Talking Point: a spotlight shared will suit Safina

Heres a question for you how many top ten players has Dinara Safina beaten in the past twelve months, during which time the Russian has risen to world No.1, reached the semi-finals or better of the last four grand slams, and picked up four tour titles?

Six.

Six victories against top ten opponents in a year, with twelve defeats. And only two of those top-ten wins came at the majors Vera Zvonareva (world No.7) in Melbourne and Victoria Azarenka (No.9) in Paris.

While it underlines just how consistently she has beaten lower-ranked players to propel her to the top of the rankings, it is the sort of statistic that adds fuel to the fire over whether or not the current world No.1 is worthy of the title (in contrast, Serena Williams has posted twelve such victories in the same space of time nine of which came on her way to her US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon titles with seven defeats). It also goes a long way towards explaining just why Safina hasnt claimed a major title of her own.

On the way to her first grand slam final, where she lost to Ana Ivanovic, Safina clawed her way back from match point down to win not once but twice to beat then world No.1 Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva, before dispatching Svetlana Kuznetsova with ease to reach the final.

Safina has become a prolific winner, but she is patently not a world-beater yet

When the final came her nerve failed her, and a pumped Ivanovic seized the initiative and the crown having done the same herself in 2007 against Justine Henin. Freezing on your first appearance in a grand slam final is nothing to be ashamed of many players have done so in the past. But rather than a breakthrough point for Safina, that experience has proven to be quite the opposite. The defeat established a roadblock in front of her – one that she has crashed into in spectacular fashion ever since.

Since Paris (and an unedifying outing at Wimbledon in 2008, having followed the family line when it comes to grass), Safina has become a prolific winner. She has played 82 matches in the past year, and has only been knocked out in the first round twice in her past 20 tournaments.

But it is the nature of her exits from the majors in the past twelve months twice bageled by a Williams sister on her way to heavy defeats in the Aussie Open final and Wimbledon semi-final, and a French Open final loss where she out-choked compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova that has exacerbated the notion that she does not deserve the No.1 spot.

Where had the match-point battler gone? How could the top-ranked player in the world fold so easily? Whether it was the sense of occasion, appearing in the spotlight of the tennis world or the subordination to the player across the net, the results made one thing clear: Dinara Safina is patently not a world-beater. That is, at least, not yet – but this US Open could prove to be just the tournament she needs to become one.

Returning to New York, there is always plenty for Safina to feel good about. “This is the first grand slam where I played the main draw, so it’s special,” she recalls. “And my brother won here. To see him after, holding the trophy, you get some unbelievable feelings.

I also started my professional career here and I won doubles here, she adds. So why not singles?”

If ever there was a time, this years US Open seems custom made for her needs. First of all there is the draw. Beyond the fact that both Williams sisters are confined to the bottom half along with outside bets Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka, the majority of those considered title contenders have landed outside of her quarter of the draw. Last years beaten finalist Jelena Jankovic could be a quarter-final opponent, should she avoid slipping up in a section containing Ana Ivanovic, Alona Bondarenko and Sabine Lisicki. But the likes of Sharapova, Kuznetsova, Dementieva, Wozniacki and Petrova vying for the other semi-final spot in the top half, it could have been a lot worse.

But more than the draw, Safina will benefit from sharing the spotlight in New York. The comeback tales of Clijsters and Sharapova, and even the retirement of her brother Marat, are bound to attract the attention in the first week, while focus on an all-Williams semi-final should keep Safina out of the headlines until it comes to the crunch when, rightly, she will be called upon to step up and beat the best. In the meantime, however, Safina can do what she has done so well all year: thrive safely tucked away from the centre of attention as she goes about preparing to face her personal demons. Hopefully, this time, she might find herself prepared to fight fire with fire.