| Интервью
2004
TENNIS MASTERS SERIES MONTE-CARLO MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but on this continent I'm already for three weeks. I was playing. Q. Oh, yes. Sorry, sorry. MARAT SAFIN: Is not a question for me (smiling). Q. Next question. There is a difference here between this tournament and the other one, the balls and the..? MARAT SAFIN: 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. It's little bit better conditions, but it's also very difficult to change from one courts to another courts. It takes a little bit of time. Also, I don't like to play against Olivier Rochus. It's little bit tough for me. He has very good hands, is very fast. He knows how to play. So for me, it was very important and very tough first round. It's just a big win for me. Q. Were you tired at all? MARAT SAFIN: No, I wasn't tired. 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. So then I thought that in the second set he would play with little bit more of confidence and would be very tough. But I stayed there, and made the break when I need to make. And I was all the time there, was doing well and playing good tennis. Q. You're a very all-court player. Do you think you have on clay the same chances you have on hard court? Do you feel the same? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I really like and I really enjoy to play on clay. I think it's still my best surface to play on. Q. Yesterday Kuerten said that it is difficult now for him to find motivation in the first round, to enjoy the game and things like this. In your opinion, what is tennis losing without Kuerten and this joy to win, to play? MARAT SAFIN: Without motivation, it's very difficult. I mean, for every tennis player I know, if you've been on the Tour for many years and you know how tough is the schedule - we have only couple of weeks of vacation, so basically two or ten days of vacation - and you have to start all over again and prepare yourself for a new season. So of course, and after a while, you can -- you get burned out completely. You play one year and then it's all the time. So other players, they have problems with the physical problems because the schedule is so tight, you know, without any rest at all. Then if you keep on playing, keep on playing, you are losing this special feeling of the big tournaments, and you're not enjoying it. Of course it's difficult to find motivation to fight against Schuettler in the first round in Monte-Carlo, knowing that you have to win. And it's really tough. It's really tough. I understand him completely. Also traveling from one place to another place, and especially also the months of May - we have three Masters Series. Q. Too much. MARAT SAFIN: And we have the French Open. So basically you cannot play all three of them and win all three of them, they have no chance, especially now because everybody's -- the level of tennis is very, very equal. For example, I have to play today against Rochus. It's already three sets. Tomorrow I have a match against Mirnyi, which is also tough. And it's really, really, really tough. Q. What are your goals for this year? MARAT SAFIN: Still try to be more consistent as I can. Then there's the hope that I can be in the Top 3, fight for No. 1. Federer, he is playing well, but also is just the beginning of the year. Still is a few months to go, three Grand Slams to play, a lot of Masters Series still to come. But try to be consistent, and we can see at the end of the summer. Q. Do you think that of all your opponents Federer is definitely one step up above everybody else? MARAT SAFIN: I don't really think so. With all the respect, he plays great tennis. I know everybody knows that he's very talented, very good, and on all surfaces. But also, other players also can play, but they're not used to play against him. So until they will discover how to play against him, it will take time. But I think that in this -- at this level, there is -- everybody is playing more or less equal. But because he has the confidence and he won the Australian Open, so he is playing on the confidences he got from there. Q. Do you understand why some of the top players aren't here? Is that because of the scheduling you were talking about earlier? MARAT SAFIN: Of course. I mean, try to -- for example, Roddick, he is playing in Houston and then he has to fly overnight and play the next day on clay in Monte-Carlo. If he is not lucky, he cannot put two balls inside the court - of course it's difficult, even he was playing on clay. Federer, probably also he needs time to prepare. We just came from Miami a couple of weeks ago. A lot of people, they had Davis Cup, then the tournament Valencia or Estoril. So I decided to play Estoril because I didn't play any of Davis Cup. But for other players - can you believe it - coming from indoors fast courts? For example, the French and Swiss. And you have to get used to the clay court. It's not like it's one day to another you can get used to it. It takes time. It takes one week; one, two weeks for sure to get to used to playing, to slide on the court. Bounce is completely different, balls are little bit different. You have to change the strings. A lot of people, they change the strings, so they have to get used to the strings. So it's really, really difficult. Q. What's your suggestion, to have less tournaments or to have less obligation from ATP? MARAT SAFIN: Not obligation. I mean, is like there is no obligation to play the Masters Series. If you don't want to play, don't play. But just what I'm saying, if they want to keep up the level and you want to have all the best players of the world coming to Monte-Carlo, you need to give some time before to prepare and give all their best. How many results you have -- in the past five years of me playing here, I saw the results in the first round: 6-1, 6-3; 6-3, 6-love; 6-1, 6-love; 6-2, 6-2. All the people, they don't want to see that. Not because people not trying. They are trying, but they really can't because they're coming from the indoors. Or coming from Miami, you have some rest because it was a month ago, but it was a difficult month because you been playing Indian Wells, you been playing Scottsdale, you been playing Miami and all of a sudden you end up in Monte-Carlo. And of course you lose one of these matches, you lose the confidence. So until you get the confidence back, it's already -- Rome, Hamburg is straightaway, then the French Open. So basically you have more kilometers than a taxi (laughter). So it's... That's my opinion. That's why it's little bit difficult for us to adjust to the clay court tennis and play very consistent. Q. But why every time you have a problem like this, a real problem like this, you have never the last word, you cannot really decide? Even for the Australian Open, they say it's impossible to move the tournament. Now this, this is very tough season, clay court season, and you cannot move. MARAT SAFIN: Because there is lot of reasons, I mean, a lot of things that end up in the circle. One thing is attaching another one. It is like another one is "because of this." And it's always "because," "because," "because," "but," "because," "because." And it's also difficult for the players because they are playing tennis and they don't have enough time to sit down and agree on something, sit down with a tournament directors, or make like a board, or you know how is it. The ATP is basically -- I think it's 50/50, the tournament directors and the tennis players. But they never agree. It's difficult. And it's difficult to get to the point, work on the side, because the tournament directors are busy looking for sponsors, and the tennis players are little busy, try to focus on them self because the manager says, because for them self also. You have to be little bit selfish. You have to take care of yourself. Otherwise, who will take care of you? But, at some point, I think maybe tennis is little bit suffering because of this. But it will get to one point that everybody will decide to do something, because it will come to the point where it can't go anywhere else. And I really hope it will come very soon so we have a different solution and the tennis will go and will jump very high, because it's a beautiful game. You see how many people that are coming to watch, even at 10 o'clock in the morning. And it's really would be pity to lose this kind of sport and put it very low. Q. How were you feeling physically after the full week last week, first match now, you know you're going to be playing every day? MARAT SAFIN: Well, for the moment, I'm okay (smiling). Let's see how it's going, how many matches I'm gonna play. But I still have enough energy. But also, I know that next week is coming, Barcelona. It depends how I do well, I will see if I'm going to play Barcelona or not, or decide to little bit take couple of days off. But this is designation week, I have to play. Q. You playing the other two Masters Series as well? MARAT SAFIN: (Nodding head yes). That's our duty. Q. You have a new coach. Why did you take this choice? What do you expect? MARAT SAFIN: Because with Denis, it got to the point where you cannot just -- business and friendship does not go together at all, because I don't want to lose him as a friend. He's more important for me as a friend than as a coach. Every lose, you take it very personally, you get a little bit down, you know, like he is not really good - not communication , how you say? - Feelings. We playing little bit with the feelings of each other. Peter Lundgren, he's a professional tennis coach. He been traveling with Rios, he been traveling with Federer. He knows how to deal with it. Also, he can put me in -- he can explain to me a couple of things that probably I should know. And I want to try, I want to try to work. And if it will help me, it will be great. I am going to try until Wimbledon. Q. You think that if he can deal with Rios... MARAT SAFIN: If he can deal with Rios, he can deal with me, yeah, exactly (smiling). Q. How about Mirnyi, is he going to be tough for you? MARAT SAFIN: Very difficult. Because the courts are little bit fast. He has a kind of game that he doesn't let you play, without rhythm. He serves well. No baseline, basically, and very good volleys. Anticipation, quite good. He chooses the ways that the game -- all of a sudden, you're playing from the baseline, you can find him at the net from out of nowhere. 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. Q. Coming back from Belarus, the Davis Cup match against Belarus, do you believe Voltchkov was really injured, or do you think they did a little joke, or chess playing? MARAT SAFIN: Well, it was their problem. I mean, if they really made this a theater drama, it was really good one; they should give them an Oscar. But also it's little bit stupid because I think he was injured somehow, and... somehow. Because, otherwise, he was actually beating Andreev, and Mirnyi was supposed to beat me so we're anyway 1-1. Then the doubles, if he would play doubles, they had all the chances to beat us. I never played with Youzhny, and they have a very decent doubles in Mirnyi and Voltchkov. So it would be 2-1. Mirnyi would beat any of our guys, like Andreev or Youzhny, with no problems. But then maybe they wanted to make more dramatic for the people to suffer, give them a Gold medal. I don't really think so. I think he was injured, but they put him a lot of - how you say? - Painkillers or whatever. But was not like... I saw the last match against Youzhny. Youzhny, just he couldn't focus because he was all the time thinking about he's injured, he was supposed to retire, he wasn't ready at that point. Q. Are you going to the football tonight? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. Q. What do you think about the match? Give us your preview. MARAT SAFIN: I'm for the football, I don't care who gonna win. I want to see beautiful football. But it's one of the matches you go to the stadium and the score is 0-0. So I don't think it's gonna happen tonight, otherwise, I will be really frustrated. But I hope they can show really good football. Of course Monaco has to win, but I got the tickets from the Chelsea so I have to support them also (smiling). Q. From Mr. Abramovich? MARAT SAFIN: Yes. Q. Do you know him? MARAT SAFIN: No, not personally. Friend of the friend of the friend of the concierge of the hotel where he is staying (laughing).
MARAT SAFIN: It was completely different kind of matches, but this kind of match is the most difficult one. 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. He has no rhythm, he goes to the net, he serves well. (He/you) can lose very easy the confidence. 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. These kind of matches you have to really focus and really win. Otherwise, if it goes three sets, you never know how it's gonna end up. Q. What did you think of him today? MARAT SAFIN: Well, you already know what you gonna expect from him. He's gonna change the game, he's gonna play on the baseline and start to make rallies. He plays everywhere the same - on grass, hard courts, indoors, clay. When he has good days, he can serve well. You just have no chance to break him. 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. Your motivation now is to show Safin to somebody, to yourself first for sure? You have any goal? What do you have in your mind, just to win, what you want to win, to become something? MARAT SAFIN: No, just I have another week of matches I'm trying to play. Just match by match. And I can easily can say I have a very good draw, I play next round against Devilder or Arthurs. You cannot just throw away these opportunities to get little bit closer to the final. And take the points from here. That's my goal, to take them and be and stay in the race, in the Top 3 in the race, and be consistent - as consistent as I can be. I don't want to do miracles. If I win this thing, it will be great for me. If I don't, I lose, but at least I keep my game, score the points, and move on. That's it. Be consistent, is the most important thing for me right now. Q. How much difficult is it to watch the beautiful sea and don't go there, don't take a boat? MARAT SAFIN: Don't worry. I will have many years afterwards to enjoy it (smiling). Q. But today. MARAT SAFIN: It's little bit -- in the summer, in the summer. Now, I have to separate little bit pleasure with the business. I choose business these couple of months, work hard. After Wimbledon I take a few weeks of vacations, and I will enjoy it. Q. You like to go on the ship, I mean...? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, go fishing. Just one week on a boat. I don't want to see anybody. Q. On your own? MARAT SAFIN: Not on my own, my friends. Somebody has to cook, right (laughter)? Q. Only cook? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. What else I need? Q. I don't know. MARAT SAFIN: You are hot temper, like hot Italian man. You always think about one thing. Q. The Italian and Russian are not very different. MARAT SAFIN: No, because we have already too much of this. So already we get to another stage where sometimes you need to rest even from this (smiling). Q. You become older, but he is not. MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, he becomes younger (laughter). Is good... Q. I have more appetite, you know. MARAT SAFIN: Appetite coming with the food. Q. Have you discovered a new way of life? You talk a lot about fishing. MARAT SAFIN: No, life. But it's like -- it seems like for the people is a miracle whenever we're talking about life. It seems like that there is only tennis and there is nothing else outside of the court. But it's not like this. Everybody knows this, and everybody's enjoying doing other things rather than tennis. 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. Do you think it's more difficult to play and to focus in a place like this? Like he said, is it more difficult to... MARAT SAFIN: Sometimes it's difficult to find motivation in the first rounds just because of the -- sometimes it's difficult just to push yourself to win the tough matches like, for example, today and the match of yesterday. 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. That's where you enjoy more. For example, me. The first two rounds, nobody enjoys. It's hell. 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. If there is a big crowd, there is a big difference for you? MARAT SAFIN: For everybody. Q. You need the atmosphere? Some players couldn't care less. MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, sure, whatever they can say. 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. 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. What did you think - changing the sport - what did you think of the game yesterday, Chelsea football? MARAT SAFIN: Oh, okay. It was great. I mean, I was surprised for the players, they like to simulate a lot. 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. It's really good to see life. But the seats that we had were not really good. But it's okay. It was good atmosphere. I am happy for them, for Monaco, that they won against -- 10 guys against 11. Even if I got the tickets from Chelsea, so... I'm happy for them (smiling). Q. Did you see the match until the end or you left before? MARAT SAFIN: No, five minutes before. Otherwise... Q. They were leading 3-1? MARAT SAFIN: 3-1, yeah. Good fight. Q. How much do you like when people says, "Oh, we are very happy because Safin is back"? I mean, your friends, your colleague, players, what do you think it means for tennis if Safin is back and everybody is happy? Because you are good character, because you are nice guy? MARAT SAFIN: This is the things that is most annoying, actually. Q. Really? MARAT SAFIN: Of course. Of course it's annoying. Of course like everybody's happy, sure, "Marat comes back, he's playing great tennis, I'm really happy for you." Come on. Seriously, whenever you are losing, like, "It's his fault." Whenever he is winning, "that's us." That's the team, the people. 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..." "He doesn't want..." "He doesn't need..." "He doesn't care..." 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 bit -- 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. 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. It has to be a balance. So of course if you take out of my serve, would be with me, so maybe I would have better head. 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. I know that's my problem. I cannot change it. Nobody can change it. I can improve it a little bit. But it's my head, it's the way I am. It's how I am. It's no chance I can be different. So whenever they start to teach you and explain to you... Q. Yeah, but it's good. But so much people, they are happy you are there. They are not happy if there is no Kafelnikov, maybe. But if you are there, maybe they are happy. MARAT SAFIN: Okay, good for them. Q. Who cares? For you is not important? MARAT SAFIN: Not important. But just, you know, don't get too excited when I am winning, and don't get too depressed when I am losing. Just, you know, keep it cool. Q. Do you think the way you are in your head, it can work for you at one stage? MARAT SAFIN: How I am in my head? Q. In your favor, yes. I mean, being a little different. MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but, darling, come on, I have quite decent career. For me, for myself, I had very good career. 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. That's not what I mean. Do you think it can work in your favor at one stage? MARAT SAFIN: Of course. It's working. It's working. If I will be in different case, maybe I will not be where I am right now. Just I am there because how I am. I would not be better than I am, for sure. It's impossible. That's the maximum that I could achieve. Q. You cannot be better than you are now, that's what you think? MARAT SAFIN: 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. I will never win -- like, for example, people, they come to me and they say I should have won already five Grand Slams. Yeah, but, sorry, but... I couldn't. 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. I could be even coach of football team. You know what I'm saying? Everybody is smarter from outside of the court. But in the court, is little bit different. It's little bit different. You see different, and you feel, and you play sometimes against yourself. And it's really -- sometimes you are little bit, you know, you have to fight against yourself. It's really sometimes difficult to push. 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. What are you feeling now? What is your current... MARAT SAFIN: Just I want to keep it cool and just go match by match. I have long, long, long months. Long months. We have a lot of tournaments. 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. MARAT SAFIN d. Wayne Arthurs 6-4, 6-2 Q. It's always
strange to play a guy like Arthurs on clay? Q. You were
playing some good variation shots in the second set. Were you happy with
your shot-playing? Q. You're
surrounded by Argentinians in the top half of the draw. What do you
think, is it more difficult than the lower part? Q. You have
Calleri, Coria... Q. Martin's
winning. Martin was serving for the match. Sorry. Q. You played
Mirnyi and now Arthurs, different kind of players. Now you have to
adjust to the clay. Q. Very
different. Q. No, from
the other. Q. You're
starting a new tournament now. Q. Are you
surprised about the results of Davydenko? I mean, he's beating everybody
very easily. Q. Either Moya
or Chela. M.
SAFIN/A. Martin Q. From the seats, it was a strange match. You looked in control of the match when it first started, then everything went bad, then you came back. What happened exactly? MARAT SAFIN: 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. Because, yeah, you can play one set, but then he start to get used to the fast, fast rallies. So the only thing he could try to do is to make me play an extra ball. So it also is, for me, is difficult to adjust myself. So I little bit had the match in control. I breaked in the second set, first game. But then he start to play better. He started to miss less. I was trying maybe to go for too much. I start to rush a little bit. But then by the time I realize it, it was already the end of the second set. I tried. He played well. And the third set I just had to hold my serve and wait for the opportunity and take it. Q. Towards the end of the second set you were touching your back. Did you have problems or..? MARAT SAFIN: No, just a little bit of recharge. Because for two weeks, a lot of matches. So it's kind of... No problem. Q. You stay in Monte-Carlo? You live in Monte -Carlo? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, whenever I can. Q. Where exactly? MARAT SAFIN: Upstairs, in Park St. Roman. Q. So you just walk from there? MARAT SAFIN: No, but I stay in the hotel. Q. Yes? Why? MARAT SAFIN: Because the hotel room is bigger than my apartment (laughter). Q. What is most difficult for you on clay, to adjust to clay? You played a lot on clay when you were very young. What is it? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but it's, for everybody, is a big change. You have to play an extra few balls. You have to prepare more the point. You cannot just play fast shot and go to the net and whatever, and wait for the short ball. Here, we have to play. You make him run, and you have to wait, wait, wait. You cannot just make winners all over the court because it's a little bit slower, the bounce is little bit higher. The serve doesn't work this way like it works on the hard courts. 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. You have to finish the point, like, properly. Q. What is difficult for you? Is it the concentration more than the physical part or technical part? MARAT SAFIN: 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. 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. So next - Coria or Nalbandian. What can you say about that? MARAT SAFIN: They're pretty similar players. They're playing the same , all the same game. They attack whenever they can, they like to control the point, they don't like to be dominated. And of course they are running fast, they have very good -- well, good legs, good hands. So you have to be -- but it's a kind of similar Spanish style. You have to push them and be in control of all the match from the beginning. Otherwise, it's a little bit difficult. Because once they start to be confident and then it's difficult to turn the other way around. Q. Are you ready physically? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. Semifinals, it's a great motivation for me to get into the finals. Q. First time? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, so it's good. So I hope I have a little bit of luck tomorrow, I'll have more opportunities that I can finish in two sets. 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. Do you get the feeling, Marat, that this could be a very good year for you? Are you beginning to feel in yourself that this could be a good time? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, well, just... Q. You give that impression. MARAT SAFIN: You cannot be so sure, you know, the year is gonna be really good for you. Because once you start to feel this , once you start to have this feeling, you have bad luck or you're not playing -- you start to play not really well, you have bad draws. So you never know. For example, me, I had -- 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 points - 7-6, 7-6 against Federer. 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. Yeah. MARAT SAFIN: But once it's starting all over again, played well in Estoril, playing well here. 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 months -- a few weeks off before the big -- before I go to the States. Q. It seems as though you're enjoying it, you're getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. MARAT SAFIN: You have to prepare. You have to prepare a little bit. It has to be -- of course if you don't enjoy it, it's really difficult for me to play. Just it's really difficult. Otherwise, sometimes it's a little bit boring. 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 a -- traveling with a suitcase and living in hotel rooms. So you have to make it interesting. Q. You have to be motivated? MARAT SAFIN: Of course. If you are winning, it's great. 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. It's tough, but... Q. Do you think that you take losses harder than most? MARAT SAFIN: Not anymore. Not anymore. Yeah, I'm get frustrated on the court whenever I'm losing; everybody does. But outside the court I am taking very easy right now because my time will come. Whenever I have the opportunities, I will take them. Everybody will lose some day. There's no chance to win all the time. 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. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen to everybody for some circumstances. So you have to accept this. It's a part of the job. Q. You talk a lot about frustration. For someone young and with a great potential like you, is a word important. 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. What is the difference between the two situations? MARAT SAFIN: You can... No, because against Federer, Roddick, it's kind of -- is a big player, and you gonna play well, you know that. Because it's just it's a kind of a challenge. It's already motivate you, it's already giving you extra power, and you want to beat him. 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. For example, today, for me, it was -- I beat him five times. And for me, it's like I knew that I have to win - I mean, that I have to win. 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. 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. You don't want to get to this point. So you get frustrated with yourself. You see it, and for some reason you cannot get it. You miss by a little bit, you miss little bit there, little bit there. 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. He was playing well. MARAT SAFIN: He played a great match. But just this kind of tennis, it just make you a little bit nervous. Because really, I understand -- I started to understand better the game over the years. And you know what's gonna happen, you see it coming. And when it comes, you get frustrated by that because you see it coming. Q. What is the way to cope with that? Is it to stick to the basics, say, "Move your feet, watch the ball, hit cross-court..." Things like that? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but sometimes, you know, like you go, because it's your nature. You don't fight the nature, you know. It's like nature, you don't want to go down the line, but you go. It just like automatically calls for it. You miss it. Then you say to yourself, "I shouldn't have done that." But once you don't miss it, so that's normal. But once you miss it, that's not normal. 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. You are playing and you don't care about the score." But now you start with the time, you start to... Q. You start to lose your innocence? MARAT SAFIN: No, but...just, yeah. You lose your virginity. Once you start to know, understand tennis really good, you see, you can predict what's gonna happen. 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. But it's like this. Q. Then you win if you take some risk? So it comes again. MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it's all coming back. Q. It's like life. MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, exactly. There is nothing... Don't fight the nature. Don't fight it. Q. So you're not surprised, then, that Henman is playing the way he's playing at the moment? It's not a surprise to you how well he's playing. MARAT SAFIN: He improved. He improved really much. I already told him that he's playing really good game. Before, I told him, he was really bad on clay. Yeah, few years ago, he didn't know how to play on clay. Now, he really improved. He can play from the baseline. He can, you know, do rallies, and also to play. That's why he's in the semifinals -- or in the quarterfinals. He has a big chance to win today. Q. You said you have to make it interesting if you want to stay in tennis. How do you make it interesting except talking to us (smiling)? What is the way to make it interesting? MARAT SAFIN: I need to -- depends. Everybody has own hobbies or own philosophy of life. Maybe it's just -- I mean, sometimes when you are too many weeks on the tour, too many weeks, you just have to just have a few days off, just not to go to the courts, walk around the city - wherever city you are - I mean, there's some cities you cannot go anywhere because there is nothing (laughter). But these cities, you try to practice as hard as you can just to kill the time. But it's really difficult. Sometimes you need a couple of days just to forget about everything, just enjoy it, and not coming to the courts, don't even touch the racquet. Then when you come back, it's little bit easy for you to start all over because it's not anymore physical, it's not anymore about -- it's more mental, more than nothing. Just whenever you have the brain is like free and it feels comfortable, then it's much easier to play. Q. So how can you explain a situation like Agassi and Navratilova? They still there, they still doing practice and moving and doing... MARAT SAFIN: That's what I'm saying. Everybody has different mentality. I'm not -- I'm really surprised that he can push himself at the age of 34 - running, playing five sets in Grand Slams, and be there and play great tennis. Probably that's -- he really can't live without it. Q. Maybe because in Las Vegas there is nothing to do (laughter)? MARAT SAFIN: Well, otherwise, you gamble or...(laughter). Q. Lose money. MARAT SAFIN: So it's better to make money than to lose money (smiling). G.
CORIA/M. Safin Q. Marat, you asked for the trainer, I think, in the first set. What was the problem? MARAT SAFIN: I have a big -- not a big, just a blister that was bothering me. So I take painkillers and antiinflammatories so it doesn't bother me. Q. Was it a problem during the set or..? MARAT SAFIN: No, but just I started to feel it because I didn't take before the match, so I had to take during the match so I just don't think about it. Q. You are very used to play clay courters. I mean, you trained in Spain. Why is Coria different than the others, or is he a typical clay courter? MARAT SAFIN: No, doesn't do anything like just make the difference between the Spanish and Argentinians. He plays pretty similar tennis. He is full of confidence, that's it. I had my opportunities today. I was a little bit unlucky in the first set, the third set. But also for me it's difficult to play against these kind of guys. I have to step in on the court, and when it's like the courts are not really in conditions to -- I don't feel secure, you know. Every time I had to play the ball fast, it come back down. So for me it's difficult. So I have to go back and play a little bit longer rallies with them, and it's difficult for me to beat them. So just the only chance you can beat them is just inside, playing inside the court and playing fast. Q. Do you have to improve your net game a little bit to know you can volley more? MARAT SAFIN: No, but just because you have to look for the net. I mean, it doesn't matter if you make mistakes because also, you know, is a kind of a player that you have to place it really good, the volley, otherwise he can pass you very easily. But also, in order to look for the net, you need to like to play a fast game. Couldn't just make rallies and all of a sudden go to the net. You need to prepare. Today just I was a little bit upset because I couldn't, I couldn't do it, I couldn't play faster. Because every time I tried to step in and play fast, it was a bad bounce so it was like the ball wasn't -- I could not control perfect. And I was feeling a little bit insecure, you know, in my shots. For example, on backhand and on forehand. Every time I have it like ball in the middle of the court, just suddenly, you know, I make a -- so we have to place it really good, really close to the lines. Q. The last two or three games, the ball was coming off your racquet, it didn't seem like you were going through totally confident with those shots. MARAT SAFIN: That's the thing, because the bounce. Because every time, you know, you expect for the ball to come normally, just have a strange bounce. Or basically every time I saw the short ball to come to him, just was far away. Q. Is it the particular ball that they're using this week? MARAT SAFIN: No, it's just the courts. Q. Just the courts? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. I can blame easily the courts. Everybody's complaining and everybody's like having really difficult time. Me, particularly against these players in the semifinals, it's really bothers me because of that. Q. At the start of the third set, was that where you were having..? MARAT SAFIN: No, it was the first set, you know. Like for example in the second game when I had Love-40, twice it touched the line and didn't bounce. Third time it was just -- so it's just like all the time it's coming more and more. So once you get too many of them, you get little bit upset. Q. What did you say to Guillermo at the end? You seemed to have a chat with him. MARAT SAFIN: No, just I said, "Well done," and "Congratulations," and "Good luck in your next round." He said something about, "Sorry I was waving my hands..." I don't know. I don't know what he was talking about. Q. You didn't know what it's about? MARAT SAFIN: I don't know, but it's okay (laughter). No, we behaved really good on the court, no problems. We had no problems. He was quite fair. It was nice to play against him. Q. You had three net cords went against you as well fairly quickly - one from him that deflected, and then two that hit the top of the net and went back to your side. Did you feel things weren't going your way then? MARAT SAFIN: No, was just I had an opportunity, yeah, like, in the third set when I was on a deuce. So I went to the net, and all of a sudden he pass me and touched the net. So basically the ball was mine. Again it was deuce, and I tried, I went for the backhand shot. That touched the net, didn't go on the other side. So it's like little bit frustrated but... But at least I tried. It's not like -- if it would go my way, so it would be the same score but on my side. Q. Not a bad start to the clay court season? MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it's great. I can't complain. It's really a pity to not be in the finals, but the way I'm playing is great. He was a little bit luckier today than me. But I'm satisfied. I will catch him another time (smiling). Q. If you weren't playing against him, is Coria the sort of player you'd like to watch? Is he a good player to watch, entertaining? MARAT SAFIN: Well, is not for me to judge, you know, if he is entertaining or not. I mean, if the spectators, they like him, then it's great for me. But I'm not really a spectator, I'm his business partner (laughter). It's little bit of a different story. Q. What do you need to do to be at your top for the French now? MARAT SAFIN: No, keep continuing like this, and I will have more opportunities to win one of the next two Masters Series tournaments. And if I continue like this, I think I'm really playing very well. I can work on some things, just to improve a little bit. But it's -- I'm getting really, really in shape. And then the French Open, it will be -- then it's five sets, and I'll play five sets, I'll have time. It's enough time to correct the mistakes in a slow match. You have a lot of opportunities to come back. Q. What about him in five sets? Do you think for Roland Garros, because, you know, he is a small one... MARAT SAFIN: Well, for him, I think it's a little bit difficult, while he is really in shape. He doesn't serve big, really good. It's not like a powerful serve. He doesn't get really free points, a lot of free points. He has to work every point, and he has to run a lot. He has to build up very much. But he's in really good shape. He'll be interest. But in five sets, I think it will be -- in this case, I would be the favorite. |