Safin Stands Tall
Marat Safin has now reached his first Wimbledon semifinals. It’s been inspiring to see Safin play so well again during the past 10 days. Only a month ago, Marat’s kid sister, Dinara, reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2008 French Open and one suspects that her inspired play may have helped lift Marat just a little. What’s been most impressive in Marat’s run to the Wimbledon semis is that he followed up his stunning upset
of Novak Djokovic with subsequent wins over players whom he might have been “expected” to beat given his current form. Now that Safin has come through those pressure-filled matches, he definitely has a legitimate chance to upset Roger Federer in a match in which all the pressure will be on Federer’s shoulders. Safin clearly has the talent to win a Wimbledon title, but his challenge will be dealing with the moment calmly.
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