Post by Annie on Jun 11, 2005 18:55:47 GMT 3
"Marat's game"
Arguments & facts Magazine
(No.48 Nov '98)
Arguments And Facts Magazine : "Marat's Game"
#48 November 1998
You will know this 18 year old sensation as Marat Safin. He has risen like a meteor, shooting into the tennis world, having crushed favourites such as Agassi, Muster and Kuerten.
Q. Were you prepared for your overnight fame?
M. To tell you the truth, no I wasn't. At the beginning of the year, I was 210th in the world. I had planned with my coach to make it into the top 100, but I didn't expect to rise to 48th place! Certainly, for such masters as Agassi and Muster, it is insulting to lose to young players, but they themselves once defeated great tennis players. At the moment, it is simply a new generation making it's mark.
Q. Many people see tennis as an easy sport with easy money. How much do you train?
M. I use pre-tournament days to prepare, so I spend 2-3 hours on court. For general training, including small breaks, I work around 4-5 hours. During tournaments, I spend 2 hours limbering up and practicing.
Q. The olympic champion swimmer Alexander Popov said that he can 'sink' opponents by intimidating them beforehand. Utter a few nasty things, and a sportsman is demoralized. Is this tactic used in tennis?
M. All tennis players are people with a steady mentality. Everything is argued out on the court, instead of the locker room. If I started to verbally intimidate a rival, I would have angered him in a 'sports way', and he would use the match to gain his revenge. This kind of pressure [on an opponent] is simply not necessary.
Q. Why did you go to Spain for your training, instead of the Mecca for all tennis players - the USA?
M. Firstly, Spain is closer, it takes 4 hours to get there. And in America, I wasn't happy there. Everyone is always smiling, but you don't feel it's sincere. Every step on a tennis court is treated as a step towards financial gain. Money makes America go round. You may not believe me, but with the Spanish coach, we didn't draw up any contracts, we trusted each others word.
Q. Tell me, recently you wanted to buy a Spanish country house?
M. At the beginning of the year, I had hardly enough money to travel to tournaments. Now my financial situation has improved. But I'm not going to throw my money away. I was offered a country house, but it was more practical to buy a new apartment.
Q. Where do you pay your taxes?
M. I am a Russian citizen. I pay them here regularly.
Q. At the US Open you were seen with a beautiful young girl.
M. It's none of your business who I was with. I don't talk openly about my personal affairs. But I will say, that when I'm 25 and strongly independent, I will think about marriage.
Q. Very few tennis players your age have such a powerful serve. How long do you work on it?
M. My serve is a gift from God. It is my strength, and I practice it for 20-30 minutes. Now the ball flies at 218 km/hour. I think in 20 years [or: when I am 20] I shall be fast competition. Research has shown that the ball can fly up to 250 km/hour. And the serve depends exclusively on the person, not the racket. They gave a piece of wood to tennis masters, and their serves remained at the same high speed. So my serve is down to me.
Q. What do your relatives say to you as you go on court?
M. Good luck. You could win, you could lose, so think about this quietly. But any sportsmen fears injury more than anything, myself included. For example, Medvedev broke his foot and where is he now? For me, good luck in health is the most important.
Q. What do you do in your spare time, away from tennis?
M. I like to read, I listen to music, or I am dragged off to a club to socialise with friends. I can drink, but I don't drink alot. Once I jokingly said that I could
? and journalists 'exposed' it, like I was a bitter drunkard. Wine, especially hard liquor, I don't like at all. And I don't have enough time to relax, anyway.
Q. How do you keep up-to-date with Russian life?
M. I call my parents 2-3 times a week. When I was playing in Germany, I watched the news on 'AIF'. News on foreign channels is always negative about Russia. But when you actually come here, you see it's not as bad as they say it is. I don't know why they thinks it's necessary [to be negative about Russia.]
Q. The tennis player, in a broad sense of the word, is a citizen of the world, an internationalist. Do you agree with the saying "where life is good, that's where your home is"?
M. No, I don't agree. I was so proud when I was included in the Russian Davis Cup team to play against the Americans. I desperately wanted to show what I was capable of, and probably ruined it before I even started. Our experience made us comrades in the Russian team, but unfortunately, we did not live up to the hopes of the Russian fans. Patriotism, in my opinion, is a professional service to your native land. And it's irrelevant that I train in Spain, or that I play worldwide; the main thing is that my roots are here, Tartar blood flows in me, and I have a Russian soul. For no amount of money and under no circumstances would I change that.
Interview by Dmitri Grantsev.
Translated by Ruth.
members.nbci.com/_XMCM/msafin/aif.html
[original source]
IF YOU WISH TO POST THESE INTERVIEWS ELSE WHERE PLEASE INCLUDE CREDIT FOR ALL TRANSLATORS MENTIONED AND THE GUYFROMRUSSIA URL FOR THE INTERVIEWTHANK YOU!!
Arguments & facts Magazine
(No.48 Nov '98)
Arguments And Facts Magazine : "Marat's Game"
#48 November 1998
You will know this 18 year old sensation as Marat Safin. He has risen like a meteor, shooting into the tennis world, having crushed favourites such as Agassi, Muster and Kuerten.
Q. Were you prepared for your overnight fame?
M. To tell you the truth, no I wasn't. At the beginning of the year, I was 210th in the world. I had planned with my coach to make it into the top 100, but I didn't expect to rise to 48th place! Certainly, for such masters as Agassi and Muster, it is insulting to lose to young players, but they themselves once defeated great tennis players. At the moment, it is simply a new generation making it's mark.
Q. Many people see tennis as an easy sport with easy money. How much do you train?
M. I use pre-tournament days to prepare, so I spend 2-3 hours on court. For general training, including small breaks, I work around 4-5 hours. During tournaments, I spend 2 hours limbering up and practicing.
Q. The olympic champion swimmer Alexander Popov said that he can 'sink' opponents by intimidating them beforehand. Utter a few nasty things, and a sportsman is demoralized. Is this tactic used in tennis?
M. All tennis players are people with a steady mentality. Everything is argued out on the court, instead of the locker room. If I started to verbally intimidate a rival, I would have angered him in a 'sports way', and he would use the match to gain his revenge. This kind of pressure [on an opponent] is simply not necessary.
Q. Why did you go to Spain for your training, instead of the Mecca for all tennis players - the USA?
M. Firstly, Spain is closer, it takes 4 hours to get there. And in America, I wasn't happy there. Everyone is always smiling, but you don't feel it's sincere. Every step on a tennis court is treated as a step towards financial gain. Money makes America go round. You may not believe me, but with the Spanish coach, we didn't draw up any contracts, we trusted each others word.
Q. Tell me, recently you wanted to buy a Spanish country house?
M. At the beginning of the year, I had hardly enough money to travel to tournaments. Now my financial situation has improved. But I'm not going to throw my money away. I was offered a country house, but it was more practical to buy a new apartment.
Q. Where do you pay your taxes?
M. I am a Russian citizen. I pay them here regularly.
Q. At the US Open you were seen with a beautiful young girl.
M. It's none of your business who I was with. I don't talk openly about my personal affairs. But I will say, that when I'm 25 and strongly independent, I will think about marriage.
Q. Very few tennis players your age have such a powerful serve. How long do you work on it?
M. My serve is a gift from God. It is my strength, and I practice it for 20-30 minutes. Now the ball flies at 218 km/hour. I think in 20 years [or: when I am 20] I shall be fast competition. Research has shown that the ball can fly up to 250 km/hour. And the serve depends exclusively on the person, not the racket. They gave a piece of wood to tennis masters, and their serves remained at the same high speed. So my serve is down to me.
Q. What do your relatives say to you as you go on court?
M. Good luck. You could win, you could lose, so think about this quietly. But any sportsmen fears injury more than anything, myself included. For example, Medvedev broke his foot and where is he now? For me, good luck in health is the most important.
Q. What do you do in your spare time, away from tennis?
M. I like to read, I listen to music, or I am dragged off to a club to socialise with friends. I can drink, but I don't drink alot. Once I jokingly said that I could
? and journalists 'exposed' it, like I was a bitter drunkard. Wine, especially hard liquor, I don't like at all. And I don't have enough time to relax, anyway.Q. How do you keep up-to-date with Russian life?
M. I call my parents 2-3 times a week. When I was playing in Germany, I watched the news on 'AIF'. News on foreign channels is always negative about Russia. But when you actually come here, you see it's not as bad as they say it is. I don't know why they thinks it's necessary [to be negative about Russia.]
Q. The tennis player, in a broad sense of the word, is a citizen of the world, an internationalist. Do you agree with the saying "where life is good, that's where your home is"?
M. No, I don't agree. I was so proud when I was included in the Russian Davis Cup team to play against the Americans. I desperately wanted to show what I was capable of, and probably ruined it before I even started. Our experience made us comrades in the Russian team, but unfortunately, we did not live up to the hopes of the Russian fans. Patriotism, in my opinion, is a professional service to your native land. And it's irrelevant that I train in Spain, or that I play worldwide; the main thing is that my roots are here, Tartar blood flows in me, and I have a Russian soul. For no amount of money and under no circumstances would I change that.
Interview by Dmitri Grantsev.
Translated by Ruth.
members.nbci.com/_XMCM/msafin/aif.html
[original source]
IF YOU WISH TO POST THESE INTERVIEWS ELSE WHERE PLEASE INCLUDE CREDIT FOR ALL TRANSLATORS MENTIONED AND THE GUYFROMRUSSIA URL FOR THE INTERVIEWTHANK YOU!!
