US OPEN

September 8, 2001

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Questions for Marat.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, if you are down like 6-4 and you have Pete serve, normally you don't expect you going to win the point, especially if it's set point. I just played. But then I served. I was thinking too much, you know, where I have to play. I knew that I have to play to his backhand all the time. Suddenly because he was there on the corner, so I tried to play on his forehand. That's too many things in the head. That's what happens. The frame, I don't even know where. It was a big difference, I think. It would be 6-All, tiebreak, I have a small chance to win the second set, so it would be a different story. It was bad mistake to miss this ball. Of course, the match was practically over.

MARAT SAFIN: No, but I think also it depends what player you have in front. I mean, I know the weakest points of Pete, and is not the best thing to go to the net with Pete because he has very good backhand passing shot, but he's not very good from the baseline with the backhand. You cannot go. You suiciding yourself. Every time you go to the backhand for the volley, make seven passing shots out of ten. I don't think it's a great idea to do these things. Of course you have to go to the net, but not the best idea against player like Pete. For other player, maybe yes, but not with Pete, definitely not.

MARAT SAFIN: Both things, I think. He served much better than last year, for sure. Of course, I didn't made so many mistakes, unforced errors. I mean, not many -- very important points, I missed them. When you have Love-15, you cannot miss the ball. It's the only time it was this way. Of course, you have chance to beat this guy if you make many errors in important points.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course, always you have a chance. If you still there, you know, trying to break him, you get early break in the third set, then you go to the fourth. You never know what's going to happen. You know, fourth set, also he will get nervous because he has to finish the match because he was two sets to Love up, so he has to finish the match and be also nervous. Then it can change completely the match. The fifth set, you never know. It's like a coin. Go from one side to another one.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I still believe I can have a small chance. Of course not huge chance. Of course, you still thinking, you still believe in yourself, you still trying. But the way he played, he served today, I think it was too good for me.

MARAT SAFIN: I think, yeah, we start to work when I was injured. It was Indian Wells we start to work. What can you do? He cannot do nothing if you are injured. You can't run, so he couldn't help. Basically we start before the Wimbledon because Roland Garros I wasn't prepared. So, yeah, he helped me. I make quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Never in my life I pass second round, you know. Yeah, I think it's giving me confidence what I need. Of course you are more secure with him than with other person. You are good enough, have good tennis player, have to improve some things, have to build the tactic. But it's nice. I feel comfortable with him. I feel really secure, even if I'm playing like bad, the way I played the beginning of the year. So I think it helps a lot to the player.

MARAT SAFIN: Because, of course, it's Pete Sampras. You see Pete Sampras, of course it's not only serve, you almost start to remember in the match how many Grand Slams he won, how many finals he won, you know. He has also great volley. If you don't return very well, you don't have any chance. So he has a big serve, then you have also Pete Sampras, which is huge. So at the net, he's unbelievable. To pass him, you have to play unbelievable. It's too much pressure, I think. Is not only serve, is pressure all the time. It's mental, of course. He has very good volley. So every time you not returning well, he will put the volley, and the point is over.

MARAT SAFIN: The way Pete is playing, it's like Pete is pure talent, right, and Hewitt is hard worker, fighter. Completely different style of game. So I don't know. I think it will depend a lot of Pete because he's playing home, he's playing in front of his people. You know, everybody wants him to win this tournament. I think it's depends on Pete. But also Hewitt is playing great. But I think it's tough to play well when you have Pete playing, serving well. It's really tough. You cannot do many things actually. So it's up to Pete. If he wants, he can take it. Otherwise, he has to run, to fight.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I'm healthy. Yeah, healthy, quite healthy.

MARAT SAFIN: The rest of the year, at least I have a chance to get into the Masters. I'll try it. It's difficult. But finally I start to play well here, have some confidence. I try to play as many tournaments as I can these two months because I didn't think actually that I'm going to go to the Masters. But now I have to play, otherwise I would not play so many tournaments.

MARAT SAFIN: You know, actually all the time that if you don't serve very well the second serve, he will go to the net, so you're already prepared. He has to make unbelievable approach, you know, good return. Otherwise he doesn't have very good return. He doesn't return very well. Yeah, maybe small chance. But also it's up to me. But, yeah, if he returns very well, I have no chance. But still, it's not the -- it's kind of pressure, but you still waiting, waiting all the time that he going to goes to the net on your backhand. You waiting, waiting. Yeah, some of them work, some of them not. He returned very well - too well.

MARAT SAFIN: It's not because I play bad, I didn't make any bad results because I didn't want. I was injured. I lost five Masters Series. I think it's a lot.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. But it's too late, I think. It's already August. Everybody's far in front of me with the points. They're playing great. They've been playing great since beginning of the year. Me, I was injured, didn't play well, I didn't get the confidence back in the right moment. I lost probably Roland Garros also. It was a little bit desperate, I was a little bit desperate because the way I played after my injury, it was horrible. But now finally I'm playing good. I'm playing well. I had very tough matches. I had Ljubicic, I had Johansson, I had Arazi. Come on, you have to go and beat these guys. They don't make any presents. So I think I'm coming back at least and I have a small chance to get in the Masters. Otherwise I will prepare myself for next year and just be careful, my injuries, be careful and prepare myself well, practice. It's very important to start the year very well.

MARAT SAFIN: I'm not sorry. Why I have to be sorry? I think everybody knows why I played. I think they understand. If the people don't understand... I think they have to understand why I played. I had to play.

MARAT SAFIN: Okay, it's a rule. I understand it's a rule, and I have nothing against anybody. It's too much. I don't want to discuss this. No, I don't want to discuss this. Just I played because of the money, okay. I have my view at this point, and I think I'm right.

MARAT SAFIN: But also being ranked like 10, normally you expect from Pete nothing. They have hope, so everybody is supporting him. Everybody doesn't have pressure of course, because the way he played in Wimbledon, he lost to Roger, he didn't play very well. He wasn't playing really well in Montreal. He played Montreal, I think. In Cincinnati at least he didn't play very well. So nobody expect many things from him. So is no pressure. He's coming here. The people supporting him. He start to feel comfortable on the court after two rounds. Then you cannot stop Pete. You can't. Just no pressure, the guy is playing, enjoying the tennis. He's having fun on the court. He's all the time with the spectators, great atmosphere. Everybody's with him. So, of course it's easy to play.

MARAT SAFIN: You feel it's one more match, the people will not be with me. That's for sure. It's logic. You know, the guy is the best tennis player in the world, 13 Grand Slams winner, he's playing home, New York. Of course, everybody going to be with him. Who cares about Russian 21 years old, you know (smiling)? But still I had some support from Russians, so it's really nice. It's really nice. They really appreciate the good tennis. I think it's really important to have this kind of crowd. They respect you, the player, the way you are. It's really nice actually.

MARAT SAFIN: The way I played before this tournament, I would never think that I can make even first round, second round. No chance the way I played. You know, I make some good results and then I start to feel, "I'm still good, No. 3 in the world, at least I can improve some things first two rounds if I have a good draw." If you get to the second week, it means you are confident, you are playing well. Then it's like it's up to me. Before, I never expect that I'm going to be in the semifinal, for sure.

MARAT SAFIN: With the wind. Always I have problem with the wind. For me, the way I playing, is too flat. I think sometimes is too flat. You hit frames all over. It's bad. I was unlucky, okay, because never in my life I hit two double-faults in a row with the frame, never.

MARAT SAFIN: I knew how to play against him. Of course, you know that and understand that I will not play the same way that I played last year. Completely it's going to be different. But still you have a chance. Maybe it will not take three sets, it will take maybe four, five sets. I always believe that I can beat him, you know. But it was gone very fast.

MARAT SAFIN: What you can suggest? I mean, you have Pete. What you can tell to the guy? It's up to Pete. Everybody knows. Everybody knows who goes to play against him, you understand if Pete is feeling okay today, and he's happy, he feels okay, you have probably not many chances to beat him. But if you can see the first two games he's not serving well, not returning well, he's not in a good mood, so you have a chance. It depends how he wake up tomorrow in the morning.

MARAT SAFIN: No. But after one set I understand it's going to be really difficult.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. But he make me an ace, okay? It's over. I had -- I believe only two seconds that I have a chance, then it was begun. Ace, okay. "Keep going." Deuce, another ace. You just walking. You still believe he will make a double-fault or choke in the second serve, you can do something. It was really fast.

MARAT SAFIN: No, because if you have a second serve, also he can receive like 120 miles per hour second serve. You don't know what to expect. You expect kick serve or expect 120 miles per hour. It can come like surprise. Of course, you have, "What I should do right now? I have to stay like for kick serve or wait for the 120 miles?" It's difficult, of course. It's tough. You prepare for the worst, of course, 120 miles per hour.

MARAT SAFIN: In the tour?

MARAT SAFIN: Another guys are very difficult to read. Ivanisevic, very tough, because he has very fast serve. Wayne Arthurs, very tough. Yeah, Pete also, yeah, of course. But it's more complete. Is pressure. Serve and volley you have. Against other guys you know that they have not such a good volley like Pete, so you have a chance, you hope. Then against Pete, you have to be careful with the first volley to return well. It's tough.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, yeah, yeah, because he can serve slice, he can serve kick, goes to the net, reads very good. When he goes to the first volley, he reads very well. Anticipation is unbelievable. You can see, talented player. He can read you very fast. Good for him. Good for him (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: Last year final, forget about this. I played too good. Doesn't matter if it's Pete. Doesn't matter who. I would never play the same tennis in all my life, rest of my life. It's impossible. Okay, this day, I don't know what happened. Nobody had a chance, nobody. I would play against even God, he has no chance also (smiling). I was too good, I think. I was too good. But now I start to realize it's Pete. You have to give some respect. Pete is Pete. It's up to him.

MARAT SAFIN: Maybe, yeah, yeah. I played against Pete like - how many times - like six times. It's the best match he played. I think if he plays like this, it's tough to beat him almost. It's really, really tough.