Safina feeling fresh for final

Dinara Safina could not be in better shape as she heads into tomorrow’s French Open final against fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova looking to end her wait for an elusive grand-slam title.

Safina, the world number one and top seed, lost to Ana Ivanovic in last year’s final at Roland Garros and then to Serena Williams in the Australian Open showpiece earlier this year.

But she will start as favourite to finally clinch a Major when she takes on seventh seed Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion and runner-up here in 2006.

Safina believes the circumstances this year are completely different to 12 months ago.

“I wouldn’t say that I was nervous last year – I just think I was tired overall because I had such a tough draw and I had to pull out so many matches,” said the 23-year-old, who as 13th seed lost 6-4 6-3 to Ivanovic.

“This year I’ve spent much less time on the court so I’m much fresher. I hope this time I will do it.”

In the 2008 tournament here, Safina had tough three-set battles against then-world number one Maria Sharapova in the last-16 and Elena Dementieva in the quarter-finals.

She then beat Kuznetsova in the semi-finals but came unstuck against Ivanovic, who at that time was the second seed.

This year has been a different story. She dropped just five games in her first four matches and was a comfortable 6-3 6-3 winner over Dominika Cibulkova in the semi-finals yesterday.

Her only difficult match came in the last eight, when she needed three sets to get past ninth seed Victoria Azarenka, but Safina has been playing with the air of a champion-elect from round one.

“Since I became number one in the world (in April), I’ve been playing in finals and winning titles so how much more proof do I need to give people that I deserve that spot?” she said.

“The way I’m playing, I think it shows that I deserve this spot.”

Safina has lost just one match on clay in 2009 – to Kuznetsova in the final in Stuttgart last month.

The pair also met in the Rome final, when Safina was an easy 6-3 6-2 winner.

Kuznetsova, who is also 23, believes relaxing will be the key to success tomorrow.

“To control my nerves, I have to loosen up,” she said.

“I want to just go out there and enjoy it. Lately, I have not been enjoying that much the finals I’ve played, except in Stuttgart when I won. I was thinking too much about everything.

“Even in my matches here, in the semis and the quarters, it was getting to my mind a little, but I didn’t let it in. So I was just enjoying it.”

Kuznetsova revealed her tactics against Safina, who has three inches in height on her compatriot, will be to “move her around a bit”.

She also reckons the pressure is on Safina to finally justify her world number one tag.

“I have nothing to lose out there,” she added.

“It’s even on clay. But it’s a new match, a completely different day. It doesn’t matter if I’d won 15 times before or if she’d won 15 times before.”