Marat Safin is a compelling figure. Enigmatic. Volatile. Dangerous. Unpredictable. Those are equally apt descriptions of his last few years on the tour. Yet somehow the great ones all must deal with their setbacks, with their inner demons.

Between Safin's breakout Grand Slam US Open title over Pete Sampras in 2000, he has certainly plumbed the depths in the intervening years.

Sampras wins the US Open at age 19, then is not up to the pressure to defend his title, only to be followed by his disappointing four set loss to Edberg in the following year. But that loss steeled Sampras, hardened him, and set him on course to conquer the tour, reigning as champion for an unprecedented 6 years in a row.

Ivan Lendl struggled mightily under the glare of the bright lights on center court, with agonizing losses at Wimbledon and the US Open, only to be followed by a string of three grand slam titles toward the end of his career.

McEnroe had a punishing loss to Borg at Wimbledon, and somehow that loss propelled him to greater heights both at Wimbledon and the US Open. Now it is Safin's turn. I am not sure what it is that Peter Lundgren brings to the table, for Safin has had a string of high profile tennis coaches. But something has changed here. Safin is for real. Safin has heart. Safin believes.

Click photo to hear Jim McLennan talk about Marat Safin and the struggle for greatness.

Between Safin's breakout Grand Slam US Open title over Pete Sampras in 2000, he has certainly plumbed the depths in the intervening years. Fined for tanking matches, he may have had as many as nine coaches. Bizarre on court (and presumably off court) antics. Troubled genius. Unbridled talent. Questionable resolve. Early losses, even in the 2004 season with a first round exit at Wimbledon, and racquet throwing performances at nearly every venue. Yet I root for him in nearly all his matches, and I was on the edge of my seat in the Australian final.

Hewitt is tenacious, Hewitt is dangerous, and Hewitt may have the perfect game to wear down the Big Guy's resilience. And certainly there was every indication in the third set, 0-3, Hewitt screaming “Come On” and Safin with a number of chances for a 3-0 lead rather than a 0-3 predicament. The Big Guy is now resilient. Absolutely, marvelously resilient. Sure he can play, he could always play. But now he can compete. Contests can be won or lost in the blink of an eye, on a big shot that is either on the line or just outside the line. I'm not sure he relishes this entirely, for certainly there is an air of playfulness in Federer that is not matched in Safin's anguished appearance. But nevertheless, the guy is back, the door to Federer's throne is now slightly ajar. We can all sit back and enjoy the show.

Set 4 Summary
		Safin (RUS)	Hewitt (AUS)
1st Serve %		17 of 23 = 74 %	21 of 38 = 55 %
Aces		7	2
Double Faults		1	1
Unforced Errors		5	4
Winning % on 1st Serve		16 of 17 = 94 %	16 of 21 = 76 %
Winning % on 2nd Serve		4 of 6 = 67 %	6 of 17 = 35 %
Winners (Including Service)		16	9
Receiving Points Won		16 of 38 = 42 %	3 of 23 = 13 %
Break Point Conversions		1 of 2 = 50 %	0 of 0 = 0 %
Net Approaches		8 of 10 = 80 %	4 of 10 = 40 %
Total Points Won		36	25

Above are the telling statistics of the fourth and final set of the Australian Open. Safin overcame both personal demons and the superb play of Lleyton Hewitt, and produced an awesome display of tennis.

Certainly the numbers tell the story – pinpoint serving, no break points faced on his serve, in fact he only lost 3 points on serve in the entire 4th set, needing only 23 points to hold serve 5 times, Only five unforced errors, and this is remarkable considering how he dictated play.

The numbers do not highlight his uncommon agility, nor his uncanny shot making. In fact, when it comes to movement, Brad Gilbert highlighted the five “fastest” players on the tour. Well somehow Safin is quick rather than fast, reminds me a little of the Big Cat, Miroslav Mecir, who was cat like quick. The main difference, Safin has power from all sides. Safin brings it - and as regards a boxing analogy, as long as Safin brings the fight to the opponent, he need not be fast, only quick. Somehow it is the defender, the retriever who must be fast. Safin can leave that to the others.