Articles about Marat

[yarina]

U.S. Open - Safin: I'm finally clear of knee injury

Eurosport - Thu, 21 Aug 07:38:00 2008

When Marat Safin destroyed Pete Sampras to win the U.S. Open title in 2000, it seemed the world order was about to change.


Sampras, who had just won his 13th Grand Slam title, was made to look old by the big, strong Russian, in one of the most impressive performances in recent Flushing Meadows history.

Since then, despite a stunning 2005 victory at the Australian Open, Safin has become one of the biggest enigmas in world sport, brilliant on his day but susceptible to mental let-downs and struck by injuries each time it seemed he was about to establish himself again.

Eight years on and a relative veteran at 28, Safin reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon this year and believes he is finally clear of the knee injury that hampered him after that 2005 win in Melbourne.

"The last time I played the U.S. Open normal was back in 2001, when I got to the semi-finals, probably, it was so long ago," former world number one Safin said.

"Every time I started to play well I was getting injured, even when I was number one, I got injured with the rib, I couldn't play for two months and my ranking dropped and I lost confidence.

"But I am getting back again, the results will come eventually. The ranking doesn't really matter, if you get the results it will come back."

Now ranked 44, Safin will be unseeded in New York next week but none of the top players will want to face him early on, especially Novak Djokovic, who was beaten by the Russian in round two at Wimbledon.

Having been ranked as low as 90th in March, Safin is on the up again.

Much of the credit, Safin said, should go to his coach, Hernan Gumy.

"It's been just over one year for us now, and I am pretty satisfied," Safin said.

"I am a little old to do certain things. Over the years it gets tougher and tougher to play well, especially when you compare yourself with the years before.

"He understands, he has a lot of patience and is the ideal person to travel with, which is very important. I am not under any pressure."

Safin said he had been wary about moving to his backhand side until Gumy took over.

"The knee was difficult and I was risking a little too much," he said. "That's why my ranking dropped because without confidence you cannot make any more winners from the back of the court.

"All of a sudden the pain was gone and I could start at least to work on the movement, I started to cover the court better, doing more work in the gym."

Nothing is smooth sailing where Safin is concerned, though.

After early defeats in the Masters Series events in Toronto and Cincinnati last month, Safin reached the quarter-finals in Los Angeles but then pulled out of Washington with a stiff neck last week.

"It should be okay. I just need three or four days' rest," he said.

Reuters

uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21082008/58/u-s-open-safin-m-finally-clear-knee-injury.html

[justsafin]

Glad he feels okay and gives credits to Gumy. ;D

Looking forward to US open. It's been so quiet at TGFR. Marat went fishing or Olympics?

TV here doesn't cover first week of the tourney. So, fingers crossed that I can see Marat on TV the 2nd week of US Open !!

[Dina]

I know this is not about Marat; but I couldn't not post it and I didn't know where!

and that thing about Dr. Ruth Westheimer crashed out all my fanatasies though, but.....

Dear Roger. . .
Posted 08/22/2008 @ 3 :07 PM

What up, dawg? I caught your gold medal doubles performance in Beijing the other day and just want to say, wa-a-a-a-aaaay to go! When I saw you up on that medal podium, rockin' the red-and-white Swiss team warm-ups with a gold medallion worthy of Mr. T (don't even think about the mohawk, dude, it's just not you), I thought once again: It's all good, bro'!

Tmf I know you're dealing with some "issues" these days, and who am I to butt in - the world needs another Roger Federer armchair analyst like I need a hole in the head, right? Hey, I'm a blogger, not a tennis coach. I just sit around all day in my pajamas, pontificating on this, that, and the other, ogling Getty images of hotties like Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams when I'm not going on about the farm in game-rich Andes, or my kid, Cowboy Luke. But then I had this flash. You and I have a lot in common, Rog, even though it may not be obvious to everyone. Your pajamas might be silk while mine are flannel with coffee stains, but blogging and trying to be the greatest tennis player in tennis history are similar undertakings. Who woulda thunk it?

Let's face it, a journalist of any kind is someone who wants to have his voice heard above those of his fellow citizens, even if he's got nothing particularly interesting or thoughtful to say. And a tennis player aspiring to greatness wants to beat the pants off all comers, all the time, and for what - just for the hail of it, that's what! See what I mean? We're loose cannons, you and I. We want to dominate the conversation. Nature of the beast.

And think about this: a lot of people, especially in the mainstream media, think that bloggers are just "pretend" journalists, with zero credibility and very little of substance to add to public discourse. Let me remind you that some people also think tennis players are pretend athletes, otherwise known as "weenies." Of course, you don't help your own cause by prancing around in that cardigan, and Rafael Nadal - what's up with that "newest member of the Village People" look? . . . Let's face it - in Roger's world, just like in TennisWorld, perception IS reality.

All in all, Rog, this is a good time for you to think a little. . . out of the box. Hey, if John Newcombe could go to a faith healer in Manila to get help for his bum shoulder, if Andre Agassi felt okay about turning to track star Michael Johnson and his coach, if Marat Safin could seek counsel from Dr. Ruth Westheimer (or am I wrong about that?) why shouldn't you be allowed to take advice from a blogger - especially one who's job is a lot more like yours than you probably ever realized.

My first piece of advice is simple - ignore that haters! That job starts with ignoring journalists, who's job consists of two parts. Part A is building people up as if they were the greatest thing since Luxilon. Part B is tearing them down, as if they were the worst thing since Billy Carter. When it comes to heralding the new or ushering out the old, they collectively suffer from an embarrassing condition known as premature articulation.

Then there are the fanboy and fangirl haters. Let me tell you a little story about them. The other day, I wrote a post about those lame "slant eye" photos of the Spanish basketball and Fed Cup teams (Argentina's female soccer players got in on that action, too; not having won a single game, they had a lot of time on their hands). Almost within minutes, the haters came out of the woodwork. I accuse the Spanish players of taking part in an ill-advised, sophomoric photo-op - goaded by advertising execs, no less - and the next thing you know, people are firing off lists of the horrible crimes visited upon the world by the United States, covering everyone from native Americans to Gitmo. Did I get all worked up and fire back a list of noble US achievements, or point out that there would be no such thing as clueless advertising execs were it not for America's Madison Avenue?

Nah. I just sat back, did a few deep breathing exercises, and asked myself, What would Cervantes do?

Okay. Right now, you've come up short at a couple of big events, and a few big singles matches. Rafael Nadal has squeaked by you in the singles rankings, to take away your no. 1 ranking. My feeling? It took him long enough, now can we please just move on the the really important stuff - winning majors? And hey, it's not like you're off the radar and contemplating a furious late-season charge in hopes of catching Nikolay Davydenko in the year-end rankings, right?

Then there's the other subset, the fans who think they're in touch with their inner Brad Gilbert. You know the ones I mean - the geniuses who say your forehand isn't what it used to be; that you can't handle the high kicker to the backhand, that you don't have the legs to run with Rafa all day. Dude, they're just effin' with your head, you realize that, don't you? At TennisWorld, we call those kinds of haters "trolls." Granted, some of your most loyal fans are running around like Chicken Little, and the anti-cardigan crowd is saying you're finished. Cooked. It's Rafa's planet now, you're just renting space. That's got to be galling, I know. But my advice to you? Sit back, do a few deep breathing exercises, and ask yourself: What would Pete Sampras do?

Here's another point of similarity. I've learned blogging that you're only as good as your last post. Substitute "post" for "match" and bingo - you're in Pete's world! A couple of times, I've written a post and been hailed as the greatest thing since Seatguru.com. After my next post, the same brain surgeon jumps on to write that I'm the most embarrassing thing to happen to tennis since Linda Siegal - you remember Linda, right, the girl whose boob fell out of her dress during a match at Wimbledon?

You know what? In tennis, like in blogging, you live to fight another day. It doesn't matter if you're wearing coffee-stained PJs, or racy black shorts with satin stripes down the side. Every day is a new beginning. You go out there in the next few weeks and kick some buttski and take a few names and bingo - you're right back on top of the world. So what if you're not no. 1 anymore? Ivan Lendl was no. 1 for more years than I can remember, and who would you rather be, Ivan Lendl or that other guy who often found himself at no. 2, Andre Agassi? No contest, right? And look, I'm not sitting around wishing I were Arianna Huffington, either.

Here's another thing I've learned that might be useful to you: learn from your mistakes and move on. Do I need to tell you how often I've misspelled the name Mark Phillipoussis (it just one "P" in the middle, isn't it?), but did that stop me writing about the scud muffin? No way. Sometimes, I've had an editor go over some of the stuff I wrote, looking for those mistakes that slip by because I've stared at the page too long. It helps. Trust me on that. In your field, an "editor" is usually called a "coach". He can see things that you don't anymore. He can get you to simplify and focus. And a coach can tell you something that not too many editors have told me right before I sat down to write a post: Hey, just go out there and remember that you're Roger Federer and he's not. Impose yourself! You'll be surprised at how much difference it can make, and let's face it, interesting a girl as that Mirka is, do you really need to sit across the dinner table from here every freakin' night?

And lastly, Rog, let go of any anger or bitterness you may feel, especially when it seems like everyone is piling on. Anger can make you do dumb things. I have my trolls, you have your haters and premature articulators. If you get all hurty and defensive, if you go off on them like Jimmy Connors used to go off on some poor line judge in a straw boater, slumped over asleep while supposedly calling lines, they win. Yeah, bro', it sounds harsh. But always remember - if you lose your cool, they win. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Well, that's about it. So much for the heretofore unnoticed parallels in our lives. Right now, you may be simmering, thinking: Where do you come off, you bottom-feeding blogger, telling me what to think, taking cheap shots at my black shorts! Just remember what I said about anger, bro', and keep this in mind, too: Greg Sharko of the ATP Tour saw my post about first-time no. 1s the other day and decided to do a little more original research. He sampled 10 guys to see how they fared in the first Grand Slam event they played after they reached no. 1. Guess how many of them won the event?

One. That's right, uno, dude: it was Jim Courier, Roland Garros, 1992. Keep that in mind when the US Open starts on Monday. I'll be pretty busy out there, but I'll try to catch up with you at some point.

[Dina]

I wish she helped him though!!!!!

[annie]

Dina, i think the thing with the Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a joke...

[Dina]

I know lol! but think how dramatic it could be for a guy like him.....

[yarina]

I was about to write: common guys, we can't mention in the articles section all the blog rants...then I realized this is one Bodo's recent entries

[SAFINNO1]

Article about the Murray Bro's

small snippet

He says he would have preferred the tie to be played on a hard court rather than grass because he is still favouring the right knee that gives him trouble from time to time and flared a little during the final at Flushing Meadows. Shifting from one surface to another and back again was the reason he opted out of the tie in February and when he was told Marat Safin, the Russian, had withdrawn from this week's world group semi-final in Buenos Aires, he did more than simply raise an eyebrow. “That's terrible,” he said, tongue in freshly-shaven cheek. “Are they [Russia] not playing in Argentina?”

[Alya10]

Interview for the French Tennis Magazine, translated by Damita at MTF (thanks )

He resurfaced where we expected him the less... Almost forgotten, the phoenix entered into the light during the last Wimbledon by joining the final fight after disturbing the trio which dominates tennis these days. Semi-finalist on the English grass (which is far from being his best surface), Marat Safin eliminated Novak Djokovic before giving in to Roger Federer. This "resurrection" didn't happen by chance and it was worth Tennis Magazine interviewing once again this still whimsical and endearing player that he is.
The temperamental Marat Safin, full of talent, tells us about his years of hardship and he doesn't mince his words when he speaks about the organisation of the tennis tour or about the pernicious aspect of some rules in the game. At the age of maturity, he has a clear view on himself, but becomes merciless for sermonizers. He can tease, he can even provoke when he uses a so not refined vocabulary, he can also show discretion when talking about his "little" sister Dinara and even show real admiration about the Nadal-Federer rivalry on top of the world's hierarchy.
One can sometimes forget that he, too, once was the world #1 and won 2 grand slam tournaments, the 2000 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open. He's not at the Olympics, where he could have potentially asked for a WC, and it's in the middle of his American summer that we've met him, for a straight conversation. Hold on tight, it really takes your breath away...

Tennis Magazine: You surprised a lot of people during the last Wimbledon, first by beating Novak Djokovic, and then by reaching the semi-finals. Did you surprise yourself as well?
Marat Safin: First of all, I don't care at all what people think of me or expect from me. I'm satisfied with the life and the career I have had so far. Because the people who have an opinion on me, they know nothing about tennis for most of them. And those who are into this sport and know about tennis, they know how difficult it is to come back after being injured, and how difficult it is to travel weeks after weeks on tour for already 10 years. So sure this semi-final was a surprise, but I deserved it. I worked hard for it. It's been a few years now that I've had trouble to move on court, because of my knee which was painful. It was hard, believe me. Then I started working with Gumy (1) to try reverse the situation, because I was going through difficult times, and I wasn't enjoying being on court anymore. It wasn't easy for him to make me change the way I was moving on court, and to make me become faster. We worked hard for that...

TM: You had a switchback career in general. Were there moments when you worked hard but results didn't follow?
MS: Again, you can't imagine how happy I am to be where I stand now. I don't care whether I'm 80th, 90th, or 150th. I was in the top 10, I was #1, I won 2 grand slam titles, when at the age of 16-17, when my sponsor dumped me, I really thought I'd never have the possibility to hit the tour. Finding money was an emergency, and I was lucky that IMG came to me...

TM: When was that?
MS: In 1997 (2). I even had to borrow money to go to Roland Garros. So when I hear people judging me, I think they'd better keep their opinions for themselves and cut me some slack. And there are a lot of them, especially people in the world of tennis who say "He should have done this or that", and when I hear that I want to be somewhere else. But in fact I don't care. When I look back, I think I've had a great life and an amazing career. I really did all I could do, so why should I regret anything? Trust me, I don't regret a thing.

TM: Tell us more about this moment at the beginning of your career when you had no money to travel.
MS: I was ranked 450th, and my sponsor told me they would provide no more financial help. So I went back to Moscow for 2 months, until that day when IMG offered me to go play the junior tournament in Roland Garros. My mom gave me her last $500 and told me: "Go, and make a good use of them". If she hadn't given me this money to buy the plane ticket, I wouldn't have been to Paris, that's as simple as that. But this, people can't see. They see me on tv and say: "ah, what a life he has this guy! He plays for one hour and a half only, and earns a lot of money". But they don't see how I work all year long, and the hard times I've been through during these last 10 years.

TM: These hard moments you've been through, do they make you appreciate your life on tour even more now?
MS: Of course. A lot of people think it's granted, and that, because you have some talent, it's enough to lead you to the top 10. But that's bullshit. You have to work a lot on court and off court to continue to improve, because the quality of the circuit never stopped to improve in 10 years. And I'm still there. Even when I lose 6 times in a row in the first round, I'm hanging there, I keep on spending hours and hours at the gym. I'm not doing it for money. I'm doing it because I still like tennis and I think I still have my word to say on tour. Right now I'm #38, but with one tournament I can enter the top 20. But even there, people would still find a way to criticize me and say I should have won this or that match, i should have won the 2002 Australian Open. They can take the racket and do it for me if they want to. But professional tennis is difficult, it's not a Playstation game.

TM: Do you enjoy yourself everytime you're on court?
MS: Of course not. You can not enjoy it every day. You can have a bad day because you had an argument with someone, or because you woke up grumpy. We're humans, not machines. Why did Federer lose to Karlovic in Cincinnati, or to Simon in Toronto? There are immediately people who came to the conclusion that he's time is over. No, why would it be over? Maybe the guy just has a bad moment, maybe he has private issues, we don't know. I'm just saying, one can't be at their best every day. It's easy to feel good when everything you try on court succeeds. But the day when you serve badly, when you have a little injury, when you don't 'feel' the ball well... it's different. But you have to hang in there, and wish the next day will be better.

TM: Tell us about Hernan Gumy, with whom you've been working since last year. It seems he brought a lot to your game.
MS: Yes, he's a great coach, very patient. Patience is actually one of his main qualities, because he can meticulously explain to you all the aspects of something you have to improve. The way he details the technique, the movement, the tactics, I appreciate it a lot. He knows tennis very well.

TM: Some coaches are good for some players but not for others. As far as you're concerned, what do you look for in a coach?
MS: He mustn't be a pain in the ass, with military methods. He mustn't tell me that I have to do things this or that way, that I have to be on court all day, etc. No, I want to work, but I also want to enjoy it. Daily routine kills me, and this is something Gumy understands very well, he knows how to vary our work sessions. Some days he's pushing me, and some days he slows down. Each day is different.

TM: Is your aversion for daily routine the reason why you had so many coaches in your career?
MS: Actually I didn't have much coaches. In fact, I had none for several years, and Volkov was sometimes travelling with me, as a friend. Gumy is only the 4th one. 4 coaches in 10 years, that's not many. Argentine and French players change every week! ( so true) For a long time I couldn't find someone to travel with me, someone who fitted me. Then Lundgren arrived. But because of the pain in my knee, at some point I didn't know if I could continue this career or not, I was suffering too much...

TM: Did you think about quitting?
MS: Yes, in 2006. Even doctors were telling me to stop, cuz it really hurt too much. So I thought I'd play until the end the end of the year, even with the pain, and then if things didn't get better I would quit. But I didn't want Peter (Lundgren) to be jobless if it happened, so I spoke to him frankly, and we decided it would be better for him that we splitted before. Then I started feeling better, and for some time I started travelling again with Volkov, to have a friend by my side. And now, my knee hasn't been hurting for a while. As Volkov couldn't travel any longer, Gumy came to me and I told him we should try workign together, without putting pressure on any of us. And it's working really well.

TM: As you wanted to quit 2 years ago, do you see things in a different way now? Do you think you have a second chance?
MS: It's another time now. I'm not 20 anymore you know. My personality is what it is, it's hard to change it now. I know what I like to do, and I know what I like less, that's it. And now I see things differently. I want to have fun, I don't want to put pressure on me, I don't want to worry for whatever reason. I have goals of course, but my philosophy is different now. I'm more experienced, I want to achieve things, I'm not saying the easy way, but let's say with less stress.

TM: What are the achievements you're the most proud of?
MS: First of all, I'd say winning the Australian Open on my 3rd attempt. Especially after losing the final in 2002. But I'm also proud of having being strong enough to win the US Open, which I really didn't expect. And I should have won Roland Garros in 2003, the year when I lost to Ferrero in the semi-finals. (hell yeah ) But anyway I managed to reach the semi-finals of all the Grand Slam tournaments, and not many guys did that (3). And the last one I reached at quite an advanced age, which isn't that bad. I also won 5 Masters Series, that's quite a lot in a career, no?

TM: That's true, but you forget a major event, the Davis Cup, that you won twice even. How do you explain that you've always done so well in this competition?
MS: The reason is that we have a great team. We can even make 2 completely different teams, and both would be strong enough to go quite far. And also in our team, we don't put a lot of pressure on each guy. We don't go out for dinner all together every evening, we don't spend all our time all together, we don't organize a gazillion staff meetings to discuss what we'll do the next day. There is no pressure. Youzhny goes out with his friends, Davydenko spends his time with his family, Tursunov goes out with some friends, Andreev with his, so do I. Other teams almost spend all of their time all together. I don't why, maybe because they like it this way. As for us, we organize our time so that we don't feel the pressure. If we want to play football together, we do. In fact, we don't even play doubles together the rest of the year.

TM: But you seem to always find the inspiration to play your best tennis, a lot more than for individual tournaments. Is the feeling that you're playing for your country the main reason?
MS: It's true that it's nice to feel that a whole team is showing support ebhind you. I like the atmosphere of these matches. It makes me feel good. And as I told you, I play with zero pressure, and that's what matters. When you don't feel much pressure, playing is easy.

TM: And you've already told how much you value Shamil Tarpishev, your captain.
MS: Yes, that's true, this guy knows what he's doing, he's smart, he doesn't put useless pressure on you when you're switching courtside, he's not speaking to you for 4 hours to tell you what you shall or shall not do on court. He only gives you one or two pieces of advice, then he helps you calm down a little when you're frustrated, and he cheers you up when you need it, he's doing his job, he's really an excellent captain. I see a lot of big names in tennis who became Davis Cup captains and who don't do 1/10 of the work he's doing. That's a proof you don't need to be a superstar to be a good captain. But that's someone intelligent, who knows to speak to each player in a different manner.(heard that, Forget? )

TM: Are you disappointed that you didn't take part in the Olympic Games in Beijing?
MS: Not really. I never played well at Olympic Games. I could have asked for a WC and I think I could have easily got one. But first of all Beijing is really far, and then the year schedule is really bad. Especially as we're going to Argentina for Davis Cup in September. No, really, the schedule was really badly made this year. Not only this year actually. Look after Bercy for example, we have one week off and then it's Shanghai (the Masters), then another week off, and then the final of Davis Cup. So, if we reach the final of Davis Cup, we have no time to rest. Common sense would have been to schedule the Davis Cup final the week after Shanghai. But now there are 3 weeks between Bercy and the Davis Cup final, then 4 weeks before the beginning of the next season. So we can't go on vacations, and our schedule really is tough. ATP should care about the problem because the way it is now isn't working.

TM: You attended the Olympic Games twice, and didn't have good results (4). Do you think the Olympics are as important as Grand Slam tournaments though, like some champions likes Federer said?
MS: To each his opinion. Look, Roddick didn't go there, neither did Fish... Of course it's great to play for Russia, but for us tennis players the top tournaments are the Grand Slam tournaments. Sure, it's an honor to play the Olympics, there's some atmosphere, but our priority remains the 4 Grand Slam tournaments, and it'll always be this way.

TM: Apart from the not so good results you had there, what do you remember of your 2 participations?
MS: Sydney was nice, but in Athens the organization wasn't good to be honest. I was expecting much better. The food wasn't very good, balls were horrible. It depressed me a little.

TM: Do you enjoy watching other sports?
MS: No, I don't follow any sport. Really none.

TM: So let's go back to Wimbledon, where Federer beat you in the semi-finals. Did you watch the final then?
MS: No. I don't like watching matches. I'm not really interested.

TM: Oh so you missed a historical final...
MS: Yeah, yeah, sure, that was a great final, but I wasn't tempted to watch it...

TM: What do you think of these 2 huge champions Federer and Nadal are?
MS: For sure they have something more than other players. Nadal is unbelievably athletic. He's fast. He gives you the feeling his hand movement isn't too good, but in fact his hand is exceptional. He's still improving, and he can play on all surfaces. As for Federer, he's got an amazing technique, and he moves perfectly. He can do everything with a ball, and that's what makes him so good to watch playing.

TM: You've been #1. What do you think when you see for how many weeks in a row Federer remained #1?
MS: He's at another level comparing to the other guys on tour. No doubt about this. To remain #1 for 4 years, and with such a gap with the other guys, is unbelievable. You really have to be special to achieve this. Because a lot of guys have been #1 at some point. Kafelnikov, Rafter, Hewitt, Moya or Kuerten all reached the #1 spot. But someone like Federer, we had never seen that. He has so many more options than other players, on his forehand, on his backhand, on serve... He sees the ball earlier than the others. He really deserved being on top for 4 years. He deserves to win a few more Grand Slam titles. We'll see if Nadal allows him to.

TM: Do you think he will?
MS: I have some doubts, but you never know. These last weeks he didn't play too well, but we don't know how he'll react. On the other side, Nadal is playing very well, Djokovic is hungry, Murray is doing miracles, he won Cincinnati for instance. It will be difficult then, for both of them. Because other players are hungry and want to beat them. Nowadays the guys give everything they have against him. Guys like Simon or Karlovic for instance, and it can make things complicated for him. But I still have faith in him. He can still bounce.

TM: How did you feel when you became #1?
MS: I didn't have the time to enjoy it. I injured myself not long after it. And because of the ATP stupid rules I couldn't stay #1 for too long. I injured myself in Dubai, and I was seeded #1 in Indian Wells and Miami so I had to play whatever it'd cost me, or my bonus would have been reduced to the minimum. And we're talking about a million and a half dollars here. For a 20 year old guy who is just starting to earn big amounts of money, that's quite a big sum. The rule said that for each Masters Series we didn't play at, we lost 30% of our bonus. So I played even if I had torn an intercostal muscle and I couldn't serve, and slipped to the 13th rank within only 5 months. So some would tell me "yeah but you should have stopped for a few weeks even though that would have cost you $1,5 million". That's easy to say, I wish I had seen these people make that choice for themselves. But I think I made the right choice, and after that it wasn't easy to come back. But I came back nonetheless, reached the #3 spot which isn't that bad, but in the meantime it cost me 5 months before I started feeling better.

TM: Let's talk about your sister Dinara, who reahed the final of Roland Garros. It must have been touching for you, even though you weren't there.
MS: She deserved it. She had a tough period at the beginning of the year, she lost in the first round of the Australian Open. Then she took the right decisions, which isn't an easy thing to do for a 22 year old girl. She stopped working with Heinz Günthardt and chose to travel with Zeljko Krajan, and it seems it is working since she lost only 2 matches in 5 months. She has so much confidence. I'm really, really happy for her, especially after the personal issues she had 2 years ago. Now she's one of the hottest players on the women's tour.

TM: Are you close?
MS: (hesitating) Yeah, I guess. Like a brother and a sister can be. We don't talk everyday but that's normal. She can text me one day and then not send me anything for 2 weeks. Right now for instance, I know she just won and that's great. I'm happy for her. And maybe she won't text me until I see her in New York, and that's fine, for her and for me.

TM: Did you think about going to Paris to support her?
MS: No, not really. She was playing well, I thought I'd better watch the final on tv, and not make a big fuss which would have put pressure on her. I would have been in the player's box, and they would have showed images of me on Eurosport and say "here, the brother is there with the whole family" which would have blow it up out of all proportion. No, she was doing a great job, and she had people around her to cheer her up, the mother, the father, the coach. It was enough, I'm cool with that, and so is she.

TM: You'll play the Hopman Cup together next January. That'll be a first.
MS: Yes, it'll be nice. We'll play mixed doubles together for the first time, and I think we'll have a great time.

TM: To conclude, how would you describe the man Marat Safin?
MS: Very tough character. Very stubborn. Impatient, in the good and the wrong sense... Maybe because I tend to be too much of a perfectionist and sometimes I'm too harsh with myself. But I think it helped my career. I have qualities and I have failings. Being impatient and being stubborn means that when I really want something, I'll have it no matter what. If I don't want to practice, I won't. If I have to be somewhere, I'll make sure I'm there if I'm convinced that it's important. And if I want something, I want it now. Not tomorrow, now. If I want a car, I want it now. If I want an apartment, same thing. I hate to wait. Sometimes on court impatience can be bad for you, but it can also help you to reach your goals.

--------------------------------------------------------
(1) Hernan Gumy is a former Argentine player who reached the 39th rank in the world in 1997. He's the coach of several players like Guillermo Cañas, Guillermo Coria, and for a short time of Gustavo Kuerten.
(2) That year, at the age of 17, Marat lost in the first round of the junior tournament against Brazilian player Alexandre Simoni.
(3) Other guys still playing who reached the semi-finals of all Grand slam tournaments are Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and David Nalbandian.
(4) He lost in first round in 2000 against Fabrice Santoro, and in second round in 2004 against Feliciano Lopez.

[justsafin]

from OS: Interview of Marat at KC

Moscow, Kremlin Cup
Saturday, October the 11th, 2008
by Alexandra Cardoso


I met Marat Safin shortly after the withdrawal of Mischa Zverev had been announced, which put him directly in the final, and he agreed on doing a small interview. Just some words about general topics on tennis and life.

AC: Is it a relief that it happened this way [Zverev retiring] or would you’d rather have played?

MS: It was ok either way, but I prefer it like this.

AC: After all these years on the tour do you see things differently from when you were younger? Has the way you go about your objectives changed?

MS: Well, tennis is a bit different; it has evolved so much and there is a different atmosphere, but in the end it’s only the best that stay, so that part is the same. You have to work hard all the same to keep up.

AC: Is the atmosphere better or worse?

MS: Not better and not worse, it’s just different. People have left, good people, but then other new guys have come.



AC: Do you care about the attention everybody pays you?

MS: I don’t care what people say about me. Everybody always has an opinion but you cannot live your life thinking about that, about what others think about you. You just have to be yourself. My friends and my family know me, the people who know me know who I am and that’s what matters.



AC: What do you think about fame? Many people these days seem to think first about being famous and then pick up a profession to help them get there. What is your opinion?

MS: Well, you can’t do that. You have to be good at something, whatever you chose to do, because otherwise it’s fake. If you do it for the fame that’s an empty thing, you can never be really good at it and you also can’t become someone of value as a person.



AC: Whenever you want to do something do you think about what others might say, or do you just do it anyway?

MS: Of course! You cannot think about that, you have to live your life. If I want to do something all I care is if I think I should do it. It doesn’t matter what others say, you have to be yourself.



AC: Sometimes in your interviews you talk about your past, where you came from to get to where you are now. Is it important to you to remember that, to keep your feet on the ground?

MS: Yes, it is important to know who you are and where you came from. Those are your roots and you should not forget them. That’s what made you the person you are now.



There was a TV in the background showing the other quarter final with F. Santoro vs I. Kunytsin, and Marat was looking at it.



AC: What do you feel about playing possibly Santoro in the final?

MS: I’ll have to play one of them either way so it’s ok.



AC: Do you already know the Madrid draw? (a)

MS: Yes.

AC: How do you feel about playing Kolya again?

MS: I have to pass Llodra first and he is a very tricky player.



AC: Are you a person that makes plans? Or do you prefer to adjust more as things go?

MS: Well, you can make plans, but you can’t live your life just by them alone because then something happens like today [Zverev retiring] and your plans go down the drain. You have to take things as they come.



AC: Do you have any specific advice, or any lesson life taught you that you feel it’s important to follow?

MS: Well, everybody gives advice, but advices don’t really matter. What I think it’s most important is just to live everyday as it comes because life is only 4 days. Every moment is important and so you have to be careful not to miss any of them.



It had been a long day with lots of twists and turns and Marat probably still had more commitments to attend so I finished the interview and thanked him for his time. He said a brief ‘ciao’ and then left swiftly.



(a) At that point Marat had received a WC into the main draw of the Madrid Masters. His withdrawal was announced later, after the Kremlin Cup final.

[lau]

thanks for the interviews guys!

[maratsmaiden]

4.58 pm: Just been to the Marat Safin press conference where the three-time winner is thinking about whether to play next year, whether to have a break or whether to bring an end to his illustrious career which has been frustrating and amazing in equal measure. Surprising news to say the least.

From this source: www.fft.fr/bnpparibasmasters/2008_en/?ID=4210

doesn't look good. Here's hoping he has a restful off season and renewed interest in Tennis during his time off...

[Natasha]

i hope he soon realises he will miss tennis if he calls it quits. to me it seems his mind changes weekly whether he wants to play or not.

im hoping its just what he was feeling at that moment.

[Jehaan]

My friend just called me and told me this story was on BBC news. Hopefully he will think it over and realises he has some more to give. It will truly be an end of an era without Marat on the tennis circuit.

[annie]

I was watching CNN about the US elections, and then i read this running thing at the bottom and it says "Safin could retire after Paris setback" ...my nerve felt like guitar strings being strummed...

I hope he won't...some time off would be good...take more time to decide...maybe delay the the decision till december if he wants...think it thru...(and decide against retirement, hopefully)

I feel if he retires, it's gonna be, at least for me, like when Michael Jordan retired from the NBA the second time...like there's this huge gaping hole that nobody could fill up...there's just no one like him...

*sigh*...30 sounds like a good round number....please? Just not now... ;(