Pretty tough second-rounder huh? (*Bud Collins*)

Marat Safin:That's the way it is, so you have to deal with that.

Are you even in better shape than you were in Australia? (*Bud Collins*)

Marat Safin: More fresh. I'm used to.. ready to play. I played a couple of matches after Australia. I'm feeling I'm playing well, same conditions, but a little bit more fresh. So it's going to be a good match.

Maybe it's a little bit too early to play a great match for both of us because.. it's just the second round, we play just one match. You have to get some confidence here because the balls a little bit are flying, the court is different. It's quite big. So it's difficult to play good tennis straightaway.

Is the flying ball difficult for your game?

Marat Safin: It's a little bit. It's unusual a little bit because it's the only tournament that I'm playing where the balls are flying more than other tournaments. You have to get used to it.

Are you relieved to be at this tournament healthy, not fighting an injury like before? You were sick last year I think.

Marat Safin:I'm happy. I'm really happy. I'm trying to stay a little bit out of the injuries, try to take care of my body. That's why I'm travelling with a masseur. I do a lot of fitness, so that could not happen again, I can just play my tennis and try to improve my ranking.

Two years ago you had a bad shoulder?

Marat Safin:No, I broke the muscle, the rib muscle between.

Last year you got sick right?

Marat Safin:Last year I got sick. Not a really good tournament for me. (smiling)

Was it food poisoning?

Marat Safin: Yeah

Are you staying away from the cafeteria this year?

Marat Safin: I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm trying not to eat any fish. It's quite dangerous. So I'm trying to eat some pasta, take care of myself.

Because of the wonderful way in which you brought your game back to a peak in Australia, was what happened before now just a bad dream, you can forget it, concentrate on the future?

Marat Safin:Yeah, but if I would say that somebody would tell me in December that I would be in the finals of Australia, I would say, "you are joking". So it's not so bad. It's very good actually for me straightaway that after so many months off, to make finals in a Grand Slam, being in good shape, beat the guys like Roddick, Agassi. So it's quite good quite good performance for me.

When did you honestly think then that you would be beating the top guys and getting into finals?

Marat Safin:Definitely not in the January. I thought I'm going to play a couple of rounds, you know, in Australia. I would get a little in better shape. But it's quite difficult to play well straightaway because you have to get used to the balls, you have to get used to the guys you used to play before, because the speed is growing, and I didn't play for many months. It's really difficult because the game is improving and is getting faster.

When in your mind where you thinking you would be okay? Was it about now?

Marat Safin: It's difficult, it's difficult to say. I was thinking just to make a couple of rounds here and there, then just more or less getting to the summer, I would feel much better. Like to the French Open, I was thinking I would get in good shape.

But it changed a lot. So now I have to- I am in a good position right now, so I cannot basically stop. I have to look forward and work hard to stay there because it's quite difficult to maintain your shape after doing well in a Grand Slam. Normally then it's coming when you going down the hill.

So you try to keep up the same level of game and not to give up on anything. No matter what results you are getting in the tournaments, just try to stay in shape and play well match after match. If you lose, it's okay. But you try. You try. You keep on try.

Doesn't look as though you'll have time to go back to Yosemite. Would you like to? (*Bud Collins*)

Marat Safin:I'm coming back. I'm looking forward to go after the Wimbledon. We have a couple of months -- a couple of weeks off. Going to Alaska.

Do you get tired of hearing how much talent you have, what you should be doing, wins you should be getting?

Marat Safin: You know how many times I heard already? This is really bothering me.

You're sick of it?

Marat Safin: Kind of. You can't imagine. It they tell you all the time, "Thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you." You get sick of it. It's a little bit difficult. It's getting annoying.

Do you hear it from other players also?

Marat Safin: It's completely different. When you hear from other people out of tennis, they're telling you you should be better, you should have won five Grand Slams, you should be No. 1 for five years, you are losing your talent, you're losing your time, your train is leaving, you are not catching up to your train.

You know how many times I hear this already? Already I know how is going to end up. It's difficult to say to the person, "just stop," because you're trying to be nice. You don't just want to say "Shut up. I heard the same story already hundreds of times."

What about inside tennis when another player says it?

Marat Safin: Nobody says it. Everybody is joking around. We all know Federer is the most talented player. Everybody is amazed by his game. But it's okay. You know, some other players like Escude, Arazi, Rios that used to play tennis, everybody has good qualities. They know. They know. For sure they know. Whenever you have the talent, you know about it. But you don't speak about it.

Do you have expectations of yourself? If so, what are they?

Marat Safin: Expectatins? On the year? On the tournament? On the next two months? The future?

On the year.

Marat Safin: I'm trying -- I still have a chance. The way I'm playing, I think I can fight for No. 1. I mean, it's a little bit complicated because Federer, he's playing really well. But the year is quite long. Let's see how it's going. But for the moment, I'm in a great shape. I'm playing well. I'm enjoying tennis. I had a couple -- I had a very close match against him in Dubai. I lost in tiebreaks.

There are also players like Ferrero, Hewitt, Agassi's there. So it's going to be tough. It's going to be interesting, it's going to be difficult. But now is a little bit too early about what your expectation for the year because my expectation is to finish No. 1 in the world, as other players the same, they have the same feelings, and they think they can finish No. 1.

But then like in the middle of the summer, after Wimbledon, then the picture is already more clear, and then you can see who is there, who is not.

But the motivation is cleary there?

Marat Safin: Yes, the motivation is there. Is most important thing for me.

Are there any aspects of your game you think you can improve, or are you pretty happy with the way things are?

Marat Safin: It's difficult to improve some things. You can improve a little bit just to be more solid at some point. But it's difficult to improve, something to change in the game, because I'm already 24. It's difficult to change some -- technically it's impossible. Then you can destroy the shot, for example, forehand, backhand, serve. You never do it. You never touch it.

You can improve somehow without changing it. Just be more solid is the most important thing. But now it's more like psychologically than technically.

Are you doing anything differently now to prepare mentally? You seem a bit tougher.

Marat Safin: I'm trying. I'm getting older, you know (smiling). I have to. I have to grow up one day.

What about the mental aspect? You had three breakpoints to avoid getting in the tiebreaker out there. You hit some forehands, but you stayed right on him, won the tiebreaker nicely. There was no coming apart there at all.

Marat Safin: But is not like I'm losing it completely. I'll still there. Still the match is going on. I know it's three sets here, so every point, every game is very important. And even if I miss three forehands, it was not like a stupid mistake, I was going for that shots. I was trying to win the point. It's not like I was waiting for him to make a mistake and like I didn't do anything basically.

I went, I missed, it's my fault, it's okay. I keep on trying, keep on trying. I won the tiebreak. The tiebreak was quite easy. But well, you have to do something. You cannot wait for and expect the mistakes from your opponent.

Have you had much contact with Kafelnikov since he went off the tour?

Marat Safin: I saw him a couple times in Moscow.

What is he doing now?

Marat Safin: Nothing, not yet. He doesn't know. It's difficult. It's difficult to find the life after tennis. I mean, you've been travelling so many years on the tour. Life is quite settled. You know after this tournament, you to to Miami, from Miami to Europe. Everything is already scheduled for all the year.

When you stop to play tennis, it's quite difficult to find yourself, the things that you like, the things that you want to do, and that you are capable of doing. And he's in this stage. He's looking and he's trying, he's trying to do things that he will be happy with that, he'll be comfortable, and he understands.

So he's just getting his golf handicap at the moment?

Marat Safin: He's just trying to do things, I don't know.

Does he want to stay in tennis in some way?

Marat Safin: Believe me, I don't think so. (smiling) It's been too many years in tennis. Maybe in a couple of years he will come back. He needs some time off of tennis. He's not even playing tennis in Moscow. He's not even trying, he's not taking the racquet with him.

Is he in Sochi or in Moscow?

Marat Safin: Moscoq. Sochi is not really a happening place. But he- he's trying to do some business. If you want to do business, it's very good place, it's Moscow. You have a lot of opportunities, but you have to choose. Like I said, you have to choose what you know, what you understand, what you like.

Do you think he might get involved with some of your milloinaire soccer people?

Marat Safin: When you go with these kind of people, I don't think that they will share money with you, that's for sure. So you better do something with people with the less money, that they have good ideas, because already these people have not so much money to sahre with somebody, is quite, quite difficult for them.

Can you talk about Roddick. Looking forward to tomorrow?

Marat Safin: Yeah. Like I said, it's a great match. For me it's really good, quite nice to play. But it's a little bit early maybe.

What about his game seems to work for you? What can you do with him that others maybe can't?

Marat Safin: It's difficult. Of course, every person, every player, has own problems. I don't want to speak about them. Roddick knows, and I know that he has some problems with his game. And probably Gilbert, he knows that I have some problems with my game.

So you try to- because you cannot like beat him clearly just playing the normal game. You have to find a way to beat him. Just go to the net, put pressure on his backhand, and not let him play tennis, his game, because he's really good at that. You have to put pressures all the time. 

Andy Roddick d. Marat Safin 7-6, 6-2
March 15. 2003

Q.  You started very well.  What, in your mind, switched the tendency out there?

MARAT SAFIN:  I little bit was disappointed with myself when I lost this break that I had.  And then in the tiebreak, that he hits -- he was so lucky.  He came to the net, this volley, half volley that he made on the line, then the next volley that he played.
I thought just everything changed in my mind.  I was a little bit disappointed with the way it went, the match, because normally I would have to win the tiebreaker, and the match would go in my way.

Q.  You're saying mentally you couldn't recover?

MARAT SAFIN:  I was really disappointed with these two volleys that he made out of nowhere.  And there is no chance that he could make it in all his life, these kind of volleys.  They were just right on the line, just changed the match completely.

Q.  Could you compare your level now and in Australia?

MARAT SAFIN:  That's the problem.  I'm not playing bad.  I'm playing quite good tennis.  My level is really high.  These couple of matches that I played before, I lost 7-5, 7-6 against Bjorkman, which is very difficult opponent for me.  Then against Federer, 7-6, 7-6.  Today also was a little bit disappointing the first set.  I couldn't just recover because I was thinking about these two points and I was getting upset with myself, with this way the match went.
Just missing a little bit of luck and a few points.  If they would go my way, it would be different story.  I would beat him in two sets.

Q.  Were you surprised that he came to net so much in the second set, almost see it as a sign of respect for you that he changed his game?

MARAT SAFIN:  He saw that I was a little bit down, he started to feel confident.  He had to do something because otherwise on the baseline, he didn't have too many chances because his backhand is a little bit weak.  If we go backhand to backhand, he have no chance.  So he had to do something, just change a little bit his game, do something extra to get me in trouble.

Q.  Your backhand seems further along than your forehand.

MARAT SAFIN:  Yeah, it's my best shot.

Q.  But it seems that you're close to playing it as good as you can play it.

MARAT SAFIN:  Yeah.  I mean, I'm not playing that badly.  I'm really playing good, and I'm feeling confident in myself.  The stat is not -- they are looking at the matches that I've been playing lately, not going my way.  That's the only problem I have.  My serve is okay.  My volley is perfect.  Baseline is quite good.  My fitness is really good.  So basically I'm just missing a little bit of luck.

Q.  Can you talk about the conditions out there today?

MARAT SAFIN:  Well, I'm get used to it.  It's like my sixth year on the tour and I'm used to the conditions, used to play.

Q.  Lleyton in particular talked about the balls fluffing up, getting really heavy here more than last year.  Do you feel that way?

MARAT SAFIN:  Yeah, but the balls for me is not a problem.  They are not flying all the match like they used to fly.  Sometimes it's difficult to make the point, make the winner with that balls.  You have to play -- you have to run a little bit more than you used to.  But doesn't make any difference for me.

Q.  Did you feel like you were having problems with your first serve?

MARAT SAFIN:  Kind of.  Didn't give me any easy points.  But I knew from the beginning I wasn't serving well, so I have to run a little bit more and I have to make the points and I have to do something, you know, just stay on the baseline with him.  It wasn't so difficult.  Just if I could stay on the baseline with him, backhand to backhand, the match would go my way because he doesn't have really good backhand compared to mine.

Q.  How do you feel about your luck in the tiebreaks this year?

MARAT SAFIN:  I was really disappointed.  This weather killed me a little bit today.  At 3-1, then he had a few lucky shots.  As I said before, just two volleys out of nowhere.  That changed a lot.

Q: Probably on some level it's nice to get a lot of good practice against top players. Because of the ranking situation, are you getting a little tired of playing the Roddick's and Federer's early in tournaments?


MARAT SAFIN: Tired, yeah, but you have to deal with the situation. My ranking is a little bit.. not really high, 30 in the world, and I have to deal with this kind of situation. in the third, second round I'm going to play against the top seeded. It's how it is. Whenever I will break through, then like the draw is opening. For example, he has a quite comfortable draw, like no seeds left. Moya lost. He will go far away. You have to win these kind of matches, like really tough points, and then you gain confidence and you have an easier draw.

Q: So you sort of like having these tough matches?

MARAT SAFIN: That's how it is. That's life. You have to deal with it.

Q: Is Walt here with you?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah

Q: Obviously with the busy schedule, you can't do the kind of training you did before. Are you going to schedule like a period of time?

MARAT SAFIN: I'm doing. I'm doing my job. I'm doing whatever we can do. Whenever we can, we can go running. We're doing some exercise on the court. Is not problem of fitness anymore.