Safin promises Wimbledon return

Newly-crowned Australian Open champion Marat Safin today promised to compete at Wimbledon despite previously vowing never to return to the All England Club.

Safin claimed he would not play at Wimbledon again after his first round exit to compatriot Dmitry Tursunov in 2004.

The 25-year-old Russian, who reached the quarter-finals in 2001 but has only won two other matches, lost 4-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 to the world number 70 on court two, and insisted: “I give up on Wimbledon. It’s definitely not the tournament for me.

“I hate this. I have to admit it. I didn’t go out last night and I didn’t have fun. I was trying to prepare myself and give myself another chance but I think it’s the last one.”

But following his superb victory over home favourite Lleyton Hewitt on Sunday evening in Melbourne, Safin said he would return to SW19, even if he harbours no expectations of claiming a third grand slam title there.

“I will play, but not with so many expectations,” said Safin, who recovered from a set down to beat Hewitt 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 in the first evening final in the championships’ centenary year.

“Every year I’m coming and I’m practising, I’m spending so much time on the practice court and trying to play on that surface. But all of a sudden you come play the first round and lose to guys that you don’t know how they even get to the main draw!

“People interpret what I said at Wimbledon, they took it to such extreme way. For one day I was so famous because I said something which has nothing to do with the tournament, has nothing to do with anything around the tournament.

“Just I said my opinion that I don’t like the surface, I cannot play on that surface, and I feel like I can’t waste my time, my energy on that surface. That’s it.

“It’s my opinion. I didn’t say anything wrong. I didn’t say anything bad about Wimbledon. But just I am feeling that it is not my surface. Some people cannot play on clay. Some people, they cannot play on hard court.

“It’s more psychological, of course. But even though I had a good result one year I don’t feel comfortable on that surface. That’s it.”

Safin was just 20 when he won the US Open final in 2000 with a stunning demolition of Pete Sampras and went on to become world number one, but since then had failed to fulfil his enormous potential.

Working with Roger Federer’s former coach, Peter Lundgren, has been a major factor in Safin’s renaissance and he admitted he had struggled to believe in himself before the likeable Swede’s involvement.

“It’s a little bit difficult because once you have bad losses, people start to think you’re not (good enough) and because the people speak, you listen,” added Safin, who celebrated his 25th birthday last Federer in the semi-finals, ending the defending champion and world number one’s unbeaten 26-match run.

“The rumours, once it gets into your head, it’s difficult to accept and you really start to believe that maybe it’s who I am. I have a talent, I’m a good player, but not good enough to be where I want to be.

“You can just lose to anybody, you can beat anybody, but that’s it. They say that’s who you are, and it’s the maximum you can get.

“It’s disappointing for a person like me to hear that and really to believe in that because I really start to believe that that’s it, that’s just who I am.”

Safin had been beaten in the Australian Open final in 2002 and 2004, firstly underestimating Sweden’s Thomas Johansson and then running out of gas against Federer after exhausting five-set quarter-final wins over Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi.

And he admitted he had started to doubt whether he would ever add to his grand slam tally.

“From the first final I didn’t win against Johansson I couldn’t see myself winning the grand slams anymore,” added Safin. “I couldn’t believe it. I was once even in the semi-finals of the French Open, but didn’t believe I can win it.

“I lost two semi-finals because I just couldn’t handle the pressure. You need to believe in yourself, and I didn’t.

“Winning here was a relief for me. Two grand slams it’s already something. One grand slam you can win by mistake, you know, like I did in 2000! But this one, I worked really hard for that.

“I would love to win a couple more. I think I have a chance if I am continuing this way. If Peter will stick around with me and he will want to work with me for a bit longer, I think I can make it.”