TMS - LISBON

November 27, 2000

Marat Safin

MODERATOR: Questions for Marat.

MARAT SAFIN: Three.

MARAT SAFIN: After the stitches or after the match?

MARAT SAFIN: You feel nothing. You cannot do anything. Is only one week.

MARAT SAFIN: Two days.

MARAT SAFIN: I had to go there because I live there.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it's good. It's normal surface from Stuttgart to all the Super 9's, except Paris Bercy, was Taraflex or something like this. Stadium is very nice, good atmosphere, doesn't look so big, 11,000 people can get in. I think that's good.

MARAT SAFIN: The problem is, first of all, I didn't expect that I'm going to fight for No. 1 in the world. I thought at least try to be in Top 20, but now I'm fighting for No. 1. I'm a little bit surprised for myself that I did all these things actually in seven months, since April. Before April, I only win four matches. Next year, it's going to be different. You have to defend. Everybody wants to beat you. How it's possible the young tennis player from Russia can be No. 1? Everybody wants to beat you. Also the people, they expect something more from you. People from Russia see No. 1. Everybody think he got to be there for long time. It's difficult. Pete I think is the greatest player in the world. Nobody is going to be the same like him. It's a little bit different story, but we'll see next year.

MARAT SAFIN: I think it's going to be less tournaments. Definitely because it's difficult to play. I'm already tired. I played 30 tournaments this year without Davis Cup. Two weeks more, Davis Cup, done. I think it's too much. But I think next year it would be nice to play less tournaments, but more quality.

MARAT SAFIN: Yes. But I'm not even close. At least to get something, some good things from them.

MARAT SAFIN: I think I have more opportunities to win there because it's a clay court. I play quite well there. More chances I have there. But also it would be nice to win there because actually there I start my real tennis career and get in Top 100 when I beat Andre and Gustavo. It would be nice to finally win the tournament there.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. It's like in all the sports - somebody is getting to the top, everybody wants to show him that he is not alone there fighting for No. 1. In this case it's me, so I have to let's see how I will do, how I will play this week, with the pressure, with all these things. I hope they going to be okay. I will try to make my game. If I make my game, I will have more chances.

MARAT SAFIN: I think everybody knows sitting on the tables, favorite is Pete. I mean, everybody is afraid of him.

MARAT SAFIN: If I meet him in the final?

MARAT SAFIN: No, but that's life. We'll see. I mean, to meet Pete in the final, you can win one from ten maybe. I won the US Open, but now I don't think that I'm a favorite. I mean, Pete, how many times he win here? Five times the Masters?

MARAT SAFIN: He will pass through the qualifying rounds and win the tournament. Everybody knows this. I think he going to win.

MARAT SAFIN: He has no time to meet me. He has more important things to do. He send me a telegram, is more than enough. I'm going to put it on a small nice paper.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. At least you can show it to your kids, show them that I've been the No. 1, otherwise they will not know.

MARAT SAFIN: Actually, yeah. I mean, is difficult story. Follow the politics? First of all, they exaggerate a lot. I don't like that. Also they're telling too much, but not realistic things, a lot of this. It's not realistic: People are coming to me saying, "Russia is so bad." What is so bad? Of course, they're showing people without legs, these things. Doesn't matter. Why don't they show New York or Bronx or whatever? It's the same story. For me, it's not nice. I don't want to see it. Of course, watching the important things, but normally I don't like to watch because they're telling too much, which is not true, exaggerate.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, because I need him. I was there -- he was there and he knows me very well. It's very easy to work with him.

MARAT SAFIN: Let's see after here. That's life. You have to decide if it's the right decision or if it's not. I'm going to decide after here, if I'll have time. After we'll sit down and decide.

MARAT SAFIN: Ion is good for advice, but finally it's my decision. You can get some advices, but nothing else.

MARAT SAFIN: I want to win at least once. I don't think we're too lucky this year. Next year wasn't too lucky with the draw. As you can see, Spain, they've been so lucky. Yes, they played, and they have very good players, but they play all the matches in Spain. I would like to play also all.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. I would like. I will go for it. I think with Yevgeny, finally we can do this because we never won once. I think now is the time. I think we can do it. I hope we can do it next year.

MARAT SAFIN: Of course. Also because we have eight girls I think in the Top 100, two guys in the Top 10, another two is close to the Top 100.

MARAT SAFIN: I hope so. It was a boom when it was Volkov, Chesnokov, Yevgeny starting, but then it was going a little bit down. I think for already two years, it's going up and up. More people they want to invest, they start building courts, St. Petersburg, Moscow. A lot of kids want to play tennis. For us, it's very important to promote tennis as much as we can in Moscow, in all Russia. It's for the kids, nothing else.

MARAT SAFIN: I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. You ask me what's going to happen in years? I hope I can live in Monte-Carlo, I hope I can live in Moscow, travel a lot, have an ATP there, have a big house. What better going to happen tomorrow.

MARAT SAFIN: It doesn't matter if he's -- if he'll go to tennis, be a football player, basketball. At least he has to do something because it's very important that he's doing something, he's trying to get to the top. It's very important for the kids, for my kids at least. They have to be somebody. Many kids, they are living on money of parents. That's horrible. I will not do this to my kids: