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Dinara Safina Rising to No. 2 in the world, Safina is escaping the shadow of her brother. First things first: Yes, rising star Dinara Safina is, indeed, the younger sister of men’s tennis star Marat Safin. In Russia, women’s names end with an “a,” which explains why their last names don’t match. For example, Yuri Sharapov is Maria Sharapova’s father. Speaking of Sharapova, she’s the only Russian woman to have been ranked No. 1 in the world — an achievement that Safina, currently ranked No. 2, is honing in on, though she’s still seeking her first Grand Slam title. Her brother Marat, known not only for his stylish play on the court but for his often volatile temper, is a former No. 1 player in the world as well as the 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open winner. He also made a spirited run at this year’s Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals. The 22-year-old Safina, who figures to eventually emerge from the shadow of her brother, had a stellar 2008, elevating her game and her profile. Beginning as the sixth seed, she reached the final of the French Open before losing to Serbian Ana Ivanovic. Safina would then, as an 11th-hour qualifier for the Olympic team, reach the women’s singles final, losing to Elena Dementieva and taking the silver medal. Finally, late in the summer, she reached the semis at the U.S. Open before losing to eventual winner Serena Williams. And so a season that began with her ranked 12th in the world entering the French Open, stands now with her second worldwide and charging ahead. Looking back, it was the French Open where she might have produced her most polarizing moments during this rise. She came back from down a set and 0-4 in the second against Sharapova and beat her in the fourth round. She made another comeback against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semis. Though she didn’t win a Grand Slam event in 2008, she won four WTA events (Tokyo, Montreal, Los Angeles, and Doha). Safina also holds the distinction of being the last player to defeat Justine Henin, who retired as the No. 1 player in the world after her loss to Safina earlier this year in Berlin. There’s undoubtedly more to come for Safina, who won four WTA titles as a teenager. She has made some important changes along the way to better herself, including hiring a new fitness coach, Dejan Vojnovic, who like her coach, Zeljko Krajan, is from Croatia. Krajan said in an interview recently that Safina has been “living in [brother Marat’s] shadow, and she wants to do better than that. But this is a very big shadow to come out of.” Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis once made this prediction for Safina: “Everyone should watch her because she’s going to be maybe even better than her brother. She doesn’t have as much touch, but she has more will and desire.” Safina’s response to those powerful words: “I hope she was honest to me. She might really see something inside of me, so now I just have to discover it myself.” Suffice it to say she’s finding it. “Many times, I would say to my brother, ‘You have great things,’ and he’d say to me, ‘You have me as a brother, just enjoy tennis,’” Safina says. “I always wanted to be myself, and now finally the results are coming, and people can know me as Dinara Safina.” — Mark Cannizzaro
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