Rogers Masters Toronto 2006

[LaFFy TaFFy]

marats game just started
come on marat

[davis]

This match already drives me crazy before it even started, thanks to the commentators of the ATP site. During the warm-up they kept talking about Marat as if he already is a "has-been", a player who at the "ripe" age of 26 is only a shadow of his former self, not able to come back. They criticized his play, stated that he has parted ways with Peter (not true I suppose?) and discussed his "mental instability" in length. And after Marat won his first service game the comment was "Well, not very good but at least he held his serve." Drove me nuts!!! I'm watching soundless now, a much better choice.

Sadly the 3:0 just became a 3:3, reminds me of the Clement match. Go Marat, please win!

[Annie]

well he lost.....it's 2 am and I am sad, pissed off and just...drenched...of everything...emotions mostly....

goodnight...I'll analyse tomorrow

[yse]

[emma]

Thanks Yse

[yse]

[varia]

From www.rogerscupmen.com

Robredo Outlasts Safin

August 8, 2006 - In one of Tuesday’s most intriguing match-ups, No. 7 Tommy Robredo (Spain) emerged victorious after a hard-fought first round contest with 2000 Rogers Cup presented by American Express champion Marat Safin (Russia).

Safin, a former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, gave the Spaniard all he could handle before falling 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Robredo’s consistent, steady play and ever-changing shot selection ensured that the powerful Russian could not complete his comeback effort.

Robredo, the only Masters Series winner this year not named Roger or Rafael, is now set to face Jose Acasuso (Argentina) in the second round.

[sabz]

Thanks for the pics, kinda sad he lost in the first round, but we all knew it would be tough. It seemed he fought hard, but i cant really comment on the match, so i will wait n see what the rest of you say.
Marat n Dima just won their doubles match 6-4 6-4 against Blake n Ginepri ;D so i guess that is minor consolation
they play Bjorkman n Mirnyi - UDACHI BOYS!!!

[love15]

What a bloody shame...

Those commentators should just get off his back already. i hate all sports commentators... back stabbers they are. one minute they are off slagging some poor team / sportsperson, and by half time when that team is actually beating the other 'better' team they crap on about how they 'new they would win it' ' had no doubts' . mind u 45 minutes ago they were picking at all faults . . freaking traitors... stick to the one thing and dont go playing fence sitters...

Well, sorry i didnt get to see the match.. it sounded intense those first 2 sets... we gotta remain postive for the next tournament.

[carole]

Speaking of commentators, some french ones on Sport+ have announced that Peter was not anymore Marat's coach but that now it was Darren Cahill, former coach of Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi...
I don't kow what to think, i guess we have no choice than to wait for an eventual confirmation...
But i remember having said that it was strange that Peter was on vacation at this moment of Marat's season, so maybe my intuition was not so bad...
I like Peter a lot, i think he has done great things for Marat and these two are close friends so if it's true, it must have been a real tough decision...
But maybe Marat feels that now he needs a change... Unfortunately that's often what the player thinks when things are not going his way... We'll see anyway...

[ace]

Tough loss, but I'm glad he and Dmitry won in doubles!
Whoa, what is with all the rumors about a new coach? I'll be sad if Marat and Peter part ways. Whatever happens I hope its for the best and helps Marat do well in the future.

[yse]

[carole]

Well Davis that's exactly the question : where is Peter??
And i agree with you concerning the physical ability of Marat those days, he seems to be a little slower than before so with adapted physical training it should get better and better... And we have the start of the results since Wimbledon i think... The knee's injury might have also some consequences... All of that it's going to take time i'm afraid...

[lena]

oh well, just a lost again, after a look at his first serve at 3rd set (something like 39%) ... some reason why he has lost ..... but it can happen these days, he has to work on it. Hope he'll find his way..

just have found some nice pics with Marat from a practice with Dima , all credits to meeshay from flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/aloha_pineapple/page3/

[Annie]

Re: PETER and coaching. Please be patient. Official news will follow at one stage or the other. For now it's all just rumours and I have no idea what's going on

Last night inspired me for some writing, so here goes my little opus.

The Strongest Part of Marat Safin
by Annie

11 p.m. on a Tuesday night, outskirts of Moscow. I sit in my living-room in front of a huge TV with butterflies in my stomach holding a laptop. MSN is wide open as always and windows keep popping up informing me that people are gathering for what can already be considered a ritual – a Marat Safin match. I am nervous already and Nadal seems to be taking forever to beat Massu, but he finally does it and ads come on…excitement is unbearable. I chat to one of the closest pals I have on the net and she tells me she has no coverage, if I know anything about her it’s definitely that she cannot stand scoreboards (like anyone can, ey?) Living room gets chaotic for a few moments with hubby and me setting up our video camera on a tripod in front of the TV and in a matter of a few minutes my dearest friend has coverage, shitty but coverage.

So here I sit with all the technology present at my house piled up in front of me and I stare at my screens. Hubby looks at me sympathetically and heads off to bed, he can never understand why but he accepts it and lives with it, my cat roams around me for a few minutes and when she realises HE is on TV and she is not getting any attention heads off to her basket for the night. This is it, this is just how I like it: me, my pals and Marat.

Two MSN windows are open: video streaming in one mixed with cheery and sobbing smileys (that’s Safin for ya) and a bunch of other Marat maniacs in the other. I sit and think about how weird life can get. Here we are, people of different nationalities, different backgrounds, different age gathered together in the middle of the night staring into our computers and sharing one passion. Most of us have never seen one another but for some very strange reason most of us cannot imagine our lives without each other anymore. I sit at work or at home sometimes and catch myself thinking about a girl in France who went for her blood test and her results are due any minute now or about a sister of another girl in Holland who is undergoing surgery and I realise I am sick with worry, I think of a mother of two kids in Australia whose little ones are really sick and I wonder how they are. Belgium, Holland, UAE, Romania, Russia, France all cramped into one little window laughing, crying, getting mad, upset in a matter of three hours. This is world politics for you happening right at this moment and the man who makes them is staring at me from my TV screen.

We swear at him, we blame him for our gray hair, lost nerve cells, for playing with our emotions but deep down inside we all know that that is the reason we love him so much. That is the reason we are behind him for years and will stay there for as long as he can and wants to hold a tennis racket. No matter what – we are always there, a few steps behind. And even though we grumble, repeat the F word continuously and contemplate hopping on FedererExpress every time Marat loses, we know that what he does for us is priceless – he makes us feel alive and makes us realise that no matter where we travel next there will always be someone there waiting for us. Without even knowing it, he has built a huge brick wall around him, a wall of people who share their passions, fears, happiness and emotions. And that by far is Marat Safin’s strongest part – his fans. As long as we are here – fear nothing Marat, we won’t let you fall.

This morning I was on a tube going to work (one hour late, thanks to Marat) and I opened one of Paolo Coelho’s books and read “Every path no matter how hard it is - is magical if it leads to your dream”. Dream on Marat, and so will we!