Post by Annie on Jun 11, 2005 19:10:34 GMT 3
Isvestia Newspaper 2001
Marat pleases with his performance,and shocks with his behaviour.
Marat is the number one seed at the Kremlin Cup here in Moscow. A remarkable player, who was the winner of the 2000 US Open and was lucky enough to enjoy a spell as world number one in the ATP rankings. However, even the brightest stars are obliged to submit to the rules of this organisation, which controls practically all men's tennis events on a global level, and makes sure that tennis does not lose it's reputation as one of the most intelligent forms of sport. Unacceptable behaviour on court and failure to appear at a post-match press conference are perhaps the most commonplace things punished by penalties. Safin, however, has never been in the habit of shirking his responsibilities with the media: obviously he makes enough money, and gets enough attention from throwing his racket on court. (This small act of hooliganism during his matches allows him to let off steam). This correspondent of 'Isvestia' posed his questions to Marat, at Safin's first Kremlin Cup press conference, after his defeat of Meligeni.
But it was Marat's behaviour when he left the media center, that I myself was witness to, that is most interesting. However, let us start in order, beginning with the questions asked by journalists.
Q. Marat, you haven't stayed angry at the Moscow public, after last years upset, when you threatened never to play here again.
M. At least they didn't whistle at me again. I'm very glad that our people are beginning to understand tennis, and the pressure players are put under to appear. When you are losing, and they are just whistling at you, there's nowhere to hide. It's during those moments that you forget how to play from the left, or hit from the right. You are lost, and the racket starts to fall out of your hands.
Q. Could you tell who was supporting you today?
M. Everyone. Everyone was.
Q. Any friends in particular?
M. Not some friends, MY friends were supporting me.
Q. Your first Kremlin Cup match on TV this year had Anna Dimitrieva and Alexander Metreveli as commentators. What is your reaction when you see you match on TV and hear their interpretation of your match?
M. During TV commentaries I am constantly hearing 'If only he'd done this, if he'd try to play it this way.....' If the Grandmother had eggs, then the Grandfather wouldn't. [strange Russian phrase I haven't come across before...maybe not be 100% correct in translation] It's always 'if, if, if'. According to them, I should have won 5 Grand Slams by now, and be the world number 1, but in real life, it doesn't work that way. Generally, I do agree with the remarks made by commentators. Their view of the court and the game is much more perceptive than mine, because they are observers. Dimitrieva and Metreveli were good players in their time, and they have their reasons for what they say, though sometimes, they are incorrect in their interpretation of players, but I don't condemn them for their mistakes; it's a tough job.
Q. Which tournaments do you plan to play in before the end of the year?
M. In Lyon, Madrid, St. Petersburg, and in the Masters Final in Shanghai, and then I will go to Australia. For me to be a decent player, I need to win at least one title before the end of the year. Oh, and I nearly forgot the all important Davis Cup Final during November, in Paris.
Q. What do you think of the French teams selection of clay as the surface for the final? How will that affect the Russian team?
M. Honestly, I don't know. It was very difficult for them to choose. Perhaps they have tried to make it difficult for us by deciding on clay. But they have players who also find clay a difficult surface. Escude, for example, is only good on fast courts. So they are left with Grosjean and Santoro, who I'm sure can do well against me. The French know that Kafelnikov and I like to play indoors on fast courts. To adapt to clay will not be easy. It usually takes at least 2 or 3 weeks to start playing confidently on this surface.
Q. For the Kremlin Cup you decided to play doubles with the inexperienced Golovanov, and you lost in the first round. Does this mean that doubles is just not your forte, and you are not worried about winning, or are you preparing for when kafelnikov retires, and you will need a new doubles partner?
M. This isn't the first time we've played doubles together. Infact, we've been playing together since childhood, and we haven't done too badly. In Tashkent, 2 weeks ago, we reached the semi-final. Unfortunately ,in Moscow, we lost straight away: it just wasn't our day. We hope we'll do better next time, especially as we haven't got around to selecting another partner for me, incase of kafelnikov's retirement. Misha [Youhzny] is not very confident in doubles, and Andrei Stoliarov is also not strong enough yet.
Q. On the eve of your victorious Davis Cup match against Argentina, your BMW was stolen. Literally, the next day, you said you'd forgotten about this trouble. Have you found a replacement car yet?
M. I've pretty much overlooked this episode. The insurance company will give me the money for it. Now I have to drive a really abrupt car, a Grand jeep Cheerokee. Actually, it was a present I gave to my dad, and he needs it back in a few days. I don't know what I'll do after that. If I can allow myself the pleasure, I will try to buy something much more....beautiful, yet cheaper.
On Marat's exit from the media room, he was approached by a young man, a contemporary of the famous tennis player, who was presented to Marat by a correspondent of Russia's largest social and political newspaper. The young man wished to ask Marat a few personal questions. Even though Marat was obviously unwilling, he nevertheless agreed, and the interview was conducted in the corridor as Marat headed to the locker room.
Q. It says in your profile you have a home in Monte Carlo. Do you still go there?
M. Oh yes, I still go there!
Q. Is this to do with the fact that you don't have to pay taxes, or do you just enjoy yourself there?
M. This is to do with the fact that I live there, you see? I love life! You should delight in living!
Q. In Monte Carlo, you probably own a car, maybe a Ferrari?
M. Now you're answering your own questions, boy. [this is the nearest I can get to what Marat said.]
There were very few witnesses to Marat's cheeky retort: the black-suited bodyguards were indifferent, and the mandatory ATP official didn't understand a word of Russian anyway. But few who have seen Marat off-court wouldn't have been astonished at his reaction. Marat didn't want to insult his interviewer. He certainly wasn't scolding him. He talked in the way all adolescents in the school toilets do, in language that's acceptable by his peers. And Marat is an still an adolescent: if you need convincing, just attend any of his press conferences. They don't know about this immature side of Marat abroad, since journalists can always blame his clumsy jokes on his awkward use of english. The few who do know about this in Russia are politically-correct journalists, who attempt to smooth out his clumsy speech, and don't mention his idiotic, home-spun reasonings. The rough intonations of his voice can't be shown on paper. People who are uneducated and uninformed about Marat are always ready to forgive him. The main thing is, he's a good tennis player.
Translated by Ruth
original source: www.izvestia.com/scandle/article24699
IF YOU WISH TO POST THESE INTERVIEWS ELSE WHERE PLEASE INCLUDE CREDIT FOR ALL TRANSLATORS MENTIONED AND THE GUYFROMRUSSIA URL FOR THE INTERVIEW THANK YOU!!
Marat pleases with his performance,and shocks with his behaviour.
Marat is the number one seed at the Kremlin Cup here in Moscow. A remarkable player, who was the winner of the 2000 US Open and was lucky enough to enjoy a spell as world number one in the ATP rankings. However, even the brightest stars are obliged to submit to the rules of this organisation, which controls practically all men's tennis events on a global level, and makes sure that tennis does not lose it's reputation as one of the most intelligent forms of sport. Unacceptable behaviour on court and failure to appear at a post-match press conference are perhaps the most commonplace things punished by penalties. Safin, however, has never been in the habit of shirking his responsibilities with the media: obviously he makes enough money, and gets enough attention from throwing his racket on court. (This small act of hooliganism during his matches allows him to let off steam). This correspondent of 'Isvestia' posed his questions to Marat, at Safin's first Kremlin Cup press conference, after his defeat of Meligeni.
But it was Marat's behaviour when he left the media center, that I myself was witness to, that is most interesting. However, let us start in order, beginning with the questions asked by journalists.
Q. Marat, you haven't stayed angry at the Moscow public, after last years upset, when you threatened never to play here again.
M. At least they didn't whistle at me again. I'm very glad that our people are beginning to understand tennis, and the pressure players are put under to appear. When you are losing, and they are just whistling at you, there's nowhere to hide. It's during those moments that you forget how to play from the left, or hit from the right. You are lost, and the racket starts to fall out of your hands.
Q. Could you tell who was supporting you today?
M. Everyone. Everyone was.
Q. Any friends in particular?
M. Not some friends, MY friends were supporting me.
Q. Your first Kremlin Cup match on TV this year had Anna Dimitrieva and Alexander Metreveli as commentators. What is your reaction when you see you match on TV and hear their interpretation of your match?
M. During TV commentaries I am constantly hearing 'If only he'd done this, if he'd try to play it this way.....' If the Grandmother had eggs, then the Grandfather wouldn't. [strange Russian phrase I haven't come across before...maybe not be 100% correct in translation] It's always 'if, if, if'. According to them, I should have won 5 Grand Slams by now, and be the world number 1, but in real life, it doesn't work that way. Generally, I do agree with the remarks made by commentators. Their view of the court and the game is much more perceptive than mine, because they are observers. Dimitrieva and Metreveli were good players in their time, and they have their reasons for what they say, though sometimes, they are incorrect in their interpretation of players, but I don't condemn them for their mistakes; it's a tough job.
Q. Which tournaments do you plan to play in before the end of the year?
M. In Lyon, Madrid, St. Petersburg, and in the Masters Final in Shanghai, and then I will go to Australia. For me to be a decent player, I need to win at least one title before the end of the year. Oh, and I nearly forgot the all important Davis Cup Final during November, in Paris.
Q. What do you think of the French teams selection of clay as the surface for the final? How will that affect the Russian team?
M. Honestly, I don't know. It was very difficult for them to choose. Perhaps they have tried to make it difficult for us by deciding on clay. But they have players who also find clay a difficult surface. Escude, for example, is only good on fast courts. So they are left with Grosjean and Santoro, who I'm sure can do well against me. The French know that Kafelnikov and I like to play indoors on fast courts. To adapt to clay will not be easy. It usually takes at least 2 or 3 weeks to start playing confidently on this surface.
Q. For the Kremlin Cup you decided to play doubles with the inexperienced Golovanov, and you lost in the first round. Does this mean that doubles is just not your forte, and you are not worried about winning, or are you preparing for when kafelnikov retires, and you will need a new doubles partner?
M. This isn't the first time we've played doubles together. Infact, we've been playing together since childhood, and we haven't done too badly. In Tashkent, 2 weeks ago, we reached the semi-final. Unfortunately ,in Moscow, we lost straight away: it just wasn't our day. We hope we'll do better next time, especially as we haven't got around to selecting another partner for me, incase of kafelnikov's retirement. Misha [Youhzny] is not very confident in doubles, and Andrei Stoliarov is also not strong enough yet.
Q. On the eve of your victorious Davis Cup match against Argentina, your BMW was stolen. Literally, the next day, you said you'd forgotten about this trouble. Have you found a replacement car yet?
M. I've pretty much overlooked this episode. The insurance company will give me the money for it. Now I have to drive a really abrupt car, a Grand jeep Cheerokee. Actually, it was a present I gave to my dad, and he needs it back in a few days. I don't know what I'll do after that. If I can allow myself the pleasure, I will try to buy something much more....beautiful, yet cheaper.
On Marat's exit from the media room, he was approached by a young man, a contemporary of the famous tennis player, who was presented to Marat by a correspondent of Russia's largest social and political newspaper. The young man wished to ask Marat a few personal questions. Even though Marat was obviously unwilling, he nevertheless agreed, and the interview was conducted in the corridor as Marat headed to the locker room.
Q. It says in your profile you have a home in Monte Carlo. Do you still go there?
M. Oh yes, I still go there!
Q. Is this to do with the fact that you don't have to pay taxes, or do you just enjoy yourself there?
M. This is to do with the fact that I live there, you see? I love life! You should delight in living!
Q. In Monte Carlo, you probably own a car, maybe a Ferrari?
M. Now you're answering your own questions, boy. [this is the nearest I can get to what Marat said.]
There were very few witnesses to Marat's cheeky retort: the black-suited bodyguards were indifferent, and the mandatory ATP official didn't understand a word of Russian anyway. But few who have seen Marat off-court wouldn't have been astonished at his reaction. Marat didn't want to insult his interviewer. He certainly wasn't scolding him. He talked in the way all adolescents in the school toilets do, in language that's acceptable by his peers. And Marat is an still an adolescent: if you need convincing, just attend any of his press conferences. They don't know about this immature side of Marat abroad, since journalists can always blame his clumsy jokes on his awkward use of english. The few who do know about this in Russia are politically-correct journalists, who attempt to smooth out his clumsy speech, and don't mention his idiotic, home-spun reasonings. The rough intonations of his voice can't be shown on paper. People who are uneducated and uninformed about Marat are always ready to forgive him. The main thing is, he's a good tennis player.
Translated by Ruth
original source: www.izvestia.com/scandle/article24699
IF YOU WISH TO POST THESE INTERVIEWS ELSE WHERE PLEASE INCLUDE CREDIT FOR ALL TRANSLATORS MENTIONED AND THE GUYFROMRUSSIA URL FOR THE INTERVIEW THANK YOU!!
