WIMBLEDON
Date: 2007-06-29

WIMBLEDON

June 29, 2007

Marat Safin
LONDON, ENGLAND
The Moderator Questions, please.

Question You talked yesterday about playing this match with nothing to lose, and yet it looked like until the third set, and when you really let the ball fly, you just played freely. It didn't look like you were playing with nothing to lose until then.
Marat Safin No, well, the problem was that I never played -- it's my first time I've played on Centre Court since many years, so I kind of -- it was a strange feeling for me, so it took me about two sets to get used to it.
The ball is a little bit -- sliding a little bit more than other courts, and of course the distance between -- the court is much bigger. So this was my problem. I couldn't get used to it, and the wind was -- into the wind of course -- I'm not taking any credit away from Roger, but still, it was a difficult sensation to get used to because it was a lot of wind, and the circumstances was tough for me to be in my game.

Question On that crazy point at the end of the second set where the ball seemed to die in front of you as you tried to hit an inside out forehand, what happened there?
Marat Safin Well, tough conditions. It was a lucky shot, and -- but he made it. It also counts.

Question Did you misjudge where it was going to bounce?
Marat Safin Well, it's kind of -- it was going away, then it was staying, so it was kind of difficult because it was supposed to fly out, and then it just bounced -- it didn't really bounce at all. So it's tough for me.

Question In the tiebreak, you played a great tiebreak, almost no balls were coming back, and then that very casual volley at a key point. Did you play that one just too casually?
Marat Safin No, it just was a lot of spin and then just -- I misjudged the power that was going, actually. I thought it was going a little bit faster than was actually going, the ball, so just all of a sudden it catch me by surprise.

Question If you had played the first set the way you played the third one --
Marat Safin It would have been a different story.

Question -- could it have been a different set, match?
Marat Safin Big-time, because he was a little bit uptight, also, at the beginning of the first set. And then when he broke me he started to have more confidence and it was easy for him. But the first set if it were 7-6, it would be closer or a different match for sure.

Question Do you think anyone can beat him this year?
Marat Safin I don't see anybody who can hurt him because everybody knows how to play against him but they don't have enough weapons to beat him, unfortunately.

Question Could you tell that he was uptight with you at the beginning?
Marat Safin I could feel at first, the first game he didn't serve that well, missed a couple of easy shots, so he was also a little bit nervous because he didn't know with what I'm going to come up. Then when he broke me. It was a completely different game.

Question How inspired were you to play against Roger? I mean, you've had some fantastic matches in the past. Is it more fun to play a match like that today?
Marat Safin Well, it's a little bit -- well, for me it's anyway great because just to see -- it's another opportunity for me to see that actually I can still play at some great level, and for me it's a challenge and for me it's another push to bring back my game.
Even lose or win this match, it's just a different approach, and I can see that I still have a lot of tennis, and I need to -- I know what I have to do a little bit to improve my game. So kind of it was a help actually. Even though this court was pretty easy, it's a huge help for me.

Question Where are you in terms of your relationship with grass?
Marat Safin Well, I think it's okay. My game is pretty suitable for the grass, but you need to have enough confidence and enough matches to play against players like him. Not the first and second round where he's good and you're not really used to the grass and then maybe closer to quarterfinals, semifinals, it's a different game.

Question Let me move to your best surface, hard court. How many US Open Series tournaments do you plan on playing?
Marat Safin All of them. Well, which ones?

Question There are six tournaments in the US Open Series leading up to the US Open.
Marat Safin Well, this year is tough. I don't even know how it works, the points, and then it's like if you make something, you win, you have double prize money, so it's really -- I cannot get it. It's the second, third year that I'm making it and it's still too complicated to understand.

Question You'll still be in Cincinnati, Canada. Anywhere else?
Marat Safin LA.

Question Do you wish that you'd come to this understanding of grass earlier in your career?
Marat Safin Well, I can't complain about my career anyhow, because let's put it this way: If you would have seen me in 1995, 1996, you would really understand what actually -- what became from me, because it's really for you guys who started to meet me in 1998 where I started to make my first money and I started to win some matches.
If you would have seen me in 1996, then you would have really surprised even that I'm still playing -- that I'm playing tennis.

Question But in 1992 here, Hewitt won.
Marat Safin In 2002.

Question Yeah, sorry. That would have been a year maybe you would have had a good chance if you were happier on grass?
Marat Safin Well, I had a chance 2001 when Ivanisevic won. He won three sets pretty tough: 7-6, 7-5, 3-6 7-6, and I think it was my best year, quarterfinals, my best year. I was playing pretty well, and I think I would have Henman in the semifinals, which is a good draw.

Question Will you ever be a top ten player again?
Marat Safin Well, why not? I still have a few years left. Why not? If I'm not, then I'm not. I'm still playing because I still believe that I can get there, anyhow, and it doesn't matter when.

Question You still don't like Wimbledon; maybe you said it's very expensive in London.
Marat Safin Well, the most expensive city is Moscow, first of all. It's not like I dislike because everybody tries to pick on me and tries to put the words in my mouth because I said something that I don't like London. I love London, first of all. Wimbledon is a pretty good facility. It's okay.
So then I have my few things about the food, but it doesn't really matter. I don't make a big deal out of it, what I'm saying. But of course the press wants to start the sensation, Safin said and complained, and who cares about this.
But for sure there are people that like it. That's why I'm in this situation and that's why you're asking me this question.