| Wednesday, 2 July 2008 Written by Helen Gilbert The secret to beating Roger Federer on grass is to “be Nadal and run around like a rabbit and hit winners from all over the place”. That is according to Marat Safin. The Russian, who beat Feliciano Lopez in four sets to earn a Wimbledon semi-final place for the first time in his career, faces the top seed in the next round but is under no illusions about the task in hand. Speaking after the match he said humbly: “I’m playing in the semi-finals but that doesn’t mean that I have a chance there, because the guy has won how many times already here? It’s my first semi-final, so levels are a little bit different…I think it would be just a little bit too difficult for me to beat him.” Relaxed and in a jovial mood, the 28-year-old laughed when he heard that Roger had described his world ranking – 75 at the start of the tournament – as ridiculous. “OK, he can sell me some points,” the former world number one joked. But then the mood turned serious and Safin explained how difficult it is to deal with slipping down the rankings, losing confidence, momentum and having to qualify – a task he completed in Hamburg. Having won the US Open in 2000 and the Australian Open in 2005, Safin is well placed to see the tour from both sides of the coin but even when he was at the top of his game he described his Australian Open victory as a “big relief” rather than “happiness”. “I was just ‘oh my God’. Thank God I won the second title because I lost already twice the Australian Open. I needed already the second Grand Slam. I was under so much pressure in the final that I couldn’t even walk straight. It was a little bit too much. You don’t really enjoy it while you’re playing.” So what has changed this year? A new coach it seems. “Nothing worked until I changed the coach. I’ve been losing first rounds left and right. I was really desperate and I didn’t know what to do. Then all of a sudden just out of nowhere I started to play better in the clay court season and the confidence started to come.” You would perhaps think the Russian, who in his early days enjoyed a party-loving lifestyle, would be elated with his run over the past week and a half. But he appears to be taking it all in his stride and a wise, mature head now firmly sits on his shoulders. He points out that, at 28, a lot of things have happened in his life and he is not going to get overly excited about “winning just another match” and start “running around with a big huge smile on my face”. “For me it’s more like a relief, you know, that I made it – first time in my life the semi- final of Wimbledon. It’s great, it’s unbelievable. Of course I’m happy, but it’s a different happiness. It’s not the same when you’re 20 years old and the first time you make the semi-finals. You think you are flying. You are not even touching the ground. But now it’s a little bit different.” In fact, Safin is wonderfully down-to-earth. Yes he has suffered with injury, yes he is “tired of making comebacks” but he is grateful that he has made a career out of the sport. But with a wry smile and glint in his eye the cheeky Russian adds: “I prefer to have the career of Federer of course.”
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Super Safrin Storms To Semis
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