Season ending - AMS Bercy 2008

[Dina]

he might get passed Monaco, but I reckon it won't be any easy task to play Monfils especially in Paris! but it might also be an extra motivation to Marat to do it! we so know how much he likes to beat people in front of their home crowds!!!! hopefully we'll have a third round full of sparkles!

[jenhatter06]

Richie's out with an elbow injury ... replaced by (lucky) qualifier Granollers, who jumps to the second round by way of Richie's bye

[justsafin]

Oct 27, 2008 2:14:42 GMT 3 jenhatter06 said:

Richie's out with an elbow injury ... replaced by (lucky) qualifier Granollers, who jumps to the second round by way of Richie's bye

I feel sorry for Richie. Been on tour under such great pressure and still underachieved......even No1 in Frace' spot is replaced.

Get well soon, Richie.

[Annie]

Oh nooooooooooo...Annette is in Paris and she will be devastated about Richie

[Dina]

season's over!

[SAFINNO1]

Thank God Marat's season is over - he lost 6-0 7-6(4) to Monaco. Not had a good end to the season.

Marat played ugly tennis throughout and in the first set which he lost in 20mins was shocking - wasnt serving well, and wasnt returning well at all. The first time he had ever been bagelled in Bercy.
2nd set was better even though he got broke at the start but broke back and played okayish, and the TB just was to inconsistenr. He made 46 errors in the whole match and broke 3 rackets during the match
Marat's heart must have been warmed by the french crowd who gave it an atmosphere and cheering with Marat to win - lots of allez and Davai's but didnt change a thing.
TBF Monaco did what he had to do, serve well, mix it up and be consistent enough and best of luck to him in the tournament
As for Marat go on holiday and enjoy them you big dummy

Just a word about the surface - extremely slow, low bounce and doesnt like spin - hope the players enjoy

[justsafin]

Oct 27, 2008 18:54:57 GMT 3 SAFINNO1 said:

Thank God Marat's season is over - he lost 6-0 7-6(4) to Monaco. Not had a good end to the season.

Marat played ugly tennis throughout and in the first set which he lost in 20mins was shocking - wasnt serving well, and wasnt returning well at all. The first time he had ever been bagelled in Bercy.
2nd set was better even though he got broke at the start but broke back and played okayish, and the TB just was to inconsistenr. He made 46 errors in the whole match and broke 3 rackets during the match
Marat's heart must have been warmed by the french crowd who gave it an atmosphere and cheering with Marat to win - lots of allez and Davai's but didnt change a thing.
TBF Monaco did what he had to do, serve well, mix it up and be consistent enough and best of luck to him in the tournament
As for Marat go on holiday and enjoy them you big dummy

Just a word about the surface - extremely slow, low bounce and doesnt like spin - hope the players enjoy

How sad!!!!!!

But Marat will be seeded AO 09 , right?

[sabz]

Safin to Quit?



Former world number one Marat Safin said he was considering his future in the game after his first round loss at the Paris Masters.

"I need to enjoy my life without tennis, I will see if I continue," the 28-year-old Russian said after losing 6-0 7-6 to Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco.

"I need to think it through. I will see, it was too intense these last three years. We will see. I have no pressure, nothing to show, nothing to prove."

EDIT: here is some more eurosport just added to the article

With 18 of the top 20 players in the world appearing in the City of Light - including Roger Federer, who confirmed he would be on board as he bids to land his first Masters title of the year, French fans expected a feast.

They also hoped that, with the top players getting a bye to round two they would see three-time Paris champion Marat Safin serve up a tasty hors d'oeuvre against Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco.

Instead, Safin gave them a dog's breakfast of a performance - losing abysmally 0-6 6-7 (4) in one hour and 19 minutes.

Seven double faults and 46 unforced errors told their own sad story and Safin, champion in 2000, 2002 and 2004 but now lumbering outside the top 30, admitted he couldn't wait to start his holiday in Miami.

"I just don't know what happened. I just couldn't find my rhythm. I didn't take my chances," said the two-time Grand Slam winner, who turns 29 in January.

Safin said he would consider his professional future after two almost non-stop, years.

"I have had two difficult years and no vacation - pretty intensive.

"If I feel like I want to continue to play I will - if not it will be over," he said.

Safin lost the first eight games but broke back after several bouts of head clutching for 2-2 in the second.

An ace moved the Russian to 6-5 but Monaco held to force the tiebreak, whereupon Safin produced a series of wild and loose shots to concede the battle.

[maratski]

So sad for Marat but his reaction after loosing in the first round ( how many times this season !!!!! ) is absolutely NOT a surprise for me !
come on Marat cheer up , have a nice holiday and ti'll next season !!! ( I hope !!!!! )

[Natasha]

i realy hope after a months vacation he decides he wants to give it another go, it makes no sense to quit if your still physically "fit", if he still had his injury problem i can understand, i think its the heartbreaking losses to the nobodies and that final he lost, every time he gets closer it gets snatched away from him

only wimbledon he was saying he loves the feeling of fighting/suffering, obviously if you can back it up with the wins the pain isnt so bad. i hope he decides after the 2 months off, that he can still play at a top level!!!!

dont knw what i'll do without marat playing tennis.

[justsafin]

The KC final must be a real pain becuz it's so close, he knew it and had been waiting for that "moment" to come. Just about everything started to click......he lost it.

Bercy is one of Marat's fav tourneys. It's the last tourney of the season. After struggling for so long, his ranking finally came up and he was aiming to collect more points as he had nothing to defend and yet he got a bloody bagel and lost a bloody tiebreaker. Another first round exit. Seems like the nightmare starts to haunt him again.

He is gonna be 29......Whether he wants to end it at a high note or when he refuses to struggle anymore, I will support his decision. But from the bottom of my heart, I truly hope Marat tough it out and hangs in there. He is the most amazing character on tour. It's gonna be boring without him around. Have a nice vacation and (hope) come back refreshed. I am sure Mary has already fedex tons of fairy dust to him.

[Natasha]

apparently he will go to miami for the hols, lets hope its does the trick.

[Luciana]

Its so sad to hear that! but i think that he should get that time off and rest from tennis!

oh by the way i hope that his holidays in Miami are around the last days of november! I wouldnt mind to spend my holidays in the same city as him LOL

[maryb]

Just watched the match - as usual, I couldn't get away from work as I had to chair some meetings at the last minute (see Big Yin, the 'day job' doesn't always work out how you expect it. Happens to us all - difference is I suppose, I don't have to play it out in front of millions ... ). If I did, I'd get twitchy too when I shouldn't.

Don't be too hard on yourself Big Yin. It ain't the end of the world. But, can we please give it until the end of next season before the big 'R' looms, seriously? You're getting a bit morose ... too soon! I don't like the comments from you now ... you DO still have some good results in that wee heart of yours ... and I know that grass-court success particularly is still waiting to happen. ;D Ask yourself, did YOU expect to get to the semis at Wimbles this year? It should be your best surface. You've got all the shots. And you said yourself this year that the surface was better for your style of game. I didn't sit there with fair Scottish skin frying away for hours in the sun for nothing (between endless rain showers). Your burnt fairy godmother deserves more! I will happily fry away again next year at great discomfort. The wings could drop off, but you're worth it ... a la L'Oreal.

Go to Liverpool next year for your pre-Wimbles warm-up. Aunty Denise will be on hand for holding your hand and moral support, and your fairy godmother will be there too for intensive grass-court training. I will nag endlessly. It will hurt your ears, but it'll be worth it. ;D Hell, if Pernfors is there too, I could try to persuade him to hit a few balls with you. ;D

Forget today's result. You got twitchy and pushed too hard. I liked that laid back, relaxed Wimbly attitude. It is still there if you give it a chance. Start 2009 with a 'this is it' attitude'. If it's your last year, make the most of it and go for it. Go out on a high. You deserve it.

Chin up my Big Pixie! I expect you to go out on that high. There's no turning back when you do opt to retire. Remember that.

Fairy Godmother

[arwen21]

It is very sad, Marat is a great player a part of me wishes that he retires because I don´t enjoy see him so sad and disappointed another one thinks that he can still offer good tennis that is a confidence thing.... it would be very sad to retire this way, such a great player, with so much talent....i´m very sad....

The best thing he can do now is to rest, have fun and think about it..... he was very sad today is normal he thought about retire.... two months is a lot of time a lot of things can happen... anyway we will be waiting for him... i hope he makes the right decesion..one that makes him happy... although i will be very very sad if he finally retires from tennis this way....