ATP MASTERS SERIES- MADRID
Date: 2004-10-23

ATP MASTERS SERIES- MADRID

October 23, 2004

Marat Safin
MADRID, SPAIN
The Moderator Questions for Marat.

Question Is that one of your best performances for some time? When did you last play that well?
Marat Safin Long time ago, really long time ago. I'm actually surprised, you know. I in really difficult times in the summer. I didn't play really well. I lost my confidence. Then all of a sudden was just... So I play better and better. Finally, I could find the confidence back. Also especially here is a little difficult for me to play - altitude. Had won a couple of matches, so I was coming already with the confidence against him. I knew that he is a little bit tired with the long match of yesterday, that I could have to concentrate a little bit of my serve and just to risk on his. I really surprised that I could play even so well from the baseline. But I was also holding my serve and I was risking. But (after?) told me he wasn't in his best shape. But still you have to give me credit for that also. I was really happy.

Question We remember you in New York. You looked really down, really disenchanted with tennis. How much has Peter played a part in relighting the fire, if you like?
Marat Safin Just it's a little bit difficult and frustrating to go to the big tournament and be out the first day. I mean, when you have a lot of expectations and when you have already coming winning a couple of matches in Cincinnati, you know, like everything like collapsed, like my plans, like I had big expectations for the tournament. But then I took a couple of weeks of, you know, just resting, stayed a little bit there in New York, came to Moscow, didn't really practice a lot. And then I just went to China without any expectations. Didn't really expect anything to do there. And all of a sudden just I started to play better and better and better. Didn't have to put a lot of pressure on myself. I just let it go. It's easy to play this way. When you have too much expectation, like I had for the States... That's how it came. You don't have to expect anything from it. Just play, don't get frustrated because these times, of course, they will come, they will come back. You cannot play all the time great. You have to know how to deal in this kind of situation. But every time you get there, it's really frustrating, so you have to really understand the person.

Question Do you think the Spanish crowd is behaving as you expected having lived here in Spain for such a long time?
Marat Safin (In Spanish) The truth is, they've been behaving well. Yesterday they were a bit mad at me, I don't really know why. I protested two balls that were not really well-judged. Maybe they were tired or something (smiling). But it's good. They enjoy tennis. That's the most important thing of all, for them to enjoy it. We work here, so we enjoy it also.

Question What do you feel about the ball girls?
Marat Safin Great. For the people, like they have no clue about tennis, they're doing really, really good job. They know how to catch the balls. They're behaving well. They bring you the towels. So it's kind of nice. They are really doing a great job. You have to give them credit.

Question You'd like to see more of it?
Marat Safin It gives you extra motivation.

Question When you are playing well, as you were today, it seems to look so easy. When you're playing badly, you seem to play so badly. How do you cope with the ups and downs?
Marat Safin This is kind of problem that I have. Just when I play bad, I play terrible, terrible. It's like I cannot -- just I feel like the ball doesn't go. I'm completely out of shape. All of a sudden when you catch this moment, this moment that you are feeling you are playing great, everything comes so easy. For me it's kind of difficult to deal with that. I know it and I try to improve, even though when I'm playing bad to, you know, just hang in there and fight for it. But it's just terrible. It's really not in my power. Believe me, I'm trying.

Question Would you say, since 2000 and the US Open, you have underachieved?
Marat Safin Since 2000, I had big opportunity to win the Australian Open in 2002. I had a couple of -- like I had semifinals of French Open. This year, Australian Open. So it's like if it would have gone my way, and I would have a little bit of luck or a little bit of extra feeling or extra something, just small thing. Because I had the motivation, I was there, I was playing great, but for some reason just I couldn't break through. Otherwise I would be already different kind of person. I would have won three Grand Slams, could have done much better in the French Open in the semifinals against Ferrero. Basically it was ridiculous how bad I played. But these kind of matches, you need a little bit of something else to win. And it completely changes you, the career. Probably is extra pressure that everybody is expect a lot from you. And also knowing this, you're putting on yourself a little bit more pressure. So it's kind of difficult to perform the way you should to be able to win these kind of tennis matches because you have already enough on the other side. Players like Johansson, the guy he has nothing to lose, he's just playing his best tennis and he's just going for it. Or Roger Federer this year, like he's on fire. Juan Carlos Ferrero, the year, all of a sudden he lost in the finals against Costa like easy, but he played great against me. I cannot give right explanation because I'm trying, but something is missing.

Question How do you see yourself for tomorrow's match? What is your opponent's big weapon?
Marat Safin (In Spanish) Well, he defeated me at Roland Garros. It's a good excuse, because my feet were hurting. But I like playing against him. I feel comfortable. Now it's different. He's playing much better. He has more confidence, more experience. He knows how to play indoors. He wins great matches. Depends on the beginning of the match and how things start. Everything depends on how everything starts. After that, the match will be defined. The most important thing is to keep yourself and play well.

Question Tomorrow will you think about Houston, the Masters, the fact that both you and Nalbandian are fighting for it?
Marat Safin (In Spanish) Yes, there will be a lot of pressure, that's for sure, because we both know we can get into the Masters. He's a bit behind. But if he wins the tournament, he'll get close, and he knows that. We both have lots of chances of improving and not worrying for the next weeks. We'll see who puts up with the pressure better.

Question In the beginning of the year, for example, when you played against Agassi, you were 3-1 behind, and now you're ahead of him. What does it feel like?
Marat Safin (In Spanish) Well, right now I do know how to play against him. That's the thing that changes. Before I saw him with different eyes. At the beginning of the year, we played, but we hadn't played for the last two or three years. Last time we had played was, I don't know, Paris Bercy maybe. So now I'm trained to play against him. I have more experience. I serve better. I know what to do to give him problems, things that he doesn't like. I know how to tire him out, because he's 34, besides.

Question What do you think you've improved since you worked with Peter Lundgren?
Marat Safin (In Spanish) Several things. Serve is much better. I'm more relaxed, calmer than before. And the strategy, because he does explain how to focus each match depending on the player. But, of course, there's a lot, many things to improve for next year. I think I should improve a few things.

Question Just carrying on about the girls coming on, it's been said that part of the reason why we need ball girls, model ball girls, is because the game lacks enough quality or charisma amongst the male players, and we need something else on the side of the court to make it exciting. What is your opinion on that?
Marat Safin First of all, I think it's a good idea. You know that it has been around the world for all the week. Everybody is discussing all these things about the girls, like we treat the women the way they should not be treated. But it doesn't matter. Good publicity, bad publicity, they're still talking about tennis. It looks like tennis players are not exciting for the spectators. Every time I put CNN, every time they go, the first and fourth seed, withdraw from the tournament, the first seed Tim Henman lost to Ljubicic, like whatever, Agassi won, Safin won, that's it. So it's already a negative way of thinking about tennis, especially is not in a position -- is not in great position right now, tennis. So at least some excitement for tennis bringing out the girls. First of all, they get paid, so already it's a good job for them. And it's some excitement just for the people. Every time they show them on TV, the people from the stands, they like it. So it's kind of entertainment.

Question Did Gerard run the idea past you first?
Marat Safin Yes. I thought it was great. This was really great idea. I'm totally just with this idea.

Question Besides having served really well, you were patient on the court. Do you feel more comfortable because you're mature as a professional or mature as a person, and that's affecting your tennis?
Marat Safin (In Spanish) I'm more mature as a tennis player, I guess. I've learned quite a lot about how to play in matches like this, when you need to keep calm. You know your opponent is going to make great shots because he knows how to play tennis. You cannot get upset every time you miss a ball or every time he makes an ace. You need to keep concentrated and be at his level. There are a couple of shots that make the difference. If you get upset or angry, you lose it all. You need to be there all the time.

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