WIMBLEDON

June 26, 2002

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Marat Safin. First questions in English.

MARAT SAFIN: Yes, a little bit, because the second round, I was playing quite well the first match, and suddenly I just didn't felt like -- I couldn't find my game today since the beginning of the match. I lost my serve. Whatever I did, it was wrong. You know, it was wrong decision. I didn't felt like -- you know, I couldn't play. I tried, just I was missing everything. Of course, it's frustrating. I could play some good tennis here. Unfortunately, is bad day at the office.

MARAT SAFIN: Bad day. I mean, it's like it happens. It happens. You try to do everything as possible, and you just miss by centimeters all the time, very important points. You cannot do anything. You have to try. You have to try very hard. And I tried. I had my opportunity in the fourth set to make him a break. Suddenly the ball was on the line. The linesman, he called it out; we replayed the point. Basically it was two sets, two and two, so fifth set. Definitely I will play much better in fifth set. But it happens.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, because, I mean, you're trying, you're trying very badly. You are struggling, you are not playing great tennis. You try to give everything. You fight if you are not playing really well. You have opportunity, they don't let you win; so then of course you get frustrated. Of course, it's upset you. What you can do? I'm frustrated, but it was okay. I think he played a great match still, and he was beating me from the baseline. And just he was much better than me today.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but has nothing to do with whether you're short or not. He has beautiful hands. I mean, he can do many things. He has beautiful touch. You know, he has a feel, you know, on the ball. And he's moving very good. Just he's fast and he has great anticipation. He's a player that you have to beat him. You cannot just come on the court and say, "You are small, I am big, I have to win." It's not like this. He's smart, he's great, he's moving. He can do many things. So it was tough match. I didn't play well, and he beat me. But I was concentrated. It's always tough to play against him. Even in Roland Garros I played. It was five sets. He almost beat me there. So is a guy, a serious guy, that you have to play with him.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, I am still okay. I am satisfied with my game. You know, it's easy to say. Of course, from outside everybody's much smarter than inside. Of course, I can say many things, that Sampras will win another five Grand Slams, Marc Rosset will come back to the Top 10. It's not so easy inside the court when you're talking outside. Go and play, try. I don't think it's so easy. Of course, I know my mistakes, when I need to improve. But it's not so easy like it's when you are talking.

MARAT SAFIN: Actually, I didn't know it was anniversary today. Yeah, true?

MARAT SAFIN: So bad luck for me. Was good day for Wimbledon, but bad day for me (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: Of course, you can feel how special it is to play, you know, in Wimbledon. Even starting from you have to wear the white clothes, and be nice and polite, don't hit the racquet. It's for some people, it's nice. You have to be polite and all these things. For us, for the people who are a little bit more emotional on the court like me, it's difficult, you know, to be quiet - because you need to get upset, because it helps you sometimes, you know, to come back. But it's okay. I will learn one day. But, of course, it's always nice. It's nice to be here. It's nice to play on grass. It's already special to play also on grass. It's so many years. It's so many years that this tournament is very special. I am proud to be here, proud to be seeded No. 2, proud to play here for four years already.

MARAT SAFIN: No, it has nothing to do with Paris because Paris was a different surface, was clay, different game, different style of game. It's just you can feel it. I came to the court, I made the first game, I made two double-faults, and I didn't felt really good because I was not hitting the ball really, really clean, and I didn't felt -- but he had so much confidence. I tried. I lose the first game. He start to play much better. Then I was struggling. I try to make rebreak. I had my chances, but I was missing all the time. I was missing, but not much, but it was enough, you know. Too many mistakes.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course, there is something to do against anybody, even Pete Sampras. He just lost to Bastl. That's why I said many times more, the tennis is more or less equal. Any player can beat any player. As you can see Pete, Roger Federer yesterday. The people, they can play tennis - short, long, big, fat, whatever; everybody can play tennis. Everybody knows how to do it. So every time you go to the court, you have to be prepared. Of course, you have bad days, you have good days, you have days that you are missing everything, the other day just you playing your best tennis. But you don't have to get too upset when you lose, not to be very happy when you win. Just stay calm, play your match, try your best. If you lose, okay, "Thank you very much, you were better than me today. Well done, good luck for the rest of the tournament." You cannot do much. You cannot start thinking, "What I did wrong? What I did good?" It happens, that's it, it's over.