Russian Marat Safin became the man who finally stopped Roger Federer’s unprecedented 26-match winning streak. Thanks to his coach Peter Lundgren?

Safin owes epic MARAThon win over Federer to signing new coach?

Having defeated defending champion Roger Federer in a 5 set race, Russian Marat Safin became the man who finally stopped Roger Federer’s unprecedented 26-match winning streak.

The Russian player, 2000 US Open champion, defeated  Federer, who won four of the previous six Grand Slams, including three in 2004. Roger Federer became the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win a trio in a single season.

Fourth-seeded Marat Safin celebrated his 25th birthday on the day of his semi-final triumph over the defending champion.

Now the wily Muscovite Safin awaits the winner of Friday’s semi-final between Australian Open second-seeded Andy Roddick of the US and third seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.

But his masterstroke was probably played in April 2004 on the day he signed up Swede Peter Lundgren, the ex-coach of Federer, who prepared the Swiss for his grand slam breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2003 but they split later the same year.

Safin saw his chance and by September last year he had snapped a 22-month title drought by winning the China Open.

Lundgren did helped plot Safin's MARAThon’s win over Federer in the Australian Open semi-final.

"If you really want to compete, to be able to be close to him... you really have to see how to improve the game," Safin said of Federer after his triumph. "Because normally he toys with everybody. With all respect to other players, he does whatever he wants on the court against them. So that's why... the job of the coach is to improve and to try to be as close as you can to Roger."

"He put tennis, the bar very high. Very high. It's incredible what kind of game he can play," said Safin.

But Safin did not specify how Peter Lundgren and he engineered Federer's crash.

"That's the question that everybody wants to hear the answer. But I'm not going to tell," Safin commented.

"I mean, I keep it for me. But I'm sure the players... basically they know and they saw it in the match," the Russian added.

Betting on 2005 Australian Open

2005 Australian Open - Mens 

Andy Roddick vs Lleyton Hewitt, Live betting now on British Eurosport  Bet365 betting odds

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