[Jimnik]

Following today's loss he definitely won't make the cut for any European clay TMS. He's not on the entry lists of either Valencia, Estoril or Houston even though he could have easily made the cut for any of them. My guess is he won't be on the lists for Barcelona or Munich either. He probably won't be selected for Davs Cup against the Czechs.

So officially he's not playing any competitive tennis for the entire clay season leading up to Roland Garros. Has he already given up?

 

[Chris 84]

When people on mtf say "so and so should retire", they are normally talking rubbish. But perhaps Marat really should retire. He seems to have lost the minimal amount of hunger and passion for the game that he ever had and is just slumping from defeat to defeat. Unless he can re-discover some of that hunger, he should just quit.

Regardless, he'll go down as one of the people who most wasted their talents in any sports. He could have dominated the ATP if he had the work rate of a Federer or a Nadal, but he never had anything like that. Even without that work ethic he still won slams and played great tennis. It is very sad that we'll never know (and he'll never know) just how good he could have been. Maybe he won't regret it at all, and if so, that is fine.....but he could have been so much more successful.

 

[JimmyV]

I always like to think he has one or two more good runs in him, but it's looking more and more like that's just wishful thinking.

I honestly think if things keep up the way that they are that he'll call it quits come the end of this season.

 

[au_sports_opinion]

one of the best two handed backhand's ever.

 

[Schu]

As Kenny Rogers says in his song about poker (I think titled The Gambler)- "you got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them" or something like that and sadly I think it's time to "fold them" for Safin.

 

[finishingmove]

If monica seles won a GS after getting stabbed then safin could at least NOT SUCK. not to mention he's a man.

he needs a spanking to be his old self again.

or he needs to get a shrink... even federer did it

 

[Horatio Caine]

Following today's loss he definitely won't make the cut for any European clay TMS.

I don't think that is a bad thing to be honest. If he is going to get his ranking back up, he needs to post some reasonable results (i.e. QF's etc), and he has a better chance of doing this in optionals (he's now eligible for more than 5 to count towards his ranking) than he does of winning a round against some of the strongest competition on dirt. :shrug:

He's not on the entry lists of either Valencia, Estoril or Houston even though he could have easily made the cut for any of them. My guess is he won't be on the lists for Barcelona or Munich either.

Wouldn't surprise me if he gets WCs (if he requests them) for Valencia and Barcelona, although he should have to do a little grovelling following the parting comments he made about both events. :tape:

He probably won't be selected for Davs Cup against the Czechs.

Russia need a competent doubles player (and pair), so if he can improve his form a little (sounds like that shouldn't be difficult to do), he is the man for the Saturday job. He can, potentially, gel well with Tursunov and Youzhny...not sure about Davydenko.

 

[Horatio Caine]

I always like to think he has one or two more good runs in him, but it's looking more and more like that's just wishful thinking.

I honestly think if things keep up the way that they are that he'll call it quits come the end of this season.

Yeah I get the feeling as well, although it is hard to judge when he would finally drop the curtain. I mean, he has fond memories of the US summer hard court season, European indoors used to be a fine hunting ground for him...and if thinks towards 2009, he loves playing in Australia. Just when would he finally wake up in the morning and say "I've had enough?"

Hopefully he doesn't do it any time soon, although he has been fighting a seemingly losing battle for what...nearly a year now?

 

[Burrow]

Why do people say he has lost hunger? What a load of shit, he just can't move anymore due to the injury he suffered in 2005 when he went from number 3 in the world to eventually outside the top 100 at one point. He seems to be trying more than ever, he just isn't mobile like he used to be.

 

[AnnaK_4ever]

Why do people say he has lost hunger? What a load of shit, he just can't move anymore due to the injury he suffered in 2005 when he went from number 3 in the world to eventually outside the top 100 at one point. He seems to be trying more than ever, he just isn't mobile like he used to be.

100% correct.

 

[*bunny*]

Let's wait until he hits 30 before starting the retirement talk...

 

[Garson007]

Well, if he tumbles down into the 100+ category I really can't see him going on.

 

[Burrow]

Let's wait until he hits 30 before starting the retirement talk...

Yes, I don't see him retiring until he is at least 30.

 

[Collective]

100% correct.

I don't know. I mean at Australia vs Baghdatis we saw some impressive tennis from him. I think he still has the tennis to contend... hidden, deep inside. His current form is sad for us his fans

 

[Burrow]

I don't know. I mean at Australia vs Baghdatis we saw some impressive tennis from him. I think he still has the tennis to contend... hidden, deep inside. His current form is sad for us his fans

When I watched that match I saw a former champion, struggling but his heart was massive. That is what won him those two amazing sets. Winners left and right, he was off balance half the winners he hit on that forehand side. He cannot move well any longer, if he could move like he did few years ago, then he would probably be top 5, just like before he was injured. His ball striking skill is still their, but the reason he is shanking a lot of these balls and miss timing them is clearly because he cannot move to them to position himself properly before contact.

Safin wants nothing more than to play like he did few years ago, for once in all the years I have followed him, since 2006 I have felt really sorry for him. He just has bad luck contending with these serious injuries.

 

[Federerhingis]

I always like to think he has one or two more good runs in him, but it's looking more and more like that's just wishful thinking.

I honestly think if things keep up the way that they are that he'll call it quits come the end of this season.

Unfortunately, I kind of have to agree and come to terms too. I have not seen him play in the past 10 months the last time he played, was it Nadal or one of the big guns he played them close but still lost in straights.

Plus he said it himself that he'l retire once his results are no longer accpetable for him. :sobbing:

 

[Chris Seahorse]

When I watched that match I saw a former champion, struggling but his heart was massive. That is what won him those two amazing sets. Winners left and right, he was off balance half the winners he hit on that forehand side. He cannot move well any longer, if he could move like he did few years ago, then he would probably be top 5, just like before he was timing them is clearly because he cannot move to them to position himself properly before contact.
injured. His ball striking skill is still their, but the reason he is shanking a lot of these balls and miss
Safin wants nothing more than to play like he did few years ago, for once in all the years I have followed him, since 2006 I have felt really sorry for him. He just has bad luck contending with these serious injuries.

Totally agree. It is crazy when people expect players who have had debilitating injuries to be the same after them. They may be able to play again but never at that level. Expecting Safin to regain the top five standard he had before his knee injuries is as crazy as expecting Kuerten to win Roland Garros this year.

It is very sad when a great talent isn't allowed to sustain his or her career at the level he/she is capable of due to injuries but then the world can be a pretty cruel and unjust place. :awww:

 

[stebs]

Regardless, he'll go down as one of the people who most wasted their talents in any sports.

Absolutely untrue. Safin was #1, won slams, won AMS events. He could've acheived some more but by no means has he been one of the biggest wasters in sport.

He could have dominated the ATP if he had the work rate of a Federer or a Nadal, but he never had anything like that.

Absolutely untrue. Safin has a high risk game, obviously as of now he is mediocre but at his best he had talents to beat anyone but he never had the consistency of game to dominate tennis. Brainfarts are down to the mind but Safin could come out and not be hitting the ball properly and that is called form and for someone like Federer there is the right game to win matches (and even slams) when not on top form. Safin has always needed to be playing pretty good to win important matches and his game has been too high risk to do that week in week out.

 

[helen10]

Absolutely untrue. Safin was #1, won slams, won AMS events. He could've acheived some more but by no means has he been one of the biggest wasters in sport.


Absolutely untrue. Safin has a high risk game, obviously as of now he is mediocre but at his best he had talents to beat anyone but he never had the consistency of game to dominate tennis. Brainfarts are down to the mind but Safin could come out and not be hitting the ball properly and that is called form and for someone like Federer there is the right game to win matches (and even slams) when not on top form. Safin has always needed to be playing pretty good to win important matches and his game has been too high risk to do that week in week out.

Finally, a balanced answer to the age-old argument about Safin's career!:worship:

 

[Stefanos13]

I think Safin is surprisingly mentally not as tough as his presence suggests. Before the injury and after his Australian win it was clear he couldn't cope with the pressure to maintain his uprise. He's at his best when there are no expectations off him.