THE RCA 2006 CHAMPIONSHIPS - INDIANAPOLIS

[carole]

elisabeth said:

I think Marat clearly knows what is happening.
I just hope he'll get rid of his troubles and find back his fantastic tennis.

Honnestly i'm not sure that he knows what's wrong those days...

[Elisabeth]

He surely knows his pb better than us. And I guess all is in his mental.

[carole]

elisabeth said:

He surely knows his pb better than us. And I guess all is in his mental.

I think too that it's mental and that's why i think too that he doesn't succeed in finding the real issue and the solution... When he said "i don't know what to do", it's not a good sign at all... He doesn't talk about luck and that is a worrying sign too
Sometimes you can know yourself but still being unable to go out of the hole...

[jewell]

Marat should hire a sports psychologist. That should sort him out.

[carole]

jewell said:

Marat should hire a sports psychologist. That should sort him out.

Thanks to you, i'm asking for it since ages! But that's not the style of the guy to just say "help" unfortunately...

[jewell]

Well, if he doesn't want any help then he should just retire. It's pathetic the way he's been playing recently.

[Elisabeth]

jewell said:

Well, if he doesn't want any help then he should just retire. It's pathetic the way he's been playing recently.

Oh please...are u really thinking what u wrote?

[jewell]

Sorry. Of course I don't want him to retire. But his form has been dire lately and I just hope he can turn it around.

[sabz]

EDIT: I just found this on the ATP website
Blake next meets South African qualifier Wesley Whitehouse, who stunned two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin 6-1, 6-4. Blake said of playing Whitehouse: "He has a big lefty serve and he played really well today against Marat. He went out there swinging away and he has nothing to lose. He's probably going to come out swinging from the hip and try to hit winners. I remember when he was coming up he was one of the best juniors in the world. We played once before in the qualifying of the Tulsa Challenger in 1999 and he beat me, so I know it won't be an easy match."
Whitehouse had won just one ATP-level match in his career before coming to Indianapolis. In the first round he defeated Newport finalist Justin Gimelstob.
Whitehouse earned 12 break point opportunities against Safin - who put just 52 percent of first serves into play - and converted three of those chances. Whitehouse served 11 aces and lost just four points on his first serve.
Safin slipped to 12-12 on the year. He has won consecutive matches just twice this season.


I am gutted that he lost and I know that he hasnt been himself lately, but all you can do is support him. I am not gonna pretend that I know what is going through that head of his, but I am sure that he must be feeling a hell of a lot worse than we are. He knows what he is capable of - and that's what makes it hard for him. I agree with everything Webby said, which is why no matter how depressed I get, I will always love and support him. He is completely unique and no other tennis player is like him - that's what makes him so fun to watch
He said something in that russian interview which Annie translated "So rankings are not the most important thing, it's finding your game which is. And this will definitely happen this year. Two-three serious wins and I will be unstoppable." hopefully that will happen soon.

[legato]

emma said:

From his OS forum....

Author: Webmaster (webby)
Date: 20-07-2006 00:36

Ok so we are all upset - so am I! But I don't go ranting and raving and calling him names.
Nobody ever said it was easy being a Marat fan - I should know I have been there since 1998 - and there have been lots of highs but also lots of lows.
Watching him is like being on a roller coaster ride - you have to just hang on and ride through to the end.
Part of being a fan is to understand why we support him - for his tennis, his charisma, his personality not as a machine. Roger has fantastic tennis but I just can't get excited about him and the same with Nadal - great tennis but leaves me cold.
I am webmaster of this site because I have always supported and always will support Marat. Way back in 1998 he stirred an emotion that watching him was something very very special.And that emotion is still there. No other player has ever stirred that same emotion when watching him play.
Yes I have times when I have felt depressed but we all get over that.
In the write up on bbc online today Marat says
"I never felt comfortable on the court," said Safin, who has won two Grand Slam events.

"This kind of a loss hurts. I don't really know what to do. You can only look for better times. I'm not even close to my tennis."

So you see Marat himself is confused. He will spend his time now and probably go straight to LA where he has friends and can practise hard.
He wants to make it - believe me!

I think the short report from Jocelyn says it all - she was our representative at Indy together with Lydia as our ticket winners and we wait to hear her full report.
Be POSITIVE fans - Marat will survive.
And so will we.
PEACE all
webby

Oh he has got friends in LA, well maybe in 5-7 years time when he quits tennis, he can forge a career as a movie star :oHe is really much more charismatic than those pitts and cruises out there

[carole]

I'm a little bit afraid when he starts talking in the same sentence of training and friends because i'm not quite sure that both are going together with him...

[legato]

He really exceeded my expectations with this one:o White who ::)the guy is not even in the top 100, but it's really entertaining even when marat is not playing well :oyou get to see all those tantrums and racket smashing even though it's not what you can properly define as tennis ;)Well I think that maybe Peter should whack him, brainwash him, or something ;DOr maybe marat should return playing doubles with Roger, I would really love to see that although I dont think that it might help ::)However seeing that he has got friends in LA and he's going there, then maybe he should seek a career in acting along with tennis, the guy is just briming with emotion, and certainly if there was an oscar for tennis he surely would have been a record holder ;D
Davai Marat, we all love you but dont do that again will y'a

[sonya]

when i saw the scoreboard yesterday,1st set 6-1 and stuck at 4-4 in the 2nd...well,didn't feel like i should have a new heart-attack..not because i was too optimistic and because i believed he could win,but because i just wasn't expecting too much ...i decided to have a nice sleep & not to bother myself with some questions,when i don't have right answers for them ..i just remembered that jelena jankovic had like 10 or more loss in the first rounds in a row,and then,at one moment,something happened in her head-she just started to win and to make some good results ..she's one of those lazy who like to say : nevermind,i don't have to practice hard now,i know how to play tennis,i have a lots of talent..

after reading webby's post & that interview with marat,i feel relieved! marat sounded positive and like he does know what he wants...i like that he still believes that he can do it ;D - "So rankings are not the most important thing, it's finding your game which is. And this will definitely happen this year. Two-three serious wins and I will be unstoppable." [/i]

carole said:

I think too that it's mental and that's why i think too that he doesn't succeed in finding the real issue and the solution... When he said "i don't know what to do", it's not a good sign at all... He doesn't talk about luck and that is a worrying sign too

rotfl carole for the part about luck! ;D but i think it actually could be a positive sign,because i really was getting sick everytime he mentioned luck,self confidence..just sounded like lame excuses..now,even he realises that it's not only luck that bothers him.. ..and i agree about problems having a mental background..just don't know if it's a lack of motivation,losing a focus or getting pissed off easily.. ..i'd prefer if that's the problem,hope it's not something about the knee,which he hides from us cause he doen't want to get us too upset..

still,can't decide-are we still in the phase losing-in -the-second-round,or we're back to losing-in-the-first-round? tricky one!!! roftl

btw,i strongly believe that he's gonna start winning as soon as he gets some curls! ;D

[carole]

Thinking about Marat in the actor business, i'm starting to ask myself what he'll look like during love scenes... Well, my brain is going far away from the topic, sorry! But it helps forgetting this stupid loss...

[carole]

sonya said:

now,i know how to play tennis,i have a lots of talent.. :-Xquot;

[/b][/i]

carole said:

I think too that it's mental and that's why i think too that he doesn't succeed in finding the real issue and the solution... When he said "i don't know what to do", it's not a good sign at all... He doesn't talk about luck and that is a worrying sign too

rotfl carole for the part about luck! ;D but i think it actually could be a positive sign,because i really was getting sick everytime he mentioned luck,self confidence..just sounded like lame excuses..now,even he realises that it's not only luck that bothers him.. ..and i agree about problems having a mental background..just don't know if it's a lack of motivation,losing a focus or getting pissed off easily.. ..i'd prefer if that's the problem,hope it's not something about the knee,which he hides from us cause he doen't want to get us too upset..

still,can't decide-are we still in the phase losing-in -the-second-round,or we're back to losing-in-the-first-round? tricky one!!! roftl

btw,i strongly believe that he's gonna start winning as soon as he gets some curls! ;D [/quote]

;D ;D I love this one : "still,can't decide-are we still in the phase losing-in -the-second-round,or we're back to losing-in-the-first-round? tricky one!!! roftl "
And Sonya you must be my twin of the curls cause i'm praying for them to come back and i was starting to think i was the only one !