Ten things to love about tennis this summer (Australian News)
1. MARAT SAFIN
http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/ten-things-to-love-about-tennis-this-summer/2007/01/05/1167777280484.html
今夏十項熱愛網球的理由(澳洲報紙)
1. 馬拉特﹑薩芬
pictures: Safin preparing for 2007 Aussie Open
附圖: 薩芬為澳網熱身訓練

WHAT'S not to love about Safin? Well, apart from the hot temper, the moodiness, the dubious entourages, the political incorrectness, the sometime career as a serial racquet-smasher?

嗯.....即便脾氣差﹑陰晴不定﹑伴侶不斷更替﹑"政治不正確"觀點﹑甚或是職業網壇連環摔拍犯之外.....有什麼原因讓你不愛薩芬的?

All of it part of the package, and most of it forgiven because Safin is not just guaranteed entertainment, and a reliable quote machine, but also a fabulous and truly gifted player some even rate as Roger Federer's equal — at least on a good day. Indeed, two years ago, Safin was the last player to beat Federer at a non-French major, in a magnificent Australian Open semi-final that preceded the killing of Lleyton Hewitt's home slam dream a few nights later. A knee injury kept him away last year, and his ranking dipped outside the top 100 before recovering to 25th, but Safin has a Davis Cup to show for his most recent efforts, hailing his win in the deciding rubber as his motivation to continue in the game.

這些都是薩芬獨有的一整套配備﹐缺了就不是他了﹐而大家也都"容許寬恕"了大半的壞玩意兒﹐因為薩芬不只是娛樂的保證﹑最妙語如珠的名言製造機﹐也是一位具有令人驚嘆天賦的球員﹐有些人甚至認為可與費德勒並駕齊趨 - 起碼在他狀態最佳的時候。事實上也沒錯﹐兩年前﹐薩芬是法網之外﹐最後一個在大滿貫擊敗費德勒的球手﹐時間就在他粉碎Hewitt 於家鄉捧杯之前的四強大戰裡。膝蓋傷勢迫使氣去年幾乎缺席所有比賽﹐排名掉到百名之外最後又回到第25﹐不過﹐薩芬的努力於戴維斯杯終於開花結果﹐決定賽裡取得勝利﹐為俄羅斯贏得冠軍﹐也為自己找回繼續留在網壇奮鬥的動力。

He has been called "the world's only Shakespearean tennis star", while fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov says he has "gigantic charisma as a personality" and claims that "if he had (Rafael) Nadal's focus and tunnel vision about tennis, yeah, he'd be No. 1". Safin is not that, but he once was, and he remains many other things besides. Welcome back.
他一向被喻為是" 世上唯一莎士比亞劇本般戲劇性的網球明星"﹐ 同胞選手Tursunov 曾說"他的人格特質有著非凡的魔力/領導性",並表示"如果他能像Nadal那樣專注地在網球事業上﹐不用懷疑﹐他會是世界第一的"。薩芬並沒有世界第一﹐但曾是世界第一﹐其他的特質﹐一個也沒改變。歡迎你歸隊呀﹐薩芬!!