The mercurial career of Marat Safin came to a close Wednesday in Paris as the hulking Russian played the final match in the final tournament of his final year of ATP tennis, losing to reigning US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Masters. Bud Collins, the world’s most famous tennis journalist and tennis historian, profiles Safin in this excerpt from THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com)
Big, blazing, bumptious, and sometimes bumbling, excessive in everything he does, 6-4, 195 pound Marat Safin is a good-natured bundle of immense talent waiting to be tamed. Nobody can stop him when he fires on all cylinders, as Pete Sampras learned, swept away, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in 2000 U.S. final. Marat, 20 then, first Russian to win the title, appeared to have No. 1 wrapped up that year (won seven titles), but, unraveled at Masters, finished No. 2 behind Guga Kuerten. Blends speed, touch, power; however, moodiness can transform him into a headless horseman. Fined $2,500 for not tying in a first-round loss to Grant Stafford at the 2000 Australian Open.
A champion racket-smasher, he turned it all around, seeded No. 6 at Flushing during his title run. He turned pro in 1996 and made his first splash in beating Andre Agassi in the first round, defending champion Gustavo Kuerten in the second round at the 1998 French—made the fourth round. Born Jan. 27, 1980 in Moscow of tennis-teaching parentage—Mother, Rausa Islanova, coached him age 6-to-13, then sent him to Valencia, Spain to live under the tutelage Rafael Mensua. Sister Dinara Safina (born April 17, 1986) also world class, top female player. Davis Cup, 1998-to-date (May, 2008), has played 20 ties; 20-15 singles, 10-4 doubles. He was a mainstay as Russia won first Cup in 2002, beating France, 3-2 in the final. He was 6-1 singles, 2-2 doubles; won decisive singles over Michel Kratochvil, Switzerland, David Nalbandian, Argentina; and beat Paul-Henri Mathieu, Sebastian Grosjean in the final. He lost the Australian final in 2002 to Tom Johansson, but rebounded in Melbourne in 2005, beating world No. 1 Roger Federer in semifinal, saving a match point in the 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 9-7 win. Beat Lleyton Hewitt for the title, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He made the semifinals of the French, 2002 and the quarterfinals in 2000; He reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, 2001 and the semifinals at the U.S. in 2001. As of May of 2008, he won 15 singles (380-223 matches), two doubles pro career titles, $13,249,493 in prize money as of May, 2008 he was in the world’s Top 10: No. 2, 2000; No. 3, 2002 (No. 11, 2001).
MAJOR TITLES (2)—Australian, 2005, U.S. 2000.