Kooyong '08

aniqua

AAMI CLASSIC
9 JANUARY 2008
PRESS CONFERENCE - MARAT SAFIN

Q. Marat, it was pretty quick out there. Did you even surprise
yourself how easy you did it?

A. Well, of course, such a long time I didn't play such great
tennis, first be surprised the way I played and the way I
started to play from the beginning, so pretty impressive
for me.

Q. Does it change your mind about the colour of the court? Do
you like it now?

A. Well, it's just, it's a little bit different for me. Like,
it's kind of weird because always, I played for ten years
here in Australia, was green, so now it's all of a sudden
blue, and it's really, like, too bright and I think they
should maybe mix up some colours. But only my opinion. It
doesn't mean I'm complaining. Australia was always green,
but the green colour no more. Even the sides in Australian
Open are still green and the rest is blue, so it's pretty
funny.

Q. Does it actually make a difference on the court?

A. It's not as cool. Of course, we are going to get used to
it, but just - why blue?

Q. You were practising with David Nalbandian today when he
hurt his back. Did he show much discomfort when you were
hitting up with him?

A. Well, we played a couple of games and he didn't really run
a lot on the court and he didn't tell me what was going on.
I don't think players want to share their problems with
other players just in case, and then I found out afterwards
that he was stretching pretty long time in the locker room
today, and I think it was, he got hurt in the practice.

Q. Marat, you were pretty aggressive out there today?

A. Well, if I'm not aggressive I have no chance to play
against anybody and to try to beat somebody like a top 10
players guy, a guy from the top 10. I need to be
aggressive - that's my game - and to keep their, the points
pretty short; otherwise I start to run a little bit and it
starts to get complicated.

Q. You looked in very good touch, though. Are you positive
about how the next two weeks might go?

A. I've been working pretty hard and I've been one month and a
half practising hard, practising seven hours a day, so I
think it should be paying off at the end of the day, so I'm
waiting, expecting something to come.

Q. Is it a goal to get back, all the way back into the top 10
in the world?

A. I'm 60 in the world, so for me to get into the top 50 is
already a big goal, and from there I'll take the top 30,
and step by step. I don't have high expectations because
it's pressure I don't need at all. I think if I manage
myself not to break myself on the way, I think I'll be
somewhere around top 20, and from there it is easy to think
about top 10.

Q. Marat, you play Andy Roddick next game. You are three and
four against Roddick. Aside from that, how would you
describe your rivalry with him?

A. Again?

Q. How do you describe your rivalry with him?

A. Well, I beat him first, I think, couple of times at the
beginning of his career and - this is what you are asking?

Q. Forget the numbers but, you know, do you like playing
against him? Do you like beating him? How do you feel
playing against him?

A. Oh, he's complicated tennis player because he's just, he
serves well. So first of all he serves well, and then when
he's in the rhythym, everyone gets to try them. Then you
have to break the rhythm because then you have to play much
faster and then basically you are going all the time behind
him. So it's just break the rhythm, maybe take some time
between the serves, but just a few things you have to make
just so long, because when he's in the mood he's pretty
tough. He just serves, serves, serves, and then he builds
up the point with the forehand, and then he start to get
much more comfortable on the court, and that's what makes a
huge difference. Then he puts a lot of pressure on an
opponent's serve, starts to play without missing any balls,
everything from the backhand, and makes things complicated
for the opponent.

Q. Marat, you said you have been working very hard and you
obviously - how long is it since you felt this good? How
long, would you say?

A. How many years - long, many years. Just, I needed that,
because I've been suffering still from the, from my knee
injury. That took me quite a long time to recover. And
then also to play against good players, I was not a hundred
per cent fit. I couldn't do things to work on my legs, so
I had to be careful with that. I couldn't run for a long
time and I change completely my movements on the court, so
I was kind of struggling with my game because I lost it
completely due to my injury, so I had to develop some other
game and, of course, it went, was getting worse, worse and
worse, until I had to stop, and start to get healthy again
and build up some muscles in my legs to make sure it
doesn't, I don't break my knee, and just so I can hold on
and I can run around the court and be much faster, because
the tennis became much, much faster than the years before.
The players are very fit, and to be able to play against
them you need to be a hundred per cent, otherwise there's
no chanced to be round top 20 and to play, to be in 60 in
the world is not really my goal.

Q. I mean, when you won the Australian Open three years ago
you came from very low down in the rankings; do you feel
the same way again, or is it different?

A. First of all, just tiring to make comebacks all the time;
so first of all it was the elbow, then it was the wrist,
and then it was the knee, and all the time I had to come,
climb back from 80s in the world, 100s in the world, and
it's just kind of tiring. And there's a lot of pressure
because people expect you, and they put you on a clock:
"When you going to come back to the top 20, top 10?" So
the injury was a different story, but it's just been a pain
in the arse, to put it simply, to be in that position all
the time.

Q. Do you know?

A. No. Finally I feel pretty secure and I can wait for some
results.

Q. You don't worry about your ranking at this stage?

A. Of course I worry about my ranking, but I have nothing to
defend. I have no points left, so I can just play my
matches, and I'm pretty sure I can't get any lower than
that - I hope.

Lena

AAMI CLASSIC

10 JANUARY 2008

PRESS CONFERENCE - MARAT SAFIN

Q. Marat, Andy looked in pretty hot form out there. Was that
a case of him being on top of his game, or were you a bit
below par today?

A. No; but what it think was, first of all, tough conditions.
It's pretty hot out there, a lot of wind, so it's pretty
difficult to control the ball, especially when you are
playing against a guy like him with a big serve, and you
need to be really fit. I wasn't my best today, felt a
little bit slow on the court. But that's nothing to do
with it. Next week is another tournament. He is playing
well, serving well, but I still believe I can play much
better than that, and I can bring up my game next week.

Q. How much was today the conditions or your game? You sort
of looked a bit thrown by the wind a bit?

A. It was pretty tough for me, to be honest. I couldn't see
the ball pretty well, and a lot of wind. Also, my game, I
don't play more all the time, not hitting the ball, not
playing pretty flat, so it's very tough. And to play
against him you need to be really, like really, really in
good shape. But he is playing solid. He doesn't make any
mistakes, goes with the serve, put pressure on opponent's
serve, and he is waiting for mistakes. He works pretty
well so he's a complete player. For me, it was pretty
tough today.

Q. Do you feel ready yet for next week?

A. Yeah. I think it was two good matches, even though I lost
today pretty easy. I didn't play for the last, three, four
months any matches, so for me to play in these kind of
matches is very good start for the year so I can see what I
need to work on next few days. A lot of sets, try to work
myself on some things and get ready. I think it was pretty
good preparation for me.

Q. Did the court play any differently to yesterday, in the
extreme heat?

A. Well, the court has nothing to do with it. The balls are a
little bit, flying a little bit more with the heat, so it
was kind of also a problem for me to control because I
played with same tension like yesterday, and today was
really hard so I need to play a little bit harder strings.
But, anyway a few things. It doesn't mean I lost because
lof that, but just a few, few touches here and there it will
be okay.

Q. The balls seemed to be fluffing up a little bit; does that
seem to be a problem, do you think? Some of the players
are saying the balls are fluffing up a little bit with this
surface? Did you notice that?

A. Well, I'm pretty sure the players who are talking like this
are the ones who don't have so much power, so they are
complaining; also complain when the balls are too fast, you
know. So for every person it's different feel. For me, I
feel like the court has to be green. But it's okay. But
everybody has own feelings, sensations on the court, which
makes big difference. I guess, for sure, the balls are
becoming big, but for players like me, like Roddick, Roger,
the ones who are hitting the ball pretty hard, I think
these kinds of balls suit their game. Otherwise would be
too fast, because the courts are not slow. So we need to
slow down somehow the game, otherwise there would be no
rallies and would be boring for everyone.

Q. You spoke yesterday about where you are in your ranking and
where you want to be going ahead, and getting that down
again. Does today give you any further indication of how
you are going, or do the conditions make it too difficult
to read?

A. Also, it's just 10th of January today, so we are talking
about - already, my rank is 57 in the world, which is not
great but still top hundred, and of course I don't want to
be here in my position right now. I want to be a little
bit higher for that, to be pretty solid throughout the
year, and the big tournament is coming right now. Also
hoping for the good draw, I won't be seeded so I need to -
I would have pretty touch match in any round, so hoping for
the rest not to play with Roger Federer in the first round.
And then, with a ranking, if you make a couple of good
results I think you can be seeded, and then you need to be,
stay confident and stay focused and be consistent. Then in
the middle of the year you already know where you are going
to be in the end of the year, and my goal is to be top 20.
I just try there, and from there to top 10 is not so far.

Q. Marat, Lleyton Hewitt had a go at the standard of umpiring
yesterday, saying it has got worse since Hawk Eye came in
because the umpires aren't as brave to make decisions. Do
you feel it has go got worse in the last couple of years?

A. Well, I mean, there was people bought Hawk Eye, so all of a
sudden some tournaments they have Hawkeye; some tournaments
they don't have Hawk Eye. On the Rod Laver Arena we have
Hawk Eye, and I think Vodaphone there's no Hawk Eye. So
also it's a little bit strange situation. I understand him
also, because balls playing so fast, such fast tennis.
Say, for example, the woman today makes an overrule and she
couldn't see that ball, first of all because it was going
pretty first, and second of all she couldn't see through
Roddick and she overruled. What makes it overrule because
the linesman said she didn't say, well, she saw it. How is
it - how you can see through the people - these kind of
decisions? Of course, this position is different
completely, what Hewitt has. I'm pretty sure it's tough to
make some calls when both players are playing such fast
tennis, and they should make Hawk Eye maybe everywhere and
every court. That's a lot of money.

Q. He says it's got worse, though. Has it got worse in the
last year?

A. It's got faster. The game is too fast for the people to
say, so you can't say the people are getting worse and
worse. It's just the game is getting faster and faster.
It's impossible to see some of the balls.

Q. Thank you.