Post by Annie on Jun 11, 2005 19:12:51 GMT 3
Poroshin Article: May 2001 > sports.ru
"When the plans for tennis' future were drawn up, Marat was not listed..."
Biographies of Marat Safin are rarely accurate. Despite the fact that his biography is still short, the events of Marat's life can't be organized in such a way that they explain his success. But Igor Poroshin succeeded.
Safin should not have materialised. In professional tennis, where a year lasts 10minutes, and every player can say in March where they will be in November, a sport where it is possible to guess the content of future press conferences, and therefore prepare the same old answers; "Sampras won easily" "Sampras won with difficulty" "Sampras lost." instead of having a real conversation with the interviewers. A sport where stars are created according to a plan, in the same way that chicks are hatched in an incubator. Safin was not listed in these plans. He fell from the sky, or grew from under the ground. Within just 2 years of turning professional he reached the number one spot and nearly finished the year as the youngest person in history to end the season at the top of the rankings. No-one knows what to expect from him tomorrow, least of all, the man himself. "I live in the moment" he repeats for the thousandth time to yet another interviewer. But you don't need to be original when your Ferrari sits outside your Monaco home and you're still only 21.
The Spanish Party.
So, was his rise to the top a fairytale? No. It was a careful, step-by-step path which he took towards a higher goal. You won't find magicians, mermaids or kind old men waiting at the crossroads to point our hero in the right direction. There was no magic. Not one event where biographers could pin the phrase 'lucky break' . Yes, Marat had an impressive debut at Roland Garros. One by one, he defeated the defending champion Kuerten and crowd favourite Agassi. But in the fourth round, he lost. It's acceptable to say this was one of the most memorable event of his life. Despite this valiant beginning, most critics only remember Becker arriving at Wimbledon at age 17 and winning there.
The start of Safin's history is easy. Once upon a time, there lived a mother and father - a sports family. Mummy was the tennis coach and daddy was the director of the club where she coached their son. It's understandable that mum and dad took such a keen interest in Marat's childhood games. This is the time when Russian newspapers began publishing financial news from the tennis field, making references to figures like Volkov and Chesnokov. The Russian president was practicing with Shamil Tarpischev. And children of the new middle classes flood tennis academies, repeating their wise parents parting words; "Where the ball goes, follow, and you will land among rich people."
The role of the good fairy, who catapulted the star of Safin, fell to Maria Pasquale, the director of the tennis club in Valencia, where Rausa Safina brought her 13 year old. Mama was prepared to leave Marat in a foreign land in exchange for a great future. But morals were also required victims [??]
The Valencia academy, although creating some well known Spanish players, it's reputation was inferior to the Catalan academy. (Not to mention the reputation of Bolleteri's academy through whose doors all the recent great players have passed.) The discussion held at the Valencia academy dealt with a comparatively small sum of money, but the Safin's had no money to begin with. Then Pasquale rang an old client at a club in Switzerland and asked him to help a young Russian boy, and he agreed. Safin saw this as a miracle, although in reality the discussion was about investing in his talent. At this point, everything is good, everything is logical. But it's here the fairytale ends.
When there's no money.
Safin studied for 4 years at the Valencia academy - the darkest and most questioning period for him. Some American experts say Safin became successful not because of his Spanish instruction, but inspite of those 4 years, and that his victory in these last years was due to him overcoming his Spanish techniques. Apparently, Rausa was originally going to try America, not Spain. And if that had happened, then her son would have no equal. But that didn't happen.
At the age of 17, when the world was obsessed with Anna Kournikova, the girl whom Marat had practiced with on Spartak Moscow's courts, Safin was needing the experience of big tournaments the way he needs air. It was at this critical point that his Swiss sponsor stopped sending the money. Even the Swiss have financial difficulties. This was probably part of the problem. But the truth is, if the Swiss patron had been funding Anna Kournikova, he would have put his last penny into her sponsorship, as long as she didn't know about his financial difficulties. Otherwise, the patron would just appear to wish he could help young talent. Why? Well, 17 is the age when fortune tellers are no longer needed, because at that age, you can more or less tell what kind of future the player has. But Safin at 17 was still totally ambiguous.
At the same time, a Russian sports magazine tried to answer the question "Who will replace Kafelnikov?" The conclusions were quite depressing. Safin was included with 5 or 6 other players who could "theoretically replace" Kafelnikov. But the writer of the article made no guarantees. Now few people could recall who the other 4 players mentioned alongside Safin were.
The Checkpoint.
From this unimpressive start, in August 1997, he scraped together enough money to make the long journey from Valencia to the Portuguese city of Eshpinu [phonetic spelling] for only the third professional tournament of his life, and returned with the first prize - a cheque for $14,000. This is probably one of the most beautiful moments in Safin'slife and reminds us of Jack London's story 'Mexican'. Because of the similarity with this story, people often exaggerate the event, saying Marat didn't have enough money for the return journey.
Since the age of 13, Marat had been coahed by Rafael Menusa. And it's in their relationship that the strangeness of Marat's destiny can be seen. It has to be said; Safin and Menusa are the most mysterious pair in world class tennis. When he met Marat , Menusa's reputation wasn't even known beyond the gates of the Valencia academy. Now he's known throughout the tennis world, although in reality, very little is known about him, except this: he doesn't say much. "We could drive in the car for 3 hours and not say a word" said Marat about Mensua.
It is possible to argue about Safin's game, and say what is the achievement of his coaches and what is pure natural talent. But a trainer can also help put a stop to bad habits and behaviour forming. "Only the person who understands me can help me feel at home on foreign ground." And this too is an achievement of coach Menusa.
He was the biggest sensation of last year. He was the first Russian to win the US Open. He was the youngest person to be a stones throw away from ending the year as number1. His relationship with professional tennis can be summed up by Ivan Bunina's famous phrase about Nabokov; "Goodness knows where this boy sprang from and surprised us old men with a pistol."
They went through everything together, but when their friendship came into conflict with their professional requirements, Safin dropped Menusa. Finally, at the beginning of the last year, when Safin survived a first round crisis (he went out in the first round of 5 consecutive tournaments) Marat started a collaboration with Andrei Chesnokov, the most famous Russian tennis player before the Kafelnikov-era, and results were instant. Andrei had no problem educating Marat in a Russian manner, but a moment arose and the union was over as quickly as it had started.
However, his biggest victory to date, Safin achieved without any coaching. His won the US Open all by himself and this is probably the key to understanding how Safin overcame a crisis and achieved everything he had promised. It is significant that he won the US Open. He went through many agonizing matches against mediocre players. And then, as a reward, his final against Sampras, where he suddenly found such ease and inspiration. So the gods sometimes reward carpenters and bakers for their tiring work in honourof their muse. Becker lived with his muse like she was his mistress; Safin worked hard on court for his.
The Collector.
In his ability to withold imapct, and break a rally in half, his amazing strangth of character can be seen. But to describe this character, to reveal his personality, is very difficult. Once again, the contradictions begin.
Safin is well known for breaking rackets when he has difficulties on court. Already there are statistics for this; for the last 2 seasons he has destroyed about 100 high quality pieces of equipments, and is in the lead for this on the ATP, with a big gap between him and the next man on the list. Safin repents at press conferences and regularly pays fines for his hooliganism. But that this behaviour is symptomatic of "Safin's deep mental problems" as Dominik Hrbaty once said, and was convinced Safin had, is debatable. Such behaviour is a solution to any mental problems. Primitive, yes, but effective. safin got his temper from his father, about which he has often spoken. So his destruction of rackets is like a thermostatic control, a safety valve. safin lets off steam and leaves the court for the press conference and Marat corrects things with his opponents, the umpires and the journalists. What Marat says can be seen as incorrect, but this is often a result of his clumsy use of different languages.
His speech changes; not only in English, in which he isn't as fluent as he is in Spanish, but also in Russian. At the start of his career he spoke only when necessary and replied in short answers. Now, much has changed. In the intonations of his speech, you can hear the Soviet businessman. He often adds "Well, it's correct, indeed" at the end of his sentences. It's not clear where this came from or why it stuck.
It is ridiculous to search the character of Safin in order to find his tastes. At 21, most things will only be enthusiastic hobbies. But Marat Safin lives 10 times faster than his peers. He is forced to live quicker. he has to fill in many questionnaires almost everyday and no 2 are the same. His hobbies all take place on planes [
] He has spent 13 years in Russia, 5 in Spain, and the last three he has spent on constant trips to tournaments and when he returns, he goes to Monte Carlo, where he can avoid paying taxes on his millions. His favourite film is the Mexican comedy "Cantinflas" (the Spanish influence), his favourite food is borsch (the Russian influence) . [apologies for the poor translation of this last part of the paragraph] Time passes. So what does he talk about? About his accuracy and validity as a player? Not even close. The only thing he will speak about is the fact that professional tennis players don't stick around to collect beer bellies. [??]
He'll live in Monaco for a few years, and then, you'll see, he'll move elsewhere. Today his life is the life of a young, busy millionnaire. He is always working, and if he's not working, because his life is normally so chaotic, he'll buy on impulse beautiful and expensive creations. He says; "If I see something beautiful, and without thinking, I'll buy it." Yesterday he lived in Spain, and his car was a Mitsubishi Evolution, which was driven by other Spanish stars, such as Moya and Ferrero. Today he earns more than Moya and Ferreroput together, and drives a Ferrari. His choice of car reflects his enviroment. But the fact that he chose to move to Spain and not America shows his type of character.
"No way, guys! America's not for me. I would die there. i was born in Moscow. Then I moved to Spain, and my life became one long holiday." Perhaps Spain is the only place Safin's character has found consistency. He has lived there for a few years with his girlfriend Silvia, whom he met in Valencia. At the end of last year he renewed his partnership with Mensua. "At the moment, it's necessary." Everything else is vague. But his future, Marat will create himself.
by Igor Poroshin
Translated by Ruth.
Original Source:
www.sports.ru/week/library/7000000000008002.html
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!!
"When the plans for tennis' future were drawn up, Marat was not listed..."
Biographies of Marat Safin are rarely accurate. Despite the fact that his biography is still short, the events of Marat's life can't be organized in such a way that they explain his success. But Igor Poroshin succeeded.
Safin should not have materialised. In professional tennis, where a year lasts 10minutes, and every player can say in March where they will be in November, a sport where it is possible to guess the content of future press conferences, and therefore prepare the same old answers; "Sampras won easily" "Sampras won with difficulty" "Sampras lost." instead of having a real conversation with the interviewers. A sport where stars are created according to a plan, in the same way that chicks are hatched in an incubator. Safin was not listed in these plans. He fell from the sky, or grew from under the ground. Within just 2 years of turning professional he reached the number one spot and nearly finished the year as the youngest person in history to end the season at the top of the rankings. No-one knows what to expect from him tomorrow, least of all, the man himself. "I live in the moment" he repeats for the thousandth time to yet another interviewer. But you don't need to be original when your Ferrari sits outside your Monaco home and you're still only 21.
The Spanish Party.
So, was his rise to the top a fairytale? No. It was a careful, step-by-step path which he took towards a higher goal. You won't find magicians, mermaids or kind old men waiting at the crossroads to point our hero in the right direction. There was no magic. Not one event where biographers could pin the phrase 'lucky break' . Yes, Marat had an impressive debut at Roland Garros. One by one, he defeated the defending champion Kuerten and crowd favourite Agassi. But in the fourth round, he lost. It's acceptable to say this was one of the most memorable event of his life. Despite this valiant beginning, most critics only remember Becker arriving at Wimbledon at age 17 and winning there.
The start of Safin's history is easy. Once upon a time, there lived a mother and father - a sports family. Mummy was the tennis coach and daddy was the director of the club where she coached their son. It's understandable that mum and dad took such a keen interest in Marat's childhood games. This is the time when Russian newspapers began publishing financial news from the tennis field, making references to figures like Volkov and Chesnokov. The Russian president was practicing with Shamil Tarpischev. And children of the new middle classes flood tennis academies, repeating their wise parents parting words; "Where the ball goes, follow, and you will land among rich people."
The role of the good fairy, who catapulted the star of Safin, fell to Maria Pasquale, the director of the tennis club in Valencia, where Rausa Safina brought her 13 year old. Mama was prepared to leave Marat in a foreign land in exchange for a great future. But morals were also required victims [??]
The Valencia academy, although creating some well known Spanish players, it's reputation was inferior to the Catalan academy. (Not to mention the reputation of Bolleteri's academy through whose doors all the recent great players have passed.) The discussion held at the Valencia academy dealt with a comparatively small sum of money, but the Safin's had no money to begin with. Then Pasquale rang an old client at a club in Switzerland and asked him to help a young Russian boy, and he agreed. Safin saw this as a miracle, although in reality the discussion was about investing in his talent. At this point, everything is good, everything is logical. But it's here the fairytale ends.
When there's no money.
Safin studied for 4 years at the Valencia academy - the darkest and most questioning period for him. Some American experts say Safin became successful not because of his Spanish instruction, but inspite of those 4 years, and that his victory in these last years was due to him overcoming his Spanish techniques. Apparently, Rausa was originally going to try America, not Spain. And if that had happened, then her son would have no equal. But that didn't happen.
At the age of 17, when the world was obsessed with Anna Kournikova, the girl whom Marat had practiced with on Spartak Moscow's courts, Safin was needing the experience of big tournaments the way he needs air. It was at this critical point that his Swiss sponsor stopped sending the money. Even the Swiss have financial difficulties. This was probably part of the problem. But the truth is, if the Swiss patron had been funding Anna Kournikova, he would have put his last penny into her sponsorship, as long as she didn't know about his financial difficulties. Otherwise, the patron would just appear to wish he could help young talent. Why? Well, 17 is the age when fortune tellers are no longer needed, because at that age, you can more or less tell what kind of future the player has. But Safin at 17 was still totally ambiguous.
At the same time, a Russian sports magazine tried to answer the question "Who will replace Kafelnikov?" The conclusions were quite depressing. Safin was included with 5 or 6 other players who could "theoretically replace" Kafelnikov. But the writer of the article made no guarantees. Now few people could recall who the other 4 players mentioned alongside Safin were.
The Checkpoint.
From this unimpressive start, in August 1997, he scraped together enough money to make the long journey from Valencia to the Portuguese city of Eshpinu [phonetic spelling] for only the third professional tournament of his life, and returned with the first prize - a cheque for $14,000. This is probably one of the most beautiful moments in Safin'slife and reminds us of Jack London's story 'Mexican'. Because of the similarity with this story, people often exaggerate the event, saying Marat didn't have enough money for the return journey.
Since the age of 13, Marat had been coahed by Rafael Menusa. And it's in their relationship that the strangeness of Marat's destiny can be seen. It has to be said; Safin and Menusa are the most mysterious pair in world class tennis. When he met Marat , Menusa's reputation wasn't even known beyond the gates of the Valencia academy. Now he's known throughout the tennis world, although in reality, very little is known about him, except this: he doesn't say much. "We could drive in the car for 3 hours and not say a word" said Marat about Mensua.
It is possible to argue about Safin's game, and say what is the achievement of his coaches and what is pure natural talent. But a trainer can also help put a stop to bad habits and behaviour forming. "Only the person who understands me can help me feel at home on foreign ground." And this too is an achievement of coach Menusa.
He was the biggest sensation of last year. He was the first Russian to win the US Open. He was the youngest person to be a stones throw away from ending the year as number1. His relationship with professional tennis can be summed up by Ivan Bunina's famous phrase about Nabokov; "Goodness knows where this boy sprang from and surprised us old men with a pistol."
They went through everything together, but when their friendship came into conflict with their professional requirements, Safin dropped Menusa. Finally, at the beginning of the last year, when Safin survived a first round crisis (he went out in the first round of 5 consecutive tournaments) Marat started a collaboration with Andrei Chesnokov, the most famous Russian tennis player before the Kafelnikov-era, and results were instant. Andrei had no problem educating Marat in a Russian manner, but a moment arose and the union was over as quickly as it had started.
However, his biggest victory to date, Safin achieved without any coaching. His won the US Open all by himself and this is probably the key to understanding how Safin overcame a crisis and achieved everything he had promised. It is significant that he won the US Open. He went through many agonizing matches against mediocre players. And then, as a reward, his final against Sampras, where he suddenly found such ease and inspiration. So the gods sometimes reward carpenters and bakers for their tiring work in honourof their muse. Becker lived with his muse like she was his mistress; Safin worked hard on court for his.
The Collector.
In his ability to withold imapct, and break a rally in half, his amazing strangth of character can be seen. But to describe this character, to reveal his personality, is very difficult. Once again, the contradictions begin.
Safin is well known for breaking rackets when he has difficulties on court. Already there are statistics for this; for the last 2 seasons he has destroyed about 100 high quality pieces of equipments, and is in the lead for this on the ATP, with a big gap between him and the next man on the list. Safin repents at press conferences and regularly pays fines for his hooliganism. But that this behaviour is symptomatic of "Safin's deep mental problems" as Dominik Hrbaty once said, and was convinced Safin had, is debatable. Such behaviour is a solution to any mental problems. Primitive, yes, but effective. safin got his temper from his father, about which he has often spoken. So his destruction of rackets is like a thermostatic control, a safety valve. safin lets off steam and leaves the court for the press conference and Marat corrects things with his opponents, the umpires and the journalists. What Marat says can be seen as incorrect, but this is often a result of his clumsy use of different languages.
His speech changes; not only in English, in which he isn't as fluent as he is in Spanish, but also in Russian. At the start of his career he spoke only when necessary and replied in short answers. Now, much has changed. In the intonations of his speech, you can hear the Soviet businessman. He often adds "Well, it's correct, indeed" at the end of his sentences. It's not clear where this came from or why it stuck.
It is ridiculous to search the character of Safin in order to find his tastes. At 21, most things will only be enthusiastic hobbies. But Marat Safin lives 10 times faster than his peers. He is forced to live quicker. he has to fill in many questionnaires almost everyday and no 2 are the same. His hobbies all take place on planes [
] He has spent 13 years in Russia, 5 in Spain, and the last three he has spent on constant trips to tournaments and when he returns, he goes to Monte Carlo, where he can avoid paying taxes on his millions. His favourite film is the Mexican comedy "Cantinflas" (the Spanish influence), his favourite food is borsch (the Russian influence) . [apologies for the poor translation of this last part of the paragraph] Time passes. So what does he talk about? About his accuracy and validity as a player? Not even close. The only thing he will speak about is the fact that professional tennis players don't stick around to collect beer bellies. [??]He'll live in Monaco for a few years, and then, you'll see, he'll move elsewhere. Today his life is the life of a young, busy millionnaire. He is always working, and if he's not working, because his life is normally so chaotic, he'll buy on impulse beautiful and expensive creations. He says; "If I see something beautiful, and without thinking, I'll buy it." Yesterday he lived in Spain, and his car was a Mitsubishi Evolution, which was driven by other Spanish stars, such as Moya and Ferrero. Today he earns more than Moya and Ferreroput together, and drives a Ferrari. His choice of car reflects his enviroment. But the fact that he chose to move to Spain and not America shows his type of character.
"No way, guys! America's not for me. I would die there. i was born in Moscow. Then I moved to Spain, and my life became one long holiday." Perhaps Spain is the only place Safin's character has found consistency. He has lived there for a few years with his girlfriend Silvia, whom he met in Valencia. At the end of last year he renewed his partnership with Mensua. "At the moment, it's necessary." Everything else is vague. But his future, Marat will create himself.
by Igor Poroshin
Translated by Ruth.
Original Source:
www.sports.ru/week/library/7000000000008002.html
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!!
