| ..:: ARTICLES ::.. | Safin aftermath shows tennis is behind times
LINDA ROBERTSON
lrobertson@herald.com
Marat Safin did more than expose his derriere at the French Open. He exposed a major flaw in tennis.
The sport, especially on the men's side, is starved for personality. Safin, one of the more unpredictable characters in a colorless cast, gave tennis a spectacular and hilarious morsel, and tennis officials spat it back at him.
In a moment of spontaneity, he was gagged, he was chastised, he was discouraged. The wacky incident occurred in the eighth game of the fifth set Thursday at dusk in Safin's marathon match against Felix Mantilla.
After Safin caressed the ball over the net for a drop-shot winner, he dropped his shorts in glee. It was almost like an involuntary reaction, like Brandi Chastain ripping off her shirt at the World Cup. Some people celebrate by yelling, some by jumping on top of one another, some by disrobing. To each his own.
It wasn't really a full moon. More like an eclipse. Safin pulled down his pants, but his shirt was so long that much was left to the imagination. Can't say the same for Serena Williams, even when she's fully clothed.
The gesture was quick and inoffensive. The crowd loved sharing his happiness. The fans laughed and clapped. Safin was not doing it out of anger or to incite anybody.
''I don't know why,'' he said when asked why he did it. ``It just happened. I felt it was a great point for me. I felt like pulling my pants down. What's bad about it?''
Well, the chair umpire and court supervisor thought it was very bad, naughty and inappropriate, so they penalized Safin by giving the point to Mantilla. Safin went on to win the fifth set 11-9 on Friday, but he was still frustrated by the penalty.
NO SENSE OF HUMOR
Only tennis, in its current downward spiral, could turn something funny into something ugly. Safin got mad, the crowd booed, the atmosphere soured.
Dullness is tennis' main opponent these days, and it won again.
''It's entertaining business,'' Safin said. ``I am working my ass off on the court, it was full stadium. Was great tennis for four hours. Then they do everything possible to take away the entertainment. You're not allowed to do that. You're not allowed to do this.
``All the people who run the sport, they have no clue. It's a pity that tennis is really going down the drain. It's really a pity.''
There are several reasons for the sport's declining TV ratings. The style of play has become homogenized due to supersized rackets. There are too many tournaments and a jumble of names to try to follow. The game is not marketed with any panache.
What's missing are the personalities and rivalries of yesteryear -- Jimmy Connors, Ilie Nastase, Boris Becker, John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova.
Roger Federer's shots are divine, but he's an introspective guy. We haven't gotten to know the Belgians, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters. Andy Roddick has star qualities, but the game is in transition at the top.
The passion of the great players during the boom era was also contagious. Today, the players seem aloof.
Safin is an example of what could cure tennis, and of what ails it, too. He's personable, but his passion is suspect.
McEnroe saw Safin in the locker room Friday, and shook his hand.
McENROE'S PRAISE
''He is exactly what our sport -- a one-on-one sport -- needs,'' McEnroe said. ``He's like many guys who need to be promoted better by the stiffs who run tennis. Tennis is hanging on because it's a great game, but what's going to happen if they keep stifling the fun element of it?''
When it was announced in the press room that Safin, a serial racket abuser, had been fined $500 for slamming his racquet Friday, a journalist called out, ''Can we pay him?'' On a ho-hum day at Roland Garros, he was the story.
He handed out vodka to reporters after his straight-sets thrashing of Pete Sampras at the 2000 U.S. Open. At last year's Australian Open final, he brought two provocatively dressed guests to the player's box, and, after playing one of the worst matches of his career, thanked his ''team'' for their support.
The burly Russian is humorous in three languages and has an exciting, powerful game.
But the fire is inconsistent. Safin is a reflection of tennis today. A lot of potential, bottled up.
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