home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

US OPEN


September 5, 1998


Marat Safin


U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Flushing Meadows, New York

Q. Did you purposely set up your schedule to play clay courts coming into the US Open?

MARAT SAFIN: No. I just -- I like to play in Europe more. All the clay courts are in Europe. I prefer to stay in Europe because it's very close to my house. If you want to play in hard court, you have to go to America. I don't like this.

Q. You don't like America?

MARAT SAFIN: No, I like. But it's too much time for me because if I'm very far from home, two weeks, I'm finished.

Q. Did you feel confident coming in here after a summer of losses?

MARAT SAFIN: No. I said before, I lost six first rounds. I just came here, I don't know, to make something, to try to make something. And I lost first round of New Haven to Woodforde. I was playing better, much better than before. I played unbelievable tennis in Long Island. After I play better and better with each match. I take more confidence from each match. Because I beat Berasategui, Dewulf, and I'm playing quite good here.

Q. How much better a player are you now than you were at the French Open?

MARAT SAFIN: Maybe I'm more clever than before because now I know what I have to do in the difficult moments of the match, of my game, because since the French Open I make six first rounds. Now I have to know -- what I have to do, what I need to do in this situation.

Q. Anna Kournikova yesterday was talking about remembering how she was playing with you when you were very young. She remembers it as a very nice time, that she enjoyed playing with you. What do you remember from those times?

MARAT SAFIN: She enjoy, for sure, because she beat me all the time (laughter).

Q. Was she a nice winner?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. It's normal that she beat me, I think, in this age. It was nice game we played. We spend a lot of time playing matches. It's really nice.

Q. She remembered that you used to hit the ball hard and hit the fences a lot. Were you always a big hitter, even when you were young?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. But before I didn't have so much power. All my balls was going not so fast. So she get easy, for her it was easy.

Q. Was it difficult for you as a boy to lose to a girl, or she was so good then it didn't matter?

MARAT SAFIN: No, for sure. When you are losing to a girl, I say, "What are you doing? It's not normal." But it happens in this age.

Q. How old were you?

MARAT SAFIN: I was just 12 years old --

Q. Were you teased a lot about it?

MARAT SAFIN: What's being teased?

Q. People joked about it, made fun.

MARAT SAFIN: One more time?

Q. Did they make fun of you?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, for sure. It's normal. Everybody telling me, "How can you lose to this girl? I mean, it's not normal." But I was losing the next day again, so.

Q. Where was this?

MARAT SAFIN: It was in Bollettieri Academy. I was just there for two weeks.

Q. You mean Nick's academy?

MARAT SAFIN: Yes.

Q. You said you wanted to come here to do something.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah.

Q. Do you feel like you've done something so far, or is there still plenty more?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. I think I make more than something because I beat Gustafsson. He was Top 10 before, after I beat the youngster from the United States Dent, now Muster. He was No. 1 in the world. I think I beat a lot of people that are playing unbelievable tennis. So it's more confidence for me.

Q. But still you don't have any wins over Anna Kournikova. Would you challenge her to another match?

MARAT SAFIN: Last match I won, after we finished to play these games.

Q. Can you win this tournament?

MARAT SAFIN: This tournament?

Q. Can you win it?

MARAT SAFIN: No.

Q. No?

MARAT SAFIN: No. Because I have to play -- I have to improve my game to win this tournament. I think I'm not playing so well to win this tournament.

Q. What will you have to improve?

MARAT SAFIN: I have to improve my volley, I have to improve my forehand, backhand, serve, and my head for sure.

Q. You said you're learning how to play the difficult points, I believe.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. But I have to improve more to win this tournament.

Q. What did you learn to play out of the difficult points?

MARAT SAFIN: I have to be maybe not so nervous on these moments, just to think and not going for too much, just to think each ball, when you're hitting each ball, what you have to play.

Q. Is that what happened when you played Mantilla on Long Island?

MARAT SAFIN: Yes. I was going for too much. It was my, I don't know, I had to stop and say, "What is happen now on the court? What I have to do? What I have to play?" I was going just all the way playing for too much, make bad decisions in the game.

Q. You've now played three Grand Slam champions in the two Grand Slams this year, and you've beaten all of them, yet you've had these six first round losses. Is it something about these major events that brings out the best in you?

MARAT SAFIN: I think it's motivation for me, Grand Slam. I just play, I don't know what happened, but I play very well in Grand Slam.

Q. Are you better off playing three-out-of-five-set matches? Does that have anything to do with it?

MARAT SAFIN: Five-set matches?

Q. Three-out-of-five sets.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't know. Five sets, it's too much I think for me, because I am losing concentration every time. Like today, the third set, it was 6-1 or maybe 6-2. I lose completely my concentration.

Q. You're earning a great deal of money.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah.

Q. How are you spending it?

MARAT SAFIN: Spending? I'm not spend so much money because I didn't win so much money. I have nothing to spend. I think just for travel, to pay my coach, to buy some things, but nothing special.

Q. What things do you want to buy?

MARAT SAFIN: A lot of things. Maybe a house for me, a car, nice car, really nice car.

Q. Like what?

MARAT SAFIN: Too much for me. Mercedes maybe.

Q. Right answer.

MARAT SAFIN: Not bad, huh?

Q. You don't think you can win this tournament, does it maybe help you relax, you're not expecting so much out of yourself, makes it easier to play relaxed?

MARAT SAFIN: No. But if you're asking me this question, and I play against Sampras, what do you want to hear? I mean, if I play against Sampras, it's 90% that I will lose, I think so. I think so. Maybe you think, I don't know, other way. But I think I don't have so much chances against Sampras because he was seven years, how many years No. 1?

Q. Five.

MARAT SAFIN: Five is a lot of experience for him.

Q. The situation in your homeland in Russia is quite serious. What are your thoughts on the situation there?

MARAT SAFIN: No comment. I don't know. I don't know. I believe in our president. I think in two or three weeks, it will be okay. I hope so. . I think there are clever people there. I think it will be okay. I hope so. I believe.

Q. Your family is still there, right?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah.

Q. But you are based in Spain now; is that right?

MARAT SAFIN: Sometimes I go to Russia. Normally I stay in Spain, but now I am traveling Russia and Spain, because my parents are there, so I want to see them. I don't know, maybe each month I go there.

Q. Is there any special reason why you came so long after the match to the interview?

MARAT SAFIN: No, no. Because I have to make -- I was a little bit tired, so I have to take massage and these things, take a shower, relax.

Q. You didn't cramp?

MARAT SAFIN: No, no.

Q. You said you beat Dent, a rising young star from America. I don't know if you're kidding.

MARAT SAFIN: No, I'm not kidding. Is like this.

Q. Are you the rising young star from Russia or from the rest of the world?

MARAT SAFIN: No. I'm just a player who is 60 in the world. Nothing special.

Q. Do you know what a home run is?

MARAT SAFIN: Huh?

Q. Do you know what a home run is?

MARAT SAFIN: No.

Q. It's a baseball term.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't understand this.

Q. Has life become more difficult for your relatives in Russia in the last few months?

MARAT SAFIN: No, because I didn't -- I wasn't there in this moment. I was traveling.

Q. But you must talk to your parents.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, yeah, I talk maybe each two days.

Q. Are they saying that it's very difficult there now?

MARAT SAFIN: It's a difficult moment. The weather is very cold (laughter). No, it's nothing special, they told me.

Q. What do they do there?

MARAT SAFIN: My parents work.

Q. What do they do to work?

MARAT SAFIN: My mother is a coach and my father is a director of the club, tennis club.

Q. Where does your mother coach?

MARAT SAFIN: Moscow, in the same club. She was my coach. Sparta Club in Moscow.

Q. In the case of you meeting Sampras, do you have any special strategy entering the court?

MARAT SAFIN: No. Just play my game. I don't have too much potential to make a lot of things. I just hit the ball, serve well maybe. But nothing special.

Q. Is it a dream come true to fight against No. 1?

MARAT SAFIN: For me, it's a nice match for me. To play against Sampras, he's No. 1 in the world. He was No. 1 when I was ten years old. It's very nice for me.

End of FastScripts….

About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297