Post by Annie on Jun 11, 2005 18:53:30 GMT 3
Tennis + (part two)
No.7/98
Tennis + Interview
PART 2 JUNE 1998
Whims like this, I left behind in my Childhood.
We continue our second part of the conversation with Marat Safin and his parents.
Q. A question about your sister Dinara. Do you follow her progress?
M. No, I don't get too involved in these matters.
Q. The Czech siblings, Helena and Cyril Sukova play brilliantly together. Maybe one day this could happen in your family? With you and Dinara?
M. I'm not too concerned about Dinara's tennis. And Dinara's the same as me. We're both crazy.
Q. Is it possible to achieve in tennis without having character?
M. It's impossible. But, you try to explain it [to her] and her answer will be "I know this already", and then a moment later, she'll turn up with a medal around her neck, that she won only an hour ago.
[not entirely sure I've translated this correctly!]
Q. The media have only recently begun writing about you, but alreday there has been alot of critisism, mainly concerning your on-court behaviour.
M. If you don't want to see it, don't watch.
Rausa. He's not a robot. These are normal, human, sports-fuelled emotions.
Misha. If he hadn't displayed any emotions, it would have killed him [or: the crowd wouldn't have supported him]. He did nothing against the rules at that match in Paris, which is what everyone is referring to. Emotions are a novelty in a match. The crowd doesn't like robots.
M. All these gestures are made within the limits of tennis etiquette. The umpire sits in his chair and supervises us. There are gestures that are allowed, and some that are forbidden.
Q. Yes, we remember how Kafelnikov did something similar against Becker, who then became the crowd favourite. There was a roar of indignation.
Misha. There are somethings which are not acceptable. It all depends on how you've been coached.
M. Also, you must understand, it's not always down to how you were coached. When you're on court, you can fly off the handle,... it gets offensive.... you've got hell inside your own head.... and in that moment, you realise a word or gesture has escaped. But I sat down after the match and thought about why this happens.
Q. What is your relationship with Kafelnikov like? He's also got a high ranking. Other players have complained that he associates too much with journalists in an effort to gain favour with the media. Yet you are in a position to ask; "Zhenya, there's something I don't understand. What do you make of it?"
[could be 2 meanings: (a)Marat is in a position to ask Kafelnikov for tips on how to deal with the media or (b)Kafelnikov is very approachable]
M. Yes, it's elementary. Kafelnikov is a normal person, although he has been playing well for a long time now. And Pete Sampras is another, although he's completely different; for instance, I'll say 'How are you?' and get very little response from him. Sampras, Agassi.... they consider themselves to be great. But Berasategui, Corretja, Moya; they will always congratulate you on a win. And Todd Martin, by the way, is an excellent guy.
Q. How have attitudes towards you changed since your 3 infamous matches at Roland Garros?
M. Well, people pay more attention to me, they're more willing to talk.
Q. Players or the media?
M. The media are starting to be interested. The players still treat me the same.
Q. Let's talk about your move to Spain and the story behind it.... Tell me about a certain bank that helped you... do you want to name it?
M. Yes, it's necessary.
Misha. It all began when Bruce Rappaport called us from Switzerland. He's the President of the New York Bank-Inter Maritime Bank, Geneva.
Q. Where did this take place?
Misha. In the Tennis Centre where we worked. Vladimir Pavlovich Cherbakov, the Chairman of the General Confederation of Trade Unions played there. In his time as Chairman of the Urban Committee of Trade Unions, he saw Marat play, who was only small then. He knew that our 10 year old son had already had to go with other children to try out at a tennis academy in Cinncinnati. Vladimir Pavlovich talked alot with us, and saw that Marat wasn't bad. So he persuaded Bruce Rappaport to get involved.
Q. I read in 'Today' newspaper that IMG has contracted you for $300,000.
M. I have to pay it back. I've already returned half.
Q. Did the bank want something in return? Or did they simply want to make money off your success?
Misha. When IMG takes on an athlete, the agency doesn't immediately pay back the sponsor. Of course, it must be paid back eventually. They then negotiate with the player some terms of repayment. So, during so many years, he will give them 10% of his prize money and 15% of any commercial earnings.
Q. And what if you don't do well in tennis?
M. That's the risk.
Q. You played Barcelona and Philadelphia in spring via a wildcard. Did IMG provide the wildcard?
M. Yes, because they pay for the tournaments.
Q. You're now 65th -70th in the world?
M. No, below that. 70th - 78th.
Marat later told us he was actually 68th but didn't find out till the next day.
Q. Is it true that you don't bring your parents to tournaments, but tell them to stay at home? Because it's better without them?
M. That's all lies. I've never said that. It's also a lie that I consider myself a Spaniard. Complete nonsense!
Q. Now, you're in the Davis Cup team. But if something was to happen to Kafelnikov, would you be ready to be the number 1?
M. Kafelnikov will play.
Rausa. In your newspaper, you wrote from the words of tennis coaches that we now send young players to the west to train. Now, someone did talk to us as parents about this, and why it happens. I trained Marat, I looked after him. But there came a day when I said to him; " You need to leave now, or we'll have to end your tennis. It's not right that we try to pull you closer, [when leaving us will help you]....no amount of money can help." And our attitudes towards each other on court became [or: had become] diffcult.
M. It wasn't easy. I was scolded, I even swore. It's difficult being coached by a parent.
Q. But It was ok for Martina Hingis...
M. My nature and character is complex....
Rausa. You see, as a mother and coach you want to get the best out of every child. The more you are together, the more pressure you create. And also, I had young Dinara to look after. It's not easy to work quietly, when all the time you are thinking about where to get money for renting courts and trips to competitions.
M. If I'd stayed here, I would probably have stopped playing by now.
Q. How has life changed for you ? Has Marat left home for good?
Misha. Marat spends most of his time travelling. He'll come to Moscow for about a week.
M. For the whole year, I only managed to spend 2 months in Moscow.
Q. In Moscow, there's the Kremlin Cup which you played...but will you go to Tashkent this year?
M. Yes, this year I'll go.
Q. There are many good tournaments around here. Many Spaniards usually come. Mantilla won the President's Cup [Tashkent].
M. I know. But there's no longer ground there.. but hard [surface? Not sure what this means....]
Q. What about your studies, Marat?
M. I've left school. Now I'll go to the Institute of Physical Culture. One day I'll become a coach.
Q. Do you see Anna Kournikova alot?
M. Rarely. We played one tournament in Paris.
Q. But everyone is still talking about her.
Misha. This is part of her life now. She's entered the game. To be watched is now a part of her existence.
M. When I played Pioline, she came to watch with Ronaldo, and she kissed him on the cheek.... or did he kiss her? Afterwards, they had to escape. You can't blame her. But she gets [the attention] she creates.
Rausa. It's very insulting when the tennis journalists, with all due respect, are incompetent though; for example, Cheskidov at the TV Centre called Marat 'Renat'. Even though you are a professional, you still make mistakes. And Andrey Nikiforov, for some reason, reported that Elena Dementieva was a student at TSSKA, although she'd been coached by me at Spartak until she was 12. It makes you wonder!
Q. Do you intend to stay long in Spain?
M. It could end up that I never return to Russia, but nevertheless, I'm still Russian, and I'll still play for Russia.
Misha. Dinara will probably go to Spain too. The training conditions there are excellent.
Rausa. And I'll go with her. Why would I want to stay here and work for 500 Roubles? Some of our telephone bills cost more than that. When Marat went there to train, we drove to his agent. She said to me " If you stay with him, he'll be abnormal." I replied "What do you mean?" because I hadn't understood. She said "His life will be abnormal from now on, so he needs to be prepared to handle it himself." So [for me?] there would have been no days off, or holidays. When they begin training, they are getting ready for the real world. Today you play a tournament, tomorrow, Marat could play a really difficult match. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see him play live much, since we haven't been to any tournaments. Well, except Davis Cup.
[I'm not entirely sure I've translated what the agent said correctly]
Misha. Marat fought against Agassi, and even playing doubles with Kafelnikov didn't improve his game drastically. But these trials create character. Unfortunately, we didn't even have chance to see this 'historical' match (against Agassi) because we had to fly home early.
Q. So, after you 'victories' against Agassi, Kuerten and Vacek, you would be able to win here?
M. Certainly. But the situation with Davis Cup is special - you play for Russia. The nervous tremblings are terrible. You begin to think too much, almost before every hit of the ball, and this can be unnecessary.
Q. Even after your 3 'victories' at Roland Garros, do you feel that you couldn't take on players like Rios and Sampras? Or is it all or nothing now?
M. Well, I'll deal with them when the time comes.
Rausa. He's focussed on his life ahead.
Misha. Thank God he understands this.
M. Sometimes I'll win.... sometimes I'll lose.
Misha. The main thing he learnt in Spain is that today's result is not important. The main thing is: there was a game. He doesn't change his style of play. Simply, his power has increased, which is one of the reasons he's doing better. We also say the same to Dinara; "Don't worry about the outcome of the match. It is important for us to see what you've learnt in training. Try to achieve everything you learnt in practice. Nobody's going to mind much about whether you win or not."
Rausa. For example, Dinara was in the final of 'Vooruzhenki' [phonetic] She thought about only one thing, so the match would end quickly.
Misha. It is so important that Marat believes in the potential he has. I think he just doesn't know what he's capable of yet.
Q. So what took place in France can happen again?
M. It can, and it will. A sphere has gone. [no, doesn't make sense to me either!]
Q. You can't win seven matches in a row so casually!
M. I don't know, but when I played against Agassi, I couldn't believe it was me, I'd never run so much in my life. But then I believed in myself and the fact that I'd beaten Kuerten. That's all. It's very important to believe in yourself.
Misha. The match against Vacek was a landmark. Everyone sat up and took notice. Other difficult matches that Marat had won paled in comparison. They were weak examples compared to the Vacek match. Marat was already becoming a favourite.
M. I was sure I could I win. Although it's necessary to believe this in order to win. Vacek plays without any definite rhythm. You lose your concentration. So I lost in the second set. Then I pulled myself together. If you get sucked into their game, you lose everything.
Q. Tell me about your coach.
M. We are very similar in character.
Q. Has he worked with any well known Spaniards?
M. Not that I know of. When I arrived in Valencia in 1993, I was told that there was a coach for me. 'Who?' I asked. They didn't know much about him. Now we work well together. He's already a friend. I, for example, don't like it when coaches talk to you from behind their hands [ i.e finding it difficult to stay quiet during a match] I prefer quieter, shy people. We are both like this. Once, we drove for 3 hours in complete silence, both thinking about everyone and everything. Our characters compliment each other. We don't even have a contract between us. I'll admit, when I win some prize money, I'll say 'how much do you want?' Quietly, we'll sit and talk like close friends. I certainly pay him a salary - $2000. And he doesn't ask anything more of me. He won't even accept any sports clothes from me, saying he already has everything he needs.
Misha. For Rafael, it is purely a professional interest in Marat and this is worth more than money. His popularity has grown. [within the family?]
M. And at the same time, he's very modest. He doesn't even talk to journalists. Likewise, glory is unnecessary for him.
Q. Your relationship is limited to the tennis courts?
M. He's an adult, 37 years old with 3 kids. So I can talk to him about life too.
Rausa. For example, after arriving in Moscow, Rafael wanted to visit the Pushkin museum. He's from an intelligent family, his father's an architect. When the Davis Cup team was preparing for their match in Atlanta, our Spaniard stood modestly, and watched; he didn't try and interrupt Volkov Leonyukov (the official Davis Cup coach) from conducting the practice session. He only needs to say two or three phrases to Marat, and they understand each other perfectly.
M. Rafael created a comfortable situation for me. I even had a kind of 'non-training' session. Another important thing is that he has this aura that just seemed to create a world of peace around me. Although, he didn't ty to alter my game initially, as I recollect, the changes came when we drove to satellites together. How did he adjust me? In many ways. Conversations about anything. And only sometimes would he compliment me, with 'You play well. Believe me, you'll do well.'
Misha. It was the same for Muster, who was helped in the same way by Leytgebom. He's not a professional coach, but better, almost a psychologist. Not like Lepeshin. [another Russian Davis Cup coach?]
M. I was put in reserve for the Davis Cup match against the Romanians. I arrived having recently won a challenger. Lepshin says to me " You play worse than ever, you run badly, and you've no idea how to hit the ball." "How did I win a challenger then?" I thought. Now we have Anatoly Aleksandrovich. In Barcelona, he coached me differently, he's started to congratualte me, talk to me. Just as I can win three victories, so I can lose three victories. The main thing is to win back the year, two in one go.
Q. Next year your birthday, 27th January, will be in Melbourne , Australia, during the Australian Open. How many years will you celebrate your birthday down-under?
M. Well, five years. For as long as I can. Although, I'll admit, it's is tiring.
Misha. But it is necessary when you retire from tennis, to find something else to replce it. Lendl for example has started a business. He has a family, children, dogs, golf.
Q. We were talking about you retiring before...
M, Yes, it's important to prepare for the future. Cherky (Cherkasov), for example, is 180-th in the world, and he has plenty of money, but nothing to do if he retires. What else can he do?
Misha. The same can be said of Andrei Chesnokov.
Q. And what will happen to Dinara? Have you started preparing for her furture?
Rausa. Yes, she already has a sponsor. In Spain, they know our family. But she's not going to America. She tried the Bolleteri academy, but after only one week, she wanted to runaway. Marat said to her 'It's ok to feel like that, just take a break.'
Marat. No-one in that academy knows how to treat players properly. When Rios and Vacek went there, they discovered that if you are a good player, everyone wants to be your friend and train you. If you're average, then you have to look after yourself and train alone.
Misha. It is important for academy owners to blow their own trumpets and say to the world 'look! I trained Becker! I trained Korda!' They live off their students fame.
Q. In one interview you said tennis alone was not interesting, rather, the opportunity to earn money was important.
Marat. When you've run for 6 hours on a court, tell me how 'interesting' tennis is! When you're half-dead, when you your muscles are reduced to flour by the first round, you just don't care. When you realise the prize ahead, you stop aching, and start to play better.
Q. When you get to this stage, running around and tiring your muscles, do you ever feel like saying 'To hell with tennis!' ?
M. No. Because this is already my career, and I must take a professional attitude towards it. Whims like this, I left behind in my childhood.
Interview by Natalie Cherepanov, Oleg Spasskiy.
Translated by Ruth.
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!!
No.7/98
Tennis + Interview
PART 2 JUNE 1998
Whims like this, I left behind in my Childhood.
We continue our second part of the conversation with Marat Safin and his parents.
Q. A question about your sister Dinara. Do you follow her progress?
M. No, I don't get too involved in these matters.
Q. The Czech siblings, Helena and Cyril Sukova play brilliantly together. Maybe one day this could happen in your family? With you and Dinara?
M. I'm not too concerned about Dinara's tennis. And Dinara's the same as me. We're both crazy.
Q. Is it possible to achieve in tennis without having character?
M. It's impossible. But, you try to explain it [to her] and her answer will be "I know this already", and then a moment later, she'll turn up with a medal around her neck, that she won only an hour ago.
[not entirely sure I've translated this correctly!]
Q. The media have only recently begun writing about you, but alreday there has been alot of critisism, mainly concerning your on-court behaviour.
M. If you don't want to see it, don't watch.
Rausa. He's not a robot. These are normal, human, sports-fuelled emotions.
Misha. If he hadn't displayed any emotions, it would have killed him [or: the crowd wouldn't have supported him]. He did nothing against the rules at that match in Paris, which is what everyone is referring to. Emotions are a novelty in a match. The crowd doesn't like robots.
M. All these gestures are made within the limits of tennis etiquette. The umpire sits in his chair and supervises us. There are gestures that are allowed, and some that are forbidden.
Q. Yes, we remember how Kafelnikov did something similar against Becker, who then became the crowd favourite. There was a roar of indignation.
Misha. There are somethings which are not acceptable. It all depends on how you've been coached.
M. Also, you must understand, it's not always down to how you were coached. When you're on court, you can fly off the handle,... it gets offensive.... you've got hell inside your own head.... and in that moment, you realise a word or gesture has escaped. But I sat down after the match and thought about why this happens.
Q. What is your relationship with Kafelnikov like? He's also got a high ranking. Other players have complained that he associates too much with journalists in an effort to gain favour with the media. Yet you are in a position to ask; "Zhenya, there's something I don't understand. What do you make of it?"
[could be 2 meanings: (a)Marat is in a position to ask Kafelnikov for tips on how to deal with the media or (b)Kafelnikov is very approachable]
M. Yes, it's elementary. Kafelnikov is a normal person, although he has been playing well for a long time now. And Pete Sampras is another, although he's completely different; for instance, I'll say 'How are you?' and get very little response from him. Sampras, Agassi.... they consider themselves to be great. But Berasategui, Corretja, Moya; they will always congratulate you on a win. And Todd Martin, by the way, is an excellent guy.
Q. How have attitudes towards you changed since your 3 infamous matches at Roland Garros?
M. Well, people pay more attention to me, they're more willing to talk.
Q. Players or the media?
M. The media are starting to be interested. The players still treat me the same.
Q. Let's talk about your move to Spain and the story behind it.... Tell me about a certain bank that helped you... do you want to name it?
M. Yes, it's necessary.
Misha. It all began when Bruce Rappaport called us from Switzerland. He's the President of the New York Bank-Inter Maritime Bank, Geneva.
Q. Where did this take place?
Misha. In the Tennis Centre where we worked. Vladimir Pavlovich Cherbakov, the Chairman of the General Confederation of Trade Unions played there. In his time as Chairman of the Urban Committee of Trade Unions, he saw Marat play, who was only small then. He knew that our 10 year old son had already had to go with other children to try out at a tennis academy in Cinncinnati. Vladimir Pavlovich talked alot with us, and saw that Marat wasn't bad. So he persuaded Bruce Rappaport to get involved.
Q. I read in 'Today' newspaper that IMG has contracted you for $300,000.
M. I have to pay it back. I've already returned half.
Q. Did the bank want something in return? Or did they simply want to make money off your success?
Misha. When IMG takes on an athlete, the agency doesn't immediately pay back the sponsor. Of course, it must be paid back eventually. They then negotiate with the player some terms of repayment. So, during so many years, he will give them 10% of his prize money and 15% of any commercial earnings.
Q. And what if you don't do well in tennis?
M. That's the risk.
Q. You played Barcelona and Philadelphia in spring via a wildcard. Did IMG provide the wildcard?
M. Yes, because they pay for the tournaments.
Q. You're now 65th -70th in the world?
M. No, below that. 70th - 78th.
Marat later told us he was actually 68th but didn't find out till the next day.
Q. Is it true that you don't bring your parents to tournaments, but tell them to stay at home? Because it's better without them?
M. That's all lies. I've never said that. It's also a lie that I consider myself a Spaniard. Complete nonsense!
Q. Now, you're in the Davis Cup team. But if something was to happen to Kafelnikov, would you be ready to be the number 1?
M. Kafelnikov will play.
Rausa. In your newspaper, you wrote from the words of tennis coaches that we now send young players to the west to train. Now, someone did talk to us as parents about this, and why it happens. I trained Marat, I looked after him. But there came a day when I said to him; " You need to leave now, or we'll have to end your tennis. It's not right that we try to pull you closer, [when leaving us will help you]....no amount of money can help." And our attitudes towards each other on court became [or: had become] diffcult.
M. It wasn't easy. I was scolded, I even swore. It's difficult being coached by a parent.
Q. But It was ok for Martina Hingis...
M. My nature and character is complex....
Rausa. You see, as a mother and coach you want to get the best out of every child. The more you are together, the more pressure you create. And also, I had young Dinara to look after. It's not easy to work quietly, when all the time you are thinking about where to get money for renting courts and trips to competitions.
M. If I'd stayed here, I would probably have stopped playing by now.
Q. How has life changed for you ? Has Marat left home for good?
Misha. Marat spends most of his time travelling. He'll come to Moscow for about a week.
M. For the whole year, I only managed to spend 2 months in Moscow.
Q. In Moscow, there's the Kremlin Cup which you played...but will you go to Tashkent this year?
M. Yes, this year I'll go.
Q. There are many good tournaments around here. Many Spaniards usually come. Mantilla won the President's Cup [Tashkent].
M. I know. But there's no longer ground there.. but hard [surface? Not sure what this means....]
Q. What about your studies, Marat?
M. I've left school. Now I'll go to the Institute of Physical Culture. One day I'll become a coach.
Q. Do you see Anna Kournikova alot?
M. Rarely. We played one tournament in Paris.
Q. But everyone is still talking about her.
Misha. This is part of her life now. She's entered the game. To be watched is now a part of her existence.
M. When I played Pioline, she came to watch with Ronaldo, and she kissed him on the cheek.... or did he kiss her? Afterwards, they had to escape. You can't blame her. But she gets [the attention] she creates.
Rausa. It's very insulting when the tennis journalists, with all due respect, are incompetent though; for example, Cheskidov at the TV Centre called Marat 'Renat'. Even though you are a professional, you still make mistakes. And Andrey Nikiforov, for some reason, reported that Elena Dementieva was a student at TSSKA, although she'd been coached by me at Spartak until she was 12. It makes you wonder!
Q. Do you intend to stay long in Spain?
M. It could end up that I never return to Russia, but nevertheless, I'm still Russian, and I'll still play for Russia.
Misha. Dinara will probably go to Spain too. The training conditions there are excellent.
Rausa. And I'll go with her. Why would I want to stay here and work for 500 Roubles? Some of our telephone bills cost more than that. When Marat went there to train, we drove to his agent. She said to me " If you stay with him, he'll be abnormal." I replied "What do you mean?" because I hadn't understood. She said "His life will be abnormal from now on, so he needs to be prepared to handle it himself." So [for me?] there would have been no days off, or holidays. When they begin training, they are getting ready for the real world. Today you play a tournament, tomorrow, Marat could play a really difficult match. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see him play live much, since we haven't been to any tournaments. Well, except Davis Cup.
[I'm not entirely sure I've translated what the agent said correctly]
Misha. Marat fought against Agassi, and even playing doubles with Kafelnikov didn't improve his game drastically. But these trials create character. Unfortunately, we didn't even have chance to see this 'historical' match (against Agassi) because we had to fly home early.
Q. So, after you 'victories' against Agassi, Kuerten and Vacek, you would be able to win here?
M. Certainly. But the situation with Davis Cup is special - you play for Russia. The nervous tremblings are terrible. You begin to think too much, almost before every hit of the ball, and this can be unnecessary.
Q. Even after your 3 'victories' at Roland Garros, do you feel that you couldn't take on players like Rios and Sampras? Or is it all or nothing now?
M. Well, I'll deal with them when the time comes.
Rausa. He's focussed on his life ahead.
Misha. Thank God he understands this.
M. Sometimes I'll win.... sometimes I'll lose.
Misha. The main thing he learnt in Spain is that today's result is not important. The main thing is: there was a game. He doesn't change his style of play. Simply, his power has increased, which is one of the reasons he's doing better. We also say the same to Dinara; "Don't worry about the outcome of the match. It is important for us to see what you've learnt in training. Try to achieve everything you learnt in practice. Nobody's going to mind much about whether you win or not."
Rausa. For example, Dinara was in the final of 'Vooruzhenki' [phonetic] She thought about only one thing, so the match would end quickly.
Misha. It is so important that Marat believes in the potential he has. I think he just doesn't know what he's capable of yet.
Q. So what took place in France can happen again?
M. It can, and it will. A sphere has gone. [no, doesn't make sense to me either!]
Q. You can't win seven matches in a row so casually!
M. I don't know, but when I played against Agassi, I couldn't believe it was me, I'd never run so much in my life. But then I believed in myself and the fact that I'd beaten Kuerten. That's all. It's very important to believe in yourself.
Misha. The match against Vacek was a landmark. Everyone sat up and took notice. Other difficult matches that Marat had won paled in comparison. They were weak examples compared to the Vacek match. Marat was already becoming a favourite.
M. I was sure I could I win. Although it's necessary to believe this in order to win. Vacek plays without any definite rhythm. You lose your concentration. So I lost in the second set. Then I pulled myself together. If you get sucked into their game, you lose everything.
Q. Tell me about your coach.
M. We are very similar in character.
Q. Has he worked with any well known Spaniards?
M. Not that I know of. When I arrived in Valencia in 1993, I was told that there was a coach for me. 'Who?' I asked. They didn't know much about him. Now we work well together. He's already a friend. I, for example, don't like it when coaches talk to you from behind their hands [ i.e finding it difficult to stay quiet during a match] I prefer quieter, shy people. We are both like this. Once, we drove for 3 hours in complete silence, both thinking about everyone and everything. Our characters compliment each other. We don't even have a contract between us. I'll admit, when I win some prize money, I'll say 'how much do you want?' Quietly, we'll sit and talk like close friends. I certainly pay him a salary - $2000. And he doesn't ask anything more of me. He won't even accept any sports clothes from me, saying he already has everything he needs.
Misha. For Rafael, it is purely a professional interest in Marat and this is worth more than money. His popularity has grown. [within the family?]
M. And at the same time, he's very modest. He doesn't even talk to journalists. Likewise, glory is unnecessary for him.
Q. Your relationship is limited to the tennis courts?
M. He's an adult, 37 years old with 3 kids. So I can talk to him about life too.
Rausa. For example, after arriving in Moscow, Rafael wanted to visit the Pushkin museum. He's from an intelligent family, his father's an architect. When the Davis Cup team was preparing for their match in Atlanta, our Spaniard stood modestly, and watched; he didn't try and interrupt Volkov Leonyukov (the official Davis Cup coach) from conducting the practice session. He only needs to say two or three phrases to Marat, and they understand each other perfectly.
M. Rafael created a comfortable situation for me. I even had a kind of 'non-training' session. Another important thing is that he has this aura that just seemed to create a world of peace around me. Although, he didn't ty to alter my game initially, as I recollect, the changes came when we drove to satellites together. How did he adjust me? In many ways. Conversations about anything. And only sometimes would he compliment me, with 'You play well. Believe me, you'll do well.'
Misha. It was the same for Muster, who was helped in the same way by Leytgebom. He's not a professional coach, but better, almost a psychologist. Not like Lepeshin. [another Russian Davis Cup coach?]
M. I was put in reserve for the Davis Cup match against the Romanians. I arrived having recently won a challenger. Lepshin says to me " You play worse than ever, you run badly, and you've no idea how to hit the ball." "How did I win a challenger then?" I thought. Now we have Anatoly Aleksandrovich. In Barcelona, he coached me differently, he's started to congratualte me, talk to me. Just as I can win three victories, so I can lose three victories. The main thing is to win back the year, two in one go.
Q. Next year your birthday, 27th January, will be in Melbourne , Australia, during the Australian Open. How many years will you celebrate your birthday down-under?
M. Well, five years. For as long as I can. Although, I'll admit, it's is tiring.
Misha. But it is necessary when you retire from tennis, to find something else to replce it. Lendl for example has started a business. He has a family, children, dogs, golf.
Q. We were talking about you retiring before...
M, Yes, it's important to prepare for the future. Cherky (Cherkasov), for example, is 180-th in the world, and he has plenty of money, but nothing to do if he retires. What else can he do?
Misha. The same can be said of Andrei Chesnokov.
Q. And what will happen to Dinara? Have you started preparing for her furture?
Rausa. Yes, she already has a sponsor. In Spain, they know our family. But she's not going to America. She tried the Bolleteri academy, but after only one week, she wanted to runaway. Marat said to her 'It's ok to feel like that, just take a break.'
Marat. No-one in that academy knows how to treat players properly. When Rios and Vacek went there, they discovered that if you are a good player, everyone wants to be your friend and train you. If you're average, then you have to look after yourself and train alone.
Misha. It is important for academy owners to blow their own trumpets and say to the world 'look! I trained Becker! I trained Korda!' They live off their students fame.
Q. In one interview you said tennis alone was not interesting, rather, the opportunity to earn money was important.
Marat. When you've run for 6 hours on a court, tell me how 'interesting' tennis is! When you're half-dead, when you your muscles are reduced to flour by the first round, you just don't care. When you realise the prize ahead, you stop aching, and start to play better.
Q. When you get to this stage, running around and tiring your muscles, do you ever feel like saying 'To hell with tennis!' ?
M. No. Because this is already my career, and I must take a professional attitude towards it. Whims like this, I left behind in my childhood.
Interview by Natalie Cherepanov, Oleg Spasskiy.
Translated by Ruth.
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