US OPEN

August 30, 2001

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARAT SAFIN: Was too difficult today. Very tough conditions. I mean, was too windy. Is difficult to play especially against a guy who is serving well. He has very good groundstrokes. It was tough. But I was lucky on tiebreaks. Yeah, I played well. I think the last tiebreak was perfect. I mean, I served well, except the first ball. I was a little bit scared, but passed through. It's good.

MARAT SAFIN: Yes, because to wait, keep staying on the baseline, wait for his mistakes, I mean, it's a little bit stupid. I decide to do something and put him under pressure because the guy was struggling a little bit with the forehand. I had to do, just to push there, try to do something. Try to go to the net, try to make serve and volley, try to change a little bit the game.

MARAT SAFIN: I really happy that I beat this kind of guy. You know, the guy is playing great. He made some good results this year. For me it's very important. I mean, I feel more confident on the court. Yeah, my tennis is coming back. Each time I feel better and better. I think it's a good thing to have one match like this, very difficult one. You have to fight, very tough conditions. You know, you struggling a little bit. But you still there and you win. It's perfect.

MARAT SAFIN: Last year, I was lucky in the tiebreak. I mean, the guy, we stop at 4-All or 5-4, I make unbelievable three shots. It was really fast. I played well. I was with confidence. Was different story. Today I'm not so confident like last year, so I have to start from the beginning, from the basics, go to the basics, try to build again, try to do something, try to improve my shots, try to fight and try to be there on the match every time, do something. Because I'm not playing so great, so you have to start from the basics.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I tried. The guy also is serving well. The first set, I had only one breakpoint, I think. I couldn't do anything. The second set, yeah, I lost my opportunity. 4-2, 40-15, it was like a joke. I just lost completely my concentration. I just went out of the match. I mean, I was completely lost. It was very difficult to come back, really. It's a good thing to come back, but you have to be careful.

MARAT SAFIN: I'm doing better. I didn't break any racquets today. I'm doing better. I'm improving, really. I'm trying very hard. Sometimes I'm surprised with myself, the stupid things I can do. I'm getting angry with myself. Lots of opportunities that you cannot miss, and I'm missing, missing, again, again, all the time. You have to do something.

MARAT SAFIN: He's making me this count. I'm not paying this month.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I think, yeah. But also, I can't compare myself with last year. Last year I played and everything was perfect. I was playing unbelievable. I feel well, I feel comfortable on the court. It was a great feeling to play. But now I'm struggling. You know, it's very difficult to play. It's very difficult to fight. It's because you don't have enough confidence, you don't play great tennis, you just trying to run on the baseline, trying to make unbelievable shots, trying to do something. It's difficult. No confidence, and you're trying something, is the worst thing you can happen. Especially against a guy like Ljubicic with the wind. These kind of matches are very important. You can shout, throw the racquets, do whatever you want, but you have to win them. If you win these kind of matches, you going to another level, you just definitely going to play much better than next time. I mean, this kind of matches are very important.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it was too perfect - too perfect, I think. I cannot play like this all the time. It can happen once in my life - last year, long time ago. You cannot dream all the time with this match. This match was over. I won it last year. I'm great. Nice to play here. Life is going. I mean, you have to beat Ljubicic, you have to beat then Arazi, then you don't know who else. You have to forget about all these things and you have to play, fight, do everything is possible to win.

MARAT SAFIN: Good, good. My leg, my knee, I had the problem in LA with my knee because it's a very hard surface, sometimes I have problems. But it's okay, I can run. I can run. I'm still there. I still can play tennis. It's good.

MARAT SAFIN: I start to play well in Dubai. I was playing unbelievable. Unfortunately, I start to play bad in the beginning, but then I beat Johansson in the semifinals, I beat some good players. I was getting really confident, really good shape. But, unfortunately, I broke myself. So, yeah, I have to miss one month and a half, four tournaments gone, Masters Series, no points. Then start to play in Rome. Too late to prepare yourself for Roland Garros. You go to grass, change the racquets. Make, okay, quarters. But still don't feel like with the confidence. It's very difficult. I keep trying.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. It's amazing, the people like Pete, like Andre, my coach. I'm proud of it. The guy won seven Grand Slams. Each time he has to come back and try to win it again. Every time it's all the time like this. I think it's worth it. You know, if you come back and you try to win it, you win it again, it's an unbelievable, beautiful feeling because you have an unbelievable reason to have a huge party with your friends. You feel unbelievable. You feel just in the sky, you know, flying, beautiful. But that's why I'm coming here. I want to win it again because it's a really nice feeling. It's really nice especially to win, have all your friends around you on the final, semifinal, supporting you. It's not only one person who is winning, is winning the whole team, so is twice better, everybody is happy.

MARAT SAFIN: Playing, practicing. You cannot abuse too much with the practice. Otherwise, you can't play any more matches. You have to practice, but it's very important to win matches. Matches, you know, really bad ones, really difficult to play when you're playing bad, and you still there, you still fighting. So he's pushing me a little bit how to improve tactically. It's very important. You have to see the first two games, have to decide what to do with the guy, which parts of his technique, of his strokes are not so good. So you have to push to this point, try to be focused from the beginning, try to put him under pressure. He has to feel the pressure all the time.

MARAT SAFIN: No, it's good. I'm happy. It's really, really good one, really comfortable. Because the one I played in Wimbledon, it was a little bit stiff, so they make a little bit softer, the frame. Yeah, it's really good racquet. I think they have to paint it also. They forget.

MARAT SAFIN: You cannot have doubts all the time. I'm playing, I'm not playing. I'm quitting, I'm not quitting. What I'm going to do? I'm playing tennis. Had a bad year - a horrible year, I could say. I didn't win one tournament. But still it's your job. I really enjoying. I mean, better times will come for sure. I want to win a few more Grand Slam tournaments, and it will be perfect. And I will win - otherwise I shoot myself (laughter). That's why also I'm working with Mats, because I really want to be a good player and I want to stay here and play for the spectators for another let's say five years. I want to win and I want to be big. I want to like to finish No. 1 one year, if it's possible. It would be great. You know, I want to be there. I want to be one of the best.

MARAT SAFIN: It's a little bit different. But of course I'm here, I want to win. Also I'm not playing so great. I'm going slowly, match by match, trying to build my game, trying to get some confidence back. Yeah, of course, I want to win. Every time I go on the court, I have to win. I'm thinking about being a champion again.

MARAT SAFIN: As many as I can. More than Mats (smiling).

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. Of course. Every time you go, especially on center court, you know, you still remember the times that I beat here Pete Sampras, this day is going to be my game and this day I'm going to start my new, you know, life. I will get my confidence back, I will play great. I'm going to win again here. Also you expect some support from the spectators. Of course, for me it's very important. Especially when you're down and you're not playing great, you need some support definitely. Otherwise you feel alone on the court. I mean, it's tough. But if you have some great support, it's amazing. It makes a huge difference, unbelievable.

MARAT SAFIN: I hope is most toughest one, otherwise I don't want to suffer too much. It's really difficult. I'm getting old.