AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2001

Marat Safin

THE MODERATOR: First English question, please.

MARAT SAFIN: I said yesterday it wasn't an injury. It was a -- it could be very dangerous, but it's -- I mean, when you start to feel it, it doesn't -- is not the injury. It was I just decided not to force it too much because, I mean for the spectators last week, I was playing for them. And I can't play the match with my second serve. I mean, is not the point, you know, to go there and play and I mean I guess all these guys you can play with second serve. And I mean, also I wanted to take care of more of my elbow. But I mean it wasn't nothing dangerous, but it could be very bad.

MARAT SAFIN: But the tournament is not over yet. If, if, if I say all the time like this.

First, it's Australian Open. Everybody wants to win here. This week we see who is No. 1 and all these things. Because for the moment, is not the most important thing now. I think the most important thing for all the players, it's to win here. And then next week we see who is the No. 1, No. 2, because I mean it's the beginning of the year and everybody's -- everybody is not playing his best tennis because they had their vacations and all this stuff. So for the moment, everybody is trying to win here.

MARAT SAFIN: I mean it's -- I said yesterday, if you coming here, you have to play 100 percent. One day I will get injured, I will stop. I will stop the match and I will go to treat, I will go to the hospital, whatever. But for the moment, I feel okay and I will play. I am playing and I am playing 100 percent. I am giving everything, especially with the serve. I mean for the moment it's working. For the moment, the elbow is okay.

MARAT SAFIN: No, no, of course not. You can't think. You just play and you see. If you really can't serve, it's better to stop and say thank you.

MARAT SAFIN: I think nobody's playing his best tennis now, this time of the year. I don't think that probably it's first round, and everybody is trying to get their confidence from last year. So we can talk about the level of the game after like in quarters, semifinal, it will be the best tennis. But for the moment, there's many matches, the serve doesn't work for some players. I mean, the baseline, many mistakes. But still, everybody's trying to find his best game and for the moment, you know, in the quarters we can say, "Yeah, he's playing his best game," and all these things, but for the moment, there are people that are looking for it.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but you don't -- many people didn't play for three weeks. In three weeks --.

MARAT SAFIN: You lose a lot. You lose, of course, you have more kilos, you're getting fat. And of course, concentration is not the same already because you're not concentrated. And it's always tough to begin. It doesn't matter if it's two weeks, three weeks. After one week it's difficult already to play again and find your game. You must play two or three matches to find it. It's not -- it's quite easy to find, but sometimes it can be very complicated. But for the moment, yeah, I am trying and I am looking for my best game and for the moment it is working. Each is better and better.

MARAT SAFIN: (Laughing.) For me it would be great if they pay more. Much more. Why not? It would be great. But I mean I don't decide. I mean, the tournament directors and all this, they have to take care of these things. It would be great, yeah. I mean sometimes for some tournaments we can say -- I mean if you run here, 35 degrees, on the court it's 45, 40, it's tough. So they can pay you a little bit more.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, completely. (Laughter.)

MARAT SAFIN: We'll see. I mean, you don't have to think about defend points. It's kindergarten. We are professionals. So I try to win some more tournaments this year, and I mean for sure I will win a few tournaments. Maybe not seven; I will win, two, three. But I'm gonna go for every tournament and try to win them all and to be, I mean I think --.

MARAT SAFIN: Why you cannot repeat? Yes, if you play well, why not?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, we'll see. I'm not losing many things. What am I gonna lose? I'm not losing anything.

MARAT SAFIN: Preparation? We had no time for nothing. We had just -- I had preparation only for ten days. I mean it's not enough to play well during all the year. So that's why also the players that didn't come here like Corretja, Costa. Also a lot of players are talking with their physical coaches, which is very important, their physical condition. Because if you want to play in the best level during whole the year, you have to -- you have to work a little bit out of the court. And I want to do the same. I want to travel in Europe with my fitness coach and try to, you know, work hard to play my best tennis in the summer and in the autumn. Because now for the moment, I have enough energy, but is not enough for the summer and autumn.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, I mean I played against him two weeks ago and I beat him. But he was, I mean, different story. But I think will be very nice match and I'll try to win. I mean what can you say? It's gonna be tough, very tough. Because I mean he beat -- he's top 20. He beat very good players. He's playing probably -- he can play unbelievable tennis. But we'll see tomorrow, after tomorrow.