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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2009

Marat Safin

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

R. FEDERER/M. Safin
6-3, 6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What happened with the foot faults in the tiebreak?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, just unfortunately some people, they want to take five seconds of the camera and to show everybody that he's in the match. It's sad story. Just unfortunately it's the most stupid thing I ever saw in my life.
It's just disappointment, because it's already 3-1. There was a chance. It's a tiebreak. Every point counts. When it goes like that on the second serve in the tiebreak, why? I don't understand.

Q. It's happened to you before?
MARAT SAFIN: It happened to me in US Open. Just like I said, it's just the most stupid thing. Like there shouldn't be this rule. I'm not stepping on the line. It's sideways. It doesn't help at all to serve better.

Q. How much of an affect do you think that had on you? You won the next four points after that. Did you think it ended up costing you?
MARAT SAFIN: I think I played better in the third set. Unfortunately, it's probably a little bit too late to play against Federer to get into the match. I started to feel much for comfortable on the court in the third set.
I had a couple opportunities there, small ones, but still. Tiebreak was very close. For me, it was a chance to win a set, and then you never know what happens. I felt like he was struggling a little bit. Slightly. Of course, he's a great player. Just I could feel that he was tense. There was a small chance for me, just it slipped away.

Q. Do we have a chance to see you back here next year?
MARAT SAFIN: I doubt it. I really doubt it. I really doubt it.

Q. How does it make you feel to be saying good-bye to Grand Slam events?
MARAT SAFIN: I don't like this bye-bye part. It's just a sad story. It's not for me. I prefer to leave this way, quietly, nice, with a great match.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do better than that, three sets. But anyway, I lost today probably to the better player, one of the greatest ones in the history of tennis. I really hope for him to be so I can tell the story to my kids that I played with him. I think it's a nice story.

Q. What memories will you take away from this tournament?
MARAT SAFIN: I had some ups and downs here. One disappointment. Another great year. One final against Roger. And then one title I took here beating also Roger and Hewitt. So I've been playing some great tennis. So just the whole thing, the whole setup. The beautiful city, great people.
The crowd is always friendly. Go around in the city and they just love tennis. They live with tennis. They really enjoy it and appreciate what you are doing. That's what makes it special. It's really very sports-people living here. It's always nice to come here every year, year after year. Unfortunately, I doubt it's going to ever happen again.

Q. That semifinal you played against Federer in 2005, people still talk about that as one of the great matches. How does that stick in your mind in terms of your career?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, just it was one of the greatest matches I ever played in my life probably. It's just for the fact that to play against Federer, against Roger, because he's the kind of player for my tennis, he's not really comfortable. He is not really comfortable tennis game for me.
I always struggled to play against him because he just doesn't give me any rhythm. He knows what to do in exact moment of the match. He knows what I'm going to do.
For me, to win that match in a semifinal was a huge thing. I never played any better. I wasn't any luckier in any other moments in the tennis court, so I could say that I was lucky; I played great tennis. He missed couple of shots that could change the match. He was very close to win it. He had a match point.

Q. You seem to keep your emotions in check a little bit tonight. Was that a conscious effort to hold yourself back a bit?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, if you get there, you try to play against Federer, you want to -- you see the opportunities, you see what you should do. Every time I try to do something else, the ball is not landing where you want it to land.
It's a little bit, of course, a disappointment because he doesn't give you a lot of opportunities throughout one hour and a half of the match.
You need to count every single point and any single chance to break him, otherwise there is just no chance. Of course it's disappointment that I'm not there, but you just need to keep it cool, just to wait for another one. Maybe there will be another chance. I had it. I had them. But not enough.

Q. You embraced Roger at the end. Was that partly because of what's happened at the tournament, or because you knew you were saying good-bye as well?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's just we know each other for how many years? Since '94. We didn't play in the juniors, but we saw each other. We had some great matches. I was close a couple times. We grew up together. He started a little bit later than me.
I respect him as a tennis player, as a person. He's just very close -- let's put it this way: Very close colleague of mine.

Q. You also say he's the best you ever faced?
MARAT SAFIN: Probably, yeah. He's the most complete tennis player in the history of tennis, that's for sure. With all due respects to Agassi and Sampras and the rest of the gang.
But I never felt so uncomfortable against any of the players before.

Q. Fabrice?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I managed to beat him the last four times, so that's okay. Fabrice is a special guy also.

Q. I know it's hard for you, but who is your tip to go on and win the tournament?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's too early to say. Roger, he's definitely playing well. He played really well today. In the important moments he was at his best. He served well.
Also surprised me a lot Murray, the way he's moving and the playing around the court and the way he observes the other player on the beginning of the match. He's very clever and great hands. He's one more person to counsel. Djokovic is there. He's dangerous.
I'm pretty sure that -- anybody else coming to my head right now. Definitely going to come up somebody. Gilles Simon, for example.
There will be somebody. Third round. A little bit too early to speculate about it. We'll see. Roddick is there.

Q. What about Nadal?
MARAT SAFIN: Oh, yeah. Exactly. See. That's what I'm missing. He's the one who managed to beat Federer in almost all the surfaces. I mean, grass, he took him on grass, which is barely impossible and he managed.
So I think he has all the chances here if he gets to the final.

Q. Do you feel like Federer's playing the same as before or a bit different?
MARAT SAFIN: What kind of different? He cannot play any different tennis. He has all the skills, and he uses them. One day maybe he miss a couple of balls and the match goes to somebody else, but normally he manage to win all of them.
It's up to him every time, except on clay. But he knows exactly what he's doing. Just depends if he's a hundred percent feeling great that day. Basically two points make a big difference.

Q. Did you guys say anything to each other over the net?
MARAT SAFIN: What you are going say? Well done. Great play. Typical stuff. What else do you want me to say to him?

Q. Did he say anything to you?
MARAT SAFIN: Bad luck.

Q. What would it take to change your mind about walking away from tennis?
MARAT SAFIN: Nothing. I've been already too many years. I want to change and do something else. I'm ready for that. It's been a nice trip. It's enough.

Q. Do you know what that something else is?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I'll keep it to myself for the moment. I would love to do that. I'm ready.

End of FastScripts

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