Australian Open 2005

[Rucinski]

ok I have a lot of things to say:
Thanks for the transcript
Thanks for the eurosport video and the AO one
Thanks for all the picies, he looks wonderful

And... SO GREAT MARAT WON, I didn't see the match cus it's so hard to know when it is with all those matches going on and the diferences of times plus in my ESPN show more the latin America players that the russians ones but anyway, I'm sure I'll get to see more matches of him later.
Thanks for all the comments so I can picture the game

[alysha]

so i heard the match was awesome...thats great! this is so excittinggg!!! his serve percentage was kind of struggling, but thats awesome that he can kill his opponent with a 38ish% serve......think how incredible hell be when that goes up...oh yeah i reallly like his new outfit...the blue looks soooooo niice..thanks for all the pictures (esp the one w/courier..his smile is amazing ahh) and info!!

[annie]

hmmz...i thought that interview with Jim was great but then i must've missed the annoying parts...
i didn't hear the "you're not as stupid as you look" comment..
but for the most part i thought it was just a friendly jest by Jim...and i think Marat understands that it is just for the sake of HUMOR/ENTERTAINMENT that Jim made those remarks that's why he was responding to it rather humorously (hence the great smile and an even greater laugh)...

Anyway, we know and Marat know and the people that knows Marat, knows that he is not stupid at all... if anything he is witty..smart...a smart-ass some of the time but smart still... ;D

Good Luck to him for his next match...

[ANNA205]

well i watched that match hehe.and i love the interview after the match.hes so funny.i like his voice hehe.the way he speaks english is so cool


MELBOURNE, Australia -- There's something about the Australian Open that brings out the best in Marat Safin.


The mercurial Russian, who began last year's Open ranked just 77th after an injury-plagued 2003, started his comeback to his current No. 4 spot here, reaching the final for the second time in three years before losing to Roger Federer.

Safin then opened 2005 with an 0-6 record in singles at the Hopman Cup in three singles and three mixed doubles matches. But he suddenly turned things around again just in time for the start of the year's first Grand Slam, schooling 17-year-old Serbian qualifier Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 Monday night in just an hour and 14 minutes.

"I find myself comfortable here," Safin said. "The court suits me. I love the stadium. It's a great city. Basically, you have a good time."

There was also a very real purpose to the quick drubbing. Safin played 27 sets in six matches spanning more than 18 grueling hours last year before the final. He had little energy left for Federer and was ousted in straight sets.

"I try to spend less time on the court," Safin said. "It's better to be fresh."

Taking the court a few hours after his 18-year-old sister Dinara Safina won her opening match, he looked fresh from the start on a chilly night before a near-capacity crowd, allowing Djokovic only eight points in the first set. He ran off five straight games to end both the second and third sets, and had stretches of 16 and 11 points in a row.

While Safin is a crowd favorite here -- a half-dozen Russians shouted encouragement and a trio of women held up signs proclaiming their love for him -- the fans switched to the underdog Djokovic, led by about a dozen Serbs waving their national flags, tooting whistles and honking a horn.

Safin said he enjoyed the energy and the soccer stadium-like atmosphere.

"It's really good for tennis," he said. "It's entertainment."

Safin gave his rival's fans little to cheer about, though, allowing Djokovic, ranked only 188th, just four winners. One of the biggest ovations of the night came after Djokovic held serve for the first time to start the second set.

But mostly, Djokovic's 120 mph serves came zinging back even faster. Perfect position at the net only meant cross-court passes from Safin at seemingly impossible angles. After one went zipping by, Djokovic -- already given to muttering to himself -- buried his head in his arm on the net.

Three necklaces dangling constantly, Safin had an answer for everything, mixing powerful serves with nasty spins and deft volleys. Soon, even the people who had been cheering for Djokovic to extend the match were applauding Safin's shot-making skills.

[ANNA205]

Safin aims to take it speedy
By Chip Le Grand
January 17, 2005

WHILE most other Australian Open aspirants were sweating it out in tournaments at either Olympic Park in Sydney or Kooyong last week, Marat Safin was preparing in his own way on the largely dormant courts of Melbourne Park.

Safin played the Hopman Cup in Perth at the start of the month and has not hit a ball in anger since.

"I'm practising, working hard, preparing myself slowly, you know, taking life easy," Safin said by way of explanation.

But while Safin knows that the time for relaxing ends abruptly tonight, when he takes to Rod Laver Arena for his opening match against Serbian teenager Novak Djokovic, he hopes to be still taking things relatively easy - easier than he did last year, at any rate.

There is an old adage in tennis that grand slams can only be lost, not won, in the first week. And by the time Safin met Roger Federer in last year's final, he had endured a staggering 22 sets including consecutive five-set marathons against Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi.

Although gracious after his lop-sided defeat to the soon-to-be-crowned world No.1, Safin was the first to admit that his gruelling road to the final had left him in no shape to make a genuine contest of it.

So now, with a relatively injury-free 12 months behind him, Safin hopes to make quicker work of his early matches.

"If I want to maintain myself, to give myself a chance to win the tournament or to just get a little bit closer to the final, I will have to just make my first rounds as fast as I can," Safin said yesterday.

"We will have to see. The other players, they want to win. The guy I'm playing in the first round, he has nothing to lose. He'll be fighting. I don't know what he is going to come up with.

"But of course, if you want to do well, you have to keep it short."

Unfortunately for Safin, brevity has never been a part of his make-up, whether on the court or holding court off it.

For all his immense tennis talents - talents that were most recently on display in last year's Masters Cup final in Houston when he stretched Federer like few players had all year - Safin rarely plays a match without gifting an opponent a look-in at some point.

Last year's tournament is remembered as the start of Safin's career revival after a long battle with injury, but his run could have ended so easily in the third round when he found himself down two sets to one against American Todd Martin.

Banking on Safin's form is as risky as hedging on the Russian rouble - one tends to fluctuate as wildly as the other.

His first round match is certainly no gimme. Djokovic is only 17 and at 190cm and 75kg, appears as likely to be blown off court by a stiff breeze as he is to put the wind up the towering Russian.

But if Safin has never seen Djokovic play, he has heard enough about the Belgrade-born qualifier to know that good judges have earmarked him as a future top-10 player.

Djokovic is also no stranger to Melbourne Park, having won through to the semi-finals of last year's junior championships.

"He is a young guy, up and coming," Safin said. "He is going to come up with the great shots, great tennis and he is going to go for it.

"But I also know that the first rounds are always tough and if you can manage to pass through them, then life will be a little bit easier."

[MariaV]

That's all of the press conf. transcript that's out now. Enjoy!

M. SAFIN / N. Djokovic 6‑0, 6‑2, 6‑1

Q. That looked almost a perfect start for you.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it looked good. For the first round, knowing that they are always difficult, it's better to concentrate and give the maximum, you know, without any complications.

Q. Especially after last year when you had the tough matches later on.

MARAT SAFIN: Basically, yeah. Try to spend much less time on the court as possible because you never know where you're gonna end up, you know, closer you get to the final. So basically it's better to be fresh.

Q. Was it difficult playing a guy that you've never played before, you haven't seen much of?

MARAT SAFIN: It's difficult. It's also difficult because it's first round. It's also difficult because he is young and nobody knows anything about him, and knowing that he gonna come up there and play the best tennis he can and get the support of the crowd. He will try to just go for it, so you have to be really careful with that and expect the worst.

Q. That was a pretty loud crowd at times between the small Russian group and the small Croatian group. Almost like a soccer match.

MARAT SAFIN: It's good that it was small, huh? I really happy that actually the first day of the tournament is a lot of people, and also the crowd like from Serbia and from Russia, fans are coming, they staying for the night session even though it was cold. So it's really good for tennis. I'm really happy to see that and to see that tennis is still there. I'm happy. I'm really happy.

Q. Could you tell us anything that they were saying to you? Was it a distraction at all?

MARAT SAFIN: No, not at all. The people, they pay the money to enjoy. It's actually entertainment, like going to the movies or going to ‑ I don't know ‑ somewhere else. Basically they choose to come and watch tennis, why they shouldn't enjoy it? We're there to make the show basically.

Q. What words did you have for him after the match?

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, he came and said, "Sorry." I don't know why he said sorry, because he apparently ‑‑ because it was so easy. But the guy tried everything. He tried his best tennis, but I played pretty good and just told him that he gonna be great player ‑ and he will be. I mean, he is young. He is 17 years old, turning 18 this year. He has great potential, and I wish him all the best because he is gonna have a very long career, I hope for him, if he continues this way and he continues to working hard. Just I wish him all the best. That's what I said to him.

Q. Do you just look at the individual matches, or do you look further with Carlos losing today?

MARAT SAFIN: That was a little bit interesting upsets today. I mean, at home in the hotel, watching tennis, I was surprised with the loss of Carlos Moya. The qualifier, he played great match. Karlovic lost. Kiefer just lost. So it was a couple of interesting matches, couple of upsets. So I think tomorrow, second day, we'll see some more.

Q. Do you think that helps you, though?

MARAT SAFIN: No, it's little bit too early to say, just talk about this. But just the draw, draw opens up. But basically I played my first match, there's still many matches to go so I'm trying to focus match by match. When I will have the opportunity to get a little bit closer to the final, then we'll talk about it. Just the first match.

Q. Do you often watch other people's matches when you're at home in the hotel?

MARAT SAFIN: No, just there is not really good TV, not really many channels to watch (laughter). So basically I have no other choice than to watch ‑‑ of course I'm doing because of love of tennis, that's for sure. But was interesting, was actually interesting match.

Q. What is it about Australia that brings out the best in you?

MARAT SAFIN: I find myself comfortable here for some reason. I feel good. The court suits me. I love the stadium. Like I said, surface. Great city, it's really great city, I have to admit. You feel like ‑‑ you are not really feeling that you are so far away from home. You can do a lot of stuff. You can go to a restaurant with your friends, you can enjoy it, and you basically have a good time. Once you have a good time in a place where you're playing, it helps you to play well.

[annie]

yeah, thanks for the transcripts for the press conf...

but i'd really like to read that on eby Jim Courier...

what time will marat be playing tomorrow? and can anybody tell me how to contact his management?

[MariaV]

Aww, both playing on the Vodafone Arena tomorrow. Dnara's up first, Marat's match is the last one on Vodafone.

Vodafone Arena Start Time 11.00 AM
Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Dinara Safina (RUS) vs. Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)[2]

followed by
Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Serena Williams (USA)[7] vs. Dally Randriantefy (MAD)

Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) vs. Paradorn Srichaphan (THA)[27]

Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Marat Safin (RUS)[4] vs. Bohdan Ulihrach (CZE)

[annie]

oh thanks...that's great, i'll be home to watch Dina play too..

[sirius]

christina said:

and it was goowd....i mean, djokovic he's gonna be good in the future...and soooooo cute (BUIKPLUIS MIEKE), i almost ended up wanting him to win and his fans

i so know what u mean dude!!!! 20% of me wanted novak to fight back and win........

he's now on my...TO WATCH list...

[zita]

happy dancing, he won , and my boyfriend taped it for me!!!
(but i do have to try to make that dvd work myself)
Anyway , i'm having a 3 week holiday and that means i'll be able to watch marat as much as a can ( with a little help from ES and my boyfriend )

[zita]

andrada said:

Don't know if this address was posted here,so i'll post it...http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/interactive/tv/20050116.html
Anyway,Marat's replies were really spontaneous and intelligent! ;D

it thought it was hilarius , and it seems to me marat had a good laugh

[Andrada]

Well, u're lucky Zita! Enjoy your holiday! ;D
I hope Eurosport will broadcast Marat's second round match!!!

[zita]

tx, i do hope ES will show his match , i'm gonna dvd all night and all day if i have 2

[andrada]

Ruth,i see u're online! Would u pls help me with smth? I wanted to edit my name...to write instead of andrada Andrada...and i did that,but i see that my messages are gone now and it says posts:0
Would u please tell me how can i have my messages and my posts(to say it like this) back? Thanks in advance!