brit). He will have to get mentally stronger just to win the two slams Safin won, and if he doesn't win one by year's end, it will start messing with his mind.
 
G

Golden Retriever

Hall of Fame
Safin has the resume of an average top notch tennis player. More or less in the same class as Rafter, Hewitt, Courier etc. Just a notch below the elites like, Edberg, Federer, Sampras etc. So career-wise Murray might resemble Safin. Otherwise they are two different people.
 
carlos djackal

carlos djackal

Professional
I think Murray is more composed and more focused than Marat was......I think he will do better than what Marat has achieved...
 
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M

mrmo1115

Hall of Fame
christos_liaskos said:
Personally Djokovic reminds me more of Safin than Murray does. Both have a slam at an early age. Both demolished a contender for GOAT to do so (Safin beat Pete, Novak beat Roger.... I'm not taking into account any circumstances, eg.glandular fever etc..).

Djokovic seems like he could be distracted by partying, lifestyle and money that comes with being a top player. Just take his decision to change to HEAD as an example of chasing doh rather than results, whether that was a concious decision or not.

Just my thought on this thread.
Click to expand...

Total agreement on your post.
 
Gen

Gen

Banned
Murray works likle a horse, trains for hours. Safin has always been lazy and undisciplined. Most of his problems resulted from lack of training and fitness. Mentality and focus come second. Murray is better in all these three department. Don't know about the raw talent though.
 
batz

batz

G.O.A.T.
Antonio Puente said:
No, I made perfect sense. You just don't like to hear it. If one single plastic bag floating in the air at Indian Wells turns you into a spoiled baby and ruins you for the rest of the match, you're not mentally strong enough to win anything.
Click to expand...

I think Fena was more concerned about your discriminatory remarks about Britons. Are there any other nationalities you'd like like to make sweeping negative generalisations about? Might be better just to get your bigotry out of the way early.

Your comment about Murray and the bag is a joke. If you think that incident demonstrates that Murray is 'not mentally strong enough to win anything' thne you've obviously missed the 11 titles he's won.

How many have you won big guy?
 
Leublu tennis

Leublu tennis

Legend
egn said:
Safin was something amazing..yet depressing. He could destroy a top player one day than lose to someone like Johansson the next. Safin was amazingly talented but just so fragile and undetermined that it hurt his career. The fact that in 2005 he just waltzed into that AO and took out Federer..someone who nobody at that time was beating on hard courts and took him down. Safin also might be a reason Sampras has less slams. Safin stopped him at that US Open and in 2002 at the Aussie handled him there, really nobody in that 2002 Aussie draw besides Safin could have stopped him..Hass was not going to and neither would Johansson, but Safin lost amazingly. Murray cares way to much, works hard and puts 110% in to his game some things safin never did.
Click to expand...
And Marat came back from serious injuries to win the AO. That made it even more unexpected.
 
Leublu tennis

Leublu tennis

Legend
cadillac303 said:
Is Andy Murray the next Marat Safin in terms of how much of a flake Safin was?

For many years Safin was considered by many, even though Federer was winning the Grand Slams, to be the BEST player in the world. Safin could beat anyone in the enitre world if he was playing his best and kept focus. However, this unfortunately happened very rarely, and Safin didn't win near as many grandslams as he could have. Many matches that he could have easily won were lost because he lost his temper.

I see these same characteristics In Murray. He has beaten all the best players in the world, and has shown the potential to be the best player in the world. However, his temper hold him back as well, and he reminds me very much so of Marat Safin's younger days.

Agree of Disagree?
Click to expand...
Safin a flake? Well, you are probably best qualified to judge one. Right?
 
THERAFA

THERAFA

Banned
Murray has less ability than Safin.

Murray is far more consistent than Safin.

Murray is a finesse player (with some power), Safin is a power player.

Safin achieved in slams, Murray has only achieved in nonslams.

In other words, I don't see any resemblance, they are almost polar opposites in every regard.
 
dParis

dParis

Hall of Fame
Golden Retriever said:
Safin has the resume of an average top notch tennis player. More or less in the same class as Rafter, Hewitt, Courier etc. Just a notch below the elites like, Edberg, Federer, Sampras etc. So career-wise Murray might resemble Safin. Otherwise they are two different people.
Click to expand...

That's one huge notch separating Safin from Edberg(?), Federer and Sampras. The only thing that argues for him to be on the level of Hewitt is that he beat him in a major final,otherwise he's a notch below that and to mention him in the same breath as Courier is absurd.
 
THERAFA

THERAFA

Banned
Courier played in the toughest era maybe of all-time. Hewitt played in the weakest era of all-time. Yet Courier still ended up with more slams.
 
Feña14

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
Antonio Puente said:
Yes, we poor oppressed Britons. You have no idea what our people have endured. :)

I'm partially British, so save it.

And, aren't you proving me right with this absurd overreaction? Like Murray, it only took one innocuous comment to set you off.
Click to expand...

batz said:
Where did I say Britons were oppressed? Like Fena, I objected to your disparaging comments, nothing more.

You're partially British? So you're a self-hater rather than a standard bigot. OK.

Quite how my response to you represents an 'absurd over-reaction' is beyond me. You made an assertion about Murray that was clearly rooted in fantasy and I debunked it. If that's your definition of an over-reaction then you should expect many more.
Click to expand...

Well yeah, not only are his comment wrong on so many levels.. they're actually pretty offensive.

As for Murray.. I guess he was mentally weak when he was down and playing awful against Monaco in the first round of Miami? He came back and went on to win the tournament. What about against Del Potro last week when he lost the second and Del Potro was on fire? He didn't let Del Potro's little injury time out affect him and went on to take him out, what about his comeback in the final after Djokovic reeled off several games in a row when he started to hit out? As for the majors, he's come back from 2 sets down before and also taken out Nadal in a rain effected semi of a slam over 2 days, playing lights out tennis on both.

There are actually hundreds of examples where Murray has done great things under pressure, yet you choose to highlight a match where he lost to Nadal on a very slow hard court with severe conditions? lol. Sort it out fella.
 
Cyan

Cyan

Hall of Fame
Safin won the USO at 20 by beating Sampras in the final.

Murray could win the USO at 22 by beating Federer in the SF/final?
 
Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas

Legend
Im not a big fan of Murray but he seems mentally stronger and more focused than Safin ever was so I doubt he's the next Safin.
 
DunlopDood

DunlopDood

Semi-Pro
I terms of talent and style of play I would say that Tomas Berdych is the new Safin. Too bad he doesn't move as well cause he could be a major threat to Nadal, anyone remember the Madrid Masters from a few years back :)

Oh and one more thing, why do people on this board rag on Safin all the time? He won 2 majors in spectacular fashion and was the most entertaining player to watch for a decade. I personally loved the guy, he hit hard and had a great personality. I for one will miss this russian when he retires.

Sorry had to get it out of my system :)
 
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C

ChanceEncounter

Professional
THERAFA said:
Courier played in the toughest era maybe of all-time. Hewitt played in the weakest era of all-time. Yet Courier still ended up with more slams.
Click to expand...

Which era? The late 80s/early 90s? Or throughout the 90s? He won a few slams by the age of 22, and then he stopped winning.
 
GameSampras

GameSampras

Banned
No Safin does not even deserve to be mentioned with the likes of Courier, Edberg, Becker, etc. He sure as hell doesnt deserve to be mentioned with Pete, Roger, Nadal, etc.

Safin is a guy who back in 00 looked like he was going to be the "next big thing" at the USO, everyone was riding the backwagon. Next thing you know Safin goes missing due to being a headcase and injuries for the next 5 years and he is off the radar. Safin wins the AO than goes off the radar. 2 slams looks good but his career looks pretty crappy when you compare it to the likes mentioned. Safin had a crapload of raw talent and on any giving day could beat anyone, and he only captured 2 slams. Not all the spectacular considering what he was capable of with his talent. Safin should have been Roger's rival for years. Yet he was off the radar more than he was on it.
 
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dParis

dParis

Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by dParis
I think the previously mentioned Djokovic comparison works better if you want to go that way. Personally, I find all the Marat Safin love on these boards a little bit nauseating.
Leublu tennis said:
It just reflects the feeling around the world. Sorry.
Click to expand...

No need to be sorry mate. I'm full aware that love is blind and that there are objective people around the world also, who see and hear the Safin groupies wax passionately and wonder what all the fuss is about.
 
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