One person, it seems, can change the complexion of a sport in a country as Russia's Marat Safin (right) has shown. Safin's rise to the top of tennis has had a huge impact on the game in his home country. This year alone the federation are running 890 tournaments for different age groups not just in Moscow, but in 97 regions, from the Baltic to the Urals, to Siberia.

Tennis has now surpassed ice hockey as Russia's second most popular sport behind soccer and, if US Open champion Safin seals the number one spot at the Tennis Masters Cup in Lisbon, the game's standing will reach new heights.

Alexander Kalidov, RTF's vice-president in charge of tennis development, said there are about 300,000 children, aged four to 16, who regularly play tennis in Russia.