SIGHTING: Battle of the two Marats - who's hotter?

A super-sexy Marat Safin was spotted taking part in tonight's US Open 40th anniversary celebration during the major's opening ceremony. Also, thanks to reader Isa from Belgium who sent in the right image of the shirtless brigade member getting in some practice over the weekend.

Hmmm - not sure which way Marat looks the hottest - clothed or not? I guess we can't complain either way. *swoon*

(image via Getty + Isa)

Men's 1st Marquee Matchup: Wimbledon Semifinals

Oh! Finally I've woken up from my long slumber over this Wimbledon fortnight (yes, not the most thrilling of Slams this year) to arrive at the very first Marquee Matchup in either draw. Maybe this semifinal match will kick start this snoozefest: 5-time defending champion Roger Federer will take on a resurgent Marat Safin for a place in Sunday's final.

Fed made quick work of Mario Ancic, the last man to beat the top seed at Wimby back in 2002, defeating the Croat 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 and even out-acing the big server 15-9. The world no. 1 has been on a tear, not losing a set to any of the pretenders. Marat battled Spain's Feliciano Lopez and himself, of course, losing the first set but rallying for a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory.

The head-to-head for these two ballers is 8-2 in Fed's favor. Their last meeting was in the third round of last year's Wimby when the Swiss pulled out a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4) decision. But I'd prefer to reminisce about their classic, epic encounter in the '05 Aussie Open where the Russian giant saved a match point and defeated Fed 9-7 in the fifth set on his way to claiming his second Grand Slam title - oh, what a feeling!

Here's what the Swiss had to say Marat:

I never looked at Marat like No. 89 in the world. I mean, that's ridiculous. You know, he knows that himself. He's finally showing again what he can do. It's just quite surprising he does it here at Wimbledon in some ways, because he used to dislike playing on this surface. So it should be interesting, because last year I wasn't happy to see Safin in my draw. I'm never happy. He probably knows that. Just been disappointed with the way he's been playing lately, but hopefully he's got a second thing going here in his career.

Marat had this to say about facing the world no. 1:

You winning four matches and now you're starting to challenge the Federer. I don't think -- I'm playing semifinals, but that doesn't mean that I have a chance there, because the guy has won how many times already here? I mean, five, six times already, and he's on the way to win his seventh title. It's my first semifinal, so levels are a little bit different. To beat Federer you need to be Nadal and run around like a rabbit and hit winners from all over the place. But, yes, why not? It's another chance for me. But I think it's just a little bit too difficult it would be for me to beat him.

Outlook: Okay, so Marat is clearly playing his chances way down to beat Fed but I'm not sure he quite believes that himself. The Russian is a huge ball striker and has found his footing on the grass courts this year. More importantly, he has the experience of defeating Fed on the big stage with a lot on the line so it would be foolish to discount him.

But this is Fed's court and he's the king of The All England Club. His superior movement, forays to the net and his ability to improvise shots when the bounce is off kilter will be keys to winning this match. Though I like the Russian's chances to take a set off the top seed, I don't think we'll be seeing an upset this time around. I'll take Fed in four.

(images via Getty)

Quote(s) of the Day: Safin

After his huge win today Marat Safin, known for giving some of the best sound bites in tennis, offered up a few doozies as only he could. Let's hope the hysterical Russian hangs around a little longer at Wimbledon - we need more quotes and wouldn't mind watching you just a little bit more!

In honor of his win, I give you three of the best:

There is a flight at 8.30 leaving every evening, so I was almost there.

- on his expectations after seeing himself drawn against Novak Djokovic

The strawberries are too expensive. It's true. They don't have enough for dessert. It's true. Only the coach is allowed to come in the locker room is also true.

- on his reasons for disliking Wimbledon

...he didn't impress me with his game today. I could read his serve. I could return. I could stay with him from the baseline.

- on Nole's game during their second round clash today

(image via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Safin does Nole good, shares tender post-match moment

Could Marat Safin be reliving 2005 all over again? The men's field is hoping not.

In his most dominating display of tennis since his '05 Aussie Open run, including the classic match against Roger Federer in the semifinals, the giant-killing Russian overpowered the third seed Novak Djokovic winning 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 and will take on Andreas Seppi in the third round.

At least the two ballers got to share a tender moment after the match, giving their fans a lasting treat. I guess I wouldn't mind losing to Marat either if that's what I could look forward to afterwards, right Nole? *sigh*

UPDATE: Here's a video featuring post-match interviews with Marat + Nole:



(image via Getty)

Quote of the Day: Safin on his career

I have plenty of cash to do what I want to do, so what I want to do is play tennis.

- Marat Safin after his fifth straight first-round loss this year at the Sony Ericsson Open

Thanks Marat for letting us know you're just another uber-talented, but spoiled, professional athlete who'll just coast into oblivion. Cheers!

(image via AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Quote of the Day: Marat Safin on Nole

“Djokovic has never been to Moscow before? I’ll gladly give him a tour around the city to see the Kremlin, The Bolshoi Theatre and other major sights, although I’d more prefer to beat him on the court and show him who’s better."

- Marat Safin on battling Serb Novak Djokovic during this weekend's Davis Cup competition.

Sounds like a dinger to us! Isn't it always with Marat?

Too bad he just pulled out of the tie with a fracture in one of his leg bones.

(image via AFP/File/Torsten Blackwood)

SIGHTING: Fun in the sun with Marat Safin and his tattoos

Making his mark: We noticed an interesting tattoo on body brigade member Marat Safin during his practice session in Melbourne yesterday. So we did a little more snooping and came up with three - well, three we could actually see.

The Russian tennis baller, who lost to fellow shirtless wonder Andy Roddick at the Kooyong warm-up this week, will be looking to kick-start the season at his most successful Grand Slam - he's a 3-time finalist, including winning the 2005 championship, and played Roger Federer in the best men's match in Australian Open history, according to ESPN.com's Joel Drucker.

(images via AP Photo/Mark Baker)

SIGHTING: Rafa, Safin, and Murray go shirtless under the blazing Aussie sun

Gratuitous body shots: One of the great challenges of playing down under and winning the Australian Open is dealing with the infamous heat - it's intense. But one of the great benefits, at least to us, is seeing the many gratuitous shots of male tennis ballers having to strip down to stay cool - or at least to prevent a serious farmer's tan.

After his recent hit-and-run moment, Rafael Nadal was spotted shirtless during a practice session in Melbourne. We knew he was ripped but these images of the Spaniard are frightening (in a good way, of course) especially the one on the left. Seriously, was his head superimposed on that hulking body?

Russian hottie Marat Safin and Brit Andy Murray were also spotted taking in a practice session during the Kooyong Classic, though both players look like they could use a bit more time under the blazing Aussie sun. But, in any case, they're looking fit and ready.

Now we're reminded of the one of the reasons we love tennis so...

(images via PAUL CROCK & WILLIAM WEST for Getty)

+ WEDNESDAY NETCORDS: Venus, Justine, Igor, Roger vs. Pete...Tommy talks racquets, Davis Cup doodles and more

- Tommy time: When Tommy Haas isn't battling foes on the tennis court or crying "poison!", the German star hangs with girlfriend Sarah Foster and Kate Hudson, plays basketball with Xavier Malisse and Taylor Dent, and stays clear of suicidal tennis racquets. According to a recent Q & A with DEUCE magazine, he rarely breaks tennis strings but "[n]ormally if a string breaks it's at 3 in the morning and it scares the hell out of me. I string my racquets tight so they can break by themselves in my racquet bag. It's loud enough to wake me up, which is annoying, so I usually try to put the bag in a corner of the room."

- Davis Cup doodles: Captain Patrick McEnroe has found his own voice, even in the shadow of his legendary loud-mouth brother, John...the four amigos of the US Davis Cup team genuinely enjoy each other's camaraderie, which they believe should help them bring home the trophy...no Safin surprise for the US. "These guys [on the Russian Davis Cup team] are playing better than Marat, he's not going to be here," says Russian coach Shamil Tarpishchev...Tennis Served Fresh finds the Bryan Brothers Blogging

- Did Roger Federer throw Pete Sampras a bone in the final match in their exhibition tour? Tennis-X thinks so. Is Sampras a current day top-5 player? Federer thinks so.

- The notoriously private Justine Henin has in fact been providing us a version of her own reality TV show, argues Tennis Diary. Nina Rota writes, "Tennis has been the substitute for some of Justine’s life outside of tennis and now that the outside world is creeping back into her life, her tennis is secure enough that it enhances her game. Most people need their personal lives in order to perform well in their career. Some people do it the other way around. Success in their career gives them the confidence to open their hearts to those in their personal lives. Justine doesn’t need a reality TV show, we’ve been watching it all along." Interesting perspective, we think.

- Kamakshi Tandon for TENNIS.com believes players should be given unlimited challenges per match. We don't agree - limited challenges force players to strategize about how and when to use them, which we think adds more excitement and intrigue in a match. Discussss...

- Lacoste and innovators Kidrobot have released their holiday collaboration featuring 3 styles - Missouri 85, and the Revan 2 & 3 - each complete with your own PEECOL toy. But move fast: only 500 pairs total were produced.

- Black Enterprise magazine named Venus Williams one of America's Most Powerful Players Under 40. We're thinking they don't mean tennis when they reference 'players'...

- Getting to know Igor Andreev. Funniest moment: "Well, once when I was 17 I went to practice with Kournikova, me and another guy (Pavel Ivanov), in Miami, tournament before the Orange Bowl. It was Sunshine Cup. We were making sparring to her and when we were at the volley, she hit the ball so hard — and it close to hit my balls so... So that happens, but, it was very close, fun moment. I don't know if it's fun but for me it wasn't fun but for them it was fun [smiles]."

- Tennis Planet holds the blueprint for Novak Djokovic's quest for World No. 1.

+ FRIDAY NETCORDS: Maria, Justine, Rafa vs. Nole...Nikolay gets fined, Venus eats (but doesn't cook) and more

(image via pushtoflush)

- Fine, fine day: Nikolay Davydenko can't seem (or isn't willing?) to stay away from controversy. The usually feisty Russian was actually fined $2,000 for "lack of best effort" during a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 defeat by Croatian qualifier Marin Cilic in St. Petersburg. More stunning was his response to the claim: "I was simply shocked to hear him say that. This is just outrageous. How does he know what I was trying to do?...I was so upset with the whole thing I started crying...The reality is that I started feeling tired. My legs were just dead by the third set. Maybe my problems are psychological, maybe it's in my head." Maybe???

- Falling off the bandwagon: After David Nalbandian's enthralling win over World No. 1 Roger Federer tennis media, including blogs, were heralding his return. Slow down Tonto - in his return to the court at this week's Swiss Indoors, the enigmatic Argentinian lost his first round match to homeboy Stanislas Wawrinka. Time to park the bandwagon for now. In the meantime, check out Peter Bodo's interesting comparison between David and another much-maligned but supremely talented player: Marat Safin.

- "Shriek"apova update: Last time we posted about tennis' high-profile glamour girl, Maria "Shriek"apova was auctioning off the cursed Nike dress to some (un)suspecting fan. Now word comes that ever-evolving Maria will sharpen her writing chops as guest "lifestyle" editor for tennis week magazine while also looking to produce a sport-centric TV show for the CW network.

- 10 is tops: World No. 1 Justine Henin claims she's "not a machine" but she's sure playing like one these days. And is the Belgian satisfied with her title count this year? “I would prefer 10 titles to nine this year for sure but [the WTA Championships are] probably for me the most difficult tournament of the year." said Justine.

- 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova will be a guest panelist on the political talk-fest known as Real Time with Bill Maher. The show is scheduled to air this Friday, October 26th.

- Celeb chef and Oprah Winfrey disciple Rachel Ray takes a peak inside Venus Williams' fridge and does a quick Q & A with the Wimbledon champ. And who would be V's dream dinner guests? "I'd invite my favorite band, 311. I'd cook the guys whatever they wanted—no matter what!" (via TSF)

- Matt Cronin for FoxSports.com thinks World No. 2 Rafael Nadal needs to step up or be stepped on by rising Serb Novak Djokovic.

War of Words: TENNIS mag's James Martin attacks Marat Safin, "You're a mess, man," says Martin

It seems the normally innocuous TENNIS magazine is finally ruffling some feathers. Editor-in-chief James Martin recently wrote a scathing open letter on the mag's website to 2-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin in his "Viewpoint" column. In the piece, Martin lays into the Russian saying, "You’re a mess, man. You haven’t won more than two matches in a row since mid-July, and your best result this season was in February when you reached the semifinals of Las Vegas. Fitting, since you’ve been coming up craps ever since." He goes on to question his commitment to the sport comparing Marat to a certain playboy ("Lately, you’ve been as committed to tennis as Hugh Hefner is to monogamy."), his lackluster attitude ("You’re like a teenager who’s way too self-absorbed for his own good.") and even makes mention of Marat's recent failed attempt to climb Nepal's Cho Oyo ("I can only imagine how miserable you were, and how miserable you made your fellow hikers on that journey, when you discovered that climbing a mountain is, like, real work.")

The brutal letter did not go unnoticed by Marat's camp, however. A response to the "insulting article" appeared on his website attacking James Martin and accusing the editor of "trying to put a smear on Marat's situation." The post goes on to question the integrity of TENNIS magazine and the site saying the article was "written on a 'respected' website and this article was full of hate - really patronizing and vicious in its comments and aimed at hurting Marat, his reputation, his past contribution and achievements in the field of tennis."

We wholeheartedly agree Marat Safin, with his immense talent, is an ultimate underachiever and we're all for "tough love". So let's not stop with him. Let's add in Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Andy Roddick, and David Nalbandian. And these are just the more recent underachievers. Where are their scathing open letters James Martin?

Andy Murray's Spanish memories, misses siestas

The Spanish do it better: Like many modern players such as Marat Safin, Ana Ivanovic, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andy Murray moved to Spain to train at the country's premiere tennis facilities and hone his game...or so we thought. What was it about the country that the Scot really enjoyed?

"I enjoy the way Spain works – going to sleep late, waking up late, eating late, sleeping during the day," [...] "I did quite a lot of that when I was training here."

We don't doubt it, nor do we blame him. We could do with a siesta right about now...

(source)

FASHION FIX: Lacoste's up n' down year and Tatiana's tangerine dream

We think Frenchie fashion label Lacoste has been very hit-or-miss this year. The hits? The men's tennis gear, most recently with Fabrice Santoro's super cute candy-striped polo matched with white shorts for the US Open. The misses? The women's on-court fashion with the latest being Tatiana Golovin's "tangerine dream" for this week's Porshce Tennis Grand Prix - or dare we say nightmare?


Of course, we must put a fair amount of the blame on the players themselves. Tati just went overboard wearing the same orange color for both the top and skirt, similar to Marat Safin and his adidas "haz-mat" outfit.

We keep saying it but the tours could use a full-time stylist - any takers?

+ FRIDAY NETCORDS: Roger, Dmitry, Marat, the fighting Hewitts...2008 Olympics news, David Beckham undresses and more

(image via smwarnke4)

- 2008 Olympics update: The surface for the '08 Olympics has been chosen - DecoTurf - which is the same surface used at the US Open. We know one player who is probably very happy about this decision: US Open champion Roger Federer who, surprisingly enough, has yet to sport the gold medal.

- Go vintage Borg in this reissued Matchday Jacket by Fila

- Meet DJ Dmi: Apparently Dmitry Tursonov can spin more than a tennis ball. The eccentric Russian is also a DJ and has posted his own mixes on his website. Check them out here!

- Should the tennis schedule revolve around having a "season" similar to baseball, football, or...football (soccer for our US readers)? ESPN.com ponders this question.

- Ain't no mountain high enough: Marat Safin is putting his tennis aside for another challenge. The 2-time Grand Slam winner is part of a Russian expedition team scheduled to climb Cho Oyu, the 8,201-meter (26,906 ft) mountain on the Nepal-Tibet border.

- We'll be sad to see you go, Guga, if you decide to hang up the rackets...

- The Hewitts are fighting: Never a dull moment in the Hewitt household, is there? The famous Aussie couple are being accused by Channel 7 program, Today Tonight, about failing to fulfill their commitment to building an orphanage in Cambodia.

- Are you suffering from having excess balls? Here are 17 innovate things you can do with the balls you've used and abused.

- Jon Wertheim is certainly making a name for himself. Not only does he cover tennis in-depth, the Sports Illustrated writer is interviewed here about his book on pool entitled "Running the Table".

- Mind over matter: Peter Bodo delves into the mind of Roger Federer to explore his uncanny ability to focus so intensely in the moment...very interesting.

- OFF TOPIC ALERT: Becks releases 2008 calendar, undresses for you

MARAT SAFIN: Struggling to find a place in the game

2-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin has always been somewhat of an enigma. Blessed with natural power and perfect technique, he is arguably the most talented player on the men's tour (next to a certain Swiss superstar.) The explosive Russian can defeat any player on his best day, but, with his tempermental nature and lack of consistency, lose to an unheralded journeyman on his worst. Time is not his friend, however. At 27, his best days may be behind him.

This year, hoping to turn around his game, Marat has hooked up with Hernan Gumy as his new coach. The 35-year-old Argentine, who formerly coached Guillermo Canas, Gustavo Kuerten and Guillermo Coria, is working with him through the hard-court season.

This week, Marat entered the Rogers Cup and lost in the second round to World No. 2 Rafael Nadal (their first meeting.) At a press conference after his first round match, the Russian spoke philosophically (and with his trademark humor) about his life, the current state of his game, and whether he can return to the elite level of men's tennis.

On where his life is at:
"...look at me now. Not bad for 10 years of career. Instead of that ... I'm doing the things that I love to do. So you know, I was lucky to catch the train. I have everything that I need. I have a good life. I'm flying business, first class. I have my friends coming to watch me. When I go to Moscow, I'm staying at a nice place, nice area, good neighbourhood, nice cars. So everything is great. So why I have to be frustrated?"

On what his life could be:
"In the worst scenario, the worst scenario, I would be a coach in some club in Russia, in Moscow, that nobody would even think about me" [...] "That's for sure not for me yet. I prefer to play tennis and be alone than to be working in a tennis club from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and having two kids to feed and a wife that is never happy. Sounds familiar or not?"

On the state of his game:
"Of course, you want to do a little better than you are doing ... But after all, if you thinking the big picture, it doesn't really matter ... If you want to play tennis, and I want to play tennis, I really want to try, I think everything can come back and everything can be improved."

On playing Rafa and the other young players:
"When the guys played against me before, yes, was different story. Not now ... Anything can happen, of course. I'm not going there and tank the match. I'm going to try to win it, of course. But I'm definitely not expecting anything great out of it."

FASHION FIX: A bright tennis moment for adidas

Russian hottie (and perennial headcase) Marat Safin and Swiss Patty Schnyder are both sponsored by adidas. Though we give huge props to the sporting giant for their successful collaboration with Stella McCartney, we think they went wacky with the Crayola crayons box this season.

Color is good on the tennis court (read: white + green), but in small doses. The yellow/orange is a bit bright, particularly when someone chooses to wear the entire outfit (think: hazard sign).

LOVE IT or LEAVE IT?

Tell us!

(images courtesy of AP Photo)

+ FRIDAY NETCORDS: FED CUP, Ana, Marat, The Beckhams, & more

- FED CUP update: Semifinal play begins this weekend with defending champs Italy taking on France, while a U.S. takes on Russia on U.S. turf. tennisreporters.net's Matt Cronin reports on the continuing drama of FED CUP 2007.

- Serbian Ana Ivanovic is named "Sexiest Player at Wimbledon" by British tabloid The Sun, reports her website.

- Merry go 'round: 2-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin has hooked up with Argentinian Hernan Gumy as his latest coach.

- Shhhhh! Kim Clijsters secretly married her American fiance Brian Lynch today at an early morning civil ceremony.

- OFF TOPIC ALERT: The Becks, David & Posh of course, have officially landed in the U.S. What we can't get over is their photospread in the newest W magazine, ouch...

Part IV: Player Quotes from Wimbledon

Q. You complained about the prices of the food at Wimbledon. What about the standard of the food that players are served? Should they be given more international cuisine?
A. Compared to the prices, for a plate of pasta, it's costing around £10, right? For £10, which is $20, you can have a great pasta at Cipriani in New York.

Q. What is the quality like?
A. Definitely not the Cipriani of New York. Everybody knows this restaurant. I think it's one of the best restaurants in New York. Also in Moscow, one of the most expensive, and we have a better pasta for 20 bucks, that's for sure.

- Marat Safin

Q. Could you talk about your song ambitions? What are your thoughts there?
A. Yeah, I never talk about this a lot, but I just love music. I play the guitar. I don't think I'll really learn to play the piano because I travel too much. Nowadays all you have to have is a computer, and if you know a new chords, you can speed it up to what tempo you want, and you're there. So there's do overs in your own little computer studio.

I guess I'd like to write probably pop. I really love electronica and house. My sister is really a great writer. I told her, please, I want to be just like you. Hopefully it will rub off on me.

- Venus Williams

Q. On the men's tour fashion seems to be coming more and more prevalent. It's not just the women that everyone talk about now. You've done modeling bits. Can you explain that a bit more. Also why do you think there's a growing trend of men wanting to look good on the court?
A. Maybe the girls were looking so good we wanted to impress them, catch their eye a little bit.

- James Blake

Q. Before your matches, how do you relax?
A. I like to have maybe 15, 20 minutes just by myself to listen to iPod, just some music. Depends on the mood I'm in. And then it's important, too, to have a good warmup, to sweat a little bit. That helps me also with the nerves.

Q. What's on your iPod?
A. I have lot of things. Usually it's R&B and house music also.

- Ana Ivanovic

Q. Are you religious?
A. Well, yeah. I'm Catholic.

- Roger Federer

+ Netcords

- Ever wanted to look like your fave tennis star? Now's your chance with BBC's downloadable player masks!. They come in 5 flavors: Nadal, Federer, Murray, Henman, and Myskina.

- The Sisters Sledge will lead the U.S. Fed Cup team in the semifinals against big ol' Russia on July 14 - 15. Now if only Shrieka would play...

- Apparently, Safin can't afford spaghetti at The All England Club these days. Maybe he should try winning some time.

Part II: Player Quotes from Wimbledon

Q. Do you know who your fourth round opponent could be?
A. I have no idea.

Q. So you don't want me to tell you?
A. I don't care.

Q. Serena.
A. Okay. First I think we both need to get there.

- Dani Hantuchova


Q. You said you've got Federer in the third round if you get past Qureshi. You've beaten him before at the Australian Open.
A. Yeah, I need to play my next match against Qureshi so let's look at this one first. My position shouldn't be looking any farther than my second round match.

Q. Do you think people worry too much about Federer, get too nervous when they play him, give him too much respect?
A. I don't really think about Federer. Any other players don't really, really care, and why should I care about them?

- Marat Safin


Q. What sort of things do you cook?
A. Pasta, everything, everything.

Q. Cakes?
A. What's "cakes"? Yes, because was the birthday of Albert Costa. We cooked for the happy birthday.

- Rafa Nadal


Q. Do you identify with swans in some way?
A. In what way?

Q. You made a point of it being a sort of a swan inspired dress.
A. It is, yeah.

Q. Do you feel some sort of kinship with the bird?
A. I don't think that was the initial inspiration with the dress. Originally it didn't have as many pleats in the back. I wanted there to be more of a pleat effect in the back, and I think the end result made it look more like a swan. Even on a hanger, it doesn't look as swan-ish as it does on me (laughter).

I don't know. I just put reference to it because a swan is usually white, right, unless it's weird.

Q. They are a protected bird here.
A. Was that really necessary (laughter)?

Q. Do you think they have a hawk here?
A. A hawk? It's a swan.

Q. They have a real hawk patrolling the grounds every day at 9:00.
A. Does the hawk usually bite the swan? I don't know, does it? Jesus, I might have to cut those pleats away.

- Maria Shriekapova


Q. Will you agree that match was very tight and very close?
A. Yeah, it was definitely a well competed match. I think the fans enjoy that. It was nice because I could definitely feel that they were enjoying when I was playing well and coming back.

Q. Did you enjoy it?
A. I enjoyed the part when I was winning (smiling).

- Venus Williams