I doubt I will go to a game any further back than this one during this little exercise of reliving the past. This one was well in the past. In tennis terms, this was more than a generation ago, when Rafael Nadal had yet to win a single Frech Open, and Novak Djokovic was making his Grand Slam debut. It was an era when behind Roger Federer, the top three players in the world were Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin, three names that combined for five Grand Slams, losing another eight finals. These were, of course, Federer's true contemporaries, a woebegone bunch who saw Federer make way too much hay in that brief period between Sampras retiring and Nadal rising.
That was the stage when Roger Federer and Marat Safin squared off in the 2005 Australian Open Semifinals. Each with their own interesting backstory heading into that match. For Federer, he ascended in 2004, winning three Grand Slams. The sports really hadn't seen anything like him in a long time. He was so peerless, so excellent, so elegant. At the time, a player winning three slams was unheard of, and cast a shadow in the sport. It was truly a question if anyone would really beat him again. Starting that spring, one man started beating him regularly, and over time he (Nadal) and others would become equally dominant that dominance became the norm. In 2005, it wasn't. It was novelty, it was scary.
Marat Safin was the perfect person to dent that Federer sheen. Marat Safin was undoubtedly the most talented non-Federer player in that little era. Safin had a ludicrously good backhand, a great forehand, a powerful serve. His only real failing was his mind, his inability to stay focused, stay engaged (stay healthy). Marat Safin traipsed his way up and down the rankings, winning a major at 20 by pummeling at-the-time #1 Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open Final, but also losing a major final to seriously undergunned Thomas Johansson in the 2002 Australian Open final. If anyone could beat Federer, it was Safin. If there was anyone who could but could not be trusted to do it, that was Safin as well.
Turning back the clock 12 years in tennis is an amazing length of time. Roger Federer has always had an ageless look to him, basically looking the same for the last 7-8 years, but rewind to 2005 and he does look different. Longer, flowing hair. A babier face. Federer was just 23, a baby in the sport. Still, he was at his most graceful as well, he seemed to just effortlessly float over the court. Safin had a powerful speed and mastery to him. He himself looked older than his 25. Safin was the opposite of Federer, an 6'4", taut Udonis of a man that oozed sex appeal (yes, I had - and still have - a serious man crush on Marat). The stage was set, under the night sky in Australia. The court was still green at the time, inviting us all in.
The Australian Open always held a special place in my mind because it was an annual event where the timing was so foreign in the US. The day matches started at 8PM. The night matches at 3AM. The night matches would end as I would get-up for school. It was so fun to stay up late on weekends and watch the day session (a 13-year old me was not getting up/staying up at 3AM). The night sessions in Laver are also such enthralling affairs. Unlike the sprawling nature of Arthur Ashe where the noise and energy escapes into the Queens' night sky, in Laver it is all held in, a rapturous, roaring nature that is unseen anywhere else in tennis. The players themselves feed off the energy, heightening any great match into one of unparalleled joy.
The match itself was fairly straightforward through three sets. Federer was getting pushed by Safin more than any player had pushed him in a fair long while, but Federer stood strong in the important moments. Twice, Safin served to force a tiebreak, and twice he was beaten, with Federer winning the first and third sets 7-5 (Safin won the middle one 6-4). At this point, the match was on its axis. It could become a modern classic, with the man who seemed better than anyone had ever been getting pushed further than he ever had, or the final set would be routine after Safin blew his chances. Luckily for us all, including the always great Dick Enberg and Patrick McEnroe calling the match, it was the former, and it was spectacular.
The fourth set featured 12 straight holds, but so many memorable moments in that set alone. You had Safin hitting ludicrous backhands and passing shots. You had Federer whipping forehands. You had chaotic applause from the crowd. You had Marat Safin cursing in Spanish and hitting a ball out of the stadium in protest. You had Federer even smashing a racket after Safin won a long rally with an on-the-run forehand. You actually saw Federer, for once, for the first time seemingly ever, sweat. He was under pressure. He was being tested. The crowd loved it. The announcers loved it.
Given the time difference, ESPN always seemed to have more fun broadcasting the Australian Open, almost as if they thought no one was watching. They zoomed in on a cricket that entered the stadium (Federer pushed it with his racket off the court - Safin would smash and kill it two games later). They randomly played orchestra music between two points. The whole match had this weird energy that added so much to the affair. It would reach its apex during the 4th set tiebreak.
Federer took a 5-2 lead off the back of two clean winners, and one of the most outrageous, outlandish dropshots I've ever seen. Safin clawed back to 5-4 winning two points on Federer's serve off Federer errors, and then, with Safin back in control, Federer did it again. Another absolutely insane dropshot, carved to perfection. All Patrick McEnroe could do is squeal and laugh in enjoyment. Safin wouldn't back donw, and a point later Federer had match point on his racket. For all Safin accomplished, Federer still had the match on his racket. And then Safin pulled off a miracle, two ridiculous shots, a desperation lob, forcing Federer to try a tweener, a good four years before he would actually pull one off. It hit the top of the net. Safin had another life. The won the next two points, stole the tiebreak - and we were a good 70 minutes from the classic ending.
The 5th set played out so perfectly. It would have been cruel for Safin to put in such effort, hit such incredible shots, get the whole crowd on his side ready for a stunning result, to just wilt away. But then again, it would have been so like Safin, someone who made a career of wilting away against far lesser players. But this time he didn't. This time he took control. This time he got the early break, and led the 5th set 5-2. But that's just when Federer showed just how great he is, and how unbeatable he seemed to be in early 2005.
Safin had six different match points but couldn't close it out. Federer broke back, staved off match points to hold a couple times, and we got to the point where it was 8-7 Safin, with Federer serving. At this point it was nearly 1AM, nearly 10AM in the US. It was already a classic, but it had to end in a great way, and it ended with Safin hitting great shot after great shot to finish it. First a clean 2nd-serve return winner. Then a dominant backhand. Then a shot that jammed Federer on the baseline. Finally, on his 8th match point, Safin took the serve early, forced Federer into the corner where he stumbled - supine on the ground he gave up. Safin approached the net, put it away, and raised his arms in exhaustive, muted celebration. It was finally over. No one really knew what to do.
The only one who didn't really seemed stunned was Federer. He knew Safin, he was Safin's friend. He knew how talented this tall Russian was, how great he was capable of being on his night, and more than any other night in his career, this was Safin's night.
Safin would go on to win the Final, beating Aussie favorite Lleyton Hewitt. The tournament was also notable for being both Rafael Nadal's coming out party in a slam, having his own 5-set classic against Hewitt (losing in the 5th), and being Djokovic's maiden slam appearance - he was thrashed by Safin in the 3rd round. As far as Safin goes, he became a trivia fact. From Wimbledon 2004 through Wimbledon 2009 - a good 21 straight slams - only one man not named Federer, Nadal or Djokovic would win a slam. Marat Safin. In fact, it was three years until even Djokovic got his name on that list (the next 11 slams would go Rafa-Fed-Fed-Fed-Rafa-Fed-Fed-Fed-Rafa-Fed-Fed). Marat Safin was the one man not named Nadal who took on a peak, in-form Federer, and actually beat him. The fact it was under a riotous Rod Laver crowd just made it so much the more special.
