WIMBLEDON

June 29, 2001

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARAT SAFIN: No, just had a big opportunity. I was serving for the match in the third set. I missed one volley. Just afterwards everything was against me. He was making great shots. I couldn't do anything. Was like I lost completely the game in the fourth set. Then the fifth set, I just came back. That's it. Nothing special.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course, I have some doubts about this all the time, especially if you are not playing very well. But then you have to be focused. In the fifth set, I just had to make a break. I was lucky to make the early break. Actually, the match was almost over. But still, he was hitting great shots and still he was fighting.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't think it's my courts, definitely, because it's very difficult to play from the baseline. You have to make some serve and volleys all the time. But it's okay. I'm in the third round. I'm happy.

MARAT SAFIN: Very surprised, yeah.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. I'm happy that at least I can get my confidence here. This kind of matches, you can get the confidence. Then if you playing well, you can be dangerous here.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I'm surprised in a good way.

MARAT SAFIN: Okay, I think. I played ten sets in two days. Yeah, I'm okay. I still can play some more matches.

MARAT SAFIN: Not much, but still I can feel it. Sometimes I have sore. But, yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay.

MARAT SAFIN: No. Ivanisevic is one guy, Safin is another guy. They has nothing to do. Nothing to compare, I think. Maybe it's because we break the racquets. But is nothing to do. Is different way of life. Different way of thinking. Completely different game. You cannot compare.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I hope so. Otherwise I feel lonely.

MARAT SAFIN: No. Yeah, it's difficult. It's difficult to say to yourself. You know, because there's no way, if you start to do something, you cannot stop until it's like you have a warning or you broke the racquet. Yeah, of course, sometimes it's not the best way to do it. Sometimes it's for easy mistake. I cannot find another way. I need to do something because I cannot have it inside during all the match.

MARAT SAFIN: They break very fast, believe me, any surface.

MARAT SAFIN: Yes, Clement won, no?

MARAT SAFIN: It's tough. The guy is very fast, very good serve for the little guy. He has very good anticipation, I don't know, very good fit. You have to be careful with him because he's a big fighter. But, still, I think I have a chance, you know, to win the next match. I will try to do it. I hope I will play better. I try to be there. If I have any chances, I will take them, for sure.

MARAT SAFIN: I never saw him play on grass, actually. I don't know. We'll see day after tomorrow how it will go. But I don't think he's a grass court specialist - me either. Is okay. They can put us on Court 18 again, no spectators. We can make some good match like clay court style.

MARAT SAFIN: Many, many, many racquets. Too much.

MARAT SAFIN: Yes.

MARAT SAFIN: Two, three points. It was I think a little bit of luck maybe. I think he get scared. I think he saw that he can win, he has a chance, and he didn't take it. But I was also lucky, you know, in some shots. I was there. I fight for it and I win it.

MARAT SAFIN: I've seen too many matches already. I spend a lot of time on the courts. I need to relax a little bit, otherwise it's too green everything.

MARAT SAFIN: I will. I went there, yeah. I will go again.

MARAT SAFIN: To do what? Food. What you can do there. Not many things, actually, if you know very good London.

MARAT SAFIN: I know it. I know it.

MARAT SAFIN: If you spent in total of ten hours on the court in two days, I think is more than enough. I think it's too much, especially very close matches.

MARAT SAFIN: I think it's more than general. If you spend ten hours on the court, you had like very tough matches, you get tired of tennis because you can't be like hundred percent concentrated during I don't know how many hours, ten hours. I mean, you can't. You have to relax a little bit, take your time, just forget about tennis for 24 hours. Because you can't play tennis like non-stop. You go crazy.

MARAT SAFIN: Not before the tournament. I was ready. Some circumstances, I had two tough matches, even first round, second round. I'm glad the guy retire. I had doubles. We save two match points. Today I had five sets, tough match. It's too much. For me it's too much. I get too stressed.