Marat Safin
Encyclopedia
Marat Mikhailovich Safin (born January 27, 1980) is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar
descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken racquets in a year with 87. Safin is the older brother of former World No. 1 WTA
player Dinara Safina
(Dinara Mikhailovna Safina) (Russian: Динара Михайловна Сафина), born April 27, 1986 in Moscow. They are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No. 1 rankings.
Safin began his professional career in 1997, and held the No. 1 world ranking for a total of 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2000 U.S. Open after defeating Pete Sampras
, and won the 2005 Australian Open
, defeating Australian Lleyton Hewitt
in the final. Safin helped lead Russia
to Davis Cup
victories in 2002 and 2006. Despite his dislike of grass courts, he became the first Russian man to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
. At the time of his final Grand Slam appearance at the US Open
on September 2, 2009, Safin was No. 58 in the official world men's tennis rankings.
(now Russia) to a Tatar family of father Mikhail Alexeivich Safin and mother Rausa Islanova. He speaks Russian, English, and Spanish as well as his native Tatar
. His parents are former tennis players and coaches. His younger sister, Dinara Safina
, is a professional tennis player and silver medal
ist at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing
. Safin's father managed the local Spartak Tennis Club
, where Safin trained in his youth alongside several tennis players, including Anna Kournikova
, Elena Dementieva
, and Anastasiya Myskina
.
At age 14 he moved to Valencia, Spain, to gain access to advanced tennis training programs which were not available in Russia. Safin says he grew up "very fast ... with no muscles" and that he moved to Spain because clay courts were "better for the knees".
In an interview with the newspaper USA Today
, Marat Safin identified himself as a Muslim, stating, "I'm Russian, but I'm 100% Muslim. All the Muslim people are passionate, stubborn. We have hot blood."
and defending champion Gustavo Kuerten
at the French Open.
He won his first ATP title at the age of 19, in Boston and later in 1999 he reached the prestigious Paris, Bercy final losing a closely contested 4 set match to Andre Agassi.
ranking for 9 weeks during 2000 (making him the tallest number 1 ranked player of all time) when he won his first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open, becoming the only Russian in history to win this tournament in the Mens Singles draw, by defeating Pete Sampras in straight sets. However, a succession of injuries hindered his progress and Safin missed the majority of the season in 2003 as a result.
Safin reached the final round in three more Grand Slam tournaments, all in the Australian Open in 2002, 2004, and 2005. He has cited nervousness as the reason for his loss in the 2002 event, and physical exhaustion for the 2004 loss. He defeated home-country favorite Lleyton Hewitt
in the 2005 finals to secure his second Grand Slam in five years. En route to this final, he defeated top-ranked Roger Federer
in a five-set semi-final match. After ending Federer's 26-match winning streak over top-10 players, Safin described the match as "a brain fight."
His best result at Wimbledon is reaching the semi-finals in 2008 often losing in the first or second rounds in other years.
, Spain.
, Mikhail Youzhny
, Andrei Stoliarov
, and team captain
Shamil Tarpischev. The team made Davis Cup history by being the second to win the event after losing the doubles tie-breaker, and becoming the first team to win a (live-televised) five-set finals match by coming back from a two-set deficit.
Safin also helped Russia to win the Davis Cup in 2006. After a straight sets defeat by David Nalbandian
in his first match, his doubles victory (partnering Dmitry Tursunov
) against Nalbandian and Agustín Calleri
and singles victory against José Acasuso
drove Russia to victory.
Heavily favored Russia was hosted by Israel
in a Davis Cup quarterfinal tie in July 2009, on indoor hard courts at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv
. Russia had won the Davis Cup in both 2002 and 2006, and was the top-ranked country in Davis Cup standings. The stage was set by Safin, who prior to the tie told the press: "With all due respect, Israel was lucky to get to the quarterfinals." The Israeli team then beat the Russian team in each of their first three matches. Harel Levy
(world # 210) beat Andreev (world # 24), and Dudi Sela
(# 33) followed by beating Youzhny. The next day Israelis Andy Ram
and Jonathan Erlich
beat Safin and doubles specialist Kunitsyn 6–3, 6–4, 6–7 (3), 4–6, 6–4 in front of a boisterous crowd of over 10,000. With the tie clinched for Israel, the reverse singles rubbers were "dead", and instead of best-of-five matches, best-of-three sets were played, with the outcomes of little to no importance. Israel wrapped up a 4–1 victory over Russia, splitting the final matches.
, saying that "I never believed in myself before at all, until I started to work with him." Lundgren had been Federer's coach, until parting ways at the end of 2003; Safin hired Lundgren the following year. He was later defeated in the early rounds of each of the seven tournaments he played between the Australian Open and the French Open. In June 2005, shortly after his unsuccessful French Open campaign, Safin made a surprise finals appearance at the Wimbledon tune-up tournament in Halle
on grass. He lost the final narrowly to the defending champion, Roger Federer, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–4.
During the clay court season, Safin suffered a knee injury, which he played through consistently all the way up until Wimbledon with the help of pain killers and AI's. He only played one tournament in the Summer hard court season, in Cincinnati, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Robby Ginepri. In the following years, Safin never fully recovered.
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Although a serious knee-injury hampered Safin's progression and rankings within the ATP (he missed the 2005 US Open, 2005 Tennis Masters Cup and 2006 Australian Open), Safin made appearances at the 2006 ATP Masters tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg.
On August 17, 2006, after a disappointing year during which Safin suffered injuries and his ranking plummeted to as low as 104, Safin temporarily parted ways with coach Peter Lundgren.
After injuries set him back, Safin was ranked a lowly #104, his worst ranking since May, 1998. During his comeback at the 2006 US Open, Safin defeated Argentine David Nalbandian, who was then World #4, 6–3, 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 7–6(8–6) in a riveting 2nd Round match. Safin then lost in the 4th Round to former world No.2 German Tommy Haas
, also in a 5th set tiebreaker, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 6–2, 7–6 (7–5).
Safin helped Russia beat the USA 3–2 to gain a place in the finals in December 2006, and secondly with a good run at the start of the indoor season the Thailand Open where he was narrowly edged out by No.7 seed, James Blake
.
On October 14, 2006, Safin made it to his first final in a year-and-a-half at the Kremlin Cup
in Moscow, the first all Russian final at that event, losing to compatriot, Ukrainian born Nikolay Davydenko
, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4.
On December 3, 2006, Safin defeated José Acasuso 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 (7–5) in the 5th and decisive rubber of the 2006 Davis Cup
, winning the Davis Cup for Russia. He had previously lost 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 to David Nalbandian in his first match. In the doubles match, he teamed up with Dmitry Tursunov to demolish David Nalbandian and Agustín Calleri, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4. 2006's Davis Cup final was played in Moscow on carpet, which suited both teams well; it gave Russia a slight edge as Argentina usually produces slower-court specialists (i.e. clay and slow hard).
Winning the Davis Cup for his country capped off a successful year and comeback for Safin in 2006. His 7 wins (7–7 record that year) against top ten players (DEF: Baghdatis, Nalbandian, Roddick, Blake, Gaudio, and Davydenko-twice) were fourth-most on the ATP tour behind just Federer (19), Nadal (10) and Blake (8). Safin compiled a 19–12 record on hard courts, a 7–3 record on carpet courts, 6–7 record on clay courts and a 2–2 record on grass courts. Safin's overall match record for 2006 was 34–24.
Safin did not play any warm-up tournaments in the run up to the Australian Open. As Safin was forced to miss the tournament in 2006 due to injury, 2007 was his first Australian Open since he captured the title in 2005. Safin lost against 6th seed Andy Roddick in his third round match by a score of 7–6(2), 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(2) in a grueling 3-hour match. Roddick commented after the match, "With Marat you know you are going to get an emotional roller-coaster. You just have to try and focus on yourself and I was able to do that tonight.
In April, Safin won the deciding quarter-final Davis Cup
rubber against France
, beating Paul-Henri Mathieu
in straight sets.
Safin reached the third round at Wimbledon
, before falling to the defending champion Roger Federer
. In July, Safin announced that he and his coach Alexander Volkov were parting and that his new coach would be former pro Hernán Gumy
.
Safin won the doubles title at the Kremlin Cup
in Moscow in October, his first ATP-level title since the 2005 Australian Open
.
in Melbourne. Other players in the field were Roddick, Fernando González
, Nikolay Davydenko
, Marcos Baghdatis
, Ivan Ljubičić
and Andy Murray. Safin was victorious in his opening match, defeating Andy Murray 6–1, 6–4 before falling to defeat in his second match to Andy Roddick 6–3, 6–3. In the 3rd place play-off, Safin rebounded from the Roddick loss and overpowered the prior year's Australian Open runner up Fernando González winning the match 6–3, 6–3. Safin won his first round match at the Australian Open against Ernests Gulbis
in straight sets – 6–0, 6–4, 7–6 (2). He was ousted in the 2nd round after a grueling five set match against Baghdatis – 6–4, 6–4 2–6, 3–6, 6–2.
In February, Safin was granted wildcards into the tournaments at Memphis
and Las Vegas. In Memphis, he was edged out by his 2002 Australian Open
opponent, Thomas Johansson
, 7–6, 7–6 in the first round. In Las Vegas he was defeated by Lleyton Hewitt during the semi-finals round in 2007 7–5, 6–1. Safin was defeated by Hewitt once again by 6–2, 6–1 in 58 minutes.
In March, Safin lost in the first round of Indian Wells and Miami, to Jürgen Melzer
and qualifier Bobby Reynolds
respectively. In the Davis Cup between Russia and the Czech Republic, Safin defeated world no. 9 Tomáš Berdych
in a five set encounter, after being two sets down, 6–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4. This was the first time in his career that he has come back to win a match after being down two sets.
Safin's next tournament was in Valencia. He defeated former World No. 1 and number 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
6–3, 5–7, 6–4. In spite of the fact that Ferrero is from the Valencia region, Safin was the more popular player, having been based in Valencia for many years and being a well-known Valencia CF
fan – local player Ferrero controversially favouring Real Madrid
. He played Dutch teenager Robin Haase
in the next round. He won the first set 6–2 and was up 4–2 in the 2nd set. However, Haase broke back to take it to a tiebreak. Safin had 4 match points, including one on his serve, but lost this tiebreak, and eventually the match.
In the Monte Carlo Masters, Safin defeated Xavier Malisse
6–3, 6–2, but then lost to No. 5 David Ferrer
6–2, 6–3. He then entered the 2008 BMW Open
in Munich, Germany, where his first round opponent was Carlos Berlocq
. Safin won 6–3, 3–6, 6–4. In the second round he edged out Michael Berrer
7–6(4), 6–7(5), 6–3, but lost to Fernando González 7–5, 6–3 in his first quarterfinal of the year, and the first since June 2007 at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C.
Safin also entered the 2008 French Open
but was eliminated in the second round by countryman and No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko
, in straight sets, 7–6, 6–2, 6–2.
Ranked at No. 75, Safin entered the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
where he defeated Fabio Fognini
6–1, 6–2, 7–6(3) in the first round. In the second round he defeated No. 3 player and 2008 Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic
6–4, 7–6(3), 6–2. Safin's victory came as a shock as Djokovic was described as a "serious contender" to win the tournament. In the third round, he played Italian Andreas Seppi
(29th seed) and beat him 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. In the Round of 16 came Stanislas Wawrinka
who he defeated 6–4, 6–3, 5–7, 6–1. This was the first time he had reached the quarter-finals in a major tournament since the 2005 Australian Open. Safin went on to defeat Feliciano López
3–6, 7–5, 7–6(1), 6–3 in the quarterfinals to set up a semi-final clash with defending champion Roger Federer
. Safin lost the match 6–3, 7–6(3), 6–4. His run to the semi-finals was his best record in Wimbledon and made him the first Russian man to ever reach a Wimbledon semi-final.
Safin attributed his great run at wimbledon down to the hard work he was putting in with coach Hernan Gumy. Safin then played at the Swedish Open
, on clay, in Båstad against Marc López
, winning 7–6, 7–5 in the first round. He lost his second round match against Potito Starace
.
Safin was awarded a wild card into the Rogers Cup Masters tournament in Toronto. He played Sam Querrey in the first round, winning 6–3, 6–3. Due to rain delays, he had to play his next match against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on the same day. He lost that match 6–3, 6–4. Safin was seeded fifth for his next tournament, the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. He defeated Americans John Isner
6–3, 6–4 and Wayne Odesnik
6–3, 6–2 in the first and second rounds respectively to advance to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Denis Gremelmayr
3–6, 6–3, 6–2.
In the US Open, Safin lost in the second round to Tommy Robredo 4–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–0.
At the Moscow Kremlin Cup, he defeated Noam Okun
, Julien Benneteau
, and fellow countrymen Nikolay Davydenko
and Mischa Zverev
only to lose to another compatriot Igor Kunitsyn
7–6, 6–7, 6–3 in the final. It was Safin's first final appearance since 2006, in the same event. Following the Kremlin Cup, Safin withdrew from the Madrid Masters event with a shoulder injury cited as the reason.
His next event was the St. Petersburg Open at which he lost in the 2nd round. He then lost his first round match at the final ATP tournament of the calendar: the Paris Masters. He lost the match to Juan Mónaco
6–0 7–6. In the post-match conference, he raised the possibility of his retirement from the sport. Via a message posted on his official website, he said he was going to take a holiday and then seriously consider his options regarding his future in tennis. He finished the year 2008 ranked at #29.
event in Perth
with his sister, Dinara Safina
. He arrived at the event sporting a bandaged right thumb, two black eye
s, a blood-filled left eye, and a cut near his right eye, all suffered in a fight several weeks earlier in Moscow. In the 2009 Hopman Cup, the pair played off in the final representing Russia, but each was defeated in the singles rubbers. Safin said he had decided to play the 2009 season due to a great offer from his manger Ion Tiriac, he made this decision despite not having a coach.
Safin withdrew from the Kooyong Classic tournament due to a shoulder injury, but recovered to play his first round Australian Open match, which he won in straight sets over Ivan Navarro
of Spain. In the second round, Safin defeated another Spanish player, Guillermo García López
. In the third round he came up against Roger Federer and lost in straight sets, however, Federer himself acknowledged that Safin's level of play in the third set, which went to a tiebreak, was great.
His next tournament was the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. He exited in the 1st round to Richard Gasquet
, and exited in the semi-finals in doubles with David Ferrer
. In March Safin helped Russia advance to the Davis Cup
quarter-finals by beating Victor Crivoi
of Romania in the first rubber in straight sets.
Starting the year at 29 in the world, he placed in the top 20 during the year, for the first time since the end of January 2006. His doubles ranking also improved from 300 to 195.
In the first round at Wimbledon, at which he was seeded #14, he was upset by 21-year-old Jesse Levine
of the U.S., 6–2, 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–4.
Safin played at Catella Swedish Open in a claycourt tournament at Båstad
where he lost to Nicolás Almagro
of Spain.
Safin began his hardcourt season by making it to the quarter-finals of the LA Tennis Open (his first quarter-final of the season) where he lost to Tommy Haas
7–6(3), 6–2.
He lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, his last ever Grand Slam, to Austrian Jürgen Melzer
, 1–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. Tennis critics commented that an out of shape Safin's final grand slam match was largely representative of his career, flowering at first with real promise but eventually ground down by injuries and a lack of commitment and confidence.
After a second round loss in the PTT Thailand Open, he has found some late form coming in to the China Open
tournament held in Beijing; beating José Acasuso
in the first round 6–4, 6–2. In the second round he played Fernando González
and likewise in his previous round, he produced a wonderful win; 6–3, 6–4. In the quarterfinals, he lost against top seeded Rafael Nadal
, 3–6, 1–6.
As the tour rolled into Moscow for the Kremlin Cup
, it marked the beginning of the end for Safin, as he played his last competitive matches in his native Russia. Safin's form of late continued, as he played some inspired tennis to take down top seed and world no. 6 Nikolay Davydenko 4–6 6–4 6–2 in the first round. He however lost in the second round. He then played at the 2009 St. Petersburg Open
where he reached the semi-finals.
. In the first round, he saved three match points with three aces against Thierry Ascione
, eventually prevailing 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(3) with a total of 24 aces and 41 winners. On November 11, 2009, Safin's career ended with a second-round defeat by Juan Martín del Potro
, 4–6, 7–5, 4–6 in one hour and 56 minutes, after which a special presentation ceremony was held on Centre Court at Bercy. Fellow tennis players who joined him in the ceremony included del Potro, Novak Djokovic
, Gilles Simon
, Tommy Robredo
, Frederico Gil
, Ivo Karlović
, Albert Costa
, Marc Rosset
and Younes El Aynaoui
.
Despite his emotional outbursts, Safin had a very laid back demeanour and was widely regarded as the most charismatic player on tour.
, David Nalbandian
, Novak Djokovic
, Rafael Nadal
, and Andy Murray.
His racquets used to be strung using Babolat VS Natural Team Gut 17L gauge, but he then switched to Luxilon Big Banger Original at 62 to 67 pounds. His clothing and shoe sponsor has been Adidas
his whole career.
Runner-ups (4)
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1The win and loss totals do not include walkovers.
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken racquets in a year with 87. Safin is the older brother of former World No. 1 WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
player Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
(Dinara Mikhailovna Safina) (Russian: Динара Михайловна Сафина), born April 27, 1986 in Moscow. They are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No. 1 rankings.
Safin began his professional career in 1997, and held the No. 1 world ranking for a total of 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2000 U.S. Open after defeating Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
, and won the 2005 Australian Open
2005 Australian Open
The 2005 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 until 30 January 2005.-Men's Singles: Marat Safin def. Lleyton Hewitt, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4...
, defeating Australian Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
in the final. Safin helped lead Russia
Russia Davis Cup team
The Russia Davis Cup team represents Russia in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Russian Tennis Federation. The team started playing in 1993....
to Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
victories in 2002 and 2006. Despite his dislike of grass courts, he became the first Russian man to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
2008 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal defeated five-time defending Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer, in five sets to win his first Wimbledon title and fifth Grand Slam championship. It was the longest championship match in Wimbledon history with play lasting four hours and 48 minutes, and with two rain delays...
. At the time of his final Grand Slam appearance at the US Open
2009 US Open - Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, 2–6.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Andy Murray # Rafael Nadal # Novak Djokovic ...
on September 2, 2009, Safin was No. 58 in the official world men's tennis rankings.
Early life
Safin was born in Moscow, USSRSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Russia) to a Tatar family of father Mikhail Alexeivich Safin and mother Rausa Islanova. He speaks Russian, English, and Spanish as well as his native Tatar
Tatar language
The Tatar language , or more specifically Kazan Tatar, is a Turkic language spoken by the Tatars of historical Kazan Khanate, including modern Tatarstan and Bashkiria...
. His parents are former tennis players and coaches. His younger sister, Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
, is a professional tennis player and silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
ist at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing
Tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 10 to August 17 at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre. The DecoTurf surface rendered the event a hardcourt tournament....
. Safin's father managed the local Spartak Tennis Club
Spartak Tennis Club
The Spartak Tennis Club is a tennis training ground located near Sokolniki Park in Moscow, Russia. It has 15 outdoor clay courts, which remain closed for half of the year, and only one indoor court...
, where Safin trained in his youth alongside several tennis players, including Anna Kournikova
Anna Kournikova
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite the fact that she never won a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name...
, Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...
, and Anastasiya Myskina
Anastasia Myskina
Anastasiya Andreyevna Myskina is a professional tennis player from Russia. She won the 2004 French Open singles title, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam main draw singles title. Subsequent to this victory she rose to number 3 on the WTA ranking, becoming the first...
.
At age 14 he moved to Valencia, Spain, to gain access to advanced tennis training programs which were not available in Russia. Safin says he grew up "very fast ... with no muscles" and that he moved to Spain because clay courts were "better for the knees".
In an interview with the newspaper USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Marat Safin identified himself as a Muslim, stating, "I'm Russian, but I'm 100% Muslim. All the Muslim people are passionate, stubborn. We have hot blood."
Tennis career
Safin started his professional career in 1997. In 1998, Safin consecutively defeated Andre AgassiAndre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
and defending champion Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
at the French Open.
He won his first ATP title at the age of 19, in Boston and later in 1999 he reached the prestigious Paris, Bercy final losing a closely contested 4 set match to Andre Agassi.
World No. 1 and Grand Slam history
Safin held the No. 1 ATPAssociation of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
ranking for 9 weeks during 2000 (making him the tallest number 1 ranked player of all time) when he won his first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open, becoming the only Russian in history to win this tournament in the Mens Singles draw, by defeating Pete Sampras in straight sets. However, a succession of injuries hindered his progress and Safin missed the majority of the season in 2003 as a result.
Safin reached the final round in three more Grand Slam tournaments, all in the Australian Open in 2002, 2004, and 2005. He has cited nervousness as the reason for his loss in the 2002 event, and physical exhaustion for the 2004 loss. He defeated home-country favorite Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
in the 2005 finals to secure his second Grand Slam in five years. En route to this final, he defeated top-ranked Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in a five-set semi-final match. After ending Federer's 26-match winning streak over top-10 players, Safin described the match as "a brain fight."
His best result at Wimbledon is reaching the semi-finals in 2008 often losing in the first or second rounds in other years.
Masters Series
Safin has won five ATP Tennis Masters Series titles during his career. His first was in 2000 when he won the title in Toronto, Canada. He holds a record-tying three (2000, 2002, and 2004) wins in Paris, France, and one in 2004 in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain.
Tennis Masters Cup
In 2004, Safin reached the semifinal of the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston, where he was defeated by Roger Federer, 6–3, 7–6 (18). The second-set tiebreak (20–18) was the third-longest tiebreak in the Open Era. Safin also reached the semifinals in 2000 and 2002.Davis Cup
Safin helped Russia achieve its first Davis Cup victory in 2002, with a 3–2 tie-breaking win against France in the final round at the Palais Omnisports Paris Bercy. His Russian team included Yevgeny KafelnikovYevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
, Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, Andrei Stoliarov
Andrei Stoliarov
Andrei Stoliarov is a Russian professional tennis player and a former member of the Russia Davis Cup team.-Runner-ups :-External links:...
, and team captain
Shamil Tarpischev. The team made Davis Cup history by being the second to win the event after losing the doubles tie-breaker, and becoming the first team to win a (live-televised) five-set finals match by coming back from a two-set deficit.
Safin also helped Russia to win the Davis Cup in 2006. After a straight sets defeat by David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in his first match, his doubles victory (partnering Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player....
) against Nalbandian and Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri Shaal is a retired professional male tennis player from Argentina. His nickname is Gordo which means Fat in Spanish. He is known as a hard-hitter and he prefers playing on clay....
and singles victory against José Acasuso
José Acasuso
José Javier "Chucho" Acasuso is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he favours clay. He is known for his strong serve and his hard groundstrokes off both sides...
drove Russia to victory.
Heavily favored Russia was hosted by Israel
Israel Davis Cup team
The Israel Davis Cup team represents Israel in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Israel Tennis Association....
in a Davis Cup quarterfinal tie in July 2009, on indoor hard courts at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Russia had won the Davis Cup in both 2002 and 2006, and was the top-ranked country in Davis Cup standings. The stage was set by Safin, who prior to the tie told the press: "With all due respect, Israel was lucky to get to the quarterfinals." The Israeli team then beat the Russian team in each of their first three matches. Harel Levy
Harel Levy
Har'el Levy is an Israeli professional male tennis player. Levy's best singles ranking was # 30 in the world in 2001, and his best doubles ranking was # 76 in 2007....
(world # 210) beat Andreev (world # 24), and Dudi Sela
Dudi Sela
David "Dudi" Sela is an Israeli professional tennis player.Sela reached a career-high singles ranking of # 29 in July 2009. He is currently Israel's top men's singles player, ahead of Amir Weintraub.As a 17-year-old junior, he won the 2003 French Open boys' doubles championship with his doubles...
(# 33) followed by beating Youzhny. The next day Israelis Andy Ram
Andy Ram
Andy Ram is a professional tennis player from Israel, and the first Israeli tennis player to win a seniors Grand Slam event . He plays more doubles than singles as he prefers doubles more and wins more matches...
and Jonathan Erlich
Jonathan Erlich
Jonathan Dario "Yoni" Erlich is a professional Israeli tennis player...
beat Safin and doubles specialist Kunitsyn 6–3, 6–4, 6–7 (3), 4–6, 6–4 in front of a boisterous crowd of over 10,000. With the tie clinched for Israel, the reverse singles rubbers were "dead", and instead of best-of-five matches, best-of-three sets were played, with the outcomes of little to no importance. Israel wrapped up a 4–1 victory over Russia, splitting the final matches.
2005
Prior to the 2005 Australian Open, Safin had caught fire towards the end of the 2004 season, thanks in part to his hiring of Peter Lundgren, and was seen as among the favourites for the title. The 2005 Australian Open was considered one of the most inspiring Grand Slams in the history of men's tennis by a lot of tennis critics. Safin had to beat Roger Federer, in the semi-Final 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6 (8–6), 9–7 with Safin saving a match point late in the fourth set when Federer missed a between the legs passing shot. In the final, Safin went on to beat hometown favourite Lleyton Hewitt 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 in inspiring fashion. Safin attributed his recent revival and more consistent performance to the calming presence of his new coach Peter LundgrenPeter Lundgren
Peter Lundgren in Gudmundrå, Sweden) is a former professional male tennis player and tennis coach from Sweden. He preferred playing indoors, hardcourt and on grass to clay.-Playing career:...
, saying that "I never believed in myself before at all, until I started to work with him." Lundgren had been Federer's coach, until parting ways at the end of 2003; Safin hired Lundgren the following year. He was later defeated in the early rounds of each of the seven tournaments he played between the Australian Open and the French Open. In June 2005, shortly after his unsuccessful French Open campaign, Safin made a surprise finals appearance at the Wimbledon tune-up tournament in Halle
Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia
Halle is a town in the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the district of Gütersloh....
on grass. He lost the final narrowly to the defending champion, Roger Federer, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–4.
During the clay court season, Safin suffered a knee injury, which he played through consistently all the way up until Wimbledon with the help of pain killers and AI's. He only played one tournament in the Summer hard court season, in Cincinnati, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Robby Ginepri. In the following years, Safin never fully recovered.
2006
On August 17, 2006, after a disappointing year during which Safin suffered injuries and his ranking plummeted to as low as 104, Safin temporarily parted ways with coach Peter Lundgren.
After injuries set him back, Safin was ranked a lowly #104, his worst ranking since May, 1998. During his comeback at the 2006 US Open, Safin defeated Argentine David Nalbandian, who was then World #4, 6–3, 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 7–6(8–6) in a riveting 2nd Round match. Safin then lost in the 4th Round to former world No.2 German Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
, also in a 5th set tiebreaker, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 6–2, 7–6 (7–5).
Safin helped Russia beat the USA 3–2 to gain a place in the finals in December 2006, and secondly with a good run at the start of the indoor season the Thailand Open where he was narrowly edged out by No.7 seed, James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
.
On October 14, 2006, Safin made it to his first final in a year-and-a-half at the Kremlin Cup
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour...
in Moscow, the first all Russian final at that event, losing to compatriot, Ukrainian born Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4.
On December 3, 2006, Safin defeated José Acasuso 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 (7–5) in the 5th and decisive rubber of the 2006 Davis Cup
2006 Davis Cup
The 2006 Davis Cup was the 95th edition of the most important tournament between nations in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and 125 participated in total...
, winning the Davis Cup for Russia. He had previously lost 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 to David Nalbandian in his first match. In the doubles match, he teamed up with Dmitry Tursunov to demolish David Nalbandian and Agustín Calleri, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4. 2006's Davis Cup final was played in Moscow on carpet, which suited both teams well; it gave Russia a slight edge as Argentina usually produces slower-court specialists (i.e. clay and slow hard).
Winning the Davis Cup for his country capped off a successful year and comeback for Safin in 2006. His 7 wins (7–7 record that year) against top ten players (DEF: Baghdatis, Nalbandian, Roddick, Blake, Gaudio, and Davydenko-twice) were fourth-most on the ATP tour behind just Federer (19), Nadal (10) and Blake (8). Safin compiled a 19–12 record on hard courts, a 7–3 record on carpet courts, 6–7 record on clay courts and a 2–2 record on grass courts. Safin's overall match record for 2006 was 34–24.
2007
In April, Safin won the deciding quarter-final Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
rubber against France
France Davis Cup team
The France Davis Cup team represents France in Davis Cup tennis competition, and is governed by the Fédération Française de Tennis.France is the third most successful nation, with 9 wins...
, beating Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu is a French tennis player.-Tennis career:Mathieu was born in Strasbourg, France. He first began playing tennis at age 3, with his older brother Pierre-Yves. Between 1997 and 2000 he trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida...
in straight sets.
Safin reached the third round at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, before falling to the defending champion Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
. In July, Safin announced that he and his coach Alexander Volkov were parting and that his new coach would be former pro Hernán Gumy
Hernan Gumy
Hernán Gumy is a former tennis player from Argentina, who turned professional in 1991. He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the first round by Venezuela's Nicolas Pereira. Gumy made two finals in his career; both of them ATP...
.
Safin won the doubles title at the Kremlin Cup
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour...
in Moscow in October, his first ATP-level title since the 2005 Australian Open
2005 Australian Open
The 2005 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 until 30 January 2005.-Men's Singles: Marat Safin def. Lleyton Hewitt, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4...
.
2008
Safin prepared for the Australian Open at the invitational exhibition tournament, the AAMI Kooyong ClassicAAMI Kooyong Classic
The AAMI Classic is a professional tennis exhibition singles-only tournament, played on outdoor hard courts. It is held annually in January, right before the Australian Open, at the Kooyong Stadium in Kooyong, Melbourne, Australia...
in Melbourne. Other players in the field were Roddick, Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
, Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
, Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
and Andy Murray. Safin was victorious in his opening match, defeating Andy Murray 6–1, 6–4 before falling to defeat in his second match to Andy Roddick 6–3, 6–3. In the 3rd place play-off, Safin rebounded from the Roddick loss and overpowered the prior year's Australian Open runner up Fernando González winning the match 6–3, 6–3. Safin won his first round match at the Australian Open against Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
in straight sets – 6–0, 6–4, 7–6 (2). He was ousted in the 2nd round after a grueling five set match against Baghdatis – 6–4, 6–4 2–6, 3–6, 6–2.
In February, Safin was granted wildcards into the tournaments at Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Las Vegas. In Memphis, he was edged out by his 2002 Australian Open
2002 Australian Open
List of the 2002 Australian Open champions:-Men's Singles: Thomas Johansson def. Marat Safin, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6...
opponent, Thomas Johansson
Thomas Johansson
Karl Thomas Conny Johansson , commonly known as Thomas Johansson, is a former Swedish professional tennis player. He is a former Australian Open singles champion and Olympic silver medalist in doubles.-Junior career:...
, 7–6, 7–6 in the first round. In Las Vegas he was defeated by Lleyton Hewitt during the semi-finals round in 2007 7–5, 6–1. Safin was defeated by Hewitt once again by 6–2, 6–1 in 58 minutes.
In March, Safin lost in the first round of Indian Wells and Miami, to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
and qualifier Bobby Reynolds
Bobby Reynolds
----Robert "Bobby" Thomas Reynolds in Cape Cod, Massachusetts) is an American professional tennis player who resides in Acworth, Georgia.-Professional career:...
respectively. In the Davis Cup between Russia and the Czech Republic, Safin defeated world no. 9 Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
in a five set encounter, after being two sets down, 6–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4. This was the first time in his career that he has come back to win a match after being down two sets.
Safin's next tournament was in Valencia. He defeated former World No. 1 and number 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
6–3, 5–7, 6–4. In spite of the fact that Ferrero is from the Valencia region, Safin was the more popular player, having been based in Valencia for many years and being a well-known Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
fan – local player Ferrero controversially favouring Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. He played Dutch teenager Robin Haase
Robin Haase
Robin Haase is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, with his career high of No. 41 coming on 29 August 2011. He is endorsed by Head and SNS Reaal.-Career:...
in the next round. He won the first set 6–2 and was up 4–2 in the 2nd set. However, Haase broke back to take it to a tiebreak. Safin had 4 match points, including one on his serve, but lost this tiebreak, and eventually the match.
In the Monte Carlo Masters, Safin defeated Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
6–3, 6–2, but then lost to No. 5 David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
6–2, 6–3. He then entered the 2008 BMW Open
2008 BMW Open
The 2008 BMW Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 35th edition of the BMW Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour...
in Munich, Germany, where his first round opponent was Carlos Berlocq
Carlos Berlocq
Carlos Alberto Berlocq is an Argentine professional male tennis player. He is nicknamed Charly. Berlocq's favourite surface is clay and he is currently coached by Jorge Gerosi.-Career:...
. Safin won 6–3, 3–6, 6–4. In the second round he edged out Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer is a German professional tennis player. He reached his career high in singles with No. 42 on May 2010 and his high in doubles in March 2009 with No...
7–6(4), 6–7(5), 6–3, but lost to Fernando González 7–5, 6–3 in his first quarterfinal of the year, and the first since June 2007 at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C.
Safin also entered the 2008 French Open
2008 French Open
The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 25 through June 8, 2008....
but was eliminated in the second round by countryman and No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, in straight sets, 7–6, 6–2, 6–2.
2008 Wimbledon Championships
The 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year...
where he defeated Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini is a professional tennis player.He is the current Italian No. 1. He achieved his career high rank of No. 32 in the world on 20 June 2011 as a result of his success at the 2011French Open...
6–1, 6–2, 7–6(3) in the first round. In the second round he defeated No. 3 player and 2008 Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
6–4, 7–6(3), 6–2. Safin's victory came as a shock as Djokovic was described as a "serious contender" to win the tournament. In the third round, he played Italian Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....
(29th seed) and beat him 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. In the Round of 16 came Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
who he defeated 6–4, 6–3, 5–7, 6–1. This was the first time he had reached the quarter-finals in a major tournament since the 2005 Australian Open. Safin went on to defeat Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
3–6, 7–5, 7–6(1), 6–3 in the quarterfinals to set up a semi-final clash with defending champion Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
. Safin lost the match 6–3, 7–6(3), 6–4. His run to the semi-finals was his best record in Wimbledon and made him the first Russian man to ever reach a Wimbledon semi-final.
Safin attributed his great run at wimbledon down to the hard work he was putting in with coach Hernan Gumy. Safin then played at the Swedish Open
Swedish Open
The SkiStar Swedish Open is an ATP World Tour 250 series tennis tournament on the ATP Tour held in Båstad, Sweden in July each year.The Collector Swedish Open Women is a tennis tournament held in Båstad, Sweden...
, on clay, in Båstad against Marc López
Marc López
Marc López i Tarrés is a professional male tennis player from Spain, who started playing tennis at the age of 8 years old and became professional in 1999...
, winning 7–6, 7–5 in the first round. He lost his second round match against Potito Starace
Potito Starace
Potito Starace is an Italian professional tennis player on the ATP Tour. He achieved his career-high ranking of 27th on October 15, 2007 and prefers to play on red clay...
.
Safin was awarded a wild card into the Rogers Cup Masters tournament in Toronto. He played Sam Querrey in the first round, winning 6–3, 6–3. Due to rain delays, he had to play his next match against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on the same day. He lost that match 6–3, 6–4. Safin was seeded fifth for his next tournament, the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. He defeated Americans John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
6–3, 6–4 and Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik is a professional left-handed American tennis player, with a two-handed backhand.His career-high in singles was # 77, as of April 13, 2009...
6–3, 6–2 in the first and second rounds respectively to advance to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Denis Gremelmayr
Denis Gremelmayr
Denis Gremelmayr is a German male tennis player. Gremelmayr turned pro in 2000 and reached #97 in August, 2006. He spent 2007 in the top 200 and finished the year at #119...
3–6, 6–3, 6–2.
In the US Open, Safin lost in the second round to Tommy Robredo 4–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–0.
At the Moscow Kremlin Cup, he defeated Noam Okun
Noam Okun
Noam Okun is a professional tennis player.In 2002, Okun reached a career-high singles ranking of # 95 in the world...
, Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
, and fellow countrymen Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
and Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
only to lose to another compatriot Igor Kunitsyn
Igor Kunitsyn
Igor Kunitsyn is a professional male tennis player from Russia. He made it into the top 100 for the first time in 2006, and reached a career-high singles ranking of 35 on July 6, 2009.-Early life:...
7–6, 6–7, 6–3 in the final. It was Safin's first final appearance since 2006, in the same event. Following the Kremlin Cup, Safin withdrew from the Madrid Masters event with a shoulder injury cited as the reason.
His next event was the St. Petersburg Open at which he lost in the 2nd round. He then lost his first round match at the final ATP tournament of the calendar: the Paris Masters. He lost the match to Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
6–0 7–6. In the post-match conference, he raised the possibility of his retirement from the sport. Via a message posted on his official website, he said he was going to take a holiday and then seriously consider his options regarding his future in tennis. He finished the year 2008 ranked at #29.
2009
Safin started the 2009 season by playing in the Hopman CupHopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis...
event in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
with his sister, Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
. He arrived at the event sporting a bandaged right thumb, two black eye
Black eye
A black eye , or or 'shiner', is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than eye injury. The name is given due to the color of bruising. The so-called black eye is caused by bleeding beneath the skin and around the eye...
s, a blood-filled left eye, and a cut near his right eye, all suffered in a fight several weeks earlier in Moscow. In the 2009 Hopman Cup, the pair played off in the final representing Russia, but each was defeated in the singles rubbers. Safin said he had decided to play the 2009 season due to a great offer from his manger Ion Tiriac, he made this decision despite not having a coach.
Safin withdrew from the Kooyong Classic tournament due to a shoulder injury, but recovered to play his first round Australian Open match, which he won in straight sets over Ivan Navarro
Iván Navarro (tennis)
Iván Navarro Pastor is a professional tennis player from Spain. He is sponsored by Head and Li-Ning for his racquets and attire. He employs the serve-and-volley strategy, very much like his compatriot Feliciano López. He has a habit of changing racquets each game, using one racquet for serving and...
of Spain. In the second round, Safin defeated another Spanish player, Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
. In the third round he came up against Roger Federer and lost in straight sets, however, Federer himself acknowledged that Safin's level of play in the third set, which went to a tiebreak, was great.
His next tournament was the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. He exited in the 1st round to Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
, and exited in the semi-finals in doubles with David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
. In March Safin helped Russia advance to the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
quarter-finals by beating Victor Crivoi
Victor Crivoi
Victor Crivoi is a Romanian tennis player who lives in Bucharest. In 2005, he played in the International Tennis Federation's Professional Circuit and won seven titles. As a result, he was named the ITF's "Player Of The Year" for 2005. At the end of 2005, he was ranked #269 by the ATP, up from...
of Romania in the first rubber in straight sets.
Starting the year at 29 in the world, he placed in the top 20 during the year, for the first time since the end of January 2006. His doubles ranking also improved from 300 to 195.
In the first round at Wimbledon, at which he was seeded #14, he was upset by 21-year-old Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine is a Canadian-born American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high singles rank of No. 94 on November 3, 2008....
of the U.S., 6–2, 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–4.
Safin played at Catella Swedish Open in a claycourt tournament at Båstad
Båstad
Båstad is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 4,793 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Båstad is located in a sheltered bay with the Hallandian ridge stretching behind it...
where he lost to Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
of Spain.
Safin began his hardcourt season by making it to the quarter-finals of the LA Tennis Open (his first quarter-final of the season) where he lost to Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
7–6(3), 6–2.
He lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, his last ever Grand Slam, to Austrian Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
, 1–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. Tennis critics commented that an out of shape Safin's final grand slam match was largely representative of his career, flowering at first with real promise but eventually ground down by injuries and a lack of commitment and confidence.
After a second round loss in the PTT Thailand Open, he has found some late form coming in to the China Open
China Open (tennis)
The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in...
tournament held in Beijing; beating José Acasuso
José Acasuso
José Javier "Chucho" Acasuso is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he favours clay. He is known for his strong serve and his hard groundstrokes off both sides...
in the first round 6–4, 6–2. In the second round he played Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
and likewise in his previous round, he produced a wonderful win; 6–3, 6–4. In the quarterfinals, he lost against top seeded Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 3–6, 1–6.
As the tour rolled into Moscow for the Kremlin Cup
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour...
, it marked the beginning of the end for Safin, as he played his last competitive matches in his native Russia. Safin's form of late continued, as he played some inspired tennis to take down top seed and world no. 6 Nikolay Davydenko 4–6 6–4 6–2 in the first round. He however lost in the second round. He then played at the 2009 St. Petersburg Open
2009 St. Petersburg Open
The 2009 St. Petersburg Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 15th edition of the St. Petersburg Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
where he reached the semi-finals.
Retirement
Safin's final tournament as a professional tennis player was at the 2009 Paris Masters2009 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2009 Paris Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the Paris Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP Tour...
. In the first round, he saved three match points with three aces against Thierry Ascione
Thierry Ascione
Thierry Ascione is a retired professional tour male tennis player from France. He is 6'2" and weighs just under . He turned pro in 2000 and retired in September, 2010....
, eventually prevailing 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(3) with a total of 24 aces and 41 winners. On November 11, 2009, Safin's career ended with a second-round defeat by Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
, 4–6, 7–5, 4–6 in one hour and 56 minutes, after which a special presentation ceremony was held on Centre Court at Bercy. Fellow tennis players who joined him in the ceremony included del Potro, Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
, Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil is a Portuguese professional tennis player who competes on the ATP Tour. In April 2011, he achieved a career-high singles world ranking no. 62, the highest ranking a Portuguese player has ever held until September when Rui Machado placed 61st in the rankings...
, Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
, Albert Costa
Albert Costa
Albert Costa i Casals is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 2002.-Tennis career:...
, Marc Rosset
Marc Rosset
Marc Rosset is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland who is best remembered for winning the men's singles Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games....
and Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui is a professional tennis player from Morocco.He is a five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in 2003, at the age of 31. His long career has been plagued by injuries and he did not play competitive tennis between September...
.
Characteristics
Safin was known for his emotional outbursts during matches, and has smashed numerous rackets. Safin is estimated to have smashed 48 racquets in 1999. In 2011 Safin revealed he broke during his whole career precisely 1055 racquetsDespite his emotional outbursts, Safin had a very laid back demeanour and was widely regarded as the most charismatic player on tour.
Playing style
Marat has been described as one the most talented players of the 1990s and 2000s, raw natural ability and a charismatic personality came through in his career as well as some brilliant power tennis. He possesses a powerful and effective serve and phenomenal groundstrokes, his backhand being his major weapon. Boris Becker, in '99, said that he had not seen anybody hit the ball as hard from both wings for "a long, long time" He is also capable of playing at the net, with his volleys also being effective. However, lack of consistency has been described as Safin's ultimate weakness, since 2005. Safin considers grass to be his least favourite playing surface, even though other opponents with similar playing styles generally dominate on it. Safin had his best performance at Wimbledon in 2008, where he reached the semi-finals. Safin dismissed his performance in the 2001 tournament, in which he reached the quarter-finals, as a result of luck. Safin says that "It's difficult to [break serve]. It's difficult to play off the baseline because [of] a lot of bad bounces.". With Safin's semi-final performance at Wimbledon in 2008, he became the fourth of five active players to reach the semi-finals in all four Grand Slams joining Roger FedererRoger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
, Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, and Andy Murray.
Equipment
Safin has used the Head Prestige Classic 600 since 1997 and his last year on tour, he sported a paintjob of the Microgel Prestige for marketing purposes.His racquets used to be strung using Babolat VS Natural Team Gut 17L gauge, but he then switched to Luxilon Big Banger Original at 62 to 67 pounds. His clothing and shoe sponsor has been Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
his whole career.
Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 2000 | US Open | Hard |  Pete SamprasPete Sampras Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.... |
6–4, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2002 | Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
Hard |  Thomas JohanssonThomas Johansson Karl Thomas Conny Johansson , commonly known as Thomas Johansson, is a former Swedish professional tennis player. He is a former Australian Open singles champion and Olympic silver medalist in doubles.-Junior career:... |
6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runner-up | 2004 | Australian Open | Hard |  Roger FedererRoger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
6–7(3–7), 4–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 2005 | Australian Open | Hard |  Lleyton HewittLleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20... |
1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
Singles: 8 (5 titles, 3 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1999 | Paris Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... |
Carpet (i) | Andre Agassi Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game... |
6–7(1–7), 2–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2000 | Hamburg Hamburg Masters The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship... |
Clay |  Gustavo KuertenGustavo Kuerten Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000... |
4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 7–5, 6–7(3–7) |
| Winner | 2000 | Canada (Toronto) Canada Masters The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour... |
Hard |  Harel LevyHarel Levy Har'el Levy is an Israeli professional male tennis player. Levy's best singles ranking was # 30 in the world in 2001, and his best doubles ranking was # 76 in 2007.... |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2000 | Paris | Carpet (i) | Mark Philippoussis Mark Philippoussis Mark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry.... |
3–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(10–8) |
| Runner-up | 2002 | Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... |
Clay | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
1–6, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2002 | Paris | Carpet (i) | Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20... |
7–6(7–4), 6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2004 | Madrid Madrid Masters There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters... |
Hard (i) |  David NalbandianDavid Nalbandian David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:... |
6–2, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2004 | Paris | Carpet (i) |  Radek ŠtěpánekRadek Štepánek Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles... |
6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
Singles: 27 (15–12)
Wins (15)EWLINE
|
EWLINE
|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1. | August 23, 1999 | Boston U.S. Pro Tennis Championships The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999 and is considered as a part of the professional grand slam from 1927 - 1967 until the advent of Open Era... , USA |
Hard | Greg Rusedski Greg Rusedski Gregory "Greg" Rusedski is a British Canadian former tennis player who turned professional in 1991 and played until his retirement on 7 April 2007, at the age of 33... |
6–4, 7–6(13–11) |
| Runner-up | 1. | November 7, 1999 | Paris Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... , France |
Carpet (i) | Andre Agassi Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game... |
6–7(1–7), 2–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | April 24, 2000 | Barcelona Torneo Godó The Barcelona Open also known as Torneo Godó, Trofeo Conde de Godó, Open Banco Sabadell, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event has been held annually in Barcelona, Spain since 1953, and is played on clay courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit... , Spain |
Clay |  Juan Carlos FerreroJuan Carlos Ferrero Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002... |
6–3, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 3. | May 1, 2000 | Majorca Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana The Valencia Open 500, formerly known as Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, is a professional tennis tournament played in Valencia, Spain. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The tournament was first played in Valencia in 1995 before moving to Marbella, Spain for... , Spain |
Clay | Mikael Tillström |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2. | May 21, 2000 | Hamburg Hamburg Masters The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship... , Germany |
Clay | Gustavo Kuerten Gustavo Kuerten Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000... |
4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 7–5, 6–7(3–7) |
| Winner | 4. | July 31, 2000 | Toronto Canada Masters The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour... , Canada |
Hard | Harel Levy Harel Levy Har'el Levy is an Israeli professional male tennis player. Levy's best singles ranking was # 30 in the world in 2001, and his best doubles ranking was # 76 in 2007.... |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 3. | August 20, 2000 | Indianapolis, USA | Hard | Gustavo Kuerten Gustavo Kuerten Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000... |
6–3, 6–7(2–7), 6–7(2–7) |
| Winner | 5. | August 28, 2000 | US Open, New York City, USA | Hard | Pete Sampras Pete Sampras Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.... |
6–4, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 6. | September 11, 2000 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard |  Davide SanguinettiDavide Sanguinetti Davide Sanguinetti is an Italian former professional male tennis player.Born in Viareggio in Tuscany, he attended the Harry Hopman academy in Florida and then UCLA... |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 7. | November 6, 2000 | St. Petersburg St. Petersburg Open The St. Petersburg Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It has been held annually at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia,... , Russia |
Hard (i) |  Dominik HrbatýDominik Hrbatý Dominik Hrbatý is a retired professional tennis player from Slovakia.-Personal life:Hrbatý was born on 4 January 1978 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was an architecture engineer and his younger brother is an umpire... |
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8. | November 13, 2000 | Paris Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... , France |
Carpet (i) | Mark Philippoussis Mark Philippoussis Mark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry.... |
3–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(10–8) |
| Runner-up | 4. | February 4, 2001 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Juan Carlos Ferrero Juan Carlos Ferrero Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002... |
2–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 9. | September 10, 2001 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard |  Yevgeny KafelnikovYevgeny Kafelnikov Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002... |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 10. | October 22, 2001 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Hard (i) |  Rainer SchüttlerRainer Schüttler Rainer Schüttler is a German professional tennis player, ranked World No. 113 in the ATP rankings. He is the last German player who reached a final in a grand slam tournament.... |
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 5. | January 27, 2002 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Thomas Johansson Thomas Johansson Karl Thomas Conny Johansson , commonly known as Thomas Johansson, is a former Swedish professional tennis player. He is a former Australian Open singles champion and Olympic silver medalist in doubles.-Junior career:... |
6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runner-up | 6. | May 19, 2002 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
1–6, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 11. | October 28, 2002 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20... |
7–6(7–4), 6–0, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 7. | April 27, 2003 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Carlos Moyà Carlos Moyá Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland... |
7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 0–3 retired |
| Runner-up | 8. | February 1, 2004 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
6–7(3–7), 4–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 9. | April 18, 2004 | Estoril Estoril Open The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,... , Portugal |
Clay | Juan Ignacio Chela Juan Ignacio Chela Juan Ignacio Chela is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like most Argentine players he is comfortable on Clay courts and owns all six of his career titles on the surface... |
7–6(7–2), 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 12. | September 13, 2004 | Beijing China Open (tennis) The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in... , China |
Hard | Mikhail Youzhny Mikhail Youzhny Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years.... |
7–6(7–4), 7–5 |
| Winner | 13. | October 18, 2004 | Madrid Madrid Masters There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters... , Spain |
Hard (i) | David Nalbandian David Nalbandian David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:... |
6–2, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 14. | November 1, 2004 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | Radek Štěpánek Radek Štepánek Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles... |
6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
| Winner | 15. | January 17, 2005 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20... |
1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 10. | June 12, 2005 | Halle Gerry Weber Open The Gerry Weber Open is a tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Held since 1993, the tournament is played on four outdoor grass courts and is a part of the ATP World Tour 250 series on the ATP Tour schedule.... , Germany |
Grass | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
4–6, 7–6(8–6), 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 11. | October 9, 2006 | Moscow Kremlin Cup The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour... , Russia |
Hard (i) | Nikolay Davydenko Nikolay Davydenko Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP... |
4–6, 7–5, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 12. | October 4, 2008 | Moscow, Russia | Hard (i) | Igor Kunitsyn Igor Kunitsyn Igor Kunitsyn is a professional male tennis player from Russia. He made it into the top 100 for the first time in 2006, and reached a career-high singles ranking of 35 on July 6, 2009.-Early life:... |
6–7(6–8), 7–6(7–4), 3–6 |
Doubles: 6 (2–4)
Wins (2)| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | 2001 | Gstaad Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad The Swiss Open is a tennis tournament held in Gstaad, Switzerland. Held since 1915, the tournament is played on outdoor clay courts... , Switzerland |
Clay | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Michael Hill Michael Hill (tennis) Michael Robert Hill is a former tennis player from Australia who turned professional in 1997 and retired in 2005. He was primarily a doubles specialist, achieving a career-high doubles ranking of World Number 18, reached on 30 July 2001.-College:Hill played three years at University of... Jeff TarangoJeff Tarango Jeffrey Gail Tarango is a retired American professional tennis player. He was a top ten doubles player and a French Open doubles runner up, but is mostly remembered for defaulting a match at Wimbledon and his wife assaulting the umpire once Tarango had left the court.-Career summary:Tarango... |
0–1, retired |
| 2. | 2007 | Moscow Kremlin Cup The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour... , Russia |
Carpet | Dmitry Tursunov Dmitry Tursunov Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player.... |
Tomáš Cibulec Tomáš Cibulec Tomáš Cibulec is a quad-lingual professional Czech tennis player who turned professional in 1996. Cibulec reached his highest singles ranking on August 3, 1998, becoming world number 646. His highest doubles ranking is world number 21, which he reached on March 17, 2003...  Lovro ZovkoLovro Zovko Lovro Zovko is a professional Croatian tennis player.-Tennis career:Early on in 2000 and 2001, Zovko reached the Umag final both years with Ivan Ljubičić.... |
6–4, 6–2 |
Runner-ups (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | 1999 | Moscow Kremlin Cup The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour... , Russia |
Carpet |  Andrei MedvedevAndrei Medvedev Andriy Medvedev , is a former professional tennis player from Ukraine. Medvedev made a splash on the international tennis scene when, as a 17-year-old, he won titles in Genoa and Stuttgart... |
Justin Gimelstob Justin Gimelstob Justin Jeremy Gimelstob is a retired American tennis player. Gimelstob has been a resident of Morristown, New Jersey and as of 2009 resided in Santa Monica, California.... Daniel VacekDaniel Vacek Daniel Vacek is a former tennis player from Czechoslovakia and the Czechia who turned professional in 1990.Vacek represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the second round... |
6–2, 6–1 |
| 2. | 2001 | St. Petersburg St. Petersburg Open The St. Petersburg Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It has been held annually at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia,... , Russia |
Hard (i) |  Irakli LabadzeIrakli Labadze Irakli Labadze |Georgia]]) is a professional tennis player. His career high singles ranking was "World No. 42" which he attained in July, 2004.Labadze turned pro in 1998, and has recently passed the $1 205 296 career prize money mark... |
Denis Golovanov Yevgeny Kafelnikov Yevgeny Kafelnikov Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002... |
7–5, 6–4 |
| 3. | 2002 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Hard (i) | Irakli Labadze |
 David AdamsDavid Adams (tennis) David Adams is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. He turned pro in 1989. During his career he won 19 doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional 33 times, including at the French Open in 1992. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No... Jared PalmerJared Palmer Jared Eiseley Palmer is a professional tennis player who won 28 professional doubles titles and one singles title in his career on the ATP Tour. He also won four double titles on the challenger's circuit... |
7–6(8), 6–3 |
| 4. | 2005 | Halle Gerry Weber Open The Gerry Weber Open is a tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Held since 1993, the tournament is played on four outdoor grass courts and is a part of the ATP World Tour 250 series on the ATP Tour schedule.... , Germany |
Grass | Joachim Johansson Joachim Johansson Joachim Johansson is a former professional male tennis player from Sweden.-Background:Johansson was born in Lund and currently lives in Södertälje, Sweden. His father, Leif Johansson, was also a tennis player and represented Sweden in the Davis Cup in the 1970s. He goes by the nickname "Pim Pim",... |
Yves Allegro Yves Allegro Yves Allegro is a professional male tennis player from Switzerland. He is a doubles specialist and is well known as Roger Federer's doubles partner and good friend.-Doubles: 9 :-External links:... Roger FedererRoger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
7–5, 6–7(6), 6–3 |
Singles performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only after a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. Davis Cup matches are included in the statistics.| Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Career SR | Career win–loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 3R 1999 Australian Open - Men's Singles Petr Korda was the defending champion, but he was eliminated in the third round by Todd Martin.Yevgeny Kafelnikov won the title, defeating Thomas Enqvist in the final, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 7–6... |
1R 2000 Australian Open - Men's Singles Yevgeny Kafelnikov was the defending champion, but he lost to Andre Agassi in the final, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4.-Seeds:# Andre Agassi # Yevgeny Kafelnikov # Pete Sampras # Nicolas Kiefer ... |
4R 2001 Australian Open - Men's Singles Andre Agassi defeated Arnaud Clément 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 2001 Australian Open.-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below. Andre Agassi is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.-Key:... |
F 2002 Australian Open - Men's Singles Thomas Johansson defeated Marat Safin 3–6 6–4 6–4 7–6 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 2002 Australian Open.-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below. Thomas Johansson is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL =... |
3R 2003 Australian Open - Men's Singles Andre Agassi defeated Rainer Schüttler 6–2, 6–2, 6–1 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 2003 Australian Open. This was Agassi's eighth and last Grand Slam title, his first having come at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships... |
F 2004 Australian Open - Men's Singles Andre Agassi, the defending champion, lost in the semifinal 6–7, 6–7, 7–5, 6–1, 3–6, against Marat Safin.Roger Federer defeated Marat Safin 7–6, 6–4, 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 2004 Australian Open.- Seeds :... |
W 2005 Australian Open - Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Marat Safin.Safin won the title, defeating home player Lleyton Hewitt in the final, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4... |
A | 3R 2007 Australian Open - Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, and won in the final 7–6, 6–4, 6–4, against Fernando González, becoming the first man since Björn Borg in 1976 to win a Grand Slam tournament without dropping a set.-Seeds:... |
2R 2008 Australian Open - Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic.Novak Djokovic won in the final 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6, against unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga... |
3R 2009 Australian Open - Men's Singles The 2009 men's tournament is considered to be one of the best Grand Slam tournaments in open era history. It is remembered for containing many of the best matches of the 2009 year, including the Nadal v Verdasco semi final and the Nadal v Federer final... |
1 / 10 | 31–8 |
| French Open | A | A | 4R 1998 French Open - Men's Singles Gustavo Kuerten was the defending champion, but he was eliminated in the second round by Marat Safin.Carlos Moyá was the title, defeating Àlex Corretja in the all-Spanish final, 6–3, 7–5, 6–3.-Seeds:# Pete Sampras ... |
4R 1999 French Open - Men's Singles Carlos Moyà was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Andre Agassi.Andre Agassi won in the final, 1–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4, against Andrei Medvedev... |
QF 2000 French Open - Men's Singles Andre Agassi was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Karol Kučera.Gustavo Kuerten won in the final 6–2, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6, against Magnus Norman.-Seeds:# Andre Agassi # Pete Sampras ... |
3R 2001 French Open - Men's Singles Gustavo Kuerten was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–7, 7–5, 6–2, 6–0, against Àlex Corretja.-Seeds:# Gustavo Kuerten # Marat Safin # Andre Agassi ... |
SF 2002 French Open - Men's Singles Gustavo Kuerten was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Albert Costa.Albert Costa won in the final 6–1, 6–0, 4–6, 6–3, against Juan Carlos Ferrero.-Seeds:# Lleyton Hewitt ... |
A | 4R 2004 French Open - Men's Singles Juan Carlos Ferrero was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Igor Andreev.Gaston Gaudio won in the final 0–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1, 8–6, against Guillermo Coria.-Seeds:# Roger Federer ... |
4R 2005 French Open - Men's Singles Gastón Gaudio was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to David Ferrer.Rafael Nadal won in the final 6–7, 6–3, 6–1, 7–5, against Mariano Puerta.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Andy Roddick ... |
1R 2006 French Open - Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, and won in the final 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6, against Roger Federer.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal ... |
2R 2007 French Open - Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, against Roger Federer.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Roddick # Nikolay Davydenko ... |
2R 2008 French Open - Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion and did not drop a set in the tournament and won in the final 6–1, 6–3, 6–0, against Roger Federer.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Novak Djoković ... |
2R | 0 / 11 | 26–11 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 1R 1998 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Pete Sampras was the defending champion, and he successfully defended his title, defeating Goran Ivanišević, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, in the final... |
A | 2R 2000 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Pete Sampras defeated Patrick Rafter 6-7 7-6 6-4 6-2 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships.-Seeds:... |
QF 2001 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles 29-year-old Pete Sampras was the four-time defending champion, but he lost in the fourth round to 19-year-old and future six-time Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer in what would be one of the most notable matches in tennis history... |
2R 2002 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Lleyton Hewitt defeated David Nalbandian 6–1, 6–3, 6–2 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships.-Seeds:# Lleyton Hewitt # Marat Safin # Andre Agassi ... |
A | 1R 2004 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick 4-6 7-5 7-6 6-4 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships. This tournament also marked the beginning of Federer's record streak of reaching 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.... |
3R 2005 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick 6-2 7-6 6-4 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 2005 Wimbledon Championships.-Seeds:# Roger Federer '# Andy Roddick # Lleyton Hewitt ... |
2R 2006 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles The 2006 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles began on June 26 and finished on July 9, 2006. Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 6-0 7-6 6-7 6-3 in the final to win his fourth successive Wimbledon title.- Schedule :-Seeds:... |
3R 2007 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Roger Federer won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon to equal the record of Björn Borg, defeating Rafael Nadal in five sets in the final.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Roddick # Novak Djoković ... |
SF 2008 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Rafael Nadal defeated five-time defending Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer, in five sets to win his first Wimbledon title and fifth Grand Slam championship. It was the longest championship match in Wimbledon history with play lasting four hours and 48 minutes, and with two rain delays... |
1R | 0 / 9 | 16–10 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
A | A | 4R | 2R 1999 US Open - Men's Singles Patrick Rafter was the two-time defending champion, but lost to Cédric Pioline in the first round after succumbing to shoulder tendinitis.Andre Agassi won the title, defeating Todd Martin 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 6–3, 6–2 in the final. This win gave him the No. 1 ranking, and helped put an end to Pete... |
W 2000 US Open - Men's Singles Andre Agassi was the defending champion but lost in the second round to Arnaud Clément. Marat Safin defeated Pete Sampras 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 2000 US Open. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card... |
SF 2001 US Open - Men's Singles Marat Safin was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Pete Sampras. Lleyton Hewitt defeated Pete Sampras 7–6 6–1 6–1 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 2001 US Open. See also:# Gustavo Kuerten ... |
2R 2002 US Open - Men's Singles Lleyton Hewitt was the defending champion, but he was defeated in the semifinals by Andre Agassi.Pete Sampras won his final Grand Slam title, defeating his rival Agassi in the final,-Seeds:# Lleyton Hewitt # Marat Safin ... |
A | 1R 2004 US Open - Men's Singles Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals against Joachim Johansson.Roger Federer won the title, defeating Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6, 6-0, in the final... |
A | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R 2009 US Open - Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, 2–6.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Andy Murray # Rafael Nadal # Novak Djokovic ... |
1 / 10 | 22–9 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 40 | 93–35 |
| Grand Slam Win–Loss1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 12–3 | 14–4 | 13–4 | 2–1 | 9–4 | 12–2 | 4–3 | 6–4 | 8–4 | 3–4 | 95–38 | |
| Tennis Masters Cup Tennis Masters Cup The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings.... |
A | A | A | A | SF 2000 Tennis Masters Cup - Singles Pete Sampras was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Gustavo Kuerten.Gustavo Kuerten won in the final 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, against Andre Agassi.-Seeds:# Marat Safin # Gustavo Kuerten # Pete Sampras ... |
A | RR 2002 Tennis Masters Cup - Singles Lleyton Hewitt was the defending champion and won in the final 7–5, 7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 6–4 against Juan Carlos Ferrero.-Seeds:... |
A | SF 2004 Tennis Masters Cup - Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–3, 6–2, against Lleyton Hewitt.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Andy Roddick # Lleyton Hewitt # Marat Safin Carlos Moyá ... |
A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 4–7 |
| ATP Masters 10001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells Masters The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California.... |
A | A | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 0 / 10 | 13–11 |
| Miami Masters Miami Masters The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park... |
A | A | A | 4R | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 0 / 10 | 17–11 |
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | A | SF | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 9 | 11–9 |
| Rome Masters Rome Masters The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's... |
A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 9 | 9–10 |
| Madrid Masters (Stuttgart) Madrid Masters There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters... |
A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | W | A | QF | 1R | A | 1R | 1 / 9 | 10–8 |
| Canada Masters Canada Masters The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour... |
A | A | A | A | W | 1R | QF | A | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1 / 8 | 11–7 |
| Cincinnati Masters Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between... |
A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 10 | 9–10 |
| Shanghai Shanghai Masters (tennis) The Shanghai Masters is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It is held annually in October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's... |
Not Held | NMS | Not Held | Not Masters Series | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | |||||||||
| Paris Masters Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... |
A | A | A | F | W | 3R | W | A | W | A | QF | A | 1R | 2R | 3 / 8 | 24–5 |
| Hamburg Masters Hamburg Masters The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship... |
A | A | A | 2R | F | 2R | F | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | NM1 | 0 / 9 | 19–9 |
| Total Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | N/A |
| Overall Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 17–18 | 39–32 | 73–27 | 45–27 | 56–26 | 12–11 | 52–23 | 27–11 | 35–25 | 23–20 | 24–24 | 18–22 | 422–267 | |
| Year End Ranking | 445 | 194 | 49 | 23 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 77 | 4 | 12 | 26 | 56 | 29 | 61 | N/A | |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1The win and loss totals do not include walkovers.