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Post by maryb on May 27, 2009 21:58:17 GMT 3
Big Yin, no mumpin'. That was a great match - you fought all the way. Maybe the fairy on your back was too hefty. Sorry pet, I will lose a few pounds for Wimbles. Chin up, it was a terrific battle, but you were stuck with a fat fairy that slowed you down.
I'm off to the gym.
Big kiss and a hug from me. Your best surface awaits ...
FG
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Post by maratsmaiden on May 27, 2009 22:06:01 GMT 3
what a match. Loved the fire and the passion he showed with the chest and fist pumping. flashes of his brilliance were on display during this match as well, and he proved that he is in tip-top shape. Very sad that he was up in the fifth and lost it in the end... hopefully this amazing guy will have something positive this year, he certainly deserves it.
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Post by maryb on May 27, 2009 22:12:34 GMT 3
He will get something. A slimline (almost) fairy, and a Wimbles title ... He ain't the only one fired up now. I'm so happy to have watched that fight - perverse, considering he lost. But what a battle. And he kept the heid when he was robbed a point at 9-8 30-15.
A very proud fairy. Just wait until he gets to grass ... All that volleying is going to be put to use.
Marat, you are an angel, not a pixie ...
Think the fairy dust has just blown up in my face ...
FG
PS message to the blondes/brunettes/redheads in the box (so many, I lost count ...) ... Take VERY, VERY good care of my boy tonight ... He deserves it. LMAO
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Post by Anne on May 27, 2009 22:31:16 GMT 3
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Post by minisound on May 27, 2009 22:36:38 GMT 3
After the loss of the 2 first sets he fought ´till the 5th set, a long time ago i didn´t see it...I´m so proud of him  |
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Post by SAFINNO1 on May 27, 2009 22:42:08 GMT 3
Comeback or no Comeback he lost! A match he shouldve won easily which frustrates me- TBF Ouanna rose to the occasion and Marat wasnt at his best, never seemed comfortable on court and ball striking was in and out - his return was poor and his 1st serve percentage was too low but serves were quality.
I dont think this match was physically demanding as it dipped in and out of intensity.
True he showed passion and determination at the end but he still lost - i dont want to see him give it his all out on court and lose and i dont think either of these guys would have a chance against Gonzo in the next round.
At least however he has bowed out on Rod Laver Arena and Phillipe Chatrier lets hope he can make Centre Court and Arthur Ashe
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Post by yarina on May 27, 2009 23:05:58 GMT 3
Comeback or no Comeback he lost! A match he shouldve won easily which frustrates me- TBF Ouanna rose to the occasion and Marat wasnt at his best, never seemed comfortable on court and ball striking was in and out - his return was poor and his 1st serve percentage was too low but serves were quality. Agreed, Ily! I think he played two good exhibition sets in the 3rd and 4th sets, when the presure was off him, but when the presure was on again in the fifth, he lost the match - and it was a deserved win by the Frenchie, he was the one with more chnces in the decider afterall... True he showed passion and determination at the end but he still lost - i dont want to see him give it his all out on court and lose and i dont think either of these guys would have a chance against Gonzo in the next round. As I said before, Marat is quiting competitive tennis for a reason... so I'm not entirey surprised he lost today - although losing to a newbie like this guy is quite a feat - nevertheless, hats off to the guy, he played a solid match and had his brain in check for 4h 30 min! I feel for Marat when I see him still fighting and trying, and with this attitude I'll support him till when he decides to say quits - though I've stopped hoping for results way way back already... The positive of the match for me - he managed not to lose in straight sets today, with the French crowd booing him. He left with a reasonably entertaining match, the most he could have done here would have been to lose to Gonzo in straights in the next round...(it's sort of "the grapes would be sour anyaway", I know  ) |
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Post by maratsmaiden on May 27, 2009 23:29:24 GMT 3
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Post by yarina on May 28, 2009 0:25:36 GMT 3
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Post by justsafin on May 28, 2009 0:28:04 GMT 3
some photos from the match, the first being my favorite (found on gettyimages and yahoo):  ( I couldn't finish watching the match because I had to go to work. Although the reason might be, I didn't dare to watch further fearing that he might just lost it in straight sets and it really looked like the case after the 2nd set. So sad that he lost but I am glad that he demonstrated that he still had passion for tennis and we have been here cheering on him not simply for nothing. Sad about the results but content with his spirits. That's the Marat that first caught my eyes way back 5 years ago.  Good luck on the grass season and I hope Mary's fairy dust works magic again!  Boy, I can't imagine how much I will be missing him.  |
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Post by justsafin on May 28, 2009 1:26:18 GMT 3
Thanks, yarina! Marat looks disappointed. *sigh* (still very charming though ;D) |
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Post by maryb on May 28, 2009 10:27:52 GMT 3
Glad to see that he was reflective in the right way in the post-match conference. He admitted he hadn't played his best and that he'd fought and lost, but what pleased me was that the fire in the belly was still burning. He could have shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't give a damn, but he didn't. He still believes that he's got something to give. And he does. Credit to Ouanna, he played his heart out. Can't say the same for the crowd ... I hate it when they start baiting players ...  Guess you could argue that that's part of the game - you need to switch off. Wimbles, here we come! Big Yin, I'll pack you some earplugs with the fairy dust. A Wimbles crowd can turn hostile too.  FG PS Forget about the Hurly Hurly Club after Queens. Go to Liverpool. Aunty Denise will be there too. I'll coach, and she'll say stop nagging him ... |
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Post by Anne on May 28, 2009 18:53:20 GMT 3
Glad to see that he was reflective in the right way in the post-match conference. He admitted he hadn't played his best and that he'd fought and lost, but what pleased me was that the fire in the belly was still burning. He could have shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't give a damn, but he didn't. He still believes that he's got something to give. And he does. Credit to Ouanna, he played his heart out. Can't say the same for the crowd ... I hate it when they start baiting players ... Guess you could argue that that's part of the game - you need to switch off. Fully agree with you! Crowd was not the on Marat's side obviously but still it's really unfair and not nice to boo at someone like that. My commentators were also suprised to see the crowd turn against Marat like that. It was actually quite funny the way he responded towards them, but maybe not the smartest haha. Anyway, sad that he lost, but as Mary said, it's good to see that the fire is still burning and he still really really wants to win! I hope the grass season will be good to him again! |
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Post by Dina on May 29, 2009 14:35:55 GMT 3
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Post by maryb on May 29, 2009 22:59:34 GMT 3
bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-safin-again):Ouanna-Safin: Will We See Such a Mighty Fine Marat Safin Again?The baying and cheering of the French crowds on Court Phillipe Chatrier were only just enough to carry their Frenchman through a dramatic late-night match at Roland Garros. Had Josselin Ouanna being playing the familiar Marat Safin of recent months, they would have expected their man to win the final set with relative ease. But today, they were treated to a Safin who had no intention of going out with a whimper. He was here to make a bang. Safin has shown great fragility at key points on many occasions in his long tennis career. Having conceded a two set lead, and a break in the decider, it was odds-on that the volcanic Russian would eventually erupt and fire his shots wide of the lines. Today, he did not. Challenged here in a four and half hour match by French qualifier Josselin Ouanna— ranked 134rd in the world—Safin might have let rip with the racket and his temper in frustration. Today, he did not. What Safin and Ouanna did produce was a fifth set of such extraordinary quality and competitive spirit that it should be played to teenagers coming up through the ranks. For Ouanna, it was only his second tour level win on clay, and he showed extraordinary maturity and confidence to pull back one of the finest and most charismatic tennis players of the last decade. Game after game edged them to 9-8, and Safin served yet again to stay in the match. He did not put a foot wrong, but his relatively unknown opponent played the shot of his life time after time, as though in a Groundhog Day replay. And the crowd was simply never going to allow Ouanna off the court as the loser. Safin could have done no more. He appeared as fast and alert at the end the match as at the beginning, and he ran the court to a powder in retrieving Ouannas stunning shots. Yet he was eventually beaten, no doubt believing that the gods of tennis had condemned him to some netherworld. There are few occasions when the platitude “this is what tennis is about” is actually fitting. This was one of those occasions. Today, Safin showed the tennis and the courage that, on a different day, and in a different tournament, might have carried him to a glorious conclusion. It will be doubly tragic, then, if such a fine match of tennis marks the last French Open he plays. Tragic, first, that he lost so early and to a qualifier. Tragic, second, that he lost when playing some of his best, most consistently focused tennis, despite the pressurised atmosphere, the late hour, and an opponent who challenged his character to the limits. It will remind everyone on the tour that, should he finally retire this year, he will be sorely missed. LMAO. My thoughts entirely about the match. My Big Pixie lost, but it was the passion and desire to win, evident so many times in the last three sets, that were SO startling (think you can see that from the photos if you didn't see the match...) - and that even he would admit was sorely lacking in so many matches of the recent past. If our boy could now apply that passion at the start of the match, he's laughing. He's admitted in his post-match interview that he didn't play his best. Well, certainly for the first two sets ... the focus went AWOL as usual. Okay Big Yin, do something about it. That desire needs to be there at the start of the match and carried all the way through. It's what I expect from you in Wimbles ... Your FG believes in your ability ... as do SO many more. Don't lose sight of that, but more importantly believe that of yourself and show them all what you're still capable of. I want your two-fingered send-off to mean something. ;D FG PS Booked your place at Livvie yet? PPS Have you put the blondes/brunettes/redheads back in the box again? I expect 110% focus now on Wimbles. Otherwise, yer arse is getting skelped.
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- taunting the crowd
Guess you could argue that that's part of the game - you need to switch off.
