Safin made a sensational debut at the French Open in 1998, when as a qualifier he beat Andre Agassi in a five-set thriller in the first round before reaching the last 16.

He reached the quarters in 2000, but a third-round loss to Fabrice Santoro last year typified an under-achieving year for the former world number one.

The Russian has the perfect all-court game, mixing power with flair, and though he has a slightly suspect temperament, he is justifiably one of the favourites for this year's tournament.

His mother was a former Russian international player and he took up the game at an early age before moving to Valencia in Spain to fine-tune his style.

His sister, Dinara Safina, has just started to make a name for herself on the women's tour.