TENNIS MASTERS CUP- HOUSTON

November 16, 2004

Marat Safin

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Marat, please.

MARAT SAFIN: They were a little bit different. They were from the same can, but completely different. They were a little bit -- they had no pressure, air pressure. So that's why I changed it, I wanted to change it.

MARAT SAFIN: It's good. It's really important to start well. The first match is the most important one, the most difficult ones. I was quite good. He couldn't serve really hard. It was not his best with his serve. But otherwise he was playing good match. I mean, like for a person who has been out for such a long time, he was running really good and he had a couple of chances, small chances. But the serve just, this kind of serve, it's little bit difficult to achieve anything here.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't know. I don't know what his plans are. But maybe he has no confidence, he is a little bit scared of his injury, and he's just saving him a little bit more than usually. But now maybe he'll have more confidence in the second match, in the third one. I don't know. Or maybe he will stop, I don't know.

MARAT SAFIN: It's a little bit -- of course little bit difficult to get used to the courts - outdoor court, especially when you're playing for two months indoors. But we had one week in between. The people, they tried to get used to it. But personally, just it got a little bit better, better. So I was practicing a lot, serving a lot, and trying to get used to the conditions. And it's getting better and better, especially I won the first match, so it's already you have more confidence. Second match will be a little bit easier to play with these conditions.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I am playing right now very well. But if I want to fight for No. 1, I will definitely would have to play the same way during all the year, like Roger did this year, and he achieved. To be able to compete with him, you have to be really consistent and play at your best for a very long time. So it's quite difficult. But we'll see next year. But it's not my main goal, to be No. 1 in the world. But if I have the opportunity of doing that, I'm going to be there, definitely.

MARAT SAFIN: Good luck in this one.

MARAT SAFIN: Good luck in this one, because this kind of things, they can cost you a lot of money. But from what I heard, he won a tournament and he made 330,000 Euros, so basically it's not bad. You always have luck when it's the first time. So then you have to be really good. So I hope he will be lucky - yeah, lucky.

MARAT SAFIN: Celebrity?

MARAT SAFIN: But he always liked it, he always liked the casino. He always been a player. Also in the court he was a very smart player, he achieved a lot. For him, it's just coming in the blood. He feels it and he feels like a player and he likes it. So why not? He has enough money to play (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: He's very experienced, been for many years on the tour. Tough, tough player. Because he serves well, he can go -- he plays great volleys, puts you under pressure all the time. Especially when it's windy and the balls are little bit fast, it's going to be little bit difficult to play against him. He knows how to play, and it's really, really tough.