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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 10, 2006

Marat Safin

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. How do you feel?
MARAT SAFIN: Is very good.
Q. It's fine, it's just a question of getting match practice?
MARAT SAFIN: Something ages bit, the matches but very good still missing matches to play, so it's going to be difficult with all the rhythm, so hopefully, you know, I'll have enough matches to play here.
Q. Did you have the operation?
MARAT SAFIN: No, I didn't have of the operation.
Q. So how did you get better? What did you have to do?
MARAT SAFIN: Physical therapy. If I have the operation, I'll probably -- big chance of me, you know, just not playing at all, so that's what they told me, "Don't do the operation. Do the procedure, physical therapy, ultrasound, laser, all these things. At least you can play a little bit for" -- you know, I can try, but if you have operation and something goes wrong then, you just forget about tennis.
Q. What was it?
MARAT SAFIN: There was a cut on the tendon tissues.
Q. I'm sorry?
MARAT SAFIN: On the back side.
Q. On the back side?
MARAT SAFIN: Of the tendon.
Q. Where did you have the therapy in Moscow, you spent most of the time in Moscow?
MARAT SAFIN: Right.
Q. Nice to be in one place for a time?
MARAT SAFIN: A little bit difficult to stay in one place because normally you want to travel. It's the only thing that's -- more than three weeks, having a good time.
Q. You've never done all that well here and at the moment you're not ranked in the top 50, so you were not even to play here. I'm just wondering, was it difficult for you to decide to come here?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, in my position right now, I can just hoping to play the most tournaments I can, as many tournaments I can, so at least I can get my ranking back. Even though I didn't do well here at all in all these years, I was coming here and just trying, just trying to play as many matches as I can. That's my goal, I'm not thinking about being in top 50, something like that, just, just play?
Q. How well do you suppose you can do here?
MARAT SAFIN: In my position, I don't know, and I don't think. I still don't expect anything great here at all.
Q. How tough was it to watch the Australian Open when you're the defending champion and you're not there?
MARAT SAFIN: I didn't watch a lot of matches, but it's a little bit tough just to know that a lot of people already competing and they're healthy and they can run and they can play and get the confidence. And they're starting the year already and then I have to catch up a little bit later knowing that I don't know when I'm gonna start.
I'm supposed to start in Australian Open, and then get a little bit worse, my knee, like in Dubai. But it's tough, but because I always played well there also and past matches. I'm a little disappointed, but it doesn't really matter.
Q. Did you watch the final?
MARAT SAFIN: A little bit. A little bit.
Q. How much of a concern is it for you for the future with the injury?
MARAT SAFIN: What do you mean?
Q. It's constantly bothering you, you're having to take time off and --
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's just -- the doctors they told me that I might have problems when there's a changing of the weather, of the pressure, of the humidity, and all these things that will bother me. Still it does bother me after the match because I'm still warm. I have to take some ice, some treatment to calm it down because it gets a little bit inflamed.
Of course it bothers me. It will never go away and it will stay like this for the rest of my life. It already became so chronic there's no chance to fix it and so I can play without any pain. It won't be possible, unfortunately.
Q. What I was meaning is, is it going to -- you think it's going to get to a stage where it's going to stop you playing tennis altogether?
MARAT SAFIN: I hope not. I hope not to this point and I try to play as many tournaments I want to play. But for the moment, I'm trying to play as many as I can and then I will see how it goes. But definitely have to be careful with any because if you play so many tournaments you don't want to cause a lot of other problems. That's what I've been told.
Q. And is it worse on one surface compared to another? Is it worse on hard court compared to grass or compared to clay?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, all this changes. There's all these changes in what happens, and also, there are matches. Most of it just -- Australian, play on one surface here, we come and play on a different one, then I go to Europe. You play on grass. You play on grass. You play on hard court, then you go indoors.
Of course it's -- also today, it's becoming really physical and so especially for all grass because it's a little bit tougher.
Q. Andy and Roger talked about great respect about Nadal. What do you think about Nadal as a player? Does he have potential to be also great?
MARAT SAFIN: He's already great. He's definitely one of the best newcomers of all times and he's just 19 years old and already won Grand Slam title. He won I don't know how many titles last year. I think 10, 11. He won already this year, beat Roger, a couple of times, and he's definitely going to be huge.
But let's see how -- what's going to happen to him with injuries because he suffered a lot of them already in a young age. But I think people are treating him really well and he has a pretty good group behind him, so I think he will stick around for a long time and he can be around.
Q. Some of your formative tennis years were spent in Spain. Can you talk just a moment about your decision to train there and what is it about the Spanish training, philosophy that's --
MARAT SAFIN: Otherwise where do you go? There is not many places where you can go and practice and have a good time. There's just none. No places in the world where you may have another option.
Q. South Beach, Miami?
MARAT SAFIN: Definitely you can play tennis really well. There's no other option, so that's why I am going there. I know the language, I know the people, the players, everybody's there. You don't have to run around looking for the players and everybody's giving, you know. It's going to be tomorrow. It's going to be there, somebody's busy. If you come to Miami, for example, everybody's busy. Nobody wants to practice. There's basically no atmosphere, praising atmosphere at all. For example, I would never go to (Burlington), for example.
Q. Why?
MARAT SAFIN: Because I don't like it.
Q. What don't you like about it?
MARAT SAFIN: Because it's boring.
Q. In Spain, is there something about the Spanish training methodology?
MARAT SAFIN: Have you ever been to Spain?
Q. I have, yes.
MARAT SAFIN: So you tell me. It's the food, climate, people, and, of course, the competition, see, and everybody's there and everybody wants to practice. In (Burlington) you can practice and forget about it. They just play golf all the rest of the day. What else can you do, go to Outback Steakhouse, and that's it, few margaritas and McDonalds.
Q. Were you in Alicante or Valencia?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Valencia. You cannot ask for more.
Q. So you think and Marray made the right decision?
MARAT SAFIN: I think it's going to be great for him and for his tennis. I think he will like it because the people, the Spanish people would be friendly. They will take care of you if you are -- if they can see that you are nice person, you have -- you are honest. Especially for him knowing the language, why not? It's quite good half of the world is speaking Spanish.
Q. On the court, do they do something different than other countries --
MARAT SAFIN: No, but I'm going to -- no. Basically it's the same.
Q. -- than when you were younger?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Basically the same. It's just because the competition is so great there. They have so many, (inaudible) outdoors and whole atmosphere. The climate is incredible. It's great. All year you can play outdoors, great food, great people, and everything you need is there.
Q. Just go back for a moment to Nadal. Andre and Roger thought that being a lefty, that that's the biggest advantage. What do you think?
MARAT SAFIN: It's one of the biggest advantages that he has, lefty. Not many players on the tour that are lefty, so every time you play against a lefty, it's completely different, opposite - opposite spin. And everything comes -- it's difficult to return from that vantage.
Also he is very fast and he knows he's a big fighter. He serves well. Whole combination.

End of FastScripts...

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