Tennis: From tanker to thinker - the evolution of Safin

These days, Marat Safin ruminates on the concept of will and belief. Yet it was not too long ago that the thinker of today was a tennis player known for a far more vulgar vocabulary.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

The philosopher is speaking deeply and in abstract terms, describing how one can tread carefully between light and darkness; his palms gesturing in the air for added effect.

These days, Marat Safin ruminates on the concept of will and belief. Yet it was not too long ago that the thinker of today was a tennis player known for a far more vulgar vocabulary.

The former world No. 1 wrecked rackets (the record apparently stands at more than 80 a year), was fined for tanking a match, and showed up in Australia to start the season one year sporting black eyes after a brawl.

A wry smile creeps up his bearded face and his fingers rummage through the curls in his hair as the retired Russian tennis star recalls the days when a bad-boy image was affixed as a footnote in his impressive tennis curriculum vitae.

Safin, in town to play at the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), calls it "self-expression" but even he admits his tantrums often went overboard.

"I went a little too extreme, but it was me, " he told The Straits Times yesterday. "There was no anger and it wasn't against anybody. For me, it was self-expression."

From berating himself on court, to using choice words at umpires, to celebrating a winning point at the 2004 French Open by dropping his shorts (he was docked a point for it), the two-time Grand Slam champion never held back his emotions.

Perhaps by wearing his heart so freely on his sleeve, Safin endeared himself to many who saw passion rather than petulance.

He said: "I just couldn't hold certain things inside me because I was boiling. I pushed the limits a little too far. Looking back, (at) some moments I don't really like or enjoy what I was doing.

"But I really appreciated people who didn't judge me for certain things. They took it in a nice way even though I pushed the limits a little too far."

It is not hard to see why Safin, with the benefit of hindsight and now the maturity of a 36-year-old retired professional, can empathise with Nick Kyrgios as someone who might be misunderstood.

He described the 21-year-old starlet, whose antics have been punished and criticised, as "a good person" with "a great heart" and "a person with light inside".

Safin urged observers to allow the Australian time to mature, since dealing with pressure is one of the most important and tricky parts of the professional game.

To survive the volatility of being on tour and the "very mental" pressure that comes with it, a good support team is vital.

Said Safin: "With time, you learn it's very important who is around you. (Your) team has to tell you the truth even if it's ugly... give you opportunity to continue your journey."

Just as critical, he learnt, was discerning between learning from mistakes and letting a shortcoming "eat you from the inside".

He said: "There is a very thin line. You can get caught up in a way of being unsatisfied with yourself.

"When you're starting to judge yourself and dig inside of yourself, you can get lost there in your own emotions."

Like a teacher, it was life lessons like these that Safin imparted yesterday when he was placed in front of an audience of malleable minds at a townhall session organised by the IPTL's title sponsor Coca-Cola.

The Russian candidly took questions from 20 young tennis enthusiasts, drawing on his 2005 Australian Open triumph - which followed his 2000 US Open win - in particular to emphasise the importance of enjoying what is ultimately just "a game".

He said: "It was more of a relief that I won a second Grand Slam. I thought I would be this guy who got a Grand Slam by mistake and never achieved anything else.

"I sat down in the locker room and was saying, 'Thank you, God, thank you, God, I made it.' Instead of enjoying it, I was suffering. That's why I don't want kids to suffer because it's a game.

"Accept things that you do wrong. Sometimes, the truth can hurt, but when you learn about it, you grow up and you become more mature.

"Life is about learning. You learn every day, until the last day."

Marat Safin - a tennis player, a teacher, but also still a learner.

May Chen

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 07, 2016, with the headline Tennis: From tanker to thinker - the evolution of Safin. Subscribe