AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 29, 2004

Marat Safin

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARAT SAFIN: I feel great. It couldn't go any better because, I mean, it was a great match for both of us. Like Andre said, it could go both ways. He had chances in the second set, to win the second set. So I did it in five. For me, it was a great experience for me to win the first two sets, lose the third and fourth, come back in fifth. I was fighting. I was there. Even when I was getting tired a little bit in the fifth set, and I had the moment, I had the chance, and I took it. For me, it's a really important thing. I just couldn't feel any better because, I mean, you have to play really great against Andre to beat him, and to beat him when he's playing well, yeah.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, when he made me a break. Then I just lost a little bit the feeling of the game, and I just -- and I also was getting a little bit tired. Just I decided to, you know, just leave it because I felt like I couldn't win the fourth set because he was playing pretty good, and just I lost a little bit the concentration. So I tried to leave the fourth the way it is, you know, just like finish the set and start all over again in the fifth. And I did great. I mean, I could concentrate myself from the beginning, and I could stay for all the way, all the fifth set, and take the chance, you know, the only chance that I had to break him, and I took it.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, you can't compare match by match. I mean, it's completely different. It's a great match for today, I mean, because it's a little bit different players, different matches. You know what I mean? Against Pete Sampras you can play great tennis, but just returning. Here, you have to do a little bit different style of things. You have to move a lot, you have to serve a little better because Andre is probably the best returner in the game. And to have a great baseline. So you cannot compare the matches to another matches. But I think I played one of my best matches, you know, in my whole life probably. But, just like I said, it's a bit different. But I managed to stay with him on the baseline. I managed to serve 33 aces. For me it's a big thing, you know, especially against him. And be there all the match, that's what counts for me especially.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, for me it would be better to win in three sets, it would be much better. I mean, the way it was, yeah, I'm satisfied. For me personally, it gives you a lot of -- much more confidence when you play in these kind of matches. Doesn't matter five sets. Doesn't matter how many hours you stay on the court. A five-set match is a five-set match, and especially against these kind of players, you have to be there. It gives you much more confidence than to beat Pete in three sets, because I had the best day of my life. That's tough.

MARAT SAFIN: I'm not like -- actually, I'm not surprised because actually I never did so many foot faults -- sorry, double-faults.

MARAT SAFIN: No, it's okay, I'm not surprised with that (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: For me, I mean, counting the hours and counting the players that I played with. It's also pressure. It's a little bit -- mentally I'm a little bit tired. I mean, tough matches, they take a lot of energy. And then you make a lot of kilometers, a lot of hours on the court. So basically an extra day for you, it's really, really helpful. I mean, like tomorrow I'm definitely not going to play tennis. I will take a day off and then I will try to hit a little bit on Saturday, just a half an hour. It's enough, I think. I've been playing a lot of tennis during these two weeks. It's not like I'm going to forget tennis, how to play tennis in two days.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. I deserve it, no?

MARAT SAFIN: Couldn't be any tougher. He did a great job. He took good care of me. Because after a while when you don't play tennis, you just lose everything. You lose the fitness. You lose, how you say, the muscles are losing completely their power. He somehow in one month and four weeks managed to bring everything back and make me play probably my best tennis straightaway, which is very important, because my tennis is all about fitness. If I'm physically well, then I have no problems with my tennis. And it's really important for me to keep myself in shape. It's also difficult to stay focused for one month. I mean, staying in one place, doing your job from the morning till the night. And I managed to do it. And I'm getting -- I'm getting a lot of confidence from that also.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, like I said before, even before the tournament, I said I'm not coming here just to make a couple of good matches and to lose in like the fourth round, in the quarterfinals. People tell me I will try to play not bad, but like it little bit. I didn't come for that. Like I said, I came here to try to win it. And I'm almost there. Just one left to go. So, like I said, everything is going my way for the moment.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, I might learn a little bit. But is like a completely different final. It has nothing to do with like two years ago. It wasn't my best tennis. I had problems with myself. I couldn't -- just I couldn't get over myself in that final. I just lost -- I couldn't play my best tennis. I was too nervous, too much under pressure. That's why I couldn't pull my best weapons in that finals. But coming right now, I'm playing -- I beat so many good players, I'm full of confidence, and it's completely different story. Going to be, I hope.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I was happy for that, because it's really important because it's like you go one game over, you know. I mean, he's always under pressure because he knows that it's makes a big difference, I mean, psychologically for the guy who is serving second.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, it doesn't matter anymore because, I mean, one of them going to get to the finals, means they're better player than other ones. And also they're going to play really good, I'm sure about that. Because they're going to be full of confidence. They will try to win it and have a lot of - how to say - a lot of confidence and they will go for it, no matter who wins. I mean, Federer, he has a great talent. But Ferrero is also there. You have to be careful with both of them.

MARAT SAFIN: Day off completely. Come on, it's too many hours I spend already. I have to rest.

MARAT SAFIN: Do something. I mean, spend a lot of hours sleeping, try to make a couple of massages tomorrow, I mean, one or two. Just try to recover, my legs, start to prepare myself for the final. Just do something. Go for a walk, for example. Enjoy the sight-seeing. I will find something. I went two days ago in the zoo. I had so much fun. I will find out something to do.

MARAT SAFIN: Just a mother. I hope she's enjoying. I don't want her to like suffer or give me any advices. She's here just to enjoy the tennis of her son, just to be proud. I hope she's proud of me and what I'm doing. I mean, she gave me the basics in tennis, definitely. But then since I'm 14, I'm traveling by myself, I'm improving myself, and I'm living by myself. So she's here just basically to enjoy what I'm doing. She's enjoying, I'm more than happy. I don't want her to suffer, for her to get crazy in the matches because I'm losing, not winning, not playing bad or good, no matter results I will get. She has to be happy.

MARAT SAFIN: No. I just don't want her to suffer. It's not painful, but it's really bothering. It's really bother, the kids, you know. There just to enjoy it, just be cool. I would love to watch my kids, you know, doing something. If they're playing, I come to watch. No matter what they do, they win or lose, but at least you see is your kids, and they are playing in a semifinals against Andre Agassi. I mean, what else you can ask? I mean, a few years ago she would never think about it.

MARAT SAFIN: Come on, I'm 24, man. A little bit too old to take care of.

MARAT SAFIN: No, but, like I said, the fourth set, I didn't care about anymore because when I got the break, I felt like I'm losing a little bit concentration. I try a little bit to forget about the fourth one and start to thinking already in the fifth, just tried to be focused straightaway from the beginning. I had -- I was trying to, because also was good for me that I served first, and I was waiting for my chances. For me, it was really important to keep my serve and just hang in there, and definitely I would have a chance, because for me was not a problem basically to return his serve. I mean, it's difficult to read sometimes, but it's really good, you know, because he's under pressure all the time, so always he'll give you the opportunity to break him. And I was waiting. I was waiting. I had my chance and I took it straightaway.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. Because I knew that he will not let me get back into the match, you know, because he knows what he is doing and just it's enough, it's the fourth set, it's okay, it's finished. And also my energy was like I had no more. My fitness was just -- my power was going down, so I just decided to forget about it, forget and just start -- try to give the last push in the fifth.