WIMBLEDON

July 2, 2001

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I mean, but the guy, he was too relaxed I think the first few games, then I get my confidence. I was playing great. Then it was very difficult for him to come back to the match. I didn't even give him a chance.

MARAT SAFIN: Like me (laughter)?

MARAT SAFIN: It's never easy. It all depends the way you start, the way the opponent, he start to play. He actually couldn't do many things on grass because he's more baseline player. Yes, I had to do things. Just he let me do whatever I want, and I had more chances to break him. I don't think he had many chances to break me. So this very important for me.

MARAT SAFIN: Great. But very important, you know, to get there and play, you know, with a great tennis. You cannot go to the quarters playing like normal. Try to win some matches. Already I'm second week. Today I beat Clement, which is not very easy opponent, actually. Yeah, I'm playing okay. I expect some more from the quarterfinals.

MARAT SAFIN: Still no. Still not sure. But I feel much better.

MARAT SAFIN: No, but it's the second week. It's completely different story. I found my game actually, yeah. I can serve well. I have good volley, good baseline, and I start to return already. So it means that I'm ready for the second week. Doesn't matter against who I'm going to play next match. It doesn't matter who's going to be there. I just need to win, try to do my job as good as I can.

MARAT SAFIN: Why, because we have the same manager? It's okay, we can split him (laughter). No, it's very tough because Goran is playing great. I think he's serving very good. But I also can play tennis, you know. Is not going to be only one player on the court. Is going to be also Safin somewhere there trying to win. I'll be there for each moment of the match, I'll be there, and I'll try to break him, put the match another way. Of course, all the respects to Goran. He's playing great tennis. But I also want to be in the semifinal, so we'll see, see day after tomorrow.

MARAT SAFIN: It depends also many small things, tactics things. You know, many things, yeah (laughter).

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, mental, you know, how you prepared, who is more patient on the court, who is more lucky - all the small things that make big differences. At the beginning of the match, one, two points will decide the match probably.

MARAT SAFIN: With the manager (laughter)?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, is okay. I mean, it's ten years difference. Of course, he has his friends, I have my friends. I have nothing against him. I respect him perfect. I think is the best friendship can be, no?

MARAT SAFIN: Because we know how to play tennis. I don't know. I think because we have possibilities to play, to practise, to have all the facilities in Russia. We have everything now. We have coaches, balls, racquets. We can do whatever we want, and it's great. So that's why we have talented players. I always said about this. We have many Russians which are very talented players. But the problem was that some player, they had no money. Some players, they had no contract with the (inaudible), no contract with the racquets. Of course, it's difficult to play tennis with the racquets you don't like. You can't play. Now we have everything. We're not complaining. We can play tennis. We show to everybody that we have a very good school in Russia, you know, for the kids. I'm proud of it.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't know. I don't think all of the players are coming from the rich families, so we want to get somewhere, to show to the world that we can play tennis. We want to win titles. We want to earn money. We want to, you know, be one of the best players in the world. Everybody wants to be.

MARAT SAFIN: The year actually wasn't -- I didn't start very well. I didn't make any good results for the beginning of the year because I was tired from the last year. I get injured. I start actually to play in Hamburg, Rome, Hamburg. I still had some pain but, you know, now I'm starting to get my confidence back, start to play better, change my racquets. But this I think is a little bit too late to expect for many things, no? If it's going to your way, you can expect. But the way it's going right now, I don't think I can finish like Top 3. But I'm still there. But I would like to, yeah. I try to win a few more tournaments, try to do well in US Open, try to win it, why not? Try to do well in the Masters Series, which is very important for us. Yeah, we'll see the end of the year. I hope I can get the Masters. Masters, never knows what can happen.

MARAT SAFIN: I'm surprised, and also I think I worked a lot. It's not because I came here and I start to play great. I spend a lot of time on the court. I spend a lot of time in the gym. Of course, many people, they say, "Safin is like all Russians, they play one year and then they don't know what to do with the money, all these things." It's not true. I'm here. I'm here, I'm working. I'm taking like a coach, Mats Wilander, which is not cheap, I think, but it's worth it, it's worth it. I don't care how much it cost. I'm taking him because I want to play tennis and I want to win all Grand Slams that I'm playing. I don't care about anything else. I want to play tennis. I want to win, just have my best time of my life on the tour.

MARAT SAFIN: I think Yevgeny, no, because we had Chesnokov, we have Volkov. When they played, like was the beginning of '90s. It wasn't so big. Because we never won Grand Slam tournament. Yeah, we had two finals, nothing else. Then Yevgeny, he won in '96, he won Paris. It change completely everything. Everybody start to go to the tennis, everybody was enjoying a lot. A lot of people in the claps. Yeah, it changed a little bit.

MARAT SAFIN: From this part to major hero of Russia is like from here to the moon. Come on, don't compare two things completely different. Yeah, he's famous. He changed the way of life, like tennis life. Yeah, but I think it's okay. It's enough already. You can call him hero, if you want. I don't mind. I respect him very much. I'm very happy what he did for me. He helped me a lot when I just start my tennis career. I came also. So I hope we can help, both of us, we can help Russian kids, I don't know, try to do something.