AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2004

Marat Safin

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

MARAT SAFIN: No, I didn't thought about stopping. But I was so bothering the, how you say, abductor.

MARAT SAFIN: Inside the legs, on the left side (smiling). That was really bothering me at the beginning. Then just when I was returning the serves, I pulled a little bit. Then I took some painkillers, and that's it.

MARAT SAFIN: No, I can't ask for anything else. Is probably the best birthday I ever had, especially when it's like 15,000 people that's standing in there, you know, singing the "Happy Birthday." I mean, it's really nice. And after especially the win, beating No. 1 in the world, it's really nice. I'm really -- it was really nice.

MARAT SAFIN: On my birthday (smiling)?

MARAT SAFIN: I don't even remember. Probably when I won Davis Cup. That was 2002, December of 2002. And since then I didn't really play any great matches because of some circumstances.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but it's -- you cannot compare the tennis I played against Pete Sampras, because is kind of tennis that probably I'll never play in my life again, especially against these kind of players, like Pete serving and volleying. But against Andre, you have to play a bit different game. For me, it was really nice to play a few long matches just to feel the pace of the ball, you know, a little bit. I was missing -- I couldn't read where the ball was going, a little bit of feeling of the points. I mean, I would have to play much better than -- I can't play any better at this stage like I played today. I think it's probably my best tennis at the moment. But I think some things you can improve and just take, I would say -- if you really analyze the situation, I think I could -- I could play a little bit just better, difficult -- different, a little bit different. Different game you play against Andre. Not better; different.

MARAT SAFIN: No. This kind of moments, you don't want to rush. Is the last thing you want to do, especially when it's fifth set and you've been running for three hours, and every point is really important at that stage because every shot basically, because you make couple of mistakes in one game and they cost you a match. And the fifth set is like you need to take time, you know, you need to think little bit how you going to play the point and just be concentrated, you know, like a little bit slow down a little bit. Just think a little bit more before you do anything. You don't want to rush.

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I could feel much better, I mean. But it's okay. I'm still young. It's not like I'm really getting old. I will have to be really fresh against Andre if I want to have a chance to beat him, because he played not even half of the time that I spent on the court. I mean, he's 33. But, still, you know, you need to run against him, you need to -- I don't know, you have to be there.

MARAT SAFIN: No, just have a little bit of massage, you know, just sleep. You definitely need a few extra hours to sleep. Have some beers, you know, for the muscles to relax, and for myself also. You really need that. I really do. But just, you know, nothing special. Have a treatment today, tomorrow, definitely tomorrow. And let's see how fresh I'm going to be against Andre.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I will. It's getting late actually.

MARAT SAFIN: What happened? A few games before when I had a chance of breaking him. I mean, there was one game that I had a breakpoint, and I little bit rush. I rush it too much. Because I was feeling the moment, "Now is the moment to break him." And he was really missing a few balls, and I was feeling this is moment to take over him. And I start to rush a little bit. And I had -- I tried to hit the winner from 10 meters outside of the court, into the fans almost. So basically these kind of moments, you don't have to let it go, because it can be only one moment in the whole match, especially against Andy. I mean, there -- every moment like this is really important. And I was kind of thinking about this afterwards. I was like, you know, it really bothered me and really hurt me, these kind of things. Because it cost me so much, you know, to win these two sets and make him a break. It was really important. So basically I put a little bit too much pressure on myself. And in the tiebreak, I just -- I didn't do anything, just to win it. I mean, I was just let him play. And it was the wrong decision. I should have a little bit gone for the shots, a little bit just try to do something else, just try to go to the net, you know, something. I was a little bit, you know, I don't know, I didn't do anything to win it. He deserved to win. That's why the score was -- he was really pushing. The forehand was working. He served quite well.

MARAT SAFIN: That's really, really, really -- I knew it could happen, and it happened actually. Because when I make him a break for me, it was real important to keep my serve and win the first point. 15-Love would give me extra confidence, you know, for the game. Then he make -- it was just, you know, too passive I play, and that's why he made a winner forehand, and then it started just didn't go my way. But he went for the shot, I mean, 30-40. I mean, the shot would go through, over the net, then I would be in trouble. Then I was just kind of a little bit under pressure because I didn't want to lose this moment and I didn't want to start all over again. 5-All, 6-All, you know, it could go anywhere. It could go to Roddick or it could go to me. But I don't know, I didn't want to spend -- just start all over again, because is too much, too much pressure. But thanks God, I served well at 15-40, and he went for the shot on the forehand, which I think was really good idea for him, but not at that moment, because it make a winner, that score is really difficult. But I was there. Try my best.

MARAT SAFIN: You have to do something. You definitely have to do something. If you want to win, you have to create some kind of a situation to win it. You cannot just be passive and waiting for the mistakes of the other person. He's No. 1 in the world. I mean, he's there. He knows how to play tennis, and he knows how to hit and how to play the big moments. I mean, he won US Open. So just you have to. You have to create the situation. You have to do something, extra something for him to make a mistake, or at least leave you a short ball or just something. You cannot wait. You can't. Can't. Is not my game. Is not the place to do these kind of things.

MARAT SAFIN: (Inaudible) really surprised. I thought it's going to cost me a lot more to come back, after like so many months off, because you lose completely the game. You don't see anymore. You cannot -- you don't feel the moment, you don't feel when to go to the net, when to stay back, what to do, the serve, the returns, all these things, you basically have to start from the zero, go to the basics. But I mean, I did a great job. I have to sacrifice a lot of things, and I sacrifice all my December just staying, working hard. Just day by day, you know, a few hours a day running and just, you know, make everything to come back, all the feelings, all the shots and, you know, everything you had. You have to work it day to day. It's not like coming in like two weeks. It's not coming just like after the matches. The confidence coming after the matches, but all those feelings, you need to work on them. And it cost me a lot.

MARAT SAFIN: I went camping in Pinecrest, Yosemite Park in California.

MARAT SAFIN: I know. I know. I had problems. I tried to come back in LA. I tried to play this tournament and I couldn't play anymore, so I was like a little bit upset because I saw so many doctors at the beginning of my injury, but nobody could tell me what I have, what kind of -- actually what I have, what kind of injury I have, those things. They had doubts and they had versions, but nobody could just tell me, "If you do this, you will be okay." They help me out in LA, a few friends of mine, they took me to really good doctor, sports doctor, Dr. Feder (phonetic), which is taking care of the basketball players and the hockey players, and he is also doing -- he is also doctor for the movies. Yes, yes, because actors, they get injured also (laughter). I don't know. Somehow. Don't ask me how. But he really explained to me what I had.

MARAT SAFIN: I had small cut in the ligaments and I had problems with my meniscus and cartilage, and I also had some problems with the nerve, which is passing through here. So he just put me a cast. Was a simple thing because you cannot do operation, because everything is too small, the bones, the ligaments. You cannot sew it, you cannot do anything there. You can just destroy it. It is not something that needs operation. So what I had to do is just, you know, wait, wait. It took me one month and a half. And I had to walk with the cast. I had nothing to do. I went to camping. I was a little bit depressed. So I went camping. I took a car and drove to the gas station by the map, see where is it, everything, you know, because my way was going to Oregon. It's too far away. I went to Yosemite Park. And I had really good time. And really just is good to think a little bit, no people. You need these kind of things.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. Me and my coach and his girlfriend.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah.

MARAT SAFIN: No. Fishing like was great. We were staying like eight hours a day on a boat, you know, just sitting with our beers. We had everything. Whatever you catch, we cook and we eat.

MARAT SAFIN: You manage it.

MARAT SAFIN: Yes. But the problem was I couldn't swim. Was great weather. But was okay. We had wine at the night, you know, with the dinner. So it was really, really good. Just make your mind a little bit relax. Just chill out. What else you can do?

MARAT SAFIN: What is mean?

MARAT SAFIN: Not much I can do about it. Not much. We'll see.