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Post by SAFINNO1 on Mar 4, 2009 18:54:27 GMT 3
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Post by SAFINNO1 on Mar 5, 2009 0:19:20 GMT 3
Pretty bizarre tie  : www.tennis.comA local businessman has promised the Romanian Davis Cup team €20,000 for each match they win against Russian this weekend, as well as a €100,000 bonus if they win the tie. The tie is being held in Sibiu, Romania. Romanians have an incentive to earn a nice sum of money. I think that businessman is being generous whilst using his head - Romania should on paper not win a match so he wouldnt lose much! Video - where marat speaks at the end! www.tvr.ro/sport.php?play=58712Marat at the airport www.tvr.ro/articol.php?id=58635&c=137 |
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alinuta
New Member
MAKE (SAFE) LOVE NOT WAR
Posts: 7
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Post by alinuta on Mar 5, 2009 12:29:17 GMT 3
the russians are not such fav.i am romanian and i know the rom players and they are not that bad as everyone thinks.hanescu can beat any player from top 10,he beat nalbandian at RG and he did very well against federer,he defeted lot of good players and crivoi playes very good in davis cup.i love marat and dima but i have the hope that we can beat russia,many things can happen
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Post by Dina on Mar 5, 2009 15:55:30 GMT 3
R1 - V.CRIVOI (ROU) v. M.SAFIN (RUS)
R2 - V.HANESCU (ROU) v. M.YOUZHNY (RUS)
R3 - M.COPIL / H.TECAU (ROU) v. T.GABASHVILI / D.TURSUNOV (RUS)
R4 - V.HANESCU (ROU) v. M.SAFIN (RUS)
R5 - V.CRIVOI (ROU) v. M.YOUZHNY (RUS)
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Post by Annie on Mar 5, 2009 16:53:35 GMT 3
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Post by lolotte007 on Mar 5, 2009 18:34:32 GMT 3
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Post by SAFINNO1 on Mar 5, 2009 19:52:54 GMT 3
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Post by memtennis on Mar 5, 2009 21:55:09 GMT 3
Do we know the time for the match or any information about livestreams? Marat looks SO good in those pictures.
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Post by SAFINNO1 on Mar 5, 2009 22:23:09 GMT 3
Crivoi to take on Safin in opener
When the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group tie gets underway tomorrow in Sibiu, Romania will be attempting a feat it has only achieved once in the last six years: advancing past the first round. The fact that the Romanians have a strong and inspirational new captain in Andrei Pavel this year, makes Eussia no smaller a hurdle to overcome. Pavel and his team may well have drawn comfort from the fact that they avoided drawing France in the first round for the third consecutive year, but with Marat Safin heading the opponents, the tie against Russia could be a decidedly steep mountain to climb.
The full draw for the weekend is as follows:
Friday
Victor Crivoi (ROU) v Marat Safin (RUS)
Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
Saturday
Marius Copil/Horia Tecau (ROU) v Teimuraz Gabashvili/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)
Sunday
Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Marat Safin (RUS)
Victor Crivoi (ROU) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
Crivoi up first
Two-time Grand Slam Champion Safin will open the proceedings on Friday against Victor Crivoi for whom this will be only his fourth Davis Cup match. But his lack of Davis Cup experience and the almost 100 ranking places difference between the two did not seem to concern the Romanian. Outcomes in Davis Cup are not always as predictable as they seem on paper and Crivoi is certainly going into the tie with the right attitude, despite the fact that he also has to deal with the pressure of being the first on court.
But he seemed to be at ease even with this minor obstacle, stressing that he was in fact “happy to go first,” a point which his captain also reinforced. “Hanescu has a lot more experience in Davis Cup and so he knows how to deal with different kinds of pressure but for Crivoi it is best to just go in there and not have to sit around much before that.” said Pavel.
Pavel – good choice of captain
Pavel, Romania’s third most successful Davis Cup player, has only been at the helm of his team for a few months but already he speaks with authority and seems to have won the respect of his players. “I think it is very good for Romania to have a captain like Andrei Pavel who had a great experience in Davis Cup. He is a young guy and we can learn a lot from him,” Victor Hanescu, Romania’s No. 1 said of his former teammate.
Hanescu himself is aware that Romania’s chances rest on his shoulders, as the player most likely to be able to deliver a point or two for his team. In the first singles against Youzhny his 2-1 lead in previous matches should give him an edge, coupled with the knowledge that his latest win over the Russian was in Doha earlier this year. “I look forward to winning the match against Youzhny,” Hanescu said but he was also quick to remind his audience that Russia is a tennis giant and that all players, including Youzhny, have extensive Davis Cup experience which makes them a dangerous opponent.
Tarpischev shuffles the pack again
In the world of this tennis giant, it came as almost no surprise that Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev, the ever-contemplating strategist, reshuffled his cards and nominated Youzhny, currently ranked No. 61, ahead of Tursunov, the world No.28 for the second singles rubber. Tursunov, whose head-to-head with Hanescu is 1-1, is to play doubles on Sunday with Davis Cup debutant Teimuraz Gabashvili. As a true strategist, Tarpischev kept his cards close to his chest and declined to comment about the choice or the tactic behind it, saying only that “the two teams seem equally good and the tie will be decided not by one but by all players, maybe regardless of the strategy behind the captains’ choices.”
Whether the captains’ strategy will play a crucial or lesser role in the outcome of the tie, remains to be seen. Romania has defeated Russia three times between 1969 and 1973 but Russia won their most recent encounter in 1997. And while the Russians are looking to improve that score and will start as favourites in Sibiu, new captain Pavel seemed calm and pragmatic, expecting mainly that his team should give his best in all the matches up until Sunday.
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Post by yarina on Mar 6, 2009 0:13:00 GMT 3
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Post by justsafin on Mar 6, 2009 17:31:21 GMT 3
Didn't get to watch the match, too late for me.
But I am happy for Marat!
CONGRATS, MARAT!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Dina on Mar 6, 2009 17:35:19 GMT 3
Safin wins first point for RussiaWhen Victor Crivoi looked straight into the eyes of the reporters after the draw yesterday and said with impressive frankness that he was looking forward to playing Marat Safin in the opening rubber, he was telling nothing but the truth. But even though the 127th ranked Romanian put up a brave fight against the two-time Grand Slam champion, his almost undeserved 76 64 64 loss has given Russia the 1-0 lead over Romania in this first round tie of the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas. Uncomfortable opening set Crivoi belied the almost 100 ranking places that separate him from the Russian with a show of astonishing speed and concentration. Whatever his captain, Andrei Pavel, was telling him during the change of ends seemed to work for Crivoi who would return to the court with his defences compellingly reinforced each time. The first set stayed entirely on serve as the Romanian maintained the pressure on Safin with a fast baseline game. He took advantage of the power emanating from every ball fired by the Russian to send them back on Safin’s end of court with just as much force. Safin’s serve and famed backhand brought the points quickly to his advantage but he often seemed powerless when at the receiving end, shrugging in disbelief as his returns kept lending outside the lines and the first set went into a tiebreak. Safin later confessed that “it took me a long time to get used to the balls. It was not until the third set that I felt completely comfortable. Together with the fast court surface, this was not a beautiful tennis match and the points went by very quickly.” The tiebreak was very much a cat-and-mouse game, with Safin in the chaser’s role but every time the Russian thought he had that crucial advantage, Crivoi would be quick to fight back and level the score. But at 5-5 the former world No. 1 showed his audience glimpses of the brilliance that underlined his career and as the Romanian’s nerves faltered, Safin finished off the set with his seventh ace. Crivoi tries to keep up with masterful Safin And if the two players were indeed both uncomfortable with the surface and the balls, they certainly did their best to turn the tide into their favour. The second set started in very much the same fashion, with both holding serve and trying to impose themselves whenever it was possible. But at 3-3 something happened and Safin’s greatness shone through again as his famous backhand finally broke the Romanian’s steadiness, forcing Crivoi to up his unforced errors count and give the Russian a 4-3 lead. Safin did not waste any time from then on, charging ahead and wrapping up the set 64. By the time the third set came around, everyone could have guessed the script: both players holding on tight to their serves, with only one break point sufficient to decide the outcome. This time the break point opportunity presented itself to Safin even earlier, in the fifth game and Safin proved a masterful executioner, placing a backhand shot so perfectly that Crivoi could only return it well outside the baseline. That point also set the tone for the rest of the match, with the Romanian giving his utmost to stay in but when Safin’s 20th ace eventually came around, the 76 64 64 scoreline showed that first point clearly in favour of Russia. Crivoi, though visibly disappointed, was gracious in defeat and gave credit to Safin’s mighty serve while the Russian attributed his win to his more extensive Davis Cup experience. Whatever it was that in the end decided the outcome, one thing is sure: it worked well for Safin and it makes Victor Hanescu’s job in the second singles rubber against Mikhail Youzhny that much more difficult. and Marat's audio intw: www.daviscup.com/news/radiopopup.asp?mediaid=10646&medianame=%20&%20aryAudioData(%203,%200%20)%20&
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Post by maryb on Mar 6, 2009 18:47:01 GMT 3
Well done to the Big Yin and Misha, good result. GB just lost first rubber, 6-7 6-7 6-7. Damn. Dendy and I are now watching the weans on court - stars of the future. Audience has just been asked if anyone would like to join them on court. Dendy is having none of it ... and I've got my kitten heels on. Damn. Stardom beckoned. Briefly. Wish us luck for the next rubber, or else I will take to the court.
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Post by sabz on Mar 6, 2009 18:51:28 GMT 3
YAY 2-0 lead for the ruskis! Misha won 6-4 6-2 6-4. very straight forward result!  and what a rubbish way to lose the 1st rubber for GB  at least it shows there is a fight in them, everyone has written GB off since Andy withdrew  |
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Post by memtennis on Mar 6, 2009 19:21:44 GMT 3
Yay Marat!!! (and Misha). Hopefully the last game on Sunday will just be for "practice"! Practice for Indian Wells!! Did anyone actually see the match? Too early for me. If so how did he look (err I mean play)?
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at least it shows there is a fight in them, everyone has written GB off since Andy withdrew 