How good is he, really?
Haven’t seen him enough on court, so cannot put in a detailed, educated analysis here.
But he certainly has the smarts on court, and that’s what keeps him above his non-Nadal, non-Novak peers. Richard Gasquet, say. Or Jo Wilfried Tsonga, who is very similar to Marat Safin, in a way that on his day, he can swat any opposition like a truant fly off the court.
So, Murray (observation 2) says that he will win a Grand Slam or two… and might not become an all time great.
Goran Ivanisevic, the player of the previous generation most resembling Marat Safin in sheer volatility and unpredictableness, once said
In every game I play there are three players in me that could surface anytime, Good Goran, Bad Goran, Crazy Goran! They can all serve aces.
So which Safin will we see day-after-tomorrow? In my book, Good Marat beats everyone on tour, including Federer. Even Good Roger? Even in grass? We’ll see…
Can she do a Safin? Safin did it twice. I think she can. Both she hand Kuznetsova have games notsuited for clay, and Safina certainly has a lot of firepower. But Kuznetsova can move, remember. And I am sure Ana and Jelena (i like both of whom a lot), will be too tired by the end of their match (which i think Jankovic will win) to put up a challenge in the finals.
BTW, has it ever happened earlier? And I always thought Michaella Krajicek will have a chance some day…. and never Safina.
Men’s prediction later….
