November 13 2002
Marat Safin (lt. Costa 36 64 63)
QUESTION: You try and try, but finally you have no more legs. How much are you upset about the physical condition? You are clearly tired.
MARAT SAFIN: But I really think that wasn't actually the physical problem because I was up 6?3, 2?1 and then serving and then suddenly just I lost that game, like 0?40 and then suddenly I lost the confidence, I lost a little bit and the timing and the game, I lost my game and I lost ?? just I couldn't find it and then Costa he got confident and just I couldn't come back. I tried and I tried, you know, but then he was all the time, he was ?? he had too much confidence and I was making mistakes and the third set, unfortunately, he made me a break, very early, because otherwise if I would stay a little bit without any breaks, I could have break him at 4?4, for example, or, you know, 3?3 when the match getting to, you know, to be finished, then he would ?? I think he would be nervous because I'm all the time, I was attacking and just trying to go to the net so I would have more chances, but unfortunately he made me break very early in the third set and I just ?? I lost my game completely and I couldn't come back.
QUESTION: Do you still hold hope of winning the tournament, of reaching the semifinals?
MARAT SAFIN: Today?
QUESTION: Do you have some hope that you can still make the semifinals?
MARAT SAFIN: How can I make the semifinals?
QUESTION: You can still make it; it's possible.
MARAT SAFIN: No, it's not possible because two lose and one win is not enough. I should have won today, but today was my last chance.
QUESTION: Technically there is a situation where there can be three players on one win.
MARAT SAFIN: You know, is only one chance out of thousands.
QUESTION: Do you think your match against Lleyton Hewitt had a big bearing on the end of season No. 1? Do you think you can lift yourself for that match?
MARAT SAFIN: For me, like ?? but of course, but I don't know, is a question with ?? is a tough question, because the way I'm playing right now, you know, like I lost. For me, it was the last chance was today and I had it in my hands. I had it right there, just I had to take it. I couldn't make it. So I don't think right now I'm good enough to beat Lleyton Hewitt the way I'm playing right now, you know, I lost a little bit of my confidence and just I don't think I have any chances to get into semifinals and just I will come up and I'll play my match and whatever come, you know, I'll try to beat Lleyton, you know, just for my self confidence, but I don't think there is any chance for me to be in the semifinals. Is not fair, would be not fair for the players. Not good enough to be there.
QUESTION: What is the court like? The conditions compared to Paris where you beat Lleyton quite convincingly last week.
MARAT SAFIN: For me, seems like the court is fast, but the balls are slow, because after two games, they're getting too big and for my game, you know, like I'm all the time attacking and every time I'm trying to get to the net or try to, you know, hit the ball hard, just, you know, they have a lot of time, they have a lot of time and I cannot make winner and I cannot make ?? I cannot attack because they have always time and they can play it. So it's getting ?? the balls, they are making the game a little bit slower and for me to adjust, I couldn't adjust to this kind of game because the way I played in Paris, it was basically the balls were fast and the court was a little bit fast, but basically the court was the same lime here, but the balls they stayed the same, they had the same speed, even after three game, even after seven games and that's why the surface still working and then I could play ?? I could put pressure but, you know, if I'm trying to make fast point, still there, they are making passing shots and it doesn't work, you know, so I need to play from the baseline a little bit longer and I couldn't, I couldn't adjust. I couldn't adjust my game to that kind of balls, but that's my problem, you know.
QUESTION: During the third set, there is something wrong with the light. Why do you refuse to continue the match and sit by the side of the court?
MARAT SAFIN: Because some people they will not call it sportsmanship, but there is, you know, like when the lights went off, you think there is opportunity to know that Costa would lose his confidence and he will lose a little bit the timing that he had. He was playing great tennis and I thought I sit down there and I just try to break the rhythm, but he was too good for that and they just push me to play. It was my last opportunity. It was my last opportunity. I had to take it and didn't work.
QUESTION: I don't suppose the lights went out on the year, you still have the Davis Cup. What kind of a year has this been for you, when you look back at 2000, US Open winner, and so on? Is this what you envisioned for yourself this year?
MARAT SAFIN: It's really strange year for me. I started really, really well. I didn't win the finals of Australian Open when I should have won; everybody thinks so. Maybe Johansson was too good for me, maybe I wasn't ?? I was a little bit too nervous being in the final and then from then, I had some good tournaments, but I didn't make anything big, you know, I couldn't make ?? I was making good results. I made finals of Hamburg, which is not bad; I made semifinals of Roland Garros, but there's all this not bad, but it never game, you know, good, you know, good few weeks which I couldn't ?? that I could have won couple of tournaments, you know , because I had the opportunity and then afterwards, after Roland Garros, I lost my game, I lost everything, all the confidence that I had, then to come back, it was really tough. I couldn't find my game even in States. I didn't make any good at US Open was terrible, terrible tournament for me and then suddenly, you know, I start to make, you know ?? started to go back, you know. With Volkov, I tried to go back with him and slowly the results come back. Quarter finals for me was unbelievably big at that time because the way I was playing, I make couple of quarter finals, I make one semifinals in Moscow and then I won the tournament in Paris, which is really good, but I expect more of that year, of this year, because I was No. 1 in the Champions Race and I thought that I had a chance to finish the year No. 1, yeah, because I was really far from all the other players; from Hewitt, I was really far. It was like 100 points behind, 150, something like that, but just, you know, you cannot be depressed because of that. That's life, you know, because sometimes the thing that not going the way that you want and you have to live with that and you have to think about next year already. This year is finished. I have no chances to do any good here, we still have a Davis Cup which is the last hope for me and for Russian tennis to win it and there is always next year.
QUESTION: You used to smash your racket and shout. Does that mean that your self control is much better than before? The second question is: you made 16 ace serves tonight. Do you think you were going to be a serving machine just like Ivanisevic?
MARAT SAFIN: The first question, I got tired of shouting and breaking rackets and just like I cannot any more. I just have no ?? I have no more power for that. I have no more power and I just ?? I don't want it any more. 16 aces is not even enough to win the match. You should play also from ?? do something else than just serving. And today I had to make it, but I couldn't. Didn't deserve to win. Even with 16 aces, not good enough. Keep on working.
QUESTION: It seems you were not fully involved in the last two matches. I mean, there is no sign of that Safin in Paris. Are you concerning about the Davis Cup final during this event?
MARAT SAFIN: No, I just ?? you cannot play every week really good tennis. Sometimes you have a great week that everybody ?? I mean, everything is on your side, the luck is on your side. When you decide to play down the line, you make unbelievable down the line. When you make drop shot, the drop shot is just bouncing perfect. When you go to the net, you get every ball and you just, you know, like two, three balls, every time the luck is not on my mind. When I am trying to change the game down the line, I'm missing a bit. The serve doesn't ?? the second serve didn't really, you know, like went the way I wanted, you know, didn't serve very important point the way I should. So is like ?? you cannot play, it's impossible. You cannot have every day perfect day in your life. Just you can't. It's like a normal person has bad days, good days. This week I had two bad days in a row. So, you know, it happens, but I have to shoot myself, I have to cry, to shout, I have to pray? No, just, you know, like have to work a little bit on that subject, you know, just some things and to improve so next time I'll be a little bit better.
come on Marat, you can defeat Lleyton, don't lose your passion for tennis!
Marat Safin (lt. Costa 36 64 63)
QUESTION: You try and try, but finally you have no more legs. How much are you upset about the physical condition? You are clearly tired.
MARAT SAFIN: But I really think that wasn't actually the physical problem because I was up 6?3, 2?1 and then serving and then suddenly just I lost that game, like 0?40 and then suddenly I lost the confidence, I lost a little bit and the timing and the game, I lost my game and I lost ?? just I couldn't find it and then Costa he got confident and just I couldn't come back. I tried and I tried, you know, but then he was all the time, he was ?? he had too much confidence and I was making mistakes and the third set, unfortunately, he made me a break, very early, because otherwise if I would stay a little bit without any breaks, I could have break him at 4?4, for example, or, you know, 3?3 when the match getting to, you know, to be finished, then he would ?? I think he would be nervous because I'm all the time, I was attacking and just trying to go to the net so I would have more chances, but unfortunately he made me break very early in the third set and I just ?? I lost my game completely and I couldn't come back.
QUESTION: Do you still hold hope of winning the tournament, of reaching the semifinals?
MARAT SAFIN: Today?
QUESTION: Do you have some hope that you can still make the semifinals?
MARAT SAFIN: How can I make the semifinals?
QUESTION: You can still make it; it's possible.
MARAT SAFIN: No, it's not possible because two lose and one win is not enough. I should have won today, but today was my last chance.
QUESTION: Technically there is a situation where there can be three players on one win.
MARAT SAFIN: You know, is only one chance out of thousands.
QUESTION: Do you think your match against Lleyton Hewitt had a big bearing on the end of season No. 1? Do you think you can lift yourself for that match?
MARAT SAFIN: For me, like ?? but of course, but I don't know, is a question with ?? is a tough question, because the way I'm playing right now, you know, like I lost. For me, it was the last chance was today and I had it in my hands. I had it right there, just I had to take it. I couldn't make it. So I don't think right now I'm good enough to beat Lleyton Hewitt the way I'm playing right now, you know, I lost a little bit of my confidence and just I don't think I have any chances to get into semifinals and just I will come up and I'll play my match and whatever come, you know, I'll try to beat Lleyton, you know, just for my self confidence, but I don't think there is any chance for me to be in the semifinals. Is not fair, would be not fair for the players. Not good enough to be there.
QUESTION: What is the court like? The conditions compared to Paris where you beat Lleyton quite convincingly last week.
MARAT SAFIN: For me, seems like the court is fast, but the balls are slow, because after two games, they're getting too big and for my game, you know, like I'm all the time attacking and every time I'm trying to get to the net or try to, you know, hit the ball hard, just, you know, they have a lot of time, they have a lot of time and I cannot make winner and I cannot make ?? I cannot attack because they have always time and they can play it. So it's getting ?? the balls, they are making the game a little bit slower and for me to adjust, I couldn't adjust to this kind of game because the way I played in Paris, it was basically the balls were fast and the court was a little bit fast, but basically the court was the same lime here, but the balls they stayed the same, they had the same speed, even after three game, even after seven games and that's why the surface still working and then I could play ?? I could put pressure but, you know, if I'm trying to make fast point, still there, they are making passing shots and it doesn't work, you know, so I need to play from the baseline a little bit longer and I couldn't, I couldn't adjust. I couldn't adjust my game to that kind of balls, but that's my problem, you know.
QUESTION: During the third set, there is something wrong with the light. Why do you refuse to continue the match and sit by the side of the court?
MARAT SAFIN: Because some people they will not call it sportsmanship, but there is, you know, like when the lights went off, you think there is opportunity to know that Costa would lose his confidence and he will lose a little bit the timing that he had. He was playing great tennis and I thought I sit down there and I just try to break the rhythm, but he was too good for that and they just push me to play. It was my last opportunity. It was my last opportunity. I had to take it and didn't work.
QUESTION: I don't suppose the lights went out on the year, you still have the Davis Cup. What kind of a year has this been for you, when you look back at 2000, US Open winner, and so on? Is this what you envisioned for yourself this year?
MARAT SAFIN: It's really strange year for me. I started really, really well. I didn't win the finals of Australian Open when I should have won; everybody thinks so. Maybe Johansson was too good for me, maybe I wasn't ?? I was a little bit too nervous being in the final and then from then, I had some good tournaments, but I didn't make anything big, you know, I couldn't make ?? I was making good results. I made finals of Hamburg, which is not bad; I made semifinals of Roland Garros, but there's all this not bad, but it never game, you know, good, you know, good few weeks which I couldn't ?? that I could have won couple of tournaments, you know , because I had the opportunity and then afterwards, after Roland Garros, I lost my game, I lost everything, all the confidence that I had, then to come back, it was really tough. I couldn't find my game even in States. I didn't make any good at US Open was terrible, terrible tournament for me and then suddenly, you know, I start to make, you know ?? started to go back, you know. With Volkov, I tried to go back with him and slowly the results come back. Quarter finals for me was unbelievably big at that time because the way I was playing, I make couple of quarter finals, I make one semifinals in Moscow and then I won the tournament in Paris, which is really good, but I expect more of that year, of this year, because I was No. 1 in the Champions Race and I thought that I had a chance to finish the year No. 1, yeah, because I was really far from all the other players; from Hewitt, I was really far. It was like 100 points behind, 150, something like that, but just, you know, you cannot be depressed because of that. That's life, you know, because sometimes the thing that not going the way that you want and you have to live with that and you have to think about next year already. This year is finished. I have no chances to do any good here, we still have a Davis Cup which is the last hope for me and for Russian tennis to win it and there is always next year.
QUESTION: You used to smash your racket and shout. Does that mean that your self control is much better than before? The second question is: you made 16 ace serves tonight. Do you think you were going to be a serving machine just like Ivanisevic?
MARAT SAFIN: The first question, I got tired of shouting and breaking rackets and just like I cannot any more. I just have no ?? I have no more power for that. I have no more power and I just ?? I don't want it any more. 16 aces is not even enough to win the match. You should play also from ?? do something else than just serving. And today I had to make it, but I couldn't. Didn't deserve to win. Even with 16 aces, not good enough. Keep on working.
QUESTION: It seems you were not fully involved in the last two matches. I mean, there is no sign of that Safin in Paris. Are you concerning about the Davis Cup final during this event?
MARAT SAFIN: No, I just ?? you cannot play every week really good tennis. Sometimes you have a great week that everybody ?? I mean, everything is on your side, the luck is on your side. When you decide to play down the line, you make unbelievable down the line. When you make drop shot, the drop shot is just bouncing perfect. When you go to the net, you get every ball and you just, you know, like two, three balls, every time the luck is not on my mind. When I am trying to change the game down the line, I'm missing a bit. The serve doesn't ?? the second serve didn't really, you know, like went the way I wanted, you know, didn't serve very important point the way I should. So is like ?? you cannot play, it's impossible. You cannot have every day perfect day in your life. Just you can't. It's like a normal person has bad days, good days. This week I had two bad days in a row. So, you know, it happens, but I have to shoot myself, I have to cry, to shout, I have to pray? No, just, you know, like have to work a little bit on that subject, you know, just some things and to improve so next time I'll be a little bit better.
come on Marat, you can defeat Lleyton, don't lose your passion for tennis!
