AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2003

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Questions for Marat.

MARAT SAFIN: Good. One more match behind, playing better, feeling better. So just nothing special still.

MARAT SAFIN: That I won is the most positive thing. Just won my match, that's it. Next match -- we'll see what happen next match.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, really (laughter)?

MARAT SAFIN: Just, you know -- just I try to watch out the serve, the motion. No, just the toss, I was trying to throw the ball in the right spot so I don't have to, you know, like -- I don't have to use too much my shoulder, I mean, like to use the power so is going to be the good motion. So just I go with the swing.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, every day. Every day spend some time in the doctor's room and just making some exercises, getting better.

MARAT SAFIN: It's going away completely. Slowly going away. Every day is much better and better. So hopefully for next match, I'll be perfectly.

MARAT SAFIN: No, slowly, it's good. It's the first week, so basically is not a big deal. But still, you know, every match I'm going to play, it's a tough one. And I'm trying to use less power, less energy, so I'll be okay for second week. I'm thinking about the second week. But every match that I'm playing, it's a tough one, and I'm trying to do my best. For the moment is working. I have a next tough opponent, Schuettler, so just I will try to be concentrated from the beginning and try to give all my best and let's see how it's going.

MARAT SAFIN: Schuettler, I don't remember. We played I think once in the finals of St. Petersburg and I beat him in three sets.

MARAT SAFIN: For the last couple years have been big boom in Moscow, in Russia. Everybody's playing tennis - a lot of kids, even politicians, businessmen, everybody who can just likes tennis, everybody's trying to play tennis. They have coaches. Even the old people, they have coaches. The professionals try to -- you know, they come to you, they ask you what you should do, how you have to play. They're playing doubles. That's good. It's a nice atmosphere. A lot of indoor courts has been constructed. I think is good. Also we have a lot of girls, you know, in top hundred. I don't know how many. It seems like to me we're playing in Russia. All the girls are here. Is not the same situation with the guys. We have only four or five in top hundred, which is not -- I think we can have much more, for example, like Spanish players, they are like 14. But for sure they going to come some young Juniors, and they'll be there.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't know. Just thanks to Yevgeny, thanks to Boris Yeltsin kind of because he started with all these things. You know, he started to play tennis. Since then, the people, they start to like it.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, big change. You cannot even compare.

MARAT SAFIN: No, you can't compare. Is just completely different. If I'm telling you before, we're talking about '94, there were no -- basically no -- it was really impossible to get the Head racquets. So now you can buy it everywhere. On every corner I can buy the racquets. You can buy anything, balls, racquets, clothes, not a problem. But before, it was really impossible.

MARAT SAFIN: It was kind of stiff. I was a little bit stiff. So I'm working on my back all the time, because at the end of last season I start to have problems with my back because I'm tall. Tall people, they have problems, you know. It's normal. So I'm trying to work. I didn't stretch too well, so that's why sort of it was a little bit uncomfortable.

MARAT SAFIN: No, no, no. It has nothing to do. Just trying to work a lot with my back, and that's it, so I don't have any problems in the future.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course, I'm enjoying, otherwise I would not come here. Already I can decide what I want to do in my life. I came here, I want to win, and I want to do well. But sometimes it's difficult. Everybody playing great tennis, you know. Even Montanes, which is not hard court specialist, he can give you trouble. So you have to be focused all the time. It's tough. It's tough. It's difficult because I'm kind of nervous and I want to do well, so it's like a little difficult to play your best tennis. But I'm on the way.

MARAT SAFIN: No. She has a coach. She knows what she has to do. I don't want to be involved, you know. Just I should take care of myself.

MARAT SAFIN: Still not. No thanks.

MARAT SAFIN: It's great, very impressive, but I don't really -- he's in good form. What I can say? He's in great shape, he's physically strong, concentrated. He came here with the family. He has to do well here. The guy is playing, he's enjoying. He's 32 years old and he wants to do well. It's great. He find the motivation to play at the age of 32, so great.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but by winning this tournament, you're not going to become a No. 1 at the end of the season. Doesn't mean. He can win this tournament, why not? But there is like another people who wants to win also. So maybe they're not playing their great tennis at the moment, but they will get much better in the second week and they can be more dangerous, you know. So we'll see. It's just we passed two rounds. You cannot judge the people by just playing two matches. You cannot say that you're going to win for sure the tournament. You never know. One day is another day coming, another match, and it will not be the same like the first one, and the second one is not going to be like the third one. You don't know. But the guy for the moment is playing great. Let's see what's going to happen in the second week - if he'll get there. Of course, let's see if he can play this same level of tennis during all the year. It's really difficult. One tournament is one tournament, but all the year, it's completely different thing. You have to be in shape. He's not a 22-year-old guy. It's really tough at this stage to be focused, be in great shape, that's for sure.

MARAT SAFIN: Ask Yevgeny what is on his mind. Why should I know?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I don't really -- his life, ask him. Because me, I don't know what he wants to do, what he has on his mind. I think even himself, he doesn't know what he wants. So you want me to tell you? I really don't know, really.

MARAT SAFIN: Both things. You know, because now tennis is getting more and more physical, and you have to be really, really in good shape to be able, like I said before, to play during all the year, really prepared mentally, you know, for a long run, because you can play one tournament well and then you play five not so good, and then you lose points, you drop in the ranking. So you need to be prepared. So what I'm trying to do. I have nothing to do. I play my tennis. I try to concentrate every tournament I play, and let's see how it's going. For the moment, it's working. You know, I didn't lose a match this year, so it's not bad (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: No, he was a player. He used to play tennis. I mean, he used to play tennis, like amateur, not like a professional guy.

MARAT SAFIN: No, no, no, no.

MARAT SAFIN: The people, for this kind of people, they like to play doubles. You don't have to run too much. At least you can talk with your partner. You know, they take it easy, not like the tennis players that they have to stretch, you have to think, change your shirt, energy drink. The guy, he's having fun.

MARAT SAFIN: I will tell him. What is your name (laughter)?

MARAT SAFIN: Again?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, they're playing just for fun. They put money. They take, for example, tennis players, the professional tennis player , let's put it this way, guys like 500, 700, and they play amateur with a professional. They play against each other, they put some money, they have fun. Why not? You play, but you play for something. For example, if you play for Coke, they're playing for whatever money it is, just to pay the dinner.

MARAT SAFIN: Like everywhere, everybody can afford it right now, everybody.

MARAT SAFIN: We're in 16 of January, man. 16 of January, I don't know if I will be alive tomorrow. Don't ask me what's going to be in September. I really liked Shanghai, really nice place. I was really impressed. I never been in China before. Really it was a great organization. The people, they really work hard to do that tournament. Let's see. If they have the same organization in Beijing, for sure it's really going to be nice tournaments and you have great players. It's the first time I hear there's a tournament there, so I will have it on my mind.