Holding the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup, Marat Safin walked into the Rod Laver Stadium amid cheers from the crowd, placed the trophy on a glass pedestal, and waited for the two finalists, Novak Djokovic and Dominique Tim, to kick off their performance.
In the end, 16-time Grand Slam champion and 7-time Australian Open men's singles champion Djokovic defeated Thiem, who reached the grand slam final for the third time, 3-2. At the ceremony, the Russian reappeared, presenting the trophy he had brought in with his name engraved on his friends and serbian descendants.
At one time, Safin also "controlled" the stadium, which sounds quite distant in the early 21st century.
From 2002 to 2005, he reached the Men's Singles Finals of the Australian Open three times in four years. Among them, in 2002, he lost to Sweden's Johansson in the final and finished second, lost to Federer in the 2004 final and failed again, and in 2005 he defeated the defending champion in the semi-finals and defeated local darling Hewitt in the final, finally lifting the coveted Norman Brooks Challenge Cup.
From his career in 1997 to his retirement in 2009, Safin, born in 1980, did not have a long career compared to the "Golden Generation of 80" players of the same era. However, whether he is a professional player or a retired player, he can always easily become the focus of people's attention and win people's love - he is not "self", but the "self" that everyone wants to live.
"I always need a punching bag when things don't go well, and I can't beat myself or scold the referee, right?" ”
In 1997, a young man from Moscow turned to professional tennis. Three years later, at the age of 20, he stood on the stage for the first time, which he described as the Grand Slam final in the "zoo". It was Arthur Ash Stadium, and across the net was National Idol Sampras.
For veteran fans, the outcome of that game is still clear even today. The scores were set at 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, with a god-like name Sampras shed his gorgeous coat in front of the newborn calf, and the young man who held aloft the Grand Slam trophy shed tears of excitement.
Stepping on the shoulders of the "Mulberry God", Safin's fame and popularity rose sharply. In 2001, he defeated Sampras again on The Clay of Germany. Turning the year, when he reached the second Grand Slam final at the 2002 Australian Open, the Americans were once again his losers. In 2005, he won the trophy at the 100-year Australian Open, the second and final Grand Slam title of his career.
Although he has not been able to become the absolute ruler of Sampras and Federer, Nadal and Djokovic with "10+" Grand Slam trophies in his career, Safin has been able to become an iconic figure in men's tennis with his talent and spirituality. And throughout the history of tennis, he is also a figure who deserves a separate chapter.
The most eye-catching part of this chapter is the wrestling. Some people have done statistics that in 1999, Safin broke a total of 48 rackets; at $400 per hand, he lost nearly $20,000 that year.
"It's a shame these beats are broken, but when you're having a bad time on the pitch, you always need to find a punching bag. I can't beat myself or scold the referee, can I? Mentioning this "hobby" of his own, he once explained it to himself with great vigour.
When asked which kind of field the racket is not easy to break, he replied: "Believe me, the racket breaks quickly on any field." ”
It is worth mentioning that during the 2005 French Open, he once smashed a chair with a racket because of his dissatisfaction with losing. Later, the chair was housed in the French Open Museum.
"I want to thank the ATP officers who ended up showing me tickets for dropping their rackets, otherwise I would have been an ATP sponsor!" I would also like to thank the good friends who have partyed with me, And Philipsis generously pays for it at all the nightclubs. We're a big family and we're like rock stars on our journey. In 2016, he mentioned his past again at the ceremony of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, amusing the spectators at the scene to lean forward and backward.
"The stars shine only in the sky... And I'm leaving for a new life. ”
In addition to the love of wrestling and the "violent temper" that has been extended, Safin, nicknamed "Tsar", also dared to say and dare to do.
Due to the "elegant" nature of tennis itself, many players on the tour automatically wear the mask of a public figure to play the role of "Mr. Nice" or "Miss Sweetheart". But the Russians were never among them, either in the media or in the public.
In an exchange with fans, he was once asked: "Do you think it's easy to be a star?" Will people recognize you on the street? As a result, he gave a very insufficient "pet fan" answer: "No, the star only shines in the sky." ”
He is spontaneous, and his casualness is natural. They come together so that he doesn't go against his nature to do things he doesn't like. Yes, Marat Safin has never been a flatterer, seeing playing on the tour as a profession rather than a hobby and seeing himself as an actor on the runway.
Eventually, after more than 10 years of battling his opponents, injuries, and self, he said he didn't plan to hold on any longer. "2009 will be my last season," he set a deadline for his career at the end of 2008.
When these words were heard, it occurred to people that the tattoo of the word "monkey" on his left shoulder was related to his age. It turned out that the man was almost 30 years old. Safin, who is almost 30, looks a little different from the 20-year-old, most notably by dropping his shots less often and softeningly explaining why to the media.
In Oakland in 2009, a reporter risked being ridiculed by him and "dared" to ask him why he hadn't dropped a beat throughout the game. His response was, "Please, this is my first day of work, give me some time." ”
In August of that year, Safin came to New York and lost 3-0 to Austrian Melzer in the first round of the US Open. On the pitch where he won his first Grand Slam in victory over Sampras, he said to the crowd, "I'm leaving for a new life," and then walked out of arthur Ashe stadium with his shoulders rocked.
"I want people to see me as a 'real' player, and that's important to me. ”
He was going to live his own life, but he was saved by many people. In addition to the fans, there are also critics who have criticized him for wasting his talents. "Underachiever", they called him when his Grand Slam trophy stagnated on the number "2".
Of course, the person will not be swayed by others, just as he never admits that his career is a failure.
"I'm playing tennis well and I want people to see me as a 'real' player, that's important to me. A lot of young people are stars of hope, but in the end they don't become 'real' players. ”
In Safin's dictionary, the key to measuring success is not how many trophies and how many prizes there are, but winning people's respect. "I'm level playing with everyone on the pitch and I have a good relationship with everybody off the pitch. I would be very happy if you could remember that. ”
After the 2009 US Open, he embarked on a "farewell journey" and was treated with the courtesy of the fans every time he participated in a competition. At the Chinese Open, his lover waved the Russian flag and came to the stadium early and put up a banner high in the stands: "Good to see you, tough to leave you." ”“I wanna stand with you on the mountain。” "What you leave us with is not memories, it's loneliness."
At the end of that year, the "Tsar" abdicated. He left fellow Ferrero, Hewitt, Federer and Nalbandian on the pitch and turned away at the age of 30.
However, he did not disappear into the vast sea of people, but continued to live his life like a blossom. He actually went up the hill, went on to the nightclub (and did Philippses pay for it), and played senatorial tournaments all over the world like Sampras. After much deliberation and believing that scavenging in Moscow was not feasible, Safin decided to move into politics.
"I'm a person with unlimited potential, I have a lot of ideas about things, and I promise to make a difference. I'm probably the most handsome in Dumari, after all, everyone else is some old man over 60 years old. ”
Don't think he's telling jokes, the "Tsar" is saying nothing. Moreover, long before deciding to enter politics, Safin had already exercised in the Russian Tennis Association. In 2009, he also assisted in the organization of the Moscow Open.
"You have to be clear about where you plan to go, what you want to do, and be able to make sacrifices for it." ”
"State Dumasafin", which is a title that belongs to a new stage of life. After discovering his political talents at the Russian Tennis Association, Safin participated in the 2011 Duma election as a member of the United Russia Party. "It seems to me that retired athletes are positive about politics, especially because they really understand how to build a healthy, professional modern society."
"Want to change your life? You should choose tennis. This is the propaganda slogan written by Russian President Yeltsin in order to promote the development of tennis in the country. As a member of the "glorious era" of Russian tennis, Safine got his wish in the election results announced on December 8, representing the Nizhny Novgorod region as the State Duma.
From tennis to politics, the 31-year-old Russian says the two things are similar, that is, you must keep your heart strong. "You have to be clear about where you're going, what you want to do, and be able to make sacrifices for it. I have to work hard as I did on the field to meet new challenges. ”
After taking off his jersey, Safin changed into a suit and tie, shaved his chin clean, and discussed things with what he called "old men in their 60s." No longer wrestling, he began to exude the charm of an old man, reminiscent of Margaret Duras's opening scene in "Lover".
However, as God's darling, his appearance was not "devastated", but naturally completed one transformation after another on the road of life. "For the next five years, I will stay in my office or go out to deal with various work matters, and my work direction is mainly to promote the development of sports in Russia."
This is only his initial platform of governance, but before the words have fallen, a large number of voters have waved the flag for him. Of course, there are also opponents and predecessors who have watched him grow up along the way. "Safin still has a long way to go. He is very intelligent and eloquent, and he is good at handling relationships. This is Sampras's assessment of the Russians, who he even believes is capable of becoming president in the future.
However, on the way to the "president", Safin's "self" jumped out again to make trouble.
In May 2017, he resigned from the Duma, temporarily ending his political career. "Work has taken over my life and left me no time for anything else. I love partying, partying, traveling, and resting with friends, and I love to enjoy life, but none of this (during my tenure as Duma) is possible. ”
Such a choice is not surprising, as anyone who knows him knows why he is reluctant to give up these choices and how much he does not want to expose his life to the public.
Of course, Safine was never a hermit, and he would still appear when and when necessary. At the 2020 Australian Open, reflecting the silver light of the trophy, he brought himself back to the camera and also brought people back to the first glance when they first met him.