Wimbledon 2007

[Annie]

Thanks Denise for the news from Mary ;D We sure are totally thrilled ;D

I hope they play in the afternoon tomorrow, I won't be home early

[yse]

[yse]

[Annie]

Head to Head:

Marat vs Roger

2:7


2005 Halle
Germany Grass F Federer 6-4 6-7(6) 6-4

2005 Australian Open
Australia Hard S Safin 5-7 6-4 5-7 7-6(6) 9-7

2004 Tennis Masters Cup
Houston, TX, USA Hard S Federer 6-3 7-6(18)

2004 Dubai
U.A.E. Hard R32 Federer 7-6(2) 7-6(4)

2004 Australian Open
Australia Hard F Federer 7-6(3) 6-4 6-2

2002 Moscow
Russia Carpet Q Safin 7-5 6-4

2002 Hamburg TMS
Germany Clay F Federer 6-1 6-3 6-4

2002 RUS v SUI WG Rd 1
Moscow, Russia Clay RR Federer 7-5 6-1 6-2

2001 Rome TMS
Italy Clay R32 Federer 4-6 6-4 7-6(5)

[Alya10]

So far my gut feeling has been right! He is winning and in a convincing manner ;D

admin said:

I hope they play in the afternoon tomorrow, I won't be home early

The comentators on BBC were saying the match is Saturday... I hope they are wrong because Saturday I don't have TV broadcast!!!!!! Weekends are ruled by football and motorsports so no tennis

[Jehaan]

Wowww!!! I just got back home from Wimbledon...was front row at Marat's match and I was just amazed at how well he played! He didn't seem to have as many problems at the net as he usually does and the few points he did miss, he gave himself a talking to! There was a funny moment at the start, where he must have thought his shorts were about to fall down (i wouldn't have minded! ) and he had to stop at the back of the court and tie them up...caused a few giggles!! I'm going away tomorrow so gonna miss the BIG match!!! It's gonna be more than hard, but all i know is that Marat seems to pull something out the bag when he plays Fed and if he at least takes a set off him, i'll be happy!!! The best of luck to him!

[jenhatter06]

whole host of delicious 3rd round match-ups that should be on tap tomorrow:

Marat/Fed
Dima/Haas
Blake/Ferrero
Tipsarevic/Gonzalez
Roddick/Verdasco
Mathieu/Ljubicic

[Dina]

M. Safin - 28 June
Thursday, 28 June, 2007


Marat Safin (RUS) defeated Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)

Q. Grass has historically not been your best surface, but you have played Roger very tough on grass, and you beat him before. Nobody quite knows which Marat Safin will be there to play Federer in the next round.

MARAT SAFIN: For me it's another opportunity to play a great match. First of all, for me it's a huge challenge. Centre Court, play against Federer. He's playing pretty well. He's playing great tennis. If I want to have a chance at least to be close to beat him, I have of course to put up my best game, go for it. Also I have nothing to lose because he's the favorite here. He's playing pretty good tennis on grass. It's his best surface, I guess. But also, like I said, I have nothing to lose. I need to play my tennis, stay focused, take my chances. For sure there are going to be. Just wait and see. Of course, why not? Like I said, it's a challenge. Why not?

Q. When you were serving at 2 3 in the third set today, up 40 15, he hit a ball that was clearly long. The baselines woman failed to call it out, and the umpire, refused your request to overrule. Do you think this Hawk Eye system is any more accurate than these lines people?


MARAT SAFIN: Linesmen are not Hawk Eye. All the human beings are making mistakes, and it's okay.

Q. Do you think Hawk Eye is accurate?

MARAT SAFIN: Hawk Eye is the best thing we can have right now.

Q. Do you think it's accurate?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, yeah.

Q. You complained about the prices of the food at Wimbledon. What about the standard of the food that players are served? Should they be given more international cuisine?

MARAT SAFIN: Compared to the prices, for a plate of pasta, it's costing around £10, right? For £10, which is $20, you can have a great pasta at Cipriani in New York.

Q. What is the quality like?

MARAT SAFIN: Definitely not the Cipriani of New York. Everybody knows this restaurant. I think it's one of the best restaurants in New York. Also in Moscow, one of the most expensive, and we have a better pasta for 20 bucks, that's for sure.

Q. You mentioned it's important for you to keep your focus against Federer. Is that a struggle for you in every match, keeping focus?

MARAT SAFIN: It's kind of complicated sometimes when I'm playing well because sometimes you start to have your fears because you're a little bit under pressure sometimes, you're not playing well. Also you're too tight. Of course, it's difficult to move, it's difficult to hold the concentration balance. You start to panic. When you try to loosen up, you loosen up too much. It's kind of difficult to find golden point. Unfortunately been like this for already quite long time. So hopefully look like I played pretty well these last two matches. To play against Federer, of course it will be easy to keep the focus, that's for sure.

Q. Do you bring your own sandwiches?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, sure. No, of course not. Of course, I have to deal with that. A lot of players, they have to deal with that. Of course, we can have better quality, that's for sure.

Q. Can you talk about your opponent today? How do you think he played?

MARAT SAFIN: I never saw the guy. I never saw him play. A lot of people, they said that he's pretty tough, serves well, good volleys, good hands, very dangerous player. I saw they were right. All of them were right. He beat Gasquet in Halle. He's a great player. He knows how to play.

Q. You mentioned after your first match you weren't very confident. What degree of confidence do you need going into a match against Federer?

MARAT SAFIN: All of it. You need have all of it if you want to compete on the same level as him. You have to bring up your best game. But, of course, the first match is always tough because you kind of nervous, it's a grass court, it's windy, then it's raining, it's stopping, it's raining, it's stopping. All these factors, of course it's pretty tough for the first match to play great tennis and be as confident as you can be. But looks today like I played well, moved quite well. Looking forward for the match.

Q. Where is your level of confidence now?

MARAT SAFIN: There. We'll see tomorrow (smiling).

Q. What do you like most about Wimbledon and what do you dislike most about Wimbledon, apart from the prices?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, of course, what I like is the tradition. What I like is they improved a lot of site. Great facilities for the players to be inside. I mean, like the garden upstairs. The restaurant area, plenty of space. Pretty comfortable. You can go to Aorangi through the tunnel. You don't have to go with all the people. Great locker rooms. Great showers. No, showers is really important. If you see them, you understand what I'm talking about.

Q. And dislike?

MARAT SAFIN: And dislike? Like I said, a little bit the quality of the food and, of course, the prices. I mean, like it's not enough an extra £5 doesn't hurt anybody. To eat strawberries and have a cup of coffee at least, and, of course, the same day is the same thing: chicken, pasta. They could have done better for the prices.

Q. You faced a lot of breakpoints in these first two matches, but you've also defended almost every one of them. Are you concerned you're facing so many breakpoints or how feeling good you defended so many of them?

MARAT SAFIN: Both ways. Well, Federer also, he is even the best player in the world, he has also has these Love 30 things, 15 40, also defends them pretty well. It's not to be scared of defending them. It's just to face them and win them because, anyway, anybody can have chance against you and anybody can get there. With two lucky shots, with one like two lucky shots, that's it, you're down 15 40 easy in a matter of seconds (snapping fingers). All of a sudden, you find yourself in not a really pleasant position. You need to face, you need to face in the right way, know what you're doing, how you're going to play. To make a long story short, just be careful. It's just a breakpoint. You didn't lose the game yet.

[Patxy]

[davis]

I think this article sums up today's match pretty well...
I wasn't as impressed by his performance as most of you girls, especially the third set was an example for sloppyness and low concentration. He needs to improve big time to take even a set from Roger - but I do believe that he can do that. It'll be a fun match. Davai, Marat!

Safin Sinks Qualifier Qureshi
©Reuters / E. Keogh
Thursday, 28 June, 2007

Marat Safin may have reached the third round with a convincing win over qualifier Aisam Qureshi but he will have to improve his serving and concentration if he plans to make it into the second week.

The Russian No. 26 seed did just enough to dispose of his 27-year-old opponent 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), but appeared to approach the match with a somewhat cavalier attitude.
Admittedly, he was playing a man ranked 255 places below him and making his Grand Slam debut. Safin, on the other hand, has won the US and Australian Open titles and reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2001 before losing to eventual champion Goran Ivanisevic.
On paper, therefore, he had little reason to be scared. But Qureshi was on good form, riding high on a win against Richard Gasquet in Halle. And if Qureshi, the fourth Pakistani man to play at Wimbledon in the Open Era and the second to reach the second round after Haroon Rahim, was nervous, he did a good job of hiding it.
He served out the opening game with an ace and matched Safin shot for shot until 3-3 when he netted two backhand volleys and handed the Russian the first break of the match.
Undeterred, Qureshi began mixing up the game, a deft drop shot here and power-play there. It worked to confuse the world No. 24 who began blasting balls long and missing first serves.
Safin very soon had four consecutive break points against him but hit some dazzling drives. This, and Qureshi’s big match inexperience, allowed the Russian to hold his serve and take the first set 6-4.
Despite this, Safin’s brilliance fluctuated and at times it was as though he had left his concentration in the locker room. However, it was the qualifier’s head that dropped in the second set, which was snatched away from him in a flash, and when the Russian took the match on a third set tiebreak, Qureshi’s Wimbledon dream was over.

Safin, however, will have his work cut out in the next round – he faces four-times Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer.

[Annie]

Thanks Annette and Pat and thanks dina for the interview.

Somebody in London please take the man to Tiger Lily or Hakkasan and feed him already!!!!!!!!!!! ;D

[Annie]

An extract from Roger's interview today

Q. What do you expect from Marat?

ROGER FEDERER: I expect a tough match. I played him in Halle last year in the finals. I had a difficult three setter against him. You know, he's obviously a player who can always upset anybody on any day. I hope he's not going to have one of those crazy good days against me. But I think I can pretty much control also how things are being played on grass. Hopefully I can use my variety against him.

[Dina]

I'm not like you Roger I hope at the opposite he's gonna have the craziest good day ever! Behave man and make me proud!!!!!!!!!!
Davai Marat!

[uranus]

Ohh I hate seeing him depressed

[luxsword]

depressed but cuuute