WIMBLEDON
Date: 2006-06-27

WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2006

Marat Safin
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND

The Moderator We have Marat Safin. Questions, please.

Question For a player who doesn't like this much to play on grass, what do you think about your match today?
Marat Safin Well, in my position, I should love to play on grass, any surface afterwards, because I'm kind of short on points and I have to be careful what I am doing on the Grand Slams because I can be out of top hundred very fast and very easy. So I have to concentrate, give my best and take my chances.
Today's match was kind of -- I was a little bit lucky on a few opportunities. I make the break, then I start to feel much confident on the court. I was serving well, good from the baseline. He didn't really felt comfortable on the court I don't think during all the match.

Question The fact that you cut your hair, does it give you more strength?
Marat Safin I'm faster (smiling).

Question Were you surprised at how little resistance Greg put in in the end? You seemed to be really playing within yourself and only really stepped up your game when it was really needed.
Marat Safin Well, it wasn't really like that because it's very difficult to return his serve. And also he is very dangerous on the second serves when he was looking for the net because he place it very well, he knows where to go, and he is very dangerous at it.
So I had to concentrate a little bit to keep him on the baseline and with opportunity on the serve. When he's serving well, you don't have many opportunities. He doesn't let you convert a lot of breakpoints, so it's kind of could go both ways because if he be a little bit sharper and he was more positive or aggressive on my serve, I think he could have break me a couple times and then the match would be different story.
But, like I said, I was a little bit lucky on the beginning the first set to make me a little break so it give me a little bit of advantage and build a little bit confidence with my game.

Question You talked about being a little lucky. When you step back, in tennis it seems to me there's so much luck in the draw, in injuries, a let cord, the weather. Could you talk about the role of luck.
Marat Safin It's very important. I think you should see a little bit the movie "Match Point". For sure you've seen this, right, "Match Point"?

Question A little bit.
Marat Safin Luck is very important. But you should be prepared to take your opportunities. It's all about it. Because if you're not prepared, the opportunities are there, you don't take them, then you complain there is no luck.
So I guess luck without work never happens.

Question And the best luck in your career and the worst luck?
Marat Safin Worst luck, I think, was the Australian Open in 2002 against Johansson, and I think the best luck against Sampras, my first Grand Slam. I was prepared, but it was completely pure luck that I beat him in three straight sets, playing incredible tennis all of a sudden, beat the best player in the world.

Question Your first Slam victory was luck?
Marat Safin Yeah.

Question Do you feel this was one of the cleanest matches you played in a while.
Marat Safin It is the cleanest match I ever played, I will ever play.

Question Today?
Marat Safin No, no, no. I talking about the past.

Question Sampras?
Marat Safin Yeah.

Question Today was pretty clean. You haven't played that clean in a while.
Marat Safin Much better than before, that's for sure. Past couple of months, I couldn't really get myself together. Today I just had to concentrate a little bit, pay attention to his serve. I had to be a hundred percent on the court and try to look for my opportunities because if you are not sharp, you have basically no chance against him because is his surface, he's lefty, and he's good at the net. He's the kind of player that nobody likes to play against on these surfaces.

Question You had a bit of a collision with the umpire's chair in the first set. You just couldn't stop yourself?
Marat Safin No, because the ball was out, clearly out. It was so slow, I was a little bit shocked he couldn't see and he called it in.

Question Are you more comfortable here than last year on the grass? Last year you were starting to be more comfortable.
Marat Safin Yeah, but I got injured unfortunately. I was already playing against Philippoussis, I hurt myself badly. Then against López, I couldn't really run, serve or do anything to be able to beat him.
But I was playing actually very well first two matches. I was feeling much more comfortable on grass since the first years that I ever played here. This year I'm kind of more positive, and I already improve my game with the help of Peter a little bit, with my volleys, my serve is working, so it's kind of giving you a big advantage on the fast surfaces. If the serve doesn't work, then it's kind of difficult to run on the baseline and look for the volleys.

Question Do you think this might be your best surface now that you're more happy with it?
Marat Safin I just won one match (smiling). I think I consider hard court or indoors my best ones.

Question How long have you given yourself to catch up with Nadal and Federer?
Marat Safin You know what's my ranking is? I'm so far behind. I didn't do any good results since Valencia that I made semifinal. I need to be more consistent, need to be more confident, stronger mentally, all these things all together, then I have a chance even to get to top 50 and then to top 20. So I'm far away.
The way the guys are playing, having played on clay courts, it's a completely different level. None of the players they can compete with them from what I see.

Question You say you're feeling positive. How are you feeling physically?
Marat Safin Healthy, nothing -- my leg doesn't bother me any more. I can hundred percent concentrate on what I'm doing on the court, just play my game without thinking if it's going to hurt or if it's not going to hurt. So it's kind of big relief for me.

Question Years from now when you're old and have gray hair, your grandkids ask you to tell them a story about great Andre Agassi, what story would you tell them?
Marat Safin Well, I think it's the first guy who made from tennis a show and entertainment. Of course, he achieved a lot of Grand Slams and everything, but he made this entertainment with his looks, with his pants, with the fashion that he brought into tennis. The people start to be a little bit -- with the glasses he played, first guy who played with glasses, I think, short hair, long hair, earrings. What he's missing, tattoos. But he made a show on the court actually. He had such charisma. Also in the same way he could concentrate on what he was doing. He keeped his level of tennis during 15 years he's been on the tour, even more, 18 years that he's been on the tour. He's been there all the time top 10, top two, top three. He had only one slip. One year, I don't remember which was it, '97 I guess, '96, something like that.
Well, he slipped a little bit, but he could come back from being 150 in the world and playing challengers, come back and I think he's been No. 1 in the world afterwards.

Question You said entertainment, personality is so important in tennis. Can we replace Agassi?
Marat Safin No, because he's a personality. You cannot replace personality with another personality. It can be a different story, different guy has to be. The second one who tries to copy him will never be the same, that's for sure. It's going to be who will take a place and who will try to be as close as him. But I think they should be doing it in a different way.
Well, of course we have Federer, we have Roddick, we have Hewitt. But of course Agassi is Agassi. It's like a brand already. Andre Agassi, you already know what you're talking about, you know what to expect. Compared to him, we are kids. We have to learn much more in our lives to be able to get there.

Question If this turns out to be the last tournament for Greg Rusedski, would you have any thoughts about his legacy to tennis?
Marat Safin Everybody's retiring.

Question He may. He's injured obviously.
Marat Safin Well, he had his career. He had a couple of chances of winning the Grand Slams. I think he was once in the finals. Twice or not?

Question Once.
Marat Safin He had his chance. He lost I think to Rafter. Very dangerous player, been very tough. But last couple of years, he wasn't really sharp. Of course, the years are taking over and you're not as fast as you've been. You're not as sharp as you've been. But he maintain himself there. He didn't really, you know, like struggled. Maintained himself in the top 30 pretty solid. Solid player.
He achieved maximum of his career. Could have done a little better by winning that Grand Slam. But also in the years that he played was much more competition than probably right now, with the players like Rafter, Rusedski, Kafelnikov, Agassi, Sampras, Rios. It kind of was tough for him. But he managed to be there and to be in even top four.

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