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эр ЄєЁэшЁх т ╠юэръю 23.04 Q.а From the seats, it was a strange
match.а You looked in control of the
match when it first started, then everything went bad, then
you came back.а What happened exactly? MARAT SAFIN:а No, but just a little bit difficult for me
to play after the matches that I played against Mirnyi and Arthurs, then to
go and completely change the game, to switch and to play also great match
against Martin.а Because, yeah, you can
play one set, but then he start to get used to the
fast, fast rallies.а So the only thing
he could try to do is to make me play an extra ball.а So it also is, for me, is difficult to
adjust myself. So I little bit had the
match in control.а I breaked in the
second set, first game. аBut then he start to play better.а
He started to miss less.а I was
trying maybe to go for too much.а I
start to rush a little bit. But then by the time I realize it, it was already
the end of the second set.а I
tried.а He played well. And the third
set I just had to hold my serve and wait for the opportunity and take it. Q.а Towards the end of the second set you were
touching your back.а Did you have
problems or..? MARAT SAFIN:а No, just a little bit of recharge.а Because for two weeks, a lot of matches.а So it's kind of... No problem. Q.а You stay in Monte-Carlo?а You live in Monte -Carlo? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, whenever I can. Q.а Where exactly? MARAT SAFIN:а Upstairs, in Park St. Roman. Q.а So you just walk from there? MARAT SAFIN:а No, but I stay in the hotel. Q.а Yes?а
Why? MARAT SAFIN:а Because the hotel room is bigger than my
apartment (laughter). Q.а What is most difficult for you on clay, to
adjust to clay?а You played a lot on
clay when you were very young.а What is
it? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, but it's, for everybody, is a big
change.а You have to play an extra few
balls.а You have to prepare more the
point.а You cannot just play fast shot
and go to the net and whatever, and wait for the short ball. Here, we have to
play.а You make him run, and you have
to wait, wait, wait.а
You cannot just make winners all over the court because it's a little
bit slower, the bounce is little bit higher.а The serve doesn't work this way like it
works on the hard courts.а So you have
to play, you have to be consistent, you have to be focused a little bit more
and wait for an extra ball, because it's always coming back.а You have to finish the point, like,
properly. Q.а What is difficult for you?а Is it the concentration more than the
physical part or technical part? MARAT SAFIN:а Just be, you know, be focused during all the match because the match is very long and the other
opponent has a lot of opportunities to come back because it's very slow, so
he also thinks.а And, you know, it takes
time. On hard courts maybe it's
very fast because it's just fast, fast, and two points and one bad return
from him and just one double-fault and I play a good shot, and that's it, the
game is over. Q.а So nextа - Coria or Nalbandian.а What can you say about that? MARAT SAFIN:а They're pretty similar players.а They're playing the same
, all the same game.а They
attack whenever they can, they like to control the point, they
don't like to be dominated.а And of
course they are running fast, they have very goodа -- well, good legs, good hands. So you have to beа -- but it's a
kind of similar Spanish style.а You
have to push them and be in control of all the match
from the beginning.а Otherwise, it's a
little bit difficult.а Because once
they start to be confident and then it's difficult to turn the other way
around. Q.а Are you ready physically? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah.а
Semifinals, it's a great motivation for me to get into the finals. Q.а First time? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, so it's good.а So I hope I have a little bit of luck
tomorrow, I'll have more opportunities that I can finish in two sets.а But just have to be really, really focused
for that, have to really play well, have to serve well, be consistent to not
make a lot of unforced errors, be there all the
match. Q.а Do you get the feeling, Marat, that this
could be a very good year for you?а Are
you beginning to feel in yourself that this could be a good time? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, well, just... Q.а You give that impression. MARAT SAFIN:а You cannot be so sure, you know, the year
is gonna be really good for you.а Because once you start to feel this , once you start to have this feeling, you have bad
luck or you're not playingа -- you
start to play not really well, you have bad draws.а So you never know. For example, me, I hadа -- for all the
months of February, I had Federer first round, Roddick I had, and so it
wasn't like really they beat me, it was just a matter of two pointsа - 7-6, 7-6 against Federer.а Roddick was a little bit lucky in the first
set, so in the second set I felt a little bit frustrated so I didn't play. These
kind of matches, they cut your motivation. Q.а Yeah. MARAT SAFIN:а But once it's starting all over again,
played well in Estoril, playing well here.а
Will try to have a rest next week, then Rome, Hamburg and French Open
and then slow down a little bit, prepare for the grass, a big tournament in
Wimbledon, and we'll see how it's gonna go. Then I will take a few monthsа -- a few
weeks off before the bigа -- before I
go to the States. Q.а It seems as though you're enjoying it,
you're getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. MARAT SAFIN:а You have to prepare.а You have to prepare a little bit.а It has to beа -- of course if you don't enjoy it,
it's really difficult for me to play.а Just
it's really difficult.а Otherwise,
sometimes it's a little bit boring.а So
you have to make it very interesting for yourself not to get bored, because
it's really difficult job and it's really difficult thing to travel around
the world and living in aа -- traveling
with a suitcase and living in hotel rooms. So you have to make it
interesting. Q.а You have to be motivated? MARAT SAFIN:а Of course.а
If you are winning, it's great.а
But whenever you have two big losses, then it's like everything goes
down and you have to really push yourself a little bit to work on
something.а It's tough, but... Q.а Do you think that you take losses harder
than most? MARAT SAFIN:а Not anymore.а Not anymore.а Yeah, I'm get frustrated on the court
whenever I'm losing; everybody does.а But
outside the court I am taking very easy right now because my time will
come.а Whenever I have the
opportunities, I will take them.а
Everybody will lose some day.а There's
no chance to win all the time.а There's
no chance that you're gonna play great tennis during all the year. Sometimes you have really
bad losses to the people that you shouldn't lose in a thousand years.а It's gonna
happen.а It's
gonna happen to everybody for some circumstances.а So you have to accept this.а It's a part of the job. Q.а You talk a lot about frustration.а For someone young and with a great
potential like you, is a word important.а Can you explain to me the difference
between the frustration of losing or not being able to play, to win, against
someone you think you are better than; and playing against someone like
Federer or Roddick, you feel you are the same level, and you lose for one
ball, two balls.а
What is the difference between the two situations? MARAT SAFIN:а You can... No, because against
Federer, Roddick, it's kind ofа -- is a big player, and you gonna
play well, you know that.а Because it's
justа it's a
kind of a challenge.а It's already motivate you, it's already giving you extra
power, and you want to beat him.а It's
a kind of a challenge. But once you play against
the players you think you have to win, you have to find this thing in case
something goes wrong.а For example,
today, for me, it wasа
-- I beat him five times.а
And for me, it's like I knew that I have to winа - I mean, that I have to win.а So once you are winning 6-3, 1-0 and you
really want to finish it, just make it short, make it two sets, "Thank
you very much, Bye-bye," then comes the problems when he start to play
better, and you are keep on going faster and faster, you know, to finish,
because you really want to finish.а You
don't want to stay here for three sets, you don't want to suffer in the third
set, in case he gonna play well, you gonna miss a few shots, he start to play
unbelievable shots.а You don't want to
get to this point. So you get frustrated with
yourself.а You see it, and for some
reason you cannot get it.а You miss by
a little bit, you miss little bit there, little bit
there.а He played well one ball, and it's, like, unacceptable sometimes from my mind
but... But that's really
difficult, because you have to understand that other people,
they know how to play tennis also. Q.а He was playing well. MARAT SAFIN:а He played a great match.а But just this kind of tennis, it just make you a little bit nervous. Because really, I understandа -- I
started to understand better the game over the years.а And you know what's
gonna happen, you see it coming.а And
when it comes, you get frustrated by that because you see it coming. Q.а What is the way to cope with that?а Is it to stick to the basics, say,
"Move your feet, watch the ball, hit cross-court..." Things like
that? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, but sometimes, you know, like you go,
because it's your nature.а You don't
fight the nature, you know.а It's like
nature, you don't want to go down the line, but you go.а It just like automatically calls for
it.а You miss it.а Then you say to yourself, "I shouldn't
have done that." But once you don't miss
it, so that's normal.а But once you
miss it, that's not normal.а So these kind of things. I also speak to guys like
Henman or Costa, and I say, "Is it true once you are young, you have no
fear, you are playing the matches and you don't understand anything basically
about tennis.а You are playing and you
don't care about the score." But now you start with the
time, you start to... Q.а You start to lose your innocence? MARAT SAFIN:а No, but...just, yeah.а You lose your virginity. Once you start to know,
understand tennis really good, you see, you can predict what's
gonna happen.а So that's why sometimes
you choke, sometimes you start to be scared, that's why when you only play
against the young guys you don't play really good tennis, and then you start
to play and win ugly.а But it's like
this. Q.а Then you win if you take some risk?а So it comes again. MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, it's all coming back. Q.а It's like life. MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, exactly.а There is nothing... Don't fight the
nature.а Don't fight it. а22.04 Q.а It's always strange to play a guy like
Arthurs on clay? MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, a little bit.а Very difficult, is very difficult for me to
play against himа -
actually, for everybody to play on hard courts, indoors, grass.а But on clay, it's completely different
story. He really serves well.а But for
him, here, it's too slow so he cannot play. Q.а You were playing some good variation shots
in the second set.а Were you happy with
your shot-playing? MARAT SAFIN:а You try to do everything.а You try to get all the balls back so it
doesn't get complicated.а So basically
you do whatever you want.а If it
becomes a good shot, great for me. But you try to put all the
returns back, let him play from the rally, because it can get very
complicated and then it's difficult to play. Q.а You're surrounded by Argentinians in the
top half of the draw.а What do you
think, is it more difficult than the lower part? MARAT SAFIN:а But I don't know. Q.а You have Calleri, Coria... MARAT SAFIN:а Calleri beat Martin? Q.а Martin's winning.а Martin was serving for the match.а Sorry. MARAT SAFIN:а Still, I have one match to go to meet theа -- they gonna
have a difficult match, still. Nalbandian, I don't know
if he gonna beat Santoro.а Then Coria has to play against the winner of them.а So still long way to go. Q.а You played Mirnyi and now Arthurs,
different kind of players.а Now you
have to adjust to the clay. MARAT SAFIN:а Different kind of players? Q.а Very different. MARAT SAFIN:а From each other or from other players? Q. аNo, from the other. MARAT SAFIN:а It's good.а
It's better to get through this way than making a lot of kilometers
against Argentinians or Spanish. Q.а You're starting a new tournament now. MARAT SAFIN:а Yep.а
I hope it will be successful. Q.а Are you surprised about the results of
Davydenko?а I mean, he's beating
everybody very easily. MARAT SAFIN:а This guy is very, very strange.а I mean, he can play great tennis but then
all of a sudden he can lose to anybody.а
But I think he has great hands, very fast.а I mean, he's very skinny, but he's really,
really fast guy and he really plays well.а I mean, he beat very easy Corretja.а He beat very easy Ljubicic.а So he must be playing well. Who he plays next round? Q.а Either Moya or Chela. MARAT SAFIN:а Well, it's tough match, Moya or Chela.а He can give trouble to any of them.а It's gonna be
interesting match tomorrow also. 21.04 Q.а You were feeling that you stepped it up
from yesterday's match? MARAT SAFIN:а It was completely different kind of
matches, but this kind of match is the most difficult one.а Yesterday, I could play tennis and I could
just lose it because I was missing or because the other guy was better. But these kind of matches, the guy is completely destroying your
game.а He has no rhythm, he goes to the
net, he serves well.а
(He/you) can lose very easy the confidence.а Or if you lose the concentration, you are
out of the match and you cannot come back. For me, it's like it's a
really big step, a huge win.а These kind of matches you have to really focus and really
win.а Otherwise, if it goes three sets,
you never know how it's gonna end up. Q.а What did you think of him today? MARAT SAFIN:а Well, you already know what you gonna
expect from him.а He's gonna change the
game, he's gonna play on the baseline and start to make rallies.а He plays everywhere the sameа - on grass, hard courts, indoors,
clay. When he has good days, he
can serve well.а You just have no
chance to break him.а He take chances on the serve. But I think he played whatever
he could, I mean...I don't think he can play any better on clay because just
is not his game. Q.а Your motivation now is to show Safin to
somebody, to yourself first for sure?а You
have any goal?а What do you have in
your mind, just to win, what you want to win, to become something? MARAT SAFIN:а No, just I have another week of matches I'm
trying to play.а Just match by
match.а And I can
easily can say I have a very good draw, I play next round against
Devilder or Arthurs.а You cannot just
throw away these opportunities to get little bit closer to the final. And take the points from
here.а That's my goal, to take them and
be and stay in the race, in the Top 3 in the race, and be consistentа - as consistent as I can be.а I don't want to do miracles.а If I win this thing, it will be great for
me.а If I don't, I lose, but at least I
keep my game, score the points, and move on.а
That's it. Be consistent, is the most
important thing for me right now. Q.а Have you discovered a new way of life?а You talk a lot about fishing. MARAT SAFIN:а No, life.а
But it's likeа
-- it seems like for the people is a miracle whenever we're
talking about life.а It seems like that
there is only tennis and there is nothing else outside of the court.а But it's not like this.а Everybody knows this, and everybody's
enjoying doing other things rather than tennis.а I know, I had one year of vacations, I
could do whatever I want and I was enjoying, like a normal guy of 24 years
old - 23. Q.а Do you think it's more difficult to play
and to focus in a place like this? аLike
he said, is it more difficult to... MARAT SAFIN:а Sometimes it's difficult to find motivation
in the first rounds just becauseа of
the -- sometimes it's difficult just to push yourself to win the tough
matches like, for example, today and the match of yesterday.а You have to find the extra motivation to
win these matches. So of course when you get
to the quarterfinals and semifinals, it's very interesting because you're
playing a big time, you're playing for the points, you're playing for the
crowd, the crowd is coming and you have big matches.а That's where you enjoy more.а For example, me.а The first two rounds, nobody enjoys.а It's hell.а
So you need to fight and push yourself just to give an extra something
to win and just go through in and take the confidence out of these two
matches. Q.а If there is a big crowd, there is a big
difference for you? MARAT SAFIN:а For everybody. Q.а You need the atmosphere?а Some players couldn't care less. MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, sure, whatever they can say.а But I'm sure that they are not really happy
to play in an empty court when even the courts doesn't
want to watch this match.а I am sure
they are happy about this. Whenever people, they tell
you they don't like the spectators to watch, it's a
bullshit, completely bullshit. Q.а What did you thinkа - changing the sportа - what did you think of the game yesterday,
MARAT SAFIN:а Oh, okay.а
It was great.а I mean, I was
surprised for the players, they like to simulate a
lot.а They're falling and they're
fighting, he almost broke his leg and after two minutes he is up and he runs
again. But it's really
interesting.а It's really good to see
life.а But the seats that we had were
not really good.а But it's okay.а It was good atmosphere.а I am happy for them, for I'm happy for them
(smiling). Q.а Did you see the match until the end or you
left before? MARAT SAFIN:а No, five minutes before.а Otherwise... Q.а They were leading 3-1? MARAT SAFIN:а 3-1, yeah.а
Good fight. Q.а How much do you
like when people says, "Oh, we are very happy because Safin is
back"?а I mean, your friends, your
colleague, players, what do you think it means for tennis if Safin is back
and everybody is happy?а Because you
are good character, because you are nice guy? MARAT SAFIN:а This is the things that
is most annoying, actually. Q.а Really? MARAT SAFIN:а Of course.а
Of course it's annoying.а Of
course like everybody's happy, sure, "Marat comes back, he's playing
great tennis, I'm really happy for you."а
Come on. Seriously, whenever you
are losing, like, "It's his fault."а
Whenever he is winning, "that's us."а That's the team, the people.а And whenever the guy is losing, whenever he
has two, three, four matches, bad matches, "It's his fault,"
"He doesn't want to practice," "He doesn't want to do
this," "He doesn't want..."а
"He doesn't want..."а
"He doesn't need..."а
"He doesn't care..."а
He doesn't whatever they want to say. But then when everything
goes well, everybody is like -- all of a sudden there are coming friends from
out of the -- from behind the stone and they are saying, "Oh, my God,
he's back finally, and I was there to help him out." So it's a little bit
annoying, and also it's annoying when the people, they come to you and they
try to explain to you, "But maybe you should have a little bitа -- you will be
more calm, you will be much better..." Yeah, but normally - is
also another thing - is all the time who says this, they're normally
losers.а Because they don't know how
much time, how much dedication, how much it takes to be where I am right now. And of course there is not
such a thing as a perfect player; it doesn't exist.а It has to be a balance.а So of course if you take out of my serve,
would be with me, so maybe I would have better head.а But because I have a serve or because I
have this kind of game, that's why I have this head, and I have to deal with
that.а I know that's my problem.а I cannot change it.а Nobody can change it.а I can improve it a little bit.а But it's my head,
it's the way I am.а It's how I am.а It's no chance I can be different. So whenever they start to
teach you and explain to you... Q.а Yeah, but it's good.а But so much people, they are happy you are
there.а They are not happy if there is
no Kafelnikov, maybe.а But if you are
there, maybe they are happy. MARAT SAFIN:а Okay, good for them. Q.а Who cares?а
For you is not important? MARAT SAFIN:а Not important.а But just, you know, don't get too excited
when I am winning, and don't get too depressed when I am losing.а Just, you know, keep it cool. Q.а Do you think the way you are in your head, it can work for you at one stage? MARAT SAFIN:а How I am in my head? Q.а In your favor, yes.а I mean, being a little different. MARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, but, darling, come on, I have quite
decent career.а For me, for myself, I
had very good career.а Of course, it's
of course -- better is better than good. Yeah, I could be better if
I will be improve, and I will be... Q.а That's not what I mean.а Do you think it can work in your favor at
one stage? MARAT SAFIN:а Of course.а
It's working.а It's
working.а If I will be in different
case, maybe I will not be where I am right now.а Just I am there because how I am. I would not be better than
I am, for sure.а It's impossible.а That's the maximum that I could achieve. Q.а You cannot be better than you are now,
that's what you think? MARAT SAFIN:а Well, at the time, of course if I will have
more years of playing, of course I have more chances of winning Grand Slams
or winning the other tournaments. So at the end of the day,
I will be who I am, and I will win how much I could to win.а I will never winа -- like, for example, people, they
come to me and they say I should have won already five Grand Slams.а Yeah, but, sorry, but... I couldn't.а For some reasons, I couldn't. I wish also, but it
doesn't work this way. And also it's No. 1 in the
world from outside, watching from the TV.а
I could be even coach of football team.а You know what I'm saying?а Everybody is smarter from outside of the
court. But in the court, is
little bit different.а It's little bit
different.а You see different, and you
feel, and you play sometimes against yourself.а And it's reallyа -- sometimes you are little bit, you
know, you have to fight against yourself.а
It's really sometimes difficult to push.а Sometimes you are scared, sometimes you are
choking, sometimes you are not feeling confident, sometimes you are too
confident, which is also bad. It's sport. Q.а What are you feeling now?а What is your current... MARAT SAFIN:а Just I want to keep it cool and just go
match by match.а I have long, long,
long months.а Long months.а We have a lot of tournaments.а If I get too excited right now, maybe I
will be burned out by the time it's French Open. So try to get as much
confidence as you can, and go strong in the French Open. 20.04 Q.а There is a difference here between this
tournament and the other one, the balls and the..? аMARAT SAFIN:а It's a little bit
different because the balls are flying a little bit more, courts are little
bit faster, and of course there's less wind.а
It's little bit better conditions, but it's also very difficult to
change from one courts to another courts.а It takes a little bit of time. аAlso, I don't like to play against Olivier
Rochus.а It's little bit tough for
me.а He has very good hands, is very
fast.а He knows how to play.а So for me, it was very important and very
tough first round.а It's just a big win
for me. аQ.а
Were you tired at all? аMARAT SAFIN:а No, I wasn't
tired.а I just was a little bit
frustrated in the first set because I couldn't take my chances, because I had
a lot of breakpoints and just I couldn't make any of them. аSo then I thought that in the second set he
would play with little bit more of confidence and would be very tough.а But I stayed there, and made the break when
I need to make.а And I was all the time
there, was doing well and playing good tennis. аQ.а
You're a very all court player.а
Do you think you have on clay the same chances you have on hard
court?а Do you feel the same? аMARAT SAFIN:а Yeah, I really like
and I really enjoy to play on clay.а I think it's still my best surface to play
on. аQ.а
What are your goals for this year? аMARAT SAFIN:а Still try to be
more consistent as I can. аThen there's the hope that I can be in the
Top 3, fight for No. 1.а Federer, he is
playing well, but also is just the beginning of the year.а Still is a few
months to go, three Grand Slams to play, a lot of Masters Series still to
come. аBut try to be consistent, and we can see at
the end of the summer. аQ.а Do
you think that of all your opponents Federer is definitely one step up above everybody else? аMARAT SAFIN:а I don't really
think so.а With all the respect, he
plays great tennis.а I know everybody
knows that he's very talented, very good, and on all surfaces. аBut also, other players also can play, but
they're not used to play against him.а So
until they will discover how to play against him, it will take time.а But I think that in thisаааа at this level, there isааа everybody is playing more or less
equal.а But because he has the
confidence and he won the Australian Open, so he is playing on the
confidences he got from there. аQ.а
You have a new coach.а Why did
you take this choice?а What do you
expect? аMARAT SAFIN:а Because with Denis,
it got to the point where you cannot justаааа
business and friendship does not go together at all, because I don't
want to lose him as a friend.а He's
more important for me as a friend than as a coach.а Every lose, you take it very personally,
you get a little bit down, you know, like he is not reallyа goodаа not communication , how you say?ааа Feelings.а
We playing little bit with the feelings of each other. аPeter Lundgren, he's a professional tennis
coach.а He been
traveling with Rios, he been traveling with Federer.а He knows how to deal with it.а Also, he can put me inаааа he can explain to me a couple of things
that probably I should know. аAnd I want to try,
I want to try to work.а And if it will
help me, it will be great.а I am going
to try until аQ.а
How about Mirnyi, is he going to be tough for you? аMARAT SAFIN:а Very
difficult.а Because the courts are
little bit fast.а He has a kind of game
that he doesn't let you play, without rhythm.а
He serves well.а No baseline,
basically, and very good volleys.а Anticipation,
quite good.а He chooses the ways that
the gameааа all of a sudden, you're
playing from the baseline, you can find him at the
net from out of nowhere.а So this kind
of game you have to be focused on the return and try to fight for every ball
and just give everything back, and so he will see that it's tough from the
beginning and he has to be very, very focus to beat me. аQ.а
Are you going to the football tonight? аMARAT SAFIN:а Yeah. аQ.а
What do you think about the match?а
Give us your preview. аMARAT SAFIN:а
I'm for the football, I don't care who gonna win.а I want to see beautiful football.а But it's one of the matches you go to the
stadium and the score is 0 0.а So I
don't think it's gonna happen tonight, otherwise, I will be really
frustrated. аBut I hope they can show really good
football.а Of course аQ.а
From Mr.а Abramovich? аMARAT SAFIN:а Yes. аQ.а Do
you know him? аMARAT SAFIN:а
No, not personally.а Friend of
the friend of the friend of the concierge of the hotel where he is staying
(laughing). аFastscripts by ASAP
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