Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
From the Daily Telegraph (no link, req's registration, thanks to griffin for posting it on r.s.t.)
Brain and brawn make Safin a major threat
By Clive White
(Filed: 16/01/2005)
There were moments during that marathon tie-break between Roger Federer and
Marat Safin at the Masters Cup in Houston when one was tempted to believe
that arguably the greatest tennis player in history really did have a rival.
Then one suddenly remembered one was talking about Safin, the great
under-achiever, the legendary head case. No, Federer had no rivals...
unless, of course, the Russian really was a changed man.
It would take a brave man, if not someone more crazy than Safin himself, to
say that with any certainty, but there have been signs over the past five
months that he is finally getting his head around the fact that it takes
more than just outrageous talent to win a slam.
Ever since, as a fearless 20-year-old, he destroyed the great Pete Sampras
in straight sets to win the 2000 US Open, the tennis world has been waiting
for the big Muscovite to add brain to brawn. He has one of the sharpest
brains on the circuit - and one of the wittiest - but it has taken him a
long time to work out that smashing rackets and generally getting down on
everyone, including himself, is not conducive to keeping one's mind on the
job.
After taking what amounted to a sabbatical in 2003, ostensibly to clear up
injuries but essentially, one feels, to rekindle his appetite, he returned
at last year's Australian Open hungry and dangerous. With minimal
preparation and fitness and a ranking to match, he powered his way through
the field to the final where, inevitably, his lack of condition told against
Federer.
Safin found consolidating such success difficult and, after an exasperating
six or seven months, turned to a man who had experience in harnessing a
suspect temperament to unquestionable talent: Peter Lundgren, Federer's old
coach and confidante. People forget that while last year's three-time slam
champion may play like an angel he did not always behave like one, he was
not always the calm, collected individual he is now.
"I've tried to calm Marat down," Lundgren said. "I've told him, `Don't try
to break a racket for no reason, it tells the other guy you're upset'. He's
changed a lot. This is why he won in Madrid and Paris [two Masters events].
If I was playing him, I would try to make him upset. If you get him upset
your own confidence will go up."
There is little else to give an opponent encouragement. Safin has an
excellent all-round game, but, as we were reminded watching him defeat
Britain's Tim Henman in straight sets in Houston, it's his power that sets
him apart. "Roger has touch and feel - and strength, too - but Marat is
really powerful," Lundgren said
Had the pendulum in that 20-18 second-set tie-break in Texas swung his way
instead of Federer's, Safin might well have gone on to score an important
psychological victory. As it is, the world's No 1 is under no illusions
about the threat Safin poses. "Marat is one of the few guys whom he really
has a lot of respect for," Lundgren said.
But his old protégé, whom he amicably split with just prior to last year's
Australian Open, is still the man to beat, he admitted. "Roger right now is
tough to beat, but he's not unbeatable," he said. "I have to put Roger way
favourite [to win the Australian Open] but there are a couple of guys who
can do damage and Marat is one of them."
Since arriving in Melbourne a week ago the Swede has been working with Safin
on "basically everything because a top player needs to develop his game
every year. When you do well, as Marat did last year, people study you, they
watch you on TV. You need to come with something new because next year
everybody wants to kick your arse. That's Roger's strength - he knows how to
keep developing".
Lundgren enjoys working with Safin. "He's very open, he confronts you," he
said. "Roger was no problem, but he'd just suck it in whereas if Marat
doesn't like to hear what I'm saying, he says so. But I'll tell him whether
he likes it or not.
"He's a very interesting young man. He reads a lot, watches a lot of movies,
he's always keeping himself busy. He knows everything about food, too - the
guy's amazing and he's not yet 25. He's nice to autograph hunters, he's nice
to everybody."
By Lundgren's own admission, his seven-year partnership with Federer had
become routine and, while he was initially shaken by the player's decision
to end it, he fully understands it. "This is what happens with the kind of
relationship we had, we were so close," he said. "We did everything
together. We ate together, we went out together, we even played PlayStation
together. Now it's good for him to carry on with something else and I'm
happy to be doing something else."
Brain and brawn make Safin a major threat
By Clive White
(Filed: 16/01/2005)
There were moments during that marathon tie-break between Roger Federer and
Marat Safin at the Masters Cup in Houston when one was tempted to believe
that arguably the greatest tennis player in history really did have a rival.
Then one suddenly remembered one was talking about Safin, the great
under-achiever, the legendary head case. No, Federer had no rivals...
unless, of course, the Russian really was a changed man.
It would take a brave man, if not someone more crazy than Safin himself, to
say that with any certainty, but there have been signs over the past five
months that he is finally getting his head around the fact that it takes
more than just outrageous talent to win a slam.
Ever since, as a fearless 20-year-old, he destroyed the great Pete Sampras
in straight sets to win the 2000 US Open, the tennis world has been waiting
for the big Muscovite to add brain to brawn. He has one of the sharpest
brains on the circuit - and one of the wittiest - but it has taken him a
long time to work out that smashing rackets and generally getting down on
everyone, including himself, is not conducive to keeping one's mind on the
job.
After taking what amounted to a sabbatical in 2003, ostensibly to clear up
injuries but essentially, one feels, to rekindle his appetite, he returned
at last year's Australian Open hungry and dangerous. With minimal
preparation and fitness and a ranking to match, he powered his way through
the field to the final where, inevitably, his lack of condition told against
Federer.
Safin found consolidating such success difficult and, after an exasperating
six or seven months, turned to a man who had experience in harnessing a
suspect temperament to unquestionable talent: Peter Lundgren, Federer's old
coach and confidante. People forget that while last year's three-time slam
champion may play like an angel he did not always behave like one, he was
not always the calm, collected individual he is now.
"I've tried to calm Marat down," Lundgren said. "I've told him, `Don't try
to break a racket for no reason, it tells the other guy you're upset'. He's
changed a lot. This is why he won in Madrid and Paris [two Masters events].
If I was playing him, I would try to make him upset. If you get him upset
your own confidence will go up."
There is little else to give an opponent encouragement. Safin has an
excellent all-round game, but, as we were reminded watching him defeat
Britain's Tim Henman in straight sets in Houston, it's his power that sets
him apart. "Roger has touch and feel - and strength, too - but Marat is
really powerful," Lundgren said
Had the pendulum in that 20-18 second-set tie-break in Texas swung his way
instead of Federer's, Safin might well have gone on to score an important
psychological victory. As it is, the world's No 1 is under no illusions
about the threat Safin poses. "Marat is one of the few guys whom he really
has a lot of respect for," Lundgren said.
But his old protégé, whom he amicably split with just prior to last year's
Australian Open, is still the man to beat, he admitted. "Roger right now is
tough to beat, but he's not unbeatable," he said. "I have to put Roger way
favourite [to win the Australian Open] but there are a couple of guys who
can do damage and Marat is one of them."
Since arriving in Melbourne a week ago the Swede has been working with Safin
on "basically everything because a top player needs to develop his game
every year. When you do well, as Marat did last year, people study you, they
watch you on TV. You need to come with something new because next year
everybody wants to kick your arse. That's Roger's strength - he knows how to
keep developing".
Lundgren enjoys working with Safin. "He's very open, he confronts you," he
said. "Roger was no problem, but he'd just suck it in whereas if Marat
doesn't like to hear what I'm saying, he says so. But I'll tell him whether
he likes it or not.
"He's a very interesting young man. He reads a lot, watches a lot of movies,
he's always keeping himself busy. He knows everything about food, too - the
guy's amazing and he's not yet 25. He's nice to autograph hunters, he's nice
to everybody."
By Lundgren's own admission, his seven-year partnership with Federer had
become routine and, while he was initially shaken by the player's decision
to end it, he fully understands it. "This is what happens with the kind of
relationship we had, we were so close," he said. "We did everything
together. We ate together, we went out together, we even played PlayStation
together. Now it's good for him to carry on with something else and I'm
happy to be doing something else."
