Dinara Safina: Rising To The Fore

When we talk about tennis aces like Federer, Nadal, the Williams Sisters; there is one more person who merits a special mention.

'Dinara Safina'

Like Andy Murray who has had an extra-ordinary run this season in the men's draw; Safina has done the same in the women's.

Safina has carved a name for herself and has emerged from her brother Marat's shadow.

2008 saw the rise and fall of many tennis prodigies but Safina made a continuous rise to the top of the pile.

From being ranked 12th before Roland Garros till now when she is seeded 2nd in the world, she has catapulted herself from being an ordinary player to an extra-ordinary player.

She has gutsy spirit, her talent on the court is simply marvellous and most important for any player; she has got a remarkable come-back ability.

This was seen especially during the fourth round match against former world no 1 Maria Sharapova in the French Open.

She was a set down and was trailing by 0-4 when she suddenly snapped the game from Sharapova's hands.

A similar situation she faced again against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semis of French Open and again the same result.

Unfortunately for her, though she couldn't win the finals against Serbian Ana Ivanovic and had to be content being the runner-up.

But whereas Ivanovic's season has been pretty average apart from winning the French Open, Safina has made ample use of opportunity and has won four WTA events [ Tokyo, Montreal, Los Angeles and Doha].

She also reached to the semi-finals of the US Open before bowing down to the eventual winner Serena Williams.

Safina who got an entry in to the Beijing Olympics this year replacing Anna Chakvetadze made her country and herself proud by winning the silver medal. The gold also went to Russia [Elena Dementieva].

Safina's shots are really well placed, she mixes them well and her aces, her aces are simply too good.

All this said, another thing about Safina is that she too, like her brother, possesses a temper and her gestures of frustration will remind a viewer of her brother Marat!

Safina, this year to be precise has shown a lot of promise and maturity. The earlier years were average for a player of her calibre and the point now remains to be seen is whether she will continue her good form henceforth.

To win is important, but to maintain the winning streak is equally important!

Whether she is able to do it not, is too early to say; but one thing is for sure: if Safina plays the way she is now, in the years to come she will definitely be a force to reckon with!