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Fine line between great player and greatness

By Greg Garber
ESPN.com

Sunday, May 27, 2007

PARIS -- Marat Safin, at 27, still cuts a relatively dashing figure. Think D'Artagnan a few swashes short of a buckle. The strapping Russian, once ranked No. 1 in the world, is now No. 25, behind lesser lights like Jarkko Nieminen and Dmitry Tursunov. Crow's feet frame his brown eyes and his left knee complains on a daily basis. And yet, he has won more matches this year than he has lost, which counts for something. Seven autumns ago, for two weeks, there was no one better in the world. Just ...

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