Post by Annie on Jan 25, 2007 0:55:05 GMT 3
THIS TRANSLATION IS A SOLE PROPERTY OF TGFR. IF YOU WANT TO USE IT ANYWHERE ELSE OR POST IT ON ANOTHER BOARD - PLEASE MAKE REFERENCE TO TGFR. THANK YOU
Oh Marat!
Here is the man whom we should thank for winning Davis Cup for Russia and for beautiful women broken hearts. Marie Claire’s correspondent Inna Lokteva did just that.
At first he gave me a fright. To be more precise, he simply didn’t pick up the phone. A lazy voice recorded on the answering machine suggested I left a message “And maybe I would call you back…”. Sure, like we don’t know better. When I had finally managed to get through he very businesslike asked “How long would it take? I have a very tight schedule”. Whatever, we’ll sort it out once there.
We met in a cafeteria next to Tishinskaya Square. He came and stretched his arm out “Marat”. Like I would have never guessed! He is two heads higher than anyone around, as for the rest – pretty democratic: jeans, a dark jacket. They show us to a window table. “Noone will disturb you here”, a waitress smileda nd lit a candle. Romantic.
-What would you like? – Marat asks
-A coffee.
-Well, I’ll have green tea then.
He sits back and stretches. “So what has interested Marie Claire so much in me?”
Marat how is your knee? We couldn’t believe our eyes when we watched the Davis Cup…
Yeah, I had a serious injury. The knee hurt really badly and my future in professional sport was uncertain. I didn’t want to retire but the result were not giving any satisfaction. And people started talking that this was it, his time has finished and this is the most horrible thing when they just write you off like that. But I had a great desire to play and since my whole life evolves around tennis – if everything is well on court, the rest is well too.
Is it true that injured Safin was treated worse right away?
Thank God I cannot say that about people close to me - my family and friends. Independent of how I play, they always support me, don’t turn their backs on me, I must say that I have the best friends in the world. As for the rest – yeah, heroes are easily forgotten here.
Who are your friends?
I have known some of them since childhood. Who? Businessmen, artists.
Well-known?
In a closed circle (smiles). I have a good relationship with some sportsmen, Dima Sladkovskiy for example, Ilya Kovalchuk the famous hockey player, you probably know them…
Oligarchs?
I wouldn’t throw such big words as oligarchs. I’d say: serious businessmen. Same people with a great life experience, some of them play tennis.
What do you think, does big money spoil people?
Money gives you freedom and a possibility of choice. But with time you start to realize how comparative everything is in this life: fame, success. I look at this young boys now who just come into tennis and they are just so cool. “Oh look at me I am so cool, I play better than anyone”. It’s plain funny. This could finish any moment and then what? How many examples are there when people just got lost in life after they had retired from sport? I realized that I have to prepare a backup plan. I am soon 27, 10 out of them I have spent in professional sports…that’s a hell of a lot.
Do you have any particular ideas about the backup plan?
Plans are Napoleonic but it’s not that easy, you have to study and learn. Now I listen to smart people, I think by about 2010 everything should fall into place.
At least tell what area is it gonna be? Business?
Of course.
Sportsmen nowadays are the most popular people, sex symbols…
That’s probably Kournikova?
And Bure*, and you…
For God’s sake! I couldn’t care less. Rumours spread fast, get grown over with new ridiculous details and if you treat everything seriously, you could go insane.
You can earn quite a lot with a sex-symbol image…
I have enough as it is. Everything that I own – the car that I drive, the apartment I live in and even the fact that we are here talking – all of this is thanks to me being a tennis player.
In reality Safin has three cars. One of them, Porsche, is currently in Monte Carlo. Two others – Mercedes CL and a Range Rover jeep are in Moscow. Marat changes them depending on the mood and the weather.
Young women travel around the tournaments after you ready for everything – to just get a bit of your attention…
It’s flattering of course. But I don’t treat them as young women, just as tennis appreciators. And then again, they are way too young, 17-18.
What about the girls from Rublevka**?
What has Rublevka got to do with anything? I don’t live there and I don’t ask the girls where they live. To be honest I never had anyone from there, the first thing which is important for me is for the girl to be someone as an individual.
You mean career success?
Not necessarily. Just for her to have her own identity, and not be afraid to express her opinion and stand by it. In general, to be open, natural. Because as you know some people just get into this role and can never snap out of it. It’s really obvious and pushes me away.
And she needs to be an honest blonde also?
If you date blondes for a long time, you would want a brunette. You have to have variety in life! (laughs). Besides, it really doesn’t matter, it needs to be interesting and not boring.
I noticed you had worn a ring on a chain around your neck…
I still have it, wanna see? (drags a chain from underneath his shirt and leans towards me – so close that I can feel the smell of the soap he used to shower after training, - the ring has runes engraved on it).
What is this?
It’s a ring, a silver one. “Lord of the Rings”, bought it in Spain. I love Tolkien and I respect hobbits, our little brothers.
So no private life?
None (sighs dramatically). I am not with anyone right now, don’t have a girlfriend. I am not seeking a serious relationship because I am not ready yet.
Had some bad experiences?
Everyone gets sick with a disease called love…
Not everyone…
Why? It never happened to you? I think everyone experiences it some time. And those who say they never have – are just cunning. I was madly in love once, almost got married even. It was back in Spain. We had lived together for four years. We started dating when I was an eighteen year old nobody, I didn’t have anything, not even a car. She used to give me lifts, pick me up from training, used to support me in any way she could, provided great moral support. I was renting a room back then… Then money started coming in, we bought a flat, a house. We had been through a lot together, it was a great part of my life.
Was she older than you?
Yes, by two years.
Why did you break up?
Different mentalities, different people… She is Spanish. In addition to that I didn’t want to live in Spain anymore, wanted to go home, to Moscow.
Do you like it here?
I love Moscow, I think it’s the best city in the world. And I have traveled around… People can have fun here in a great beautiful, chic manner…it impresses me.
And how do you spend your spare time?
Differently. You can just hang out with a close circle of friends. If you want a party – please, there are tons of wonderful luxurious clubs in Moscow. We go to First, Dyagilev.
Do you get recognized there?
Well ,they still let me in…
So you basically just hang out in clubs, breaking the sports regime…
Well imagine, I come to Moscow for a month or two a year! I rest here. Surely I want to go meet my friends, go somewhere, hang out and party. Why not? I have every right to.
Tell me, did you have the urge to punch Abramovich in the face?
Why should I?!?
Dasha Zhukova…
Nothing of the sort. We were over way before that. And while we had been together for three years none of us dated other people parallel to that. We used to fight, break up, get back together again, it was all quite hectic. And then…it just all vanished, just by itself. It turned out all of a sudden that we have absolutely different interests, cirles of friends. And I think we did the right thing to break up. She is young, I am young, why should we mess up each other’s lives?
So whose initiative was it to break up?
Mine.
And what do you think about her life right now?
Nothing. I don’t care. Everything is in the past. It’s her private life. However, I will always wish her the very best (his gaze is absolutely calm and sincere).
Tell me Marat, are you always this calm? Are you capable of doing something really crazy? Literally fight for the woman you love for example?
God what is with you all – fight. To fight for a woman is something really idiotic in my opinion (wrinkles his face). We are civilized people. Yes, I did get jealous at times. Everyone who suffers from love disease treats a person next to him as his own property, which is a mistake. A person cannot belong to you, he/she has his/her own thoughts, secrets. A person will never open up completely and he is just with you. For some time. Can leave tomorrow, or can leave in a year. It’s his right. Fight, beat each other up…what for? She has to choose herself.
How do you court ladies?
Women are tough to impress nowadays…Presents… I left the Spanish an apartment, a car and money. On the whole I am not a materialistic person and couldn’t care less about all these toys. Who needs all this? (waves hands with a Rolex shining on one of them). I think the most important thing is attention and a good relationship.
Well do you at least give flowers?
That yes. And without any occasion. Just when I want to do something nice for someone. I give tulips – I think it’s a sign of style. And roses – traditional but very beautiful. I even sent roses to Paris.
To whom?
Doesn’t matter. A Russian girl, worked as a model in Paris… This is my not-so-pleasant past. I made a lot of mistakes, too bad I realized that too late. I wanted to change things one way or another but it didn’t work out. But I sent roses.
What did you do that was so awful?
Maybe nothing special, just acted wrong. Showed no interest, no care, kept “forgetting” to call. She worried. Small things in general that spoilt everything with time. Now I understand that you can’t do that.
Why did you act like that back then?
Wasn’t over “the Spanish affair” yet. Didn’t want to get attached again even though I really liked her. To cut a long story short, couldn’t make up my mind and spoilt everything in the end.
What do you look for in a relationship with a woman? Warmth? Fantastic sex?
I don’t look for anything at all because when you look, you usually never find. It will come when you least expect it. For now I like my life the way it is. I do not report to anyone, I do not have to call several times a day to ask what she had done and where she had been. And I don’t want to be asked these questions.
Freedom is my choice…
Yes, I treasure freedom. And if I meet a person who will understand that and give me that freedom, maybe something could work out of it. We have to be similar in the way we look at the world, I am not saying “identical” – it’s impossible, just similar at least… But I haven’t met a person like that yet.
From what I gathered, you are against marriage as such?
Why? If anyone likes it, they can go ahead and get married. I just don’t understand it: people are together, they love each other, why do you need a document to prove that?
A woman feels more secure like that.
So this means I have to support her all my life? I think this is obscene… I am ready to get married in just one situation: when our kids grow up.
??!
Well, kids would grow up and we would still be together. And we would have feelings for each other. That’s when we’d have the wedding. And celebrate together with the kids. What? I think its beautiful.
He was very courteous. And even offered me a ride. And even held the car door open (Mercedes Benz CL). However, I didn’t really delude myself. He’s got training, tight schedule…
* - Pavel Bure. A famous hockey player who spent a few years in NHL and won the Stanley Cup.
** - Rublevka is a slang for Rublevskoe Avenue. A very posh area on the outskirts of Moscow.
