Once the youngest number one in history, the towering Russian's career was on the ropes last year when he suffered a series of shoulder and wrist injuries that no one could heal and his ranking tumbled to 86.

He finally found a Los Angeles surgeon who diagnosed his problem, but the cure was not quite what Safin had in mind.

"He just put me in a cast and told me to wait," Safin said after his spectacular 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 victory over Roddick which set up a semi-final against Andre Agassi.

"I had it on for a month and a half and there was nothing I could do. I was a little bit depressed."

Safin then made a decision which he says has changed his outlook on life.

A multi-millionaire with a playboy reputation, he could have gone to any five-star resort in the world but opted instead for a modest tent in Yosemite Park in California.

"I had a really good time camping," he said. "I went fishing eight hours a day, just sitting on the boat with our beers. Whatever we caught, we cooked and ate.

"It was really good for me. It made me relax and chill out."

DESIRE SHARPENED

Safin's time in the great outdoors not only helped him "chill out" but also made him realise how much he missed tennis.

A prodigious talent who beat Pete Sampras to win the 2000 U.S. Open, the closest Safin had come to winning a second grand slam title was when he finished runner-up to Thomas Johansson at the 2002 Australian Open.

But his time in the wilderness sharpened his desire to get back and the 1.93 metres-tall Russian began training in December with renewed enthusiasm.

"I had to sacrifice a lot of things and work at it day after day," he explained.

"The confidence comes after matches but all those feelings, you need work on them."

Safin came into the Australian Open with little hope of winning the title but regarded as one of the dangerous floaters in the field.

He managed to get through his first two matches alright, then clawed his way past Todd Martin in five gruelling sets.

It drained him of his energy but gave the confidence he needed to continue. A four-set win over James Blake in the fourth round was the first real sign that he was on his way back but the proof came against Roddick.

"I thought it was going to take me a lot longer to come back because after so many months you completely lose the game," he said.

"You cannot feel when to go to the net, when to stay back, what to do...all these things.

"I started to miss tennis actually, that's why I'm playing so good. But I'm back now, that's the most important thing."