Assessing Safin

Marat Safin has been as focused at this Slam as I've ever seen him. When he upset Novak Djokovic in the second round, he hardly emoted. He followed up that victory with another over grass court lover Andreas Seppi in the best match of the event so far.

He hardly emoted.

He fought through a rough patch in his next match against a talented opponent in Stanislas Wawrinka to advance to his first Wimbledon quarterfinal in seven years.

He hardly emoted.

Then he played a man he lost to four times out of five, including the last time he played him at Wimbledon. After being down a set and a break, fighting through his first outburst of the event, and taking advantage of a rain delay, he beat Feliciano Lopez and advanced to his first Wimbledon semifinal.

He hardly emoted.

After every match, in every interview, Marat was focused, internal, subdued.

He's playing this event to win it.

And if you think I'm reaching, you ain't been watching. His serve has been supreme. I haven't gathered the stats on aces or break points saved, etc. What I've witnessed, however, is a weapon that hits its targets whenever he needs it to hit its targets most. Every corner of the box and into the body, too. His return has returned to devastating. His backhand down the line is unreachable. His transition game, volleys and improvisational skills, exquisite.

He's playing this event to win it.

He knows how to beat Roger Federer. No, not yet on grass. But Marat hasn't played his best tennis against on grass.

Until this fortnight.

And Raja hasn't yet shown his best tennis. I'm certain he will against Marat, he will have to, because he knows that Marat can beat him. That Marat is playing this event to win it.

If Marat attacks Federer's second serve without relent and uses that deadly backhand down the line to keep Raja running to his right all day long, do not be shocked when Marat moves into his first Wimbledon final.