Marat safin outcasts top seed Davydenko in Moscow

After dropping out first set 4 -6 to Davydenko, Marat Safin breaks back in the second set to end it 6 - 4 in his favor.

Safin prevailed with consistency in his game while Davydenko lost his focus and continued with unforced errors and double faults.

the match ended 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 for Safin and Marat eases his way into second round in Kremlin cup, Moscow.

Marat Safin vs. Pete Sampras "Millennium Challenge"

Pete Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam Champion who held the No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks, will return to the LA Tennis Center at UCLA this summer for the "Millennium Challenge".

Sampras, a two-time LA Tennis Open will take the court on opening night, July 27, for the "Millennium Challenge," a rematch of the 2000 US Open final against Russian Marat Safin. Safin claimed the first of his two career Grand Slam titles with that win over Sampras in New York, and holds a 4-3 edge over the American in professional matches. Safin won their last meeting, which came in the fourth round of the 2002 Australian Open.

In addition to this Monday night match against Sampras, Safin will play in the main draw of the LA Tennis Open. It will be the sixth appearance for the Russian in the tournament, having gone 6-5 with two quarterfinals in his previous efforts in LA. A former World No. 1, the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open are among Safin's 15 career titles.

here's a link for an interview with Marat on July 22nd regarding this match

Marat Safin plays Davis Cup 1st round on Friday

Marat Safin representing The Russian team plays Victor Crivoi representing the Romanian team on Friday 06 march in Romania.

here's an EXCLUSIVE interview recording for Marat on the draw day

click here to listen

The full draw for the weekend is as follows:

Friday
Victor Crivoi (ROU) v Marat Safin (RUS)
Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

Saturday
Marius Copil/Horia Tecau (ROU) v Teimuraz Gabashvili/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)

Sunday
Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Marat Safin (RUS)
Victor Crivoi (ROU) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

Two-time Grand Slam Champion Safin will open the proceedings on Friday against Victor Crivoi
for whom this will be only his fourth Davis Cup match. But his lack of Davis Cup experience and the almost 100 ranking places difference between the two did not seem to concern the Romanian. Outcomes in Davis Cup are not always as predictable as they seem on paper and Crivoi is certainly going into the tie with the right attitude, despite the fact that he also has to deal with the pressure of being the first on court.

But he seemed to be at ease even with this minor obstacle, stressing that he was in fact “happy to go first,” a point which his captain also reinforced. “Hanescu has a lot more experience in Davis Cup and so he knows how to deal with different kinds of pressure but for Crivoi it is best to just go in there and not have to sit around much before that.” said Pavel the romanian coach.

Marat Safin in Dubai Barclays Duty free

Marat Safin has been given a wild card entry to Barclays Dubai tennis championship.

Safin reached the final here in 2001 before having to retire against Juan Carlos Ferrero with injury, and he has since struggled to repeat that success. In his four appearances since then he has failed to advance beyond the second round, but he has shown good form recently, with a final in Moscow in October and a fine performance against Roger Federer at the Australian Open suggesting he can still be a threat to anyone.

An interesting first-round clash will see Russia’s Marat Safin take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Ranked 26 and 27 in the world respectively, the two couldn’t be more closely matched. Safin, who had to reply on a wild card to participate in the tournament, has the superior record of three wins to Gasquet’s one, when the two have gone head to head in the past. He will, however, be hoping to avoid emulating his sister’s performance in Dubai this year – the world number two, Dinara Safina having crashed out in her first match of the tournament, after being handed a bye in the first round.

Marat Safin decided to play again in 2009 starting with Hopman Cup

Marat Safin who contemplated retirement after a disappointing loss during the last season, has decided to prolong his career for at least another year. he finally decided to continue playing tennis in 2009.
he will be starting the year with the prestigious Hyundai Hopman cup in Perth Australia with his sister Dinara Safina.

“I’m pleased to confirm my participation in Hopman Cup. It will be special to play with my sister, and I hope we can challenge for the Trophy”, Safin said.

Marat Safin and Dinara Safina would team up for the first time to form the second team in the tournament.

The Russians will be the number two seed.

Safin also decided to play in the Australian open where he will be seeded 29th.

Hopman Cup takes place 3-9 January 2009

link to full schedule

Paris Masters last stop before Shanghai

This week's Paris Masters will complete the jigsaw of who lands the final three berths for the season-ending Tennis Masters Shanghai.

World No.1 Rafael Nadal and the man he displaced, Roger Federer, have already booked their tickets for China and Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Nikolai Davydenko are also guaranteed places.

But the remaining slots are up for grabs, ensuring a denouement in the City of Light.

A group of players, led by American Andy Roddick, are pressing for those final positions though French world No.12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saw his hopes take a dive on Saturday in losing the Lyon semi-final to compatriot Julien Benneteau.

Another Frenchman, Gilles Simon, is also sweating having gone into the weekend in eighth slot only to bow out in Lyon to Swede Robin Soderling.

Simon would have caught up Roddick and would also have leapfrogged Basel losing semi-finalist Juan Martin del Potro had he won in Lyon but now his hopes of a Chinese sojourn hang in the balance.

One man who says he prefers to concentrate on the Davis Cup final rather than head for Shanghai is Argentine star David Nalbandian, who wants to help push his country over the line for the first time in their history against Spain in Mar del Plata.

Nalbandian has a busy schedule as it is, having reached the Basel final where he was Sunday out for a second Swiss title and going toe to toe with Federer, who was on a hat-trick of triumphs in his homeland.

At the Davis Cup final, to be played in Mar del Plata in four weeks' time, the 26-year-old will at least be able to cease hostilities with teammate Del Potro, whom he despatched 6-4 6-4 in Basel on Saturday.

Del Potro has enjoyed a sensational season to date, but Saturday's reverse means he requires a solid showing in Paris as he has not just Simon but also David Ferrer and James Blake breathing down his neck.

As the winner of four straight titles over the summer admitted in Basel: "I'm tired, both mentally and physically.

"It has been tough for me. I really want to make the Masters Cup and win the Davis Cup."

Murray will hope to show that his run of success this season will continue in Paris and erase disappointing memories of his last visit - a third-round French Open loss to Spaniard Nicolas Amalgro.

Murray, who kicked on from his Madrid Masters victory with another fine run in St Petersburg, admitted post-Madrid that he was a long way behind the top three. But with his season finale assured he can enjoy Paris and then focus on a Chinese coronation.

With the Davis Cup and Shanghai attracting the focus of so many of the top stars at this time of year, Paris has struggled on occasion to attract a gold-plated field, which is a source of concern to the hosts, not least with Davydenko an injury doubt.

Safin upset, Murray advances in St. Petersburg

Defending champion Andy Murray beat Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-2 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open, while eighth-seeded Marat Safin was upset in the second round.

Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan beat Safin 6-4, 6-2 to advance to his first career quarterfinal.

Safin, the 31st-ranked Russian who has twice won the tournament, had trouble on his serve, winning only 15 of 51 returned points.

The 150th-ranked Golubev, who reached the second round of the U.S. Open in September, broke Safin in the fifth game of the first set but double-faulted three times in the next game to drop serve and stay level at 3-3.

In the ninth game, Safin saved three break points with aces but was broken on the third deuce, and Golubev served for the set.

"The second break in the first set was a decisive one," Safin said. "He became confident and it was much more difficult to play against him. In fact, I didn't have many chances in the second set."

Golubev won five consecutive games for a 5-1 lead in the second set.

"I knew he would be playing his best tennis today," Safin said. "He had nothing to lose and played with no problems. No matter how I tried, it was his day today."

The big Russian, who won here in 2000 and 2001, was outhit and outplayed by the 150th-ranked Golubev.

The slightly-built Kazakh, who has played mainly on a Challenger circuit and has won only three ATP matches in his career until this week, also fired more aces, seven to Safin's five.

"He (Golubev) totally deserved his victory," Safin told reporters. "He served better than me, was more consistent from the baseline and made less mistakes."

Golubev, born in Russia before switching his alliance to Kazakhstan, said: "Marat was my hero when I was growing up. It was my dream to play him and I couldn't even imagine beating him."

Later today, Marat Safin and Igor Kunitsyn were beaten by R. Bopanna and M. Mirnyi in the doubles.

Marat safin dominates st. Petersburg court

Marat safin won his first round in St. Petersburg in singles and doubles with Igor kunitsyn.

Marat beat sykhofsky 6 - 2, 6-4 in straight sets today on center court.

Marat Safin reached the final of Kremlin cup, Moscow

Safin's first Final of the year is finally here:)

Marat safin reached the final of The Kremlin cup in his homeland.

11.10.2008 Misha Zverev retired from the semifinals of the “Kremlin Cup”-2008

The semifinalist Misha Zverev retired from the tournament for health problems!

Therefore Marat Safin walks over to the final and awaits the winner of Fabrice Santoro and Igor Kunitsyn.

Marat Safin autograph session on 11.10.2008

Safin Clinches 400th Win

Former ATP World No. 1 Marat Safin claimed his 400th career win Tuesday at his hometown event, the ATP Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Safin, 28, converted just two of 10 break point opportunities against Israeli Noam Okun, but it was enough to earn a 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 win in 2 hr., 5 min.

Safin has not won an ATP title since claiming a second Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in January 2005. He last reached a final two years ago, here at the Kremlin Cup. Safin failed to win consecutive matches through the first four months of the season but turned things around at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals (lost to Federer).

Safin begins quest for 500

2008 has been a typically enigmatic season for Safin, highlighted by commanding wins over the likes of Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych, and that run to the Wimbledon semis, but also frittered with losses to the likes of Bobby Reynolds and Phillip Petzschner (in Bangkok last week).

Marat safin a devoted supporter of kremlin cup!

Now with his win over Davydenko too, Safin on the run for his quest for 500!

Marat safin advances to Quarter Final

Marat Safin in action playing Julienne Benneteu in kremlin cup, Moscow

The Russian made it today!

Marat Safin won Julienne Benneteau 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 in second round of the Kremlin Cup.

congratulations on the consecutive match win Marat!

Marat is to play Nikolay Davydenko in quarter final.
Nikolay Davydenko has truly established himself in the record books at this tournament. He's the two-time defending champion and going for a fourth crown in the Russian capital.

He's been looking like a potential champion again this week, sweeping aside Florent Serra and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez without dropping a set. Garcia-Lopez was allowed just two games.

Safin, in contrast, has been pushed all the way by Noam Okun and Julien Benneteau. Safin's round-one match with Okun was so tight that Safin himself lost track of the score and didn't realize he'd won when the moment came! On Thursday he had to fight back from a mental lapse in the second set which saw him get bageled 6-0.

Kremlin cup 2008 (Кубок Кремля)

Kremlin Cup

Moscow, Russia, Olympic Stadium
October 6-12, 2008
Tier I
Prize Money: $1,340,000
Draw: 28M/32Q/16D
Surface: Supreme/Indoors
Tournament Director: Aleksei Selivanenko

Marat plays Okun Noam a qualifier in first round on Tuesday October 7th.
Marat Safin is seeded n. 7 in the tournament.

Marat Safin was the runner up in 2006. he lost to Nikolay Davydenko.
Marat won the doubles title last year 2007 with Dmitry Tursunov.

Link to website in English
Link to website in Russian

Long way to Bangkok!

Thailand open tournament

Former world number one Marat Safin of Russia opens his bid today against Philipp Petzschner of Germany. The Russian still felt jet lag after a long trip.

"Yesterday (Sunday) I flew more than 20 hours to arrive in Thailand. I still feel tired and very sleepy," Safin said after his first training session.

Marat lost to Phillip Petzschner(GER) 4.6 6.7(4).

Safin had little to offer in defeat after last playing in the second round of the US Open. The disgusted Russian was burdened with 33 unforced errors as Petzschner notched a dozen aces and 13 winners.

'I didn't feel comfortable on the court, it's just the way I was today,' said the former number one.

'I didn't play well, nothing happened for me out there. It's my job to play tennis and I didn't do it well today.'

Hope playing the doubles is better!

1st Rd: Marat/Mischa Zverev(GER) play Simon Aspelin(SWE)/Julian Knowle(AUT)

Marat and Dinara. One on One

here's a full interview of Marat talking about his sister!

Q. Your sister was in here earlier after her win, and she talked about you actually have talked to her through the years about trying to learn from your...

MARAT SAFIN: My mistakes, yes. (laughter.)

Q. Can you just give us a couple minutes what you think of what she's done professionally so far this year in particular and maybe what her chances are?

MARAT SAFIN: I think if she will do everything opposite of what I've been doing throughout the years she will be No. 1 in the world for a long time. That's as simple as it is.

Q. As a brother, how proud of her are you?

MARAT SAFIN: Always, of course. I mean, she's doing so well, and she's very close to finish the year No. 1. She's playing well. Two tough finals in the French Open and Beijing, so I think the third one is here. She should take her chance.

It's a little too early to speak about it, but I think she deserved it. And the way she was working already this year, and the decision she made at the age of 22 for a girl, I think it's very tough one.

She made them, she's doing very well, and I think she deserved it. I think she's totally ready to win the first Grand Slam, so I think why not? I'm really proud of the way she's handling the pressure and the way she's handling herself.

I think it's ‑‑ and the way she's treating the people around her, I think it's amazing, so I'm really happy for her.

Marat now sees Dinara as a legitimate major-title contender, ranked No. 7.

here are Dinara's words about her brother:

Marat often scolded Dinara about "acting like a baby and the crying and all this. He hated it," she said. "He was always, like, 'Come on; you have to grow up in your mind.'

"When he plays his best, I would take everything he has: his power, fighting spirit. When he plays his worst game, then I don't need anything."

Still, Dinara said he always is there for support. "I better listen to his advice," she said. "I have success now, but he was No. 1 in the world, so I still have to catch up. He can teach me many things in life."