Analysis for Safin-Reynolds (ATP Miami)

Head-to-head record 0:0

Bobby Reynolds of United States will play the former Wolrd No.1, Marat Safin of Russia in a very interesting first round match-up. Safin is having a disastrous season so far. He prepared for the Australian Open at the AAMI Kooyong Classic in Melbourne. He won his first round match at the Australian Open against Ernests Gulbis in straight but was ousted in the 2nd round after a grueling 5 set match against Baghdatis. Despite the loss, many positive changes were noticeable in Safin's match, which he later acknowledged. In February, Safin was granted wildcards into the tournaments at Memphis and Las Vegas. In Memphis, he was edged out by Thomas Johansson and in Las Vegas by Lleyton Hewitt (6-2 6-1 in 58 minutes). Russian giant is known for his emotional outbursts during matches, and has smashed numerous rackets. He frequently verbally berates himself for lost points and this usually leads to even deeper crisis. Safin's game is based around his physical size and strength to outplay his opponents generally with big strokes and pace. He has excellent footwork and footspeed on all surfaces unlike other players of his height. Lack of consistency and focus has been described as Safin's weakness. However when Safin is mentally fit, he possesses a very powerful all-round game that is capable of defeating most opponents on virtually any surface. His mental condition is a key point for his game and it must be said he currently doesn’t look all right. His opponent will be Bobby Reynolds who played well in qualifiers defeating both Bester and Young easily. American plays his career best at present, feels comfortable within these conditions and could be very competitive today. Odds at this level are worth taking.