Thanks, Iana and Elena
I am waiting for the full interview to appear online, and I'll translate it. It seems hilarious
Evgeni Kafelnikov and Marat Safin
Thanks to Evgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin the popularity of tennis in our country grew in geometric progression. As most of the celebrities, thy do not like giving personal interviews, they prefer to talk to journalists on press conferences. For magazine OK! the legendary athletes made and exception. Days before the Davis Cup tie, the former DC heroes told us, why is it beneficial to have rich friends, why one has to buy expensive clothes and what must know the tennis fans that dream to conquer their hearts.
Marat Safin and Evgeny Kafelnikov know each other for 13 years. They met in 1997, when Evgeny has already won few prestigious tournaments, and Marat has only given hints for a bright future. According to the players, the good friendly relations between them began at the very start. The good relations weren't broken even when they have to be adversaries on court. They have played against each other four times: the first match was won by Evgeny, the next two by Marat . It happened that the last, the most intense game ended no one's - 2:2. "The perfect combination: no one is insulted by the other" - they both say at the same time. During the conversation Marat and Evgeny often finish each other sentences. It is obvious from the start that they spend a lot of time negotiating - both Kafelnikov and Safin deal with problems of tennis in Russia. They have a lot of experience, they know the sport structure better than anyone, and they have been and still are audience's favorites. Tennis fans have said many times that their game is like casting a spell: they are charismatic, will powered - and at the tournaments they played there was no empty seat. It is no surprise that Shamil Tarpischev, president of Russian tennis Federation, immediately dragged both Safin and Kafelnikov to work for the federation. Marat, particularly, deals with improving the rating of the international tennis tournaments in Russia, and Evgeny deals with veteran tournaments, like "Tennis Legends".
Q: You recently played the tennis legends, but one cannot twist their tongue and call you "veterans". Didn't you want to take a racket in hand at Roland Garros?
M: To shake the old man? No, the only thing I wanted is to organize such a tournament here. That means to organize a tournament of high level, for which there is not enough money now. The budget of a tournament of that type in Europe is EUR 8 million, here we have EUR 5 million. The federation has USD 1 million for the whole Russia, in comparison in France they have 80, in the UK - 100, in the USA - more than 200. And that is every year. We would like to make a brand of Kremlin Cup. That is why we constantly search for sponsors. Tennis is the third sport in the country and it has to be developed. We still have girls who play, but among the boys there is almost no one left - Zhenya retired, I did too, soon Kolya and Igor Andreev will retire. After us there is no one left. New athletes have to be raised.
E: Here people think of the profit only.
M: How do the Spanish work? They do not leave the court. For all that work they get USD 5 thousand, and ours want 10-15. I lived in Spain for 8 years, and one year in Switzerland. I like US: it is convenient, simple and cheap. There is everything. I want it to be like that here too. This is my country and I love it very much. I wish that there would be a tennis academy in every region, smaller sport school or sport complexes. This is my main goal, since now there is no infrastructure.
Q: Marat, did you go to Vancouver to cheer for our hockey players?
M: That was my first trip after my assignment to the Olympic Committee. I went to see how that whole system works, to understand what problems arise and how to solve them. The Olympics in Sochi are soon. I hope we will perform at a very high level - probably top 3. I worry for our kids. It is fine, when the kid lives in Moscow, but what about the ones that live in the country? In fact the sport there has no development whatsoever, but i am sure that it is full of talented kids. Our main task is to get them off from the street and give them something to do.
Q: Evgeny, Sochi is your hometown. Weren't you invited in the Olympic Committee?
E: No, they didn't invite me, and I will not go impose myself. If the management doesn't need my 15-year long sport experience...
Q: Why you wouldn't like to start training kids and share your experience with them?
M: I cannot be a coach, VP of Tennis federation and be in the Olympics Committee. I cannot be everywhere.
E: Besides tennis I develop golf in the country, being first VP of Russian Golf Association (smiles). Golf is my hobby, my passion.
M: I don't have a hobby. Now it is very fashionable to have a hobby. For example - it is fashionable to work with art. There are so many "professionals", literally everyone now deals with something sublime: they open galleries, draw paintings....
E: Whoever wanted to be a designer and has money - hop, they become a designer. Wanted to play in the movies? Please.
M: The game that appears is one that gives too much to the lustrous side. I don't want to think myself a hobby. I love to play football, travel, fly.
E: You still haven't flown enough?
M: No, I like changing the atmosphere around me. My current job, fortunately, helps to that there are many business trips involved.
E: Earlier I loved to fly my own plane, but lately started being afraid. Now I am very "earthly". My nervous system can't stand the long flights any longer.
M: You go crazy and ask the cabin crew to open the window at 9 000 meters altitude? (laughs)
E: No, I take a pill and sleep. For my sport career I have flown enough. There is hardly a place on the planet, where I haven't been. Only in Sough Africa I haven't been. If our football team was on the World Cup now, I'd probably fly there. And now there is no reason to do so - I follow the matches on TV.
Q: Many people say that the Russian athletes have this specific: at the beginning they play bad, give chance to the adversary and after that start winning points. Why is that?
M: This is called "sport psychology". But this is not intentional, it all depends on the game.
E: All athletes are proud. Definitely no one likes to lose. In the best case you go out on court and try to win over the adversary from the very beginning, but in most of the cases it doesn't work out like that, because the adversary wants to win too.
M: Who will deceive whom.
E: I have always tried to win in the first place. There were times, when I played bad, but I still won. Many people were pissed by that.
Q: You are friends for a long time and you have joint business ventures. But there is the saying: "Friends are friends, but the tabacco must be separate"]
M: Why shouldn't one be friends with business partners? On the contrary, one has to work only with people, who they know well. With Zhenya we know each other since 97. I think this is perfect - to work with tested people.
E: In any case, if we were different by nature, by spirit, we wouldn't be able to work together. Let's take for example other athletes: I, for instance, don't communicate much with Kolya Davydenko. He is my exact opposite, and I wouldn't be able to make business with him. With Marat it works.
M: We are both Aquarians. There is understanding, honesty and mutual attachment between us. What else is needed for a male camaraderie?
Q: How much money would you loan to a friend, if they suddenly ask for it?
M: Do you know why is it great to have rich friends? They never ask for a loan. If the situation is a real matter of life or death, then of course I will help.
E: One has to understand that a real friend will never call just like that, but only in serious situations, when they need help. For a surgery I'd loan money, but for gambling in the casino - no.
Q: You already said that the win is the most important thing for the athlete. Does the size of the money prize has no significance?
M: I don't think athletes think about the money at all. Only about the win.
E: I was thinking about the money. Of course we understand that tennis is highly paid sport. Everyone has to be paid adequately for their work. We put effort on court and we were paid for it. That's normal.
Q: Celebrities spend a lot of time and money to work on their outlook, How serious are you about your own look?
M: Every person wants to look well. I cannot say that I spend a lot of time on myself - I have no personal stylist or other experts. In everything I apply my own taste. In my casual days I wear jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. At work, of course, I wear a suit and a shirt.
E: I also have special preferences and probably some stylists would say they are wrong, that now they are out of fashion. But I wear clothes that makes me feel comfortable. Though I like jackets and ties - they don't forge or piss me.
M: The main thing is for everything to fit the place, where it is worn. You know how our girls go to the beach in high heels... Wearing strings and high heels - horror!
E: If the body is beautiful, why not?
M: Because this is not pretty, this is very vulgar. And the Russian boys wear trunks on the beach, instead if shorts! The Russians abroad raise a lot of eyebrows: only they wear pochettes, but are all trendy from head to toes.
E: That's true, our countrymen could be spotted from a mile away. The last thing I personally look at is the label.
M: I despise labels. I never buy jeans worth more than $ 100. In the States at sale at a price of $100 are jeans that here are sold for 500-800. If you by there jeans for 200 - you are an oaf.
E: Marat, tell us what labels is your suit? (opens Marat's jacket) Dolce&Gabbana! It is obvious that you despise labels.
M: Do you know how much it cost me? $ 600! In Moscow this could cost $ 3000. What label is your suit?
E: Armani. (laughs) Actually now I spend money in a different way than before. Back then there was a constant inflow of money and I didn't think about them.
M: I don't know, I spend the same. I have never spend money stupidly, just like that: whether this is top-notch or this is fashionable. There are no things that I would buy without looking.
E: Correct. One always has to bargain.
M: Moreover there are friends who will always give a discount. Beginning with diamonds, if one has to make a present for the girlfriend, and ending with cars.
E: The generosity of a main in love knows no limits. If the girl hits the jackpot, she could have everything: a home, a car...
M: ...and two kids (laughs).
Q: Tells us, do you like girls that know a lot about tennis? Or tennis players?
M: It happened that all girls that I have dated had no relation to sport. There are so many talks about tennis around, that one likes to talk to the girl about something else. Even the most stupid conversation is better that a talk about tennis... I am talking about a conversation with a girlfriend.
E: One wouldn't like if the girl especially tries to shine with erudition - I will understand immediately, why is she doing that. There is nothing bad about the girl not being interested in tennis or it's not understandable to her.
M: Yes, it is horrible when something is done not honestly, only for the desire to fit, to flatter.
E: Dishonesty kills all kinds of relations - be it love or friendship.
M: One has to be honest. Look at us - we are what we are.
Q: And that's the type of girls you are looking for?
M: We do not look for anybody.
E: Love doesn't come by an order. If it happens, it is to its own accord.
Special thanks to jamal13 from atptour.ru for typing the second part of the interview