Post by Annie on Dec 19, 2006 0:46:01 GMT 3
ProSport Magazine Interview (issue 23-24, December 11 2006-January 14, 2007)
Text: Elena Yegereva
(Photoshoot scans can be found in the Off-court photos thread
)
GOOD!
The most talented Russian tennis player, owner of real estate in Monte Carlo and unique charm Marat Safin told ProSport about balancing hard-earned victories in Davis Cup and his hatred for routine.
-I think that despite all your professional successes, especially the most recent one, you hardly ever strike anyone as a person, who is ready to sacrifice everything for a sport, for victory.
How can you think about the same thing 24 hours a day? I can’t, I’d go mad. I got lucky in life: I have terrific friends. I love life.
- Strange. In one of your interviews I read that you said we don’t have so many good players nowadays in the country, and all because of their love to entertainment.
It is impossible to become a good tennis player in Russian province: there are no decent courts, no equipment, coaches, hitting partners. So they try to come to Moscow and find their tennis happiness and Moscow spoils them. It is practically impossible to live in Moscow and only think of professional sport: there are too many distractions here. We have a beautiful life here, parties, everyone lives to the maximum. And unfortunately kids “get broken” – too many sugary things they can’t say no to at their age. So they start thinking of excuses for their behaviour: a coach is not good enough, this is bad and that is not good. In reality all they want is to live a beautiful life and that will is normal. But in order to achieve something in sport – you need to sacrifice a lot.
- So how did you resist all those temptations when you were young? What did you have to sacrifice?
I didn’t study tennis here, I left for Spain when I was fourteen and spent 8 years there. I made a huge sacrifice back then. I was literally grabbed by the hand and taken abroad – and thank God that happened. It was my parents’ decision. I had no money, I mean our family had no money – but they found a sponsor for me. I couldn’t really object to anything. You can say they gave me a ticket to life and I couldn’t flush that chance down the drain. No way. No how. I absolutely did not like the life I had as a little boy in Moscow.
-What life did you lead back then?
A sad life of a middle class of the first half of 1990s, hopeless.
-But you were playing your favourite sport back then already!
You do not earn money when you are 14. Sad life of a middle class is about my parents. My Mum was a coach earning 200 rubles a month and my Dad was an administrator of one of a tennis courts for 400 rubles a month, that’s nothing especially considering two children in the family. So you do the maths, here is why it is hopeless. And nothing realistic was on my horizon at that point in time. And here comes someone who is spending 300 thousand on me, can you imagine? 300 thousand in the 1990s! You could buy out a part of Rublevka (a very posh region on the outskirts of Moscow now) for that money!
-Have you ever thought of what would have happened to you if you hadn’t left?
I don’t even want to think about it because it’s scary. Now times are different: some people have money, some don’t but still young and talented sportsmen have more chances to find a sponsor, many more chances.
-Does a Russian tennis player differ from a western one? Is the mentality different? Do they have a different way of resisting temptations?
Why should he be any different? I can just give characteristics of different nations in tennis. Americans for example, are very euphoric: if things are going well then they’re going well, if not – they have absolutely no idea what to do on court. Frenchmen are super talented people and are very flashy. And they are very vain, which helps them generally. Italians can’t play well only because all their attention is somewhere else. There are no great Italian players, there were in the past but not now. Italians are a totally different story: they are a talented nation and it’s always hard to understand talented people. German players – they are the type of people who do not see anything around them. It’s all very direct for them, all within certain frameworks and it makes them so stiff, they can never relax 100%. But in order to play good tennis your mental outlook needs to be broader. They are like horses in blinders.
-What about the Russians?
The Russians? We had amazing players: Chesnokov, Zhenya Kafelnikov. But in those days we had no opportunity to freely travel around. 90% of geniuses remained here and melted without a trace.
-Asking about the differences I was trying to figure out why do many Russian sportsmen when going abroad quickly vanish. Is big money the problem?
OK, let’s look at this from a football point of view because I am a huge football fan. First of all in order to “shine” anywhere like Italy, Spain or Germany you have to be a good player. I think the best player we had was Alexander Mostovoy. Sasha was an a-ma-zing player, first class. Unfortunately there’s noone like him for now. Before the used to buy stars like Sasha abroad for really cheap and pay them a miserable wage, it was impossible to earn money in Russian sport at that point in time, that’s why our guys all headed west. I think they didn’t vanish due to money, but because of a certain game level. Russia is not a football nation.
- Maybe the thing is that individual sports like tennis are much more developed in Russia nowadays than the team ones, maybe due to some social or even political reasons?
Why? Look at our girls who because World Champions in volleyball. Ok, let’s take football again. To put it bluntly we have too many individuals and they are very hard to control and coach. And this is not just the problem of our football, but of all team sports. “Barcelona” for example is a team whose coach managed to gather everyone together into one group, and look at “Real” – so many stars and they can’t do anything.
-I don’t know where Russian female tennis players entertain themselves but it looks like nowhere. Dementieva, Myskina, Sharapova seem to have goals different from yours, they seem to be totally focused on tennis. Why is that?
It’s true, they don’t get out much. At least I never meet them anywhere in Moscow. Everyone has his own philosophy and goals. A man and a woman are two various sexes, it’s not accidental that there is an expression “opposite sexes”. For Dementieva, Myskina, Sharapova tennis is business, it’s work, and it’s big money, huge money. They feel totally independent, self-made women, they don’t have to report to anyone, they can afford to buy an apartment, can drive any car they want.
-But Kournikova was different: she was independent but not totally consumed by tennis.
Kournikova went into another extreme – started doing too many photoshoots and had too many distracting factors in her life. And she didn’t have anyone in her life that would point her in the right direction.
-So she’s like the victim of 1990s?
Well those were different times, girls had a hard life. But she was the first one to become a real star. Mega star! She did a huge PR for tennis – she is still an idol in the States. So she’s not really a victim – she feels great nowadays, earned tons of money. And she didn’t achieve more in tennis probably because she overdid it when she was a kid. Maybe she was just tired. I remember her practising on the court next to mine. Once you become a professional and start earning money you have to automatically understand that you have to make sacrifices and all these parties and gatherings won’t do you any good. When I come to Moscow I can afford going to parties and restaurants. Once I am on the road for two-three months – there is no time for fun. I get up in the morning – go to courts, come back in the evening, have dinner, massage and sleep. And you live with this schedule for months, can you imagine? Of course you come here to Moscow after all that and you want to see new things, visit new places, look at people. That’s how I like to spend my free time – I like parties, take pleasure in them. Why not?
-Does glamorous life in Moscow seem better in Moscow than in Monte Carlo where you have a house? Or than in London?
All that glamour is not for me, I couldn’t care less: who is where and when and with whom. I really couldn’t care less. I live my life, I don’t read the papers and I don’t even watch TV. There are so many new names in the society: this one is that and that one is this and I have no idea who these people are. I also like watching movies. Spike Lee’s movies are absolutely great, watched “25th Hour”, excellent movie. Edward Norton looks like such a great person. When I saw Norton for the first time, I thought wow, what a dude, I even read somewhere that he speaks Japanese. He is a cult himself! I really like him. Funny: you don’t even know the guy but you like him already.
-They call “Chelsea” an English team because it is physically located in the UK, but the owner in Russian and players have been gathered from all over the world. I do not know what “Chelsea” players feel, meaning what are they playing for, which country. But you personally, what are you playing for?
I really love and respect Russia. I feel very proud when someone says something good about Russia. Russia is greatly respected abroad, when someone hears you’re from Russian they do “Oooo!”
-Who respects Russia? If you read foreign press, things are actually totally opposite.
I claim with full responsibility: we are respected in the west, have no doubt about it. We are respected like noone else in this world. I think you might be underestimating our country. Maybe you never lived in Germany but I did, lived in Spain, in the States, I live in Monte Carlo. We have the most promising, the largest country with huge possibilities, huge talents. There isn’t any other country in the world… How could anyone compare our country to let’s say America? What are you comparing it with? Look at our country, at the history, culture, people! Yes, I play for Russia because I love it and I love all the flaws that come with it.
-You talk of Russia as a foreigner who’s been taken to Moscow nightclubs and posh restaurants. Russia is also a very poor country.
How about sitting in New York in Cipriani on the terrace outside and a homeless person comes up to you and starts begging for money? They have problems there too. And by the way, just so you understand, there homeless people have where to go – they have special shelters. It’s just that he doesn’t want to go there, he wants to feel homeless, might actually get a kick out of it deep down inside. If you have no friends and you have nowhere to go and you don’t want to go anywhere – there is something very wrong with you.
-Tennis career is a life which was chosen for you by your parents. Does this thought pressure you in any way? Don’t you have thoughts like you should be thinking of something yourself, something radical and new?
You mean think for the future? Are you on about my pension after 30?
-Too painful of a topic?
No, not really. There is only one life but for a sportsman it is divided into various stages. The first stage is when you play and play but this stage will end sooner or later and I understand that well. Then a totally different life will start. I will most probably remain somewhere not too far from tennis – this is something I know about and am good at, it’s something that was given to me by God. My ambitions are quite Napoleonic but you have to realistically value your abilities: what is it that you are in this world and how useful can you be for other people. The problem of many people is that they overestimate themselves, put themselves a bit higher than they are in reality. You cannot do that, this is a straight road to a disappointment in yourself, followed by depression.
-What else would you like to achieve?
What else, what else… The thing is: you rush to tell everyone about something beforehand and it will never come true. I do not want to lose what I have planned so I am not going to tell you anything. Some time ago I was feeling so confident, was feeling like noone could beat me in this world, it all went so well, so wonderful. When you are number one in the world you are full of strength and confidence, it is such an amazing feeling. Euphoria! Now the situation has changed. How old am I? Twenty six. I have won quite a lot. Maybe my career didn’t go as well as I wanted it to due to two serious injuries. But now I am truly enjoying the fact that after all of this I managed to come back and continue playing on a high level.
-During Kremlin Cup you did a blog on the internet – was that a forced measure or you volunteered to do it?
Well, they asked me to do it. I am a person that is very far from the internet. And I am not a writer to write memoirs.
Text: Elena Yegereva
(Photoshoot scans can be found in the Off-court photos thread
)GOOD!
The most talented Russian tennis player, owner of real estate in Monte Carlo and unique charm Marat Safin told ProSport about balancing hard-earned victories in Davis Cup and his hatred for routine.
-I think that despite all your professional successes, especially the most recent one, you hardly ever strike anyone as a person, who is ready to sacrifice everything for a sport, for victory.
How can you think about the same thing 24 hours a day? I can’t, I’d go mad. I got lucky in life: I have terrific friends. I love life.
- Strange. In one of your interviews I read that you said we don’t have so many good players nowadays in the country, and all because of their love to entertainment.
It is impossible to become a good tennis player in Russian province: there are no decent courts, no equipment, coaches, hitting partners. So they try to come to Moscow and find their tennis happiness and Moscow spoils them. It is practically impossible to live in Moscow and only think of professional sport: there are too many distractions here. We have a beautiful life here, parties, everyone lives to the maximum. And unfortunately kids “get broken” – too many sugary things they can’t say no to at their age. So they start thinking of excuses for their behaviour: a coach is not good enough, this is bad and that is not good. In reality all they want is to live a beautiful life and that will is normal. But in order to achieve something in sport – you need to sacrifice a lot.
- So how did you resist all those temptations when you were young? What did you have to sacrifice?
I didn’t study tennis here, I left for Spain when I was fourteen and spent 8 years there. I made a huge sacrifice back then. I was literally grabbed by the hand and taken abroad – and thank God that happened. It was my parents’ decision. I had no money, I mean our family had no money – but they found a sponsor for me. I couldn’t really object to anything. You can say they gave me a ticket to life and I couldn’t flush that chance down the drain. No way. No how. I absolutely did not like the life I had as a little boy in Moscow.
-What life did you lead back then?
A sad life of a middle class of the first half of 1990s, hopeless.
-But you were playing your favourite sport back then already!
You do not earn money when you are 14. Sad life of a middle class is about my parents. My Mum was a coach earning 200 rubles a month and my Dad was an administrator of one of a tennis courts for 400 rubles a month, that’s nothing especially considering two children in the family. So you do the maths, here is why it is hopeless. And nothing realistic was on my horizon at that point in time. And here comes someone who is spending 300 thousand on me, can you imagine? 300 thousand in the 1990s! You could buy out a part of Rublevka (a very posh region on the outskirts of Moscow now) for that money!
-Have you ever thought of what would have happened to you if you hadn’t left?
I don’t even want to think about it because it’s scary. Now times are different: some people have money, some don’t but still young and talented sportsmen have more chances to find a sponsor, many more chances.
-Does a Russian tennis player differ from a western one? Is the mentality different? Do they have a different way of resisting temptations?
Why should he be any different? I can just give characteristics of different nations in tennis. Americans for example, are very euphoric: if things are going well then they’re going well, if not – they have absolutely no idea what to do on court. Frenchmen are super talented people and are very flashy. And they are very vain, which helps them generally. Italians can’t play well only because all their attention is somewhere else. There are no great Italian players, there were in the past but not now. Italians are a totally different story: they are a talented nation and it’s always hard to understand talented people. German players – they are the type of people who do not see anything around them. It’s all very direct for them, all within certain frameworks and it makes them so stiff, they can never relax 100%. But in order to play good tennis your mental outlook needs to be broader. They are like horses in blinders.
-What about the Russians?
The Russians? We had amazing players: Chesnokov, Zhenya Kafelnikov. But in those days we had no opportunity to freely travel around. 90% of geniuses remained here and melted without a trace.
-Asking about the differences I was trying to figure out why do many Russian sportsmen when going abroad quickly vanish. Is big money the problem?
OK, let’s look at this from a football point of view because I am a huge football fan. First of all in order to “shine” anywhere like Italy, Spain or Germany you have to be a good player. I think the best player we had was Alexander Mostovoy. Sasha was an a-ma-zing player, first class. Unfortunately there’s noone like him for now. Before the used to buy stars like Sasha abroad for really cheap and pay them a miserable wage, it was impossible to earn money in Russian sport at that point in time, that’s why our guys all headed west. I think they didn’t vanish due to money, but because of a certain game level. Russia is not a football nation.
- Maybe the thing is that individual sports like tennis are much more developed in Russia nowadays than the team ones, maybe due to some social or even political reasons?
Why? Look at our girls who because World Champions in volleyball. Ok, let’s take football again. To put it bluntly we have too many individuals and they are very hard to control and coach. And this is not just the problem of our football, but of all team sports. “Barcelona” for example is a team whose coach managed to gather everyone together into one group, and look at “Real” – so many stars and they can’t do anything.
-I don’t know where Russian female tennis players entertain themselves but it looks like nowhere. Dementieva, Myskina, Sharapova seem to have goals different from yours, they seem to be totally focused on tennis. Why is that?
It’s true, they don’t get out much. At least I never meet them anywhere in Moscow. Everyone has his own philosophy and goals. A man and a woman are two various sexes, it’s not accidental that there is an expression “opposite sexes”. For Dementieva, Myskina, Sharapova tennis is business, it’s work, and it’s big money, huge money. They feel totally independent, self-made women, they don’t have to report to anyone, they can afford to buy an apartment, can drive any car they want.
-But Kournikova was different: she was independent but not totally consumed by tennis.
Kournikova went into another extreme – started doing too many photoshoots and had too many distracting factors in her life. And she didn’t have anyone in her life that would point her in the right direction.
-So she’s like the victim of 1990s?
Well those were different times, girls had a hard life. But she was the first one to become a real star. Mega star! She did a huge PR for tennis – she is still an idol in the States. So she’s not really a victim – she feels great nowadays, earned tons of money. And she didn’t achieve more in tennis probably because she overdid it when she was a kid. Maybe she was just tired. I remember her practising on the court next to mine. Once you become a professional and start earning money you have to automatically understand that you have to make sacrifices and all these parties and gatherings won’t do you any good. When I come to Moscow I can afford going to parties and restaurants. Once I am on the road for two-three months – there is no time for fun. I get up in the morning – go to courts, come back in the evening, have dinner, massage and sleep. And you live with this schedule for months, can you imagine? Of course you come here to Moscow after all that and you want to see new things, visit new places, look at people. That’s how I like to spend my free time – I like parties, take pleasure in them. Why not?
-Does glamorous life in Moscow seem better in Moscow than in Monte Carlo where you have a house? Or than in London?
All that glamour is not for me, I couldn’t care less: who is where and when and with whom. I really couldn’t care less. I live my life, I don’t read the papers and I don’t even watch TV. There are so many new names in the society: this one is that and that one is this and I have no idea who these people are. I also like watching movies. Spike Lee’s movies are absolutely great, watched “25th Hour”, excellent movie. Edward Norton looks like such a great person. When I saw Norton for the first time, I thought wow, what a dude, I even read somewhere that he speaks Japanese. He is a cult himself! I really like him. Funny: you don’t even know the guy but you like him already.
-They call “Chelsea” an English team because it is physically located in the UK, but the owner in Russian and players have been gathered from all over the world. I do not know what “Chelsea” players feel, meaning what are they playing for, which country. But you personally, what are you playing for?
I really love and respect Russia. I feel very proud when someone says something good about Russia. Russia is greatly respected abroad, when someone hears you’re from Russian they do “Oooo!”
-Who respects Russia? If you read foreign press, things are actually totally opposite.
I claim with full responsibility: we are respected in the west, have no doubt about it. We are respected like noone else in this world. I think you might be underestimating our country. Maybe you never lived in Germany but I did, lived in Spain, in the States, I live in Monte Carlo. We have the most promising, the largest country with huge possibilities, huge talents. There isn’t any other country in the world… How could anyone compare our country to let’s say America? What are you comparing it with? Look at our country, at the history, culture, people! Yes, I play for Russia because I love it and I love all the flaws that come with it.
-You talk of Russia as a foreigner who’s been taken to Moscow nightclubs and posh restaurants. Russia is also a very poor country.
How about sitting in New York in Cipriani on the terrace outside and a homeless person comes up to you and starts begging for money? They have problems there too. And by the way, just so you understand, there homeless people have where to go – they have special shelters. It’s just that he doesn’t want to go there, he wants to feel homeless, might actually get a kick out of it deep down inside. If you have no friends and you have nowhere to go and you don’t want to go anywhere – there is something very wrong with you.
-Tennis career is a life which was chosen for you by your parents. Does this thought pressure you in any way? Don’t you have thoughts like you should be thinking of something yourself, something radical and new?
You mean think for the future? Are you on about my pension after 30?
-Too painful of a topic?
No, not really. There is only one life but for a sportsman it is divided into various stages. The first stage is when you play and play but this stage will end sooner or later and I understand that well. Then a totally different life will start. I will most probably remain somewhere not too far from tennis – this is something I know about and am good at, it’s something that was given to me by God. My ambitions are quite Napoleonic but you have to realistically value your abilities: what is it that you are in this world and how useful can you be for other people. The problem of many people is that they overestimate themselves, put themselves a bit higher than they are in reality. You cannot do that, this is a straight road to a disappointment in yourself, followed by depression.
-What else would you like to achieve?
What else, what else… The thing is: you rush to tell everyone about something beforehand and it will never come true. I do not want to lose what I have planned so I am not going to tell you anything. Some time ago I was feeling so confident, was feeling like noone could beat me in this world, it all went so well, so wonderful. When you are number one in the world you are full of strength and confidence, it is such an amazing feeling. Euphoria! Now the situation has changed. How old am I? Twenty six. I have won quite a lot. Maybe my career didn’t go as well as I wanted it to due to two serious injuries. But now I am truly enjoying the fact that after all of this I managed to come back and continue playing on a high level.
-During Kremlin Cup you did a blog on the internet – was that a forced measure or you volunteered to do it?
Well, they asked me to do it. I am a person that is very far from the internet. And I am not a writer to write memoirs.
