Post by Annie on Jun 13, 2005 19:39:40 GMT 3
30.11.2002
An after-Davis Cup 2002 interview with Marat Safin
From sport.ru
Reporter- This season in the Davis Cup you were always the first one to walk onto the <tennis> court. Was that in any way difficult for you?
Safin- In all those cases I did not have a choice – it was decided by a coin toss. But it does not make much of a difference, whether you play first or second. The main thing is to gain that point for your team. Certainly, there are less psychological barriers if you play second, when your teammate has already won his encounter; but I had to be the first to play <with> Mathieu and to win. Nothing else should have mattered.
Reporter- It seemed that you were very nervous both at the beginning of a match and in the end. Was it so?
Safin - You should understand: it was a Davis Cup final. The first match, the first point to be won. In such a situation it is difficult to display a good tennis. With the score 5:2 <in the set> you start to think: “That’s it, a victory is in my pocket. Just a little while and you will win.” However, in reality, I was not able to take advantage of the set point and Mathieu, playing good tennis, reduced the gap in the score. But I have not missed my second chance.
Reporter- What happened to your footwear, during the match?
Safin- The Court was a bit too slippery. And I could not get accustomed to it, but, eventually, got used to it and did not change the shoes <to the ones with more grip>. I wanted to wait a while to accustom, but if I wouldn’t have managed and fell, I would have changed them (shoes).
Reporter- Two sections of the stadium in Bercy were completely filled with the Russian fans. Did you feel their support?
Safin- Certainly. I thank them all very much for arriving here (France), having paid a lot of money just to support our team. Our aim was to win, which we did, so it was not a waste of money for them. No doubt, they had a lot of fun.
Reporter- What do you think of the French team?
Safin- It is not just a simple team. All of them are as one. They support each other a lot not only during matches of the Davis Cup, but also in ATP. They are always together - a group of good friends. I know all of them, maybe not so well, but enough to tell that they are good guys.
The French, besides being an amicable team, have one more advantage - a long bench.
Reporter- Let us discuss that.
Safin- We <Russia> have about ten girls (<WTA players>) in the top hundred, but the list of top men ends on me, Kafelnikov, Youzhny and Staliarov. And I’m afraid that it is more or less likely that soon somebody will leave and a serious problem in the Davis Cup team will arise. One reason for this might be the lack of a second player to play in the doubles.
Reporter- Does the fact that you are both superstars (<Safin and Kafelnikov>) make you feel uncomfortable when you are playing in the doubles?
Safin- As you know, stars are only in the sky. Nothing mattered then, only our goal to win the Davis Cup.
Reporter- If you were top five pairs in doubles rankings, or the top fifty, would it be easier?
Safin- Our’s is rather high level of play already. We played tennis for a long time. Zhenya is ten years in the elite, while I played for five years in the ATP. Hence we are already affected with us playing together for such a long time. Also, both of us understand the responsibility laid upon us. It is normal.
Reporter - What role does Kafelnikov play in the team?
Safin- He is the second person after the captain Tarpishchev. But we are not so big friends. First of all, we have a rather decent age difference, so we don’t share all the same interests. We have different problems of our own. Yet we are friends when we work for a common goal, for example: play in the Davis Cup. Then, like professionals, share common things.
Translate by Vassily
An after-Davis Cup 2002 interview with Marat Safin
From sport.ru
Reporter- This season in the Davis Cup you were always the first one to walk onto the <tennis> court. Was that in any way difficult for you?
Safin- In all those cases I did not have a choice – it was decided by a coin toss. But it does not make much of a difference, whether you play first or second. The main thing is to gain that point for your team. Certainly, there are less psychological barriers if you play second, when your teammate has already won his encounter; but I had to be the first to play <with> Mathieu and to win. Nothing else should have mattered.
Reporter- It seemed that you were very nervous both at the beginning of a match and in the end. Was it so?
Safin - You should understand: it was a Davis Cup final. The first match, the first point to be won. In such a situation it is difficult to display a good tennis. With the score 5:2 <in the set> you start to think: “That’s it, a victory is in my pocket. Just a little while and you will win.” However, in reality, I was not able to take advantage of the set point and Mathieu, playing good tennis, reduced the gap in the score. But I have not missed my second chance.
Reporter- What happened to your footwear, during the match?
Safin- The Court was a bit too slippery. And I could not get accustomed to it, but, eventually, got used to it and did not change the shoes <to the ones with more grip>. I wanted to wait a while to accustom, but if I wouldn’t have managed and fell, I would have changed them (shoes).
Reporter- Two sections of the stadium in Bercy were completely filled with the Russian fans. Did you feel their support?
Safin- Certainly. I thank them all very much for arriving here (France), having paid a lot of money just to support our team. Our aim was to win, which we did, so it was not a waste of money for them. No doubt, they had a lot of fun.
Reporter- What do you think of the French team?
Safin- It is not just a simple team. All of them are as one. They support each other a lot not only during matches of the Davis Cup, but also in ATP. They are always together - a group of good friends. I know all of them, maybe not so well, but enough to tell that they are good guys.
The French, besides being an amicable team, have one more advantage - a long bench.
Reporter- Let us discuss that.
Safin- We <Russia> have about ten girls (<WTA players>) in the top hundred, but the list of top men ends on me, Kafelnikov, Youzhny and Staliarov. And I’m afraid that it is more or less likely that soon somebody will leave and a serious problem in the Davis Cup team will arise. One reason for this might be the lack of a second player to play in the doubles.
Reporter- Does the fact that you are both superstars (<Safin and Kafelnikov>) make you feel uncomfortable when you are playing in the doubles?
Safin- As you know, stars are only in the sky. Nothing mattered then, only our goal to win the Davis Cup.
Reporter- If you were top five pairs in doubles rankings, or the top fifty, would it be easier?
Safin- Our’s is rather high level of play already. We played tennis for a long time. Zhenya is ten years in the elite, while I played for five years in the ATP. Hence we are already affected with us playing together for such a long time. Also, both of us understand the responsibility laid upon us. It is normal.
Reporter - What role does Kafelnikov play in the team?
Safin- He is the second person after the captain Tarpishchev. But we are not so big friends. First of all, we have a rather decent age difference, so we don’t share all the same interests. We have different problems of our own. Yet we are friends when we work for a common goal, for example: play in the Davis Cup. Then, like professionals, share common things.
Translate by Vassily
