NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 27, 2002

Marat Safin

THE MODERATOR: First question for Marat, please.

MARAT SAFIN: I just think there is some days that you are not playing really well, and some days that you are just feeling in the right way and you are feeling in a good mood and you want to play. You're enjoying and you're feeling well. Two days ago I was feeling horrible. I couldn't put one ball inside the court in practice. I couldn't feel my game. Today I was feeling great. Just I played good today. Just changing, I don't know. I don't know. I would have to find out. I'm pretty happy that I can change my game in one day.

MARAT SAFIN: I have a talent in this.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I think, yeah, you can find out. You can find out really quickly, you know. Just practice, the way you're playing, the way you're hitting the ball, if you have timing, if you are doing well, if you are moving well, if you are happy, you know, with everything. These days you can feel that you're not hitting the ball well, just you're not feeling well, so these days you have to fight and you have to leave everything on the court even if you are not playing very well. Today on the court, I could do everything and everything was just perfect. And I played well, and I played smart, I think. Quite smart way.

MARAT SAFIN: Tough match. The score is 2-all. You know, we respect each other I think. He's playing great. He made great results last week. He beat some great players in Indian Wells. He's been playing great here. But, too, you know, I am playing well. I am quite confident. I would love to play against him, and I think it's gonna be great match for spectators. We both trying to win, because it will go into the semifinals and it's great chance to win the tournament.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, of course. Because definitely everybody knows that against Hewitt you can't stay on the baseline, just try to overpower him, just play his game. That's just stupid, you have no chance to beat him this way. You have to do something else, which is try to go to the net, try to push him from the beginning of the match until the end and not change your game. Just play your game and try to push him from the baseline, try to go to the net, just do something else. But nobody did. Quite impressive, no, guys (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: The courts are not really slow, but the balls are getting big because it's quite humid here. So it's gonna be -- the courts are slow. I mean, everything, together, the game is slower than last week and normal hardcourts. So it's going to be, you know, a lot of rallies, nice points, hopefully a great game for spectators, just having fun there. I think we're going to play a late match. It's going to be really nice. Really nice match. I would love to play it and I am waiting for it.

MARAT SAFIN: (Inaudible). I just -- it's already different season I think. Because the hardcourt season is finishing and everybody is trying to prepare themself for the clay court for Roland Garros. It's the next biggest tournament that everybody wants to win. Everybody's trying to prepare themself as much as they can and try to play as many matches as they can to get ready for this big event. You know, so they have big events like Monte-Carlo, you know, all this. So I need to prepare in the right way, and everybody's trying to win the tournaments and, you know, try to -- it's a great preparation. I think it's a great tournament to play to make matches.

MARAT SAFIN: I played there . I played there two, three years ago in the main draw.

MARAT SAFIN: AH, my sister. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. My sister, it would be good. I would love to watch her first time in the main draw. It would be perfect, I think, for her. It's a great performance. I will be -- I will make coaching. Yeah, I would have to.

MARAT SAFIN: I hope so (laughter). I hope so.

MARAT SAFIN: I can tell you centimeters, but I cannot tell you in feet.

MARAT SAFIN: Up to here (indicating his shoulder). It's quite good.

MARAT SAFIN: I didn't see her since long time, you know, the way she's playing, I mean, in a tournament. I saw her playing in a practice, but is two different things. So it will be good to see her playing some matches. And I don't know... If they want it, I can give her some advice. I don't think that she need, but still. I would love to watch her play.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Last time I saw her play in a match was in Wimbledon. Long time ago.

MARAT SAFIN: No. Because has not enough power to break them.

MARAT SAFIN: I think everybody's just -- is just -- you always have tough matches in a tournament. Everybody who won the tournament, big tournaments, they had really tough matches, you know, 7-6 in the third, just playing badly, and just playing horrible. But they fought and they won the tournaments. Everybody who won this tournament or any other, they had the tough matches. So I hope it will be -- two days ago my match against Horna is going to be one of these matches that will bring me to win this title. I hope so.