Moscow

[Damita]

that's the problem Neo. Top players have easy wins in the early rounds (not always, but most of the time), thus they have enough energy to play other top players in semis, and finals...
Marat should have easy wins too. Like he had in Beijing for instance.

But we can't ask him to play well every week. He made a very good job those past weeks: Beijing, DC tie, Bangkok..... he can have a week off, can't he? Plus i think he feels more pressure in Moscow, at home, so it's understandable.

All i hope is that he'll have those good days again in the last 3 tourneys and qualify for the Masters cup. And also, i think all the tiebreaks will help him to feel confident in those tournaments if he has to play some, especially against top players and good servers

[Teresa]

Vassily said:

A couple of objective reports did say that Marat played safe when he had opportunities to play an aggressive shot. If he played aggressive he would have won that match. Because he was very close to breaking.

Where are these objective reports?

If he played aggressive he would have won that match.

Well, what's the use of the fighting spirit if it's not working

even if he breaks he loses his serve in the next game

Its always 'IF' 'IF' yeah 'if only' right!

Something is still seriusly messed up in his... you know

You know somthing........NO, I really don't know.

Marat wins everyone is like over the freaking moon.

Marat loses and he is either 'tanking' does not try hard enough, gives up, no fighting spirit, and oh yes I nearly forgot.........mentally messed up, or 'seriously messed up in his.......you know?

Well he had a good enough rest during the whole of the year. He didn't play too many matches then, so he could play a bit more in the end.... And two difficult matches in tow days should not be that hard.

If I read rightly, Marat in his after match interview said he was more mentally tired, than physcially tired.

Federer does it, the rest do it.

He is not freaking Federer or anyone else other that
Marat Safin and will always be Marat Safin. He is himself. Praise be he will never be sterotyped.

[Teresa]

Damita said:

But we can't ask him to play well every week. He made a very good job those past weeks: Beijing, DC tie, Bangkok..... he can have a week off, can't he? Plus i think he feels more pressure in Moscow, at home, so it's understandable.

Damita, my feelings, you just said it better

All i hope is that he'll have those good days again in the last 3 tourneys and qualify for the Masters cup. And also, i think all the tiebreaks will help him to feel confident in those tournaments if he has to play some, especially against top players and good servers

Yep, I am in agreement


OK Damita I changed it, sorry........and to think that I actually had checked this post back.......

[Damita]

Teresa said:

Maria, my feelings, you just said it better

cool, i'm glad you agree..... except i'm not Maria ;D

[christina]

Damita said:

cool, i'm glad you agree..... except i'm not Maria ;D

lol ;D

[Sena]

Karen> I dont really think so, it was something like joke, just supposition .

One girl on my site said, that Mirnyi didnt come to the match.

[sirius]

well. to continue on what maria and teresa have said...

marat needs to remember how to stomp all over the opposition like he did years back...and i mean yeeeaaaarrrrssss back. or even if it's not stomping... i'd like to see more of that fire from the AO back again.

as for that dubs match.... gee....a million and one theories i have...but of course... the probability of anyone of them being right is really low... so that my null hypothesis is erm...rejected.

[Neo]

pingu said:

marat needs to remember how to stomp all over the opposition like he did years back...and i mean yeeeaaaarrrrssss back.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I want to see that too! Esp if he's stomping all over Federer or Roddick! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Please, Marat, please! Just a brief period when U do that with everybody and we'll be happy for another three (or was it four? ) years...................... NOT! ;D

P.S. Jiat, I love your new username! Whenever I see it I go " PINGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!" ;D

[sirius]

Neo said:

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I want to see that too! Esp if he's stomping all over Federer or Roddick! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Please, Marat, please! Just a brief period when U do that with everybody and we'll be happy for another three (or was it four? ) years...................... NOT! ;D

P.S. Jiat, I love your new username! Whenever I see it I go " PINGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!" ;D

cool!! PINGUUUU!!! hahaha...sounds like what i do on msn all the time.

yep uyep... marat...if u're lurking around here... u know what to do

[Myke]

Teresa...you can write it all down so well! A big AMEN to that!!

[Vassily]

I hate to argue with you Teresa, but here comes....

Teresa said:

Where are these objective reports?

I've been chatting to people... I think there was something on Safinator. Don't remember all the places. But, this is not the thing. When was the time he realy played HIS baseline game? He was one of the bast baseliners out there. he used to lunch missiles into all the parts of the court from any position before. And they realy were missiles. The trajectory of the ball wasn't bent, because of the power. He doesn't have anything of that anymore.

Its always 'IF' 'IF' yeah 'if only' right!

Those "ifs" are used by me as in : "if Marat wins". That suggest that he doesn't do it very often. Those "ifs" are agaisnt him.
Plus, I can always rephrase: Even when he breaks, he loses his service game right after it.

You know somthing........NO, I really don't know.

That'll be his head.

Marat wins everyone is like over the freaking moon.

I agree. I wasn't that happy though. See my posts on Safinator, MTF and even here.

If I read rightly, Marat in his after match interview said he was more mentally tired, than physcially tired.

Yes, yes. But again... the reason he's tired is his long mathces. The reason for long matches is....

He is not freaking Federer or anyone else other that
Marat Safin and will always be Marat Safin. He is himself. Praise be he will never be sterotyped.

Yeah he is! I've been saying the same thing on MTF the other day.

[sirius]

Teresa said:

Marat wins everyone is like over the freaking moon.

Marat loses and he is either 'tanking' does not try hard enough, gives up, no fighting spirit, and oh yes I nearly forgot.........mentally messed up, or 'seriously messed up in his.......you know?

well teresa, actually, i don't think that's quite true really. we're over the freaking moon when he wins. but that doesn't mean that we're completely happy with how he is playing. sometiems, especially more so recently, we're just glad that he managed to pull it off. and the tanking part. i don't think we say that all the time too. in some cases, we know that he's really fought his guts out and we acknowledge that.

marat's game needs working on. and i really hope he sorts it out. i haven't really been able to see him play and let's face it...i'm not toogood at analysing a player's game too. so, i can't really tell what needs serious work on, specifically. but...i was thinking all this talk of marat being the "marathon man". i admit he's definitely toughened up mentally a lot this year. and i'm really glad about that. but let's face it...if he were really back to the swashbuckling ways of looonnnnggg looonnnggg ago, he wouldn't need to tough it out in so many 3 and 5 setters.

ok..i'll shut up now.

[Teresa]

Vassily said:

I hate to argue with you Teresa, but here comes....

LOL I dont think of this as an arguement, please, its more of a discussion and a difference of opinion.

I've been chatting to people... I think there was something on Safinator. Don't remember all the places.

Ahh........I see

But, this is not the thing.

But either it is or it is'sn? Are the reports objective or are they not?

When was the time he realy played HIS baseline game?

I thought his match against Max was a baseline game? But I need to check the reports, and then again the one with Andy was all serve and base line, no?

Those "ifs" are used by me as in : "if Marat wins". That suggest that he doesn't do it very often. Those "ifs" are agaisnt him.
Plus, I can always rephrase: Even when he breaks, he loses his service game right after it.

The 'if's' ....... the 'what if's' are tiresome, not just by you in your post but by the tons of other people and junors who always resort to the 'what if's'

That'll be his head.

Really!!

[Vassily]

Teresa said:

But either it is or it is'sn? Are the reports objective or are they not?

They are. I trust them more than reports that he played well.

I thought his match against Max was a baseline game? But I need to check the reports, and then again the one with Andy was all serve and base line, no?

It was baseline, but BAD baseline. By HIS I mean HIS backhand down the line in everygame, forehands down the line, extreme angles, aggressive play in difficult situations, power, superb passing shots, great returns (he was a GREAT returner before. could break anyone. But today we see him playing a tie break in every match) and all that made him one of the best baseliners. He's not even close to being the best baseliner these days.

The 'if's' ....... the 'what if's' are tiresome, not just by you in your post but by the tons of other people and junors who always resort to the 'what if's'

Come on Teresa! In Marat's case thoise are not "ifs" but "constant loses"! I said "if he breakes" and that means that he rarely breaks the opponet's serve. What can I substitute that phrase with? Anyway i already substituted it. He doesn't know how to break anymore and when he does he loses his own serve.