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SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 14, 2009

Marat Safin

SHANGHAI, CHINA

T. BERDYCH/M. Safin
3-6, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Have you been surprised by the reaction the Chinese fans have had to you over the last few weeks?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, yeah, surprised. I already said it's so much attention around tennis, and to me, I never felt the same in any other country that been so fanatic about it, and it's very nice feeling. It's really nice how they dedicate themselves to tennis and they're really great supporters. And it's a nice feeling to play with people like that.

Q. Coming back very strong in the third. It must be frustrating, two breaks down and then at the end it's a little...
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's coming a little bit earlier than that. I've been fooled by the great small shot he hit in the beginning of the second set where he pretended he was injured, and then all of a sudden he'll be running around and still playing normal. So it's like kind of get me out of concentration because I didn't expect that. All of a sudden we start to run again. So it was a little bit too late.
And then the third set just slipped away, the beginning. Come back, but it was already -- I lost kind of track of the match. So it's been, doesn't matter, 4-All, but still I didn't know how to play, how to find the game. It happens.

Q. You seem very disappointed. For me it's a sign of motivation. I was wondering, why would you want to stop if you're disappointed after almost beating Tomas Berdych? Don't you think you have it in here?
MARAT SAFIN: Because I'm a absolute player. I'll be dying, still being a player, so it doesn't matter really. Tennis is something else. It's still -- the competition is still in me, and there will be disappointments no matter what I do.
It's not like -- it's not lack of -- not motivation. Yeah, motivation. I just don't feel like doing this thing anymore. It's nothing emotional about it, but still, of course, you get frustrated if it's something you don't achieve no matter what you do. So it doesn't really -- is not especially in tennis.

Q. You didn't shake hands with Tomas after the match. Is that because of the injury timeout?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, I think it's just a little bit -- especially in the raise the hands after the match, I don't feel like it's a little bit -- it's disrespect to me, so why should I shake hands with the guy who disrespects me?
And I cannot play this game, so, you know, I'm old enough to see these things happen, you know, so -- it's not the way it should be on the court.

Q. Have you decided which event will finish your pro tennis career?
MARAT SAFIN: Paris, Bercy, will be the last one.

Q. You are a very private person. How hard for you to, like -- in one week you say good-bye to China fans twice in farewell ceremony.
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's a little bit -- soon I will be used to it. Yeah, well, it's nice. I have to give the credit to the people that have been supporting me for so many years.
So I have to give it back, something. I need to say it loud and say thank you very much. Once again, it doesn't hurt. That's really -- it's only a smart part I can do for the fans, so just -- if I have to say it 10,000 times, I will say thanks 10,000 times.
It will still not be enough for them to stand with the flags and with the small boards, all the things they do with the pictures, with the signs. It's so much -- they give so much to you. So it's really -- it will never be enough to give it back. So just two times, it's not a big deal, eh?

Q. Back to Berdych's injury -- or maybe it wasn't really an injury. How many times has this happened to you over your long career where opponents have kind of faked an injury and got a psychological advantage? Has it happened very often you to?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Well, I don't want to concentrate on that, but just the fact that I've known the guy for so many years. I've been nice conditions with the guy, and then look at this, and then just -- to hold the show? Just come on. Just grow up a little bit. 26 years old. Just deal with that.
If you're losing, just be a man, be a man and lose as a man. Don't pretend that you are injured and then you start running around and start to hit winners, and then all of a sudden you pull the hands up in the air after winning the match?
I mean, what kind of sportsman are you? What kind of man are you? So then of course the guy will say, No, I been injured but then I felt a little bit better.
Of course he will find 10,000 excuses. Still, it's not enough. It's just -- you're playing or you're not playing. If you're going to play, so don't play. If you're playing, so just shut the fuck up and play, basically. And you're a man, so just lose a man.

Q. Do you find it a little ironic that at the end of your long career that the debate is now intensifying about the length of the calendar and a lot of players are saying perhaps there's too much tennis? I know you've been asked this question many times, but...
MARAT SAFIN: No, the ironic part, in 2003 -- sorry, in 2004 we had this discussion in Olympic Games with Roddick about it, and they were blaming me that I'm playing too much. And I was saying that the season is too long. We should make it shorter.
And the guys, they jumped on me, like I was the one who was wrong one. So look at all of them? Everybody is falling apart. Everybody is getting injured left and right, and everybody is complaining the season is long. It takes really six years to realize that something is wrong?

Q. It's all your fault really after all these years?
MARAT SAFIN: Of course it's my fault. Of course. (laughter.)
It's okay, but they just have to deal with that, not when they are 21 and ambitious and want to make money. They have to think a little bit with their brains and to make the career a little bit longer.
It's a beautiful sport, so why to kill the players and making the calendar basically playing 12 months of the year?
But it takes quite some time for the people to realize that the season is really long. That's what I'm saying.

Q. I'm from Argentina, and I want to know, now that you are close to retirement, your memories of Buenos Aires, the times you were there and the Davis Cup matches with Argentina.
MARAT SAFIN: Well, frankly, honestly, we had some great matches. I mean, I'm great with all the tennis players from Argentina, great people.
My last coach was from Argentina, and I'm cool with everybody. But the way I lived my week of Davis Cup in 2002 was a disaster. But just great memories, great place.
But supporters are really tough, eh? I never heard about myself so many things that -- I didn't imagine this word existed even. But apparently, yes. Oh, well.
But it's a great place. I'm coming back there, actually, and 18th of December I play exo with Lobo, Luis Lobo, so I'm just coming there, and I'm coming there because I really enjoyed it, actually. Great country, great people.
And tennis players are just great people, and I mean, and I've been with them for quite some time, many years, and they've been taking care of me for long time. I've been very cool friends.

End of FastScripts

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