Post by Annie on Jun 13, 2005 20:01:59 GMT 3
Safin feared his return.
2 October 2003
Kremlin Cup Tournament
Marat Safin was Russia's last hope for more solid representation in the second round of the Kremlin Cup. Indeed by the third day of the tournament, only two of the eight players of our country in the mens singles remained: Igor Andreev and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Alas, Marat, after giving us hope in the second set, he changed direction in the third .
[Match recap: not included]
However, at the press conference, in which Marat arrived only forty minutes after the end of the match, he very quickly cheered up, repeatedly causing explosions of laughter with his answers.
How much is your trainer responsible for your failure today?
The trainer is not the problem. For a long time, it's been too complicated to return tennis, to attain the same standard that I had before the injury. It is simply necessary to play a sequence of matches so that my confidence will return. Everything will arrive in the course of time. So the trainer is not at fault. I'm the one to blame.
You are upset by the result?
If I start to get upset on this occasion, then generally it can't be helped! Nevertheless I took one set , and I had a good chance in the third. But I didn't have the strength or the practice.
They said you came close to needing an operation?
There was this choice: either to have an operation or a month to walk in the gypsum. To me it was an obvious choice - I disappeared from the circuit. Everything came together. I trained for only one and-a-half weeks. In that time, you understand, it's not enough to be restored to health; the hand aches a little, even now. It is very complicated to force yourself to hit the ball to the left. It is painful, it is terrible and there is no confidence... But I attempted to play, it is necessary to win at least several matches this year. I hope that in the following week I will feel better. In the first match I won one set - its not so bad anymore. Also, I've got an entire month to play!
Probably, it was terrible to return to the courts after this injury or did you feel something more like fear?
I felt the desire to win, and it is terrible. Try wearing a cast for five months and then playing on court! When you haven't played for five months, you feel different on court . You don't know what to do, where to run. The speed seems considerably faster. Even a player, who is three hundredth in the world and not playing his best was playing too fast for me! I could not "read", where he was hitting the ball. Yes, I couldn't even return a serve in the first round/set! Therefore it was terrible. It is terrible to hit to the left. To me it was very painful, when I broke twice. So that now each time, when I hit to the left, I fear any impact; you are constantly holding your hand, that's why the ball flies slowly. Blake - he's an experienced player, he knows how to play.
Did you keep up-to-date with the tennis world?
No, I was occupied with my own matters. I have enough problems to deal with away from tennis. Naturally, I know who won the Grand Slams. But if I'm honest, I know nothing!
So how did you spend your time, if it's not a secret?
I rested. I thought! I thought about my life, what is necessary, I searched for a way out of [this] situation. On the whole, I had cockroaches in my head. I will play, I won't play... They then said that the operation was necessary, since it is [im]possible to manage without it. I was ready to play in Paris, in Wimbledon, in America... also didn't happen! In the final analysis they hung gypsum for the entire month. [they wasted time for an entire month] I went into the mountains, I caught fish. What didn't I do! But then my desire for tennis reappeared. The desire to win: but physically, and psychologically this is very complicated. Time is necessary. But not everything is as bad as it seems. I know how to play tennis, and that is a good start.
But what fish did you catch?
Trout, this big (Marat separates hands approximately 25-30 centimeters).
Small!
It was! We drove for a rest, it was a seven hour ride from Los Angeles, into the cordilleras.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive in Moscow? Do you think the city has changed?
I caught up with Rosset, who arrived in Moscow for the thirteenth time. He really loves this city. And he noted that Moscow has changed alot, - illuminations have appeared. At night it's a fairytale city. In the daytime, of course, it's not very [romantic]. The city grows, new houses appear, restaurants, streets become cleaner. I hope, after several years, Moscow will become the most beautiful city.
Where will you play before the end of the year, has that been decided?
Yes Lyon, Madrid, Saint Petersburg, Paris. Everything is already planned.
Do you have any comments on the Davis Cup arrangments? [Belorussia & Russia teaming up?]
Well let us go to Minsk, let us look at how we do with them. I do not know, it will come down to marrying our teams in the following year. I talked with Kafelnikov [?] , and he said that it is going to be the end of his career. But then, after learning the results, he mentioned: "We will go to Minsk...". In fact, times it is assembled into Belorussia, then will play in Davis's goblet. He clearly is going to attempt a trip there. [sorry, not a very good translation: I'm working on it!]
Irina Vasileva.
Translated by Ruth
Source: bomond.com/read/news.phtml?id=42521&ch=3
2 October 2003
Kremlin Cup Tournament
Marat Safin was Russia's last hope for more solid representation in the second round of the Kremlin Cup. Indeed by the third day of the tournament, only two of the eight players of our country in the mens singles remained: Igor Andreev and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Alas, Marat, after giving us hope in the second set, he changed direction in the third .
[Match recap: not included]
However, at the press conference, in which Marat arrived only forty minutes after the end of the match, he very quickly cheered up, repeatedly causing explosions of laughter with his answers.
How much is your trainer responsible for your failure today?
The trainer is not the problem. For a long time, it's been too complicated to return tennis, to attain the same standard that I had before the injury. It is simply necessary to play a sequence of matches so that my confidence will return. Everything will arrive in the course of time. So the trainer is not at fault. I'm the one to blame.
You are upset by the result?
If I start to get upset on this occasion, then generally it can't be helped! Nevertheless I took one set , and I had a good chance in the third. But I didn't have the strength or the practice.
They said you came close to needing an operation?
There was this choice: either to have an operation or a month to walk in the gypsum. To me it was an obvious choice - I disappeared from the circuit. Everything came together. I trained for only one and-a-half weeks. In that time, you understand, it's not enough to be restored to health; the hand aches a little, even now. It is very complicated to force yourself to hit the ball to the left. It is painful, it is terrible and there is no confidence... But I attempted to play, it is necessary to win at least several matches this year. I hope that in the following week I will feel better. In the first match I won one set - its not so bad anymore. Also, I've got an entire month to play!
Probably, it was terrible to return to the courts after this injury or did you feel something more like fear?
I felt the desire to win, and it is terrible. Try wearing a cast for five months and then playing on court! When you haven't played for five months, you feel different on court . You don't know what to do, where to run. The speed seems considerably faster. Even a player, who is three hundredth in the world and not playing his best was playing too fast for me! I could not "read", where he was hitting the ball. Yes, I couldn't even return a serve in the first round/set! Therefore it was terrible. It is terrible to hit to the left. To me it was very painful, when I broke twice. So that now each time, when I hit to the left, I fear any impact; you are constantly holding your hand, that's why the ball flies slowly. Blake - he's an experienced player, he knows how to play.
Did you keep up-to-date with the tennis world?
No, I was occupied with my own matters. I have enough problems to deal with away from tennis. Naturally, I know who won the Grand Slams. But if I'm honest, I know nothing!
So how did you spend your time, if it's not a secret?
I rested. I thought! I thought about my life, what is necessary, I searched for a way out of [this] situation. On the whole, I had cockroaches in my head. I will play, I won't play... They then said that the operation was necessary, since it is [im]possible to manage without it. I was ready to play in Paris, in Wimbledon, in America... also didn't happen! In the final analysis they hung gypsum for the entire month. [they wasted time for an entire month] I went into the mountains, I caught fish. What didn't I do! But then my desire for tennis reappeared. The desire to win: but physically, and psychologically this is very complicated. Time is necessary. But not everything is as bad as it seems. I know how to play tennis, and that is a good start.
But what fish did you catch?
Trout, this big (Marat separates hands approximately 25-30 centimeters).
Small!
It was! We drove for a rest, it was a seven hour ride from Los Angeles, into the cordilleras.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive in Moscow? Do you think the city has changed?
I caught up with Rosset, who arrived in Moscow for the thirteenth time. He really loves this city. And he noted that Moscow has changed alot, - illuminations have appeared. At night it's a fairytale city. In the daytime, of course, it's not very [romantic]. The city grows, new houses appear, restaurants, streets become cleaner. I hope, after several years, Moscow will become the most beautiful city.
Where will you play before the end of the year, has that been decided?
Yes Lyon, Madrid, Saint Petersburg, Paris. Everything is already planned.
Do you have any comments on the Davis Cup arrangments? [Belorussia & Russia teaming up?]
Well let us go to Minsk, let us look at how we do with them. I do not know, it will come down to marrying our teams in the following year. I talked with Kafelnikov [?] , and he said that it is going to be the end of his career. But then, after learning the results, he mentioned: "We will go to Minsk...". In fact, times it is assembled into Belorussia, then will play in Davis's goblet. He clearly is going to attempt a trip there. [sorry, not a very good translation: I'm working on it!]
Irina Vasileva.
Translated by Ruth
Source: bomond.com/read/news.phtml?id=42521&ch=3
