Roland-Garros 2007 vous invite à Porte d'Auteuil

[maribrasil]

carole said:

maribrasil said:

I'm just waiting for his interview where he's gonna say "I don't know what happened" and "I had my chances but didn't take them"...always the same...

he already did the "i couldn't do anything", look at the first post of the page

Yeah, he did...Is this a part of his press conference? If it's not I wanna see what his answer will be to the question: Can you describe the match?

srbafin said:

first of all i think marat has to loose weight, he has gotten stronger (at least in my oppinion) but his footwork is just not right! that used to make him very special because he was an exeption among the big guys having not only firepower but also incredible footspeed and reactivity! i really don t want to say that he is not working hard i am sure he is!

my next pont is his coach! i respect his decision to work with volkov right after his return from knee injury, he needed someone he can talk with and just to make him feel right! but, i still believe that stopping to work with peter lundgren was an error! he played his best tennis end 04-beginning 05! i just don t see his game getting anyhow better with volkov, his forehand in 9 matches out of 10 is all over the place except where is should be!

i guess we have to say he gained some points and lets look forward to grass, it not like we are not used to deal with such situations!

1. He already lost some weight compared to last year, but I do agree that he should work out more.

2. For me, Sasha is not the problem. I don't think he was ever a coach to Marat, he's a friend who, someone said in MTF, pat Marat in the back. I don't know how many times he said that he doesn't need a coach to teach how to play but he needs someone to help him to control his mind. Well, the only person that can do that is himself. He can hire Peter, Sasha, Roche or whoever he desires, if he's not willing to change it's not gonna work.

3. I'm not happy that he won "some points", he's not a player that should be happy with just "some points", he can do soooo much better than that. Players like Tipsarevic or Vicente should be happy to be out in the second round after being defeated in the first round in the previous year. Marat shouldn't be contend with "some points", he has to believe that he can go further. For me, being happy with "some points" means that he's no longer thinking as a great player, he's thinking as an average player and that would be very disappointing.

[carole]

Article posted by Shadow on MTF :

Safin slumps to straight sets defeat

posted Wednesday May 30, 2007 02:17pm by Andre Jones

Marat safin was beaten today by Serbian number 2 Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a manner that suggests that the Russian will perhaps never again be a factor here in Paris.

Despite making an encouraging start by breaking the Serb early on to go ahead 3-1 in the opening set, Safin failed to press home his advantage and was broken twice to concede the opening set. From there it was an uphill battle for the mercurial Muscovite as his mood became as dismal as the cold gloomy weather; throwing his racquet and shrugging his shoulders as the match gradually slipped away from him.

Despite the occasional flash of brilliance which included a spectacular diving backhand volley winner which brought a roar of delight from the crowd and applause from his sporting opponent, the Russian by and large was all at sea, devoid of ideas to take control of the match. A disastrous ninth game of the second set saw him fall two sets to love behind, and from there it looked like there could only be a Serbian victory.

Serving at 5-6 down in the third set, Safin found himself two match points down after some wayward strokes. Tipsarevic put the Russian out of his misery on the next point when he forced him into error on the forehand volley.
"Well, life goes on", Safin said philosophically. "It wasn't really a match that I should have lost; it's only the second round. I guess there will be another chance and I'll play better. The luck will be on my side. Unfortunately, right now I feel like something doesn't come together, and that's why it's a lot of sad losses for the past, from the beginning of the year."
Looking ahead, Safin is not sure how many years he has in the game.
"Let's see first another couple of years, how it goes. It also depends on what the situation is going to be. I'm not really into playing around 50 in the world. It doesn't really motivate me to play tennis and travel around the world if the max we can make is 2nd, 3rd round and the position in the top 50. I make one semi-final somewhere in a small tournament (Las Vegas) and that's it. So it doesn't give me enough motivation to continue. Of course there is hope, I want to play tennis, and it will be a sad situation to leave being a struggling player. So I really hope that I can change and play another 3 or 4 years. Why not?"

Andre Jones
Roland Garros
Paris

[Anne]

The official pressconference after the match..

In text: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/interviews/2007-05-30/200705301180536554875.html

Q. What would you say to your fans, you have lots of fans who might be disappointed today.

MARAT SAFIN: Well, life goes on, and unfortunately they wasn't really the matches that I should have lost. It's in second round only. I guess there will be another chance and I'll play better. The luck will be on my side.

But unfortunately right now, I feel like something doesn't come together, and that's why it's a lot of sad losses for the past, from beginning of the year.


Q. Did you get some trouble with the conditions, the rain and everything, or it's not a matter?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, it doesn't really matter, because I think it's ‑‑ we are professionals and been playing in such conditions really for many years, different tournaments. To complain about the weather doesn't really make any sense.


Q. Have you ever attended in a theater Hamlet?

MARAT SAFIN: No.


Q. The play Hamlet?

MARAT SAFIN: No, no, no.


Q. Because there is a lot of interesting monologues and he's asking himself to be or not to be.

MARAT SAFIN: It's for me or ‑‑ this question?


Q. Could be, because I listen to many monologues of you today and it remind me of Hamlet.

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I'm 27 years old, and I'm already downhill on my career. So it's not really a question to be or not to be. This kind of question will be at age of 22, without winning a Grand Slam, and being somewhere up close, but never actually achieve anything, like Rios, for example. That's a question for him.


Q. You seem very frustrated on the court. Is it because of your game or because of Tipsarevic?

MARAT SAFIN: No, well, everything, altogether. It really made me disappointed because I was very close to win the first set 3‑1, Love‑30. And he serve, slipped away, the set. And of course, he started to play much better, even though that I made a break the first game of second set.

And I was just a little bit sad that nothing came together. Like I said, nothing, it didn't click. And then I start to be a little bit scared and had a little bit of pressure. He started to play much better and he was feeling that I'm not playing my best tennis.

And altogether, I could analyze the situation, but I couldn't do anything against it. And that's why it was really frustrating for me.


Q. Do you really feel that you're on the way down?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I don't know how many years you want me to play?


Q. Five more.

MARAT SAFIN: Well, let's see the first, another couple of years, how it goes also. It also depends what the situation is going to be. Because I'm not really into playing between being around 50 in the world. It doesn't really motivate me to play good tennis and travel around the year. And the max we can make, second round, third round, and the position in the top 50. I make one semifinal somewhere in a small tournament and that's it. So it doesn't give me enough motivation to continue.

But if it doesn't really click and it doesn't really make any radical changes and nothing comes up, then I will see. Of course, there is a hope. Of course I want to play tennis, and it would be a sad situation to leave with being a struggling player. So I really hope that that can change and play another three, four years. Why not?

But those are ‑‑ depends on the mood. Maybe I don't want to play anymore next year, maybe in two years. I don't really know. But really, of course I wish to continue being not 24 in the world, being a little bit, at least, closer to the top 10.


Q. You had all the injury problems. Now you're healthy.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah.


Q. So isn't it disappointing that you're healthy, no excuses, nothing and then ‑‑

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but it's tough, you know, because every time I get injured I was playing great tennis. I was 3 in the world; I got injured in the wrist. I was 3 in the world and I got injured with the knee after winning the Australian Open. So maybe that's the situation. But what can we do? Move on.


Q. Just a last question. You seem the last year or two maybe you have figured out grass a little bit.

MARAT SAFIN: That's one of the last hopes.


Q. Do you think maybe now, maybe Wimbledon could be almost the best place for you because you have such a big game?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I don't want to really put everything on all the pressure, because I have enough already on grass. Because also, I don't know what they gonna do with the seedings. They have own way of doing the seeding. So I don't know what's gonna happen there. Also I think I can play well there, and I will have good draw, I think I can manage.

Last year I was close to beating Gonzalez, but I lost five sets. I don't feel anymore so uncomfortable like the years before. But looking right now in the situation that I am right now, I'm not really in the perfect conditions to make any big results. But maybe step by step, and if something gonna change on grass.

For the video-interview: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia/console/mflash.html?targetLink=/media/video/INT.safin.marat.30052007_EN_480x360_400kbps.flv&lang=en_FR&localisIE=true

I'm really sad that he lost and I couldn't see the match. But I convinced myself that he would win so I really believed in it. I think Marat did that too. But unfortunatly luck was, again, not on his side and I'll tell you this: luck (and confidence) is everything in tennis.. I hope the pieces will fit together soon!

[carole]

Thanks a lot !

" But really, of course I wish to continue being not 24 in the world, being a little bit, at least, closer to the top 10." : that is the Marat i love !

[carole]

His face on the Hamlet question :lol:

[srbafin]

maribrasil

1. we fully agree on this point, i think he lost some but physically he is not where he was before that unfortunate injury

2. of course sasha is not the problem, and marat does not need to be
thaught how to play but someting in his game is missing and is not consistent enough so it is surely mental, maybe sometimes lack of footwork but he needs someone to improve his game or bring it back where it was because he is not getting that level of play back by himself so i believe he needs someone to work on that! he can travel with volkov but i think someone must help him to spice up his game, and he has to realize that!


3. of course i am not happy that he won some points and he isn t and shouldn t be satisfied with it either! i agree with everything you wrote about that! i would be satisfied if he reached the Qf and played a nice match against federer or maybe more! but this is just awful and has been in large parts for a while now!

i just said that about the points because we have to find something to cheer us up because his play has done everything but that! now he can practice on grass if he is willing to!

[lena]

if someone like to download Marats post match interview from today

just click/ save this link
www.rolandgarros.com/media/video/INT.safin.marat.30052007_EN_480x360_400kbps.flv

[safinette]

I'm surprised that you all still have words, cause I ran out of them, really. I don't know what to say or what to think about this situation... I guess there's nothing left but to wait for a change.

[jenhatter06]

again, depressing and frustrating ... I had to settle for the scoreboard this morning, but after the first two sets, I couldn't stand to watch it anymore (plus it was early in the am -- too early for that torture), so back to bed I went, praying and hoping for some kind of miracle. almost didn't want to look at the scoreboard when I got back up ....

and I have similar thoughts and feelings as everyone else, and I feel like I'm repeating a little from after his loss in Hamburg (and am borrowing some of what I wrote then as it hasn't changed) ...

Marat's got so much talent and the physicality, he's just got to get the mentality back up to speed. I don't get how the together-ness he had in the first round didn't stick (again) -- yes, weather's crappy and he had two long days in between matches, but Tipsarevic was in the exact same boat. Gotta get the consistency back.

Hopefully the pieces will come together (soon) ... I do hope for a smile again. And he has to want to keep playing, and I hope that he truly does and that his heart stays in it ... and I sure hope he knows how many of us are still pulling for him and want to see him do well because we know that he can.

*sigh*

hard trying to formulate words to adequately express the thoughts ...


.... and in the interview .... Hamlet?? I love how (a lot) of the time they ask the most random things, and you have NO idea where they're going with it ...

[lena]

safinette said:

I'm surprised that you all still have words, cause I ran out of them, really. I don't know what to say or what to think about this situation... I guess there's nothing left but to wait for a change.

I don't want to say anything about it................. it is something that I/ we all have there before with Marat. He did have his good days followed by this f******* days... . This is one of his site but it is even on himself to put all this things together to feel and to play better.....

[krikry]

maribrasil said:

2. For me, Sasha is not the problem. I don't think he was ever a coach to Marat, he's a friend who, someone said in MTF, pat Marat in the back. I don't know how many times he said that he doesn't need a coach to teach how to play but he needs someone to help him to control his mind. Well, the only person that can do that is himself. He can hire Peter, Sasha, Roche or whoever he desires, if he's not willing to change it's not gonna work.

I don't really agree with. I really think that Marat needs a real coach! Not to teach him how to play tennis, but someone who is able to say what is not working, someone who forces him to change some things!

Because he is not stupid, he knows he has a "mental-confidence problem". You're saying that if he's not willing to change it's not gonna work. But I'm sure he wants to change the situation , he wants to slove his problems. He just doesn't know how to change or what to do. And for all that reasons, he needs someone who's gonna help him

[Chachou]

[jenhatter06]

reese said:

Something to cheer you up. Un jour a Roland:
ma-tvideo.france3.fr/video/iLyROoaft6o8.html Gilles Simon
ma-tvideo.france3.fr/video/iLyROoaft6ov.html Tommy Robredo
ma-tvideo.france3.fr/video/iLyROoaft6oM.html Florent Serra.

that helped a little bit

some winners from today that also make me feel (slightly) better:
Moya
Davydenko
Djokovic
Robredo
Youzhny


.... and it's raining again - that figures ....

[taboo]

Great interview!
That question with Hamlet and the look on his face...priceless! Actually, I don't think he liked it at all - since he felt the need to make such an 'accurate' description of Rios in order to prove his point!

I saw the match - and I saw several matches of him lately - his head is not working and he is not willing to do anything about it...he looks very resigned...which is bad!
I really don't think Sasha is good for him, he does not need a friend anymore, but someone with authority that kicks his butt once in a while (someone that can silence his 27-years-old brain when on court) - if not, maybe retirement is for the best - right now he is an ex-double-Grand Slam winner gone bad!

[safinette]

From Tipsarevic's press conference:

"Q. I read that you like to read some books about psychiatry. Do you want to be one to Marat, for example?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, Marat is, in my opinion, maybe the most talented player in the world. I think for him ‑‑ this might sound a little bit harsh, but for him tennis is like a toy, because when it's interesting for him, no one in the world can beat him. But then when it's not interesting for him, he just doesn't, you know, show his talent or his tennis the way he can play, you know.

So I mean, I know that Marat was not at his best today, and I'm really happy that I used that to the fullest, winning three sets to Love."