Safin hopes revival spells return to good times

By Sonia Oxley

LONDON (Reuters) - Beaten semi-finalist Marat Safin said he hoped his good Wimbledon run marked the start of a return to the type of tennis that won him two grand slam titles and a number one ranking.

Friday's 6-3 7-6 6-4 defeat by Roger Federer was the Russian's first appearance in a semi-final this year and it was on his least favourite surface of grass.

His defeat of four seeds on the way, including world number three Novak Djokovic, should see him return to the world's top 40 -- having come into the championships ranked 75th -- and has given him a major confidence boost.

"I want to take full advantage of it, and I'm trying to look forward and try to accommodate as many matches as I can before I start to play the big tournaments like the U.S. Open. You want to be seeded," he told a news conference.

"I want start to do better on Masters Series events, because I didn't pass the second round in last three years. But I think with these matches that I won here, it should help me to get through second round and third round and look forward to beating the big guys."

The 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open champion admitted he had been slightly nervous facing world number one Federer and that the Swiss had made him pay for that.

"The beginning was terrible. I should have at least stayed with him a little bit longer. But just, of course, he takes advantage," the 28-year-old said.

"Then, of course in the tiebreak, the first point was a terrible mistake from the middle of the court. You can't miss these shots against these kinds of players."