2006 US OPEN 4TH round interview(lost to Tommy Haas):

Q. A long and exhausting match. Do you feel like you left everything out there?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, well, I had my opportunities unfortunately, that's why I'm a little bit disappointed with the way I played today. It should have been even fourth sets. In the fourth set, we made to each other twice a break. The guy everything was on my side. Suddenly, it just slipped away.
Also in the tiebreak, two balls that I missed that cost me basically the match.
So I played pretty well, but in important moments I didn't do anything special and make I missed them, opportunities.
Q 一個冗長又疲累的比賽。你是不是覺得沒把握好嗎
MS 是阿﹐很不幸地我有機會但沒能把握﹐所以我對自己今天的表現有點失望。其實可以四盤就解決的﹐在第四盤時我們一開始互破兩盤﹐機會是在我這邊﹐突然間就全 溜走了。還有在搶七時﹐兩個不經意的失誤(真的很可惜阿﹐如果沒那兩個失誤﹐故事不會是這種結局)導致我要命的輸球。所以﹐我打得很好﹐但是在重要時刻我 沒有積極搶功抓住機會﹐錯失良機了。

Q. Tommy is a player that a few years ago he was part of that New Balls, Please campaign, a lot of people were expecting big things of Tommy. He encountered some injuries, years he wasn't able to play at all. Do you think he may be coming into his best?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, he been injured for three years I think with his shoulder. It just is difficult to come back straightaway. Then it took him a while. Right now he's more mature. He has more experience, 28 years old. He knows how to play. Basically, he has complete game. He can volley. He can play from the baseline. Good serve. Pretty solid player. So that's why he put everything together. He's focused. Good coach. That's why the results are coming right now. It looks like that step by step he knows what he's doing.
Unfortunately, the injuries I think got him a little bit in a bad position when he was 24, 25. Took away from him his game. He was No. 2 in the world back then.
Q TOMMY (哈斯) 在幾年前是個紅人﹐很多人對他期待甚多﹐但後來他不斷受傷﹐有幾年不能打球。你覺得他是不是已經又回到最好狀態了
MS 他受傷三年﹐好像是肩膀。復出是困難的路途﹐他掙扎了一段時間。現在他更成熟﹐更有經驗﹐28歲了。他知道怎麼打好球﹐他的打法全面。他可以截擊﹐也可以 停在底線﹐發球也很好﹐實力堅強的球員。所以他最終能找回狀態。他專注﹐有好的教練帶領﹐優異的成續就呈現出來了。看起來他一步一步很清楚自己在做什麼。
真的很不幸地﹐他二十四﹑五時的傷整個拖垮他﹐讓他不能打球﹐那時他是世界第二。

Q. Obviously, you lose, you feel disappointed. That goes without saying. Considering you have gone as far as you did, to go to a fifth set, play it out like that, can you be satisfied with your performance here?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, if you look in the big picture, the way I played during last six months, right now I'm playing one of my best tennis actually. Just here was in a tiebreak one, two points that made the difference basically. Like I said, it's a lottery. Luck was on his side.
I'm playing much better. I mean, I couldn't think that I would beat anybody coming here, coming to US Open. The way I played the whole summer was terrible. Couldn't beat basically anybody. It was something here, I beat Nalbandian, I beat Rochus that I never like to play against him. I was just a few points away against Tommy. So, overall, it's pretty good.
Q 很顯然﹐你一定因為輸球而很失望﹐因為你堅持這麼久﹐到了第五盤﹐結果卻是這個樣子﹐你對自己美網的表現滿意嗎
MS 事實上﹐假如你以宏觀的角度來看﹐跟過去半年比較起來﹐現在我打出了自己最好的狀態。只是﹐最後是搶七﹐兩分決定勝負。我之前就說了﹐搶七是樂透彩票﹐這次幸運之神在他那邊。
我打得好多了。當然來美網前我不會想自己能打敗任何人﹐因為我整個夏季的表現糟透了﹐基本上沒法贏誰。但在這裡事情有了轉變﹐我打敗納班﹐也打敗令我一向頭痛的羅切斯。而對哈斯﹐只是幾小分的差距。所以﹐整體而言﹐挺好的。

Q. Can you talk about, when you go out to compete, how much of how you perform is mental, how you're thinking, where your head is. Or, is it a matter of training and how you've been doing and how you wake up that day?
MARAT SAFIN: No, is just not like that. We already in a at a high performance. Professionals, we basically dedicate ourselves, all our lives, to become what we are right now. So everything, it becomes mental after a while. Once you become pro and you become a pretty good pro, it just is not anymore the technique. It's not anymore the serve. It's not anymore the forehand, backhand, or serve and volley, something like that. It's just a mental thing to keep yourself cool sometimes, and sometimes to push yourself to risk it at important moments, or try to stay back and make the right decisions at the right moment.
Because everybody can play backhand and forehand. There's no problem. I think who is tougher mentally is winning basically. So this is just it's already who is better mentally prepared is basically top 10 players. It's unbelievable. They just focused throughout the match. No ups and downs. They know exactly what to do in important moments. That's why it makes such a big difference. Because tennis, everybody has.
Q 你能談談﹐當你比賽時﹐心理因理影響你的表現多少﹐你是怎麼思考的﹐你腦子擺哪邊。或者﹐那只是訓練好壞﹐你起床後感覺如何的開係
MS 不﹐不是像那樣子的。我們是高水準的比賽。我們職業選手﹐將我們所有﹐我們的生命都投注在網球而漸漸形成每個人的風格。因此﹐所有相關的事情都是心理狀態 的投射。當你轉職業﹐成為一名優秀的選手﹐就不再是技術方面的問題﹐也不是發球﹑正拍﹑反拍或上網截擊﹐不是這些。是怎麼調整自己有時候要冷靜﹐有時候在 關鍵時刻要奮力一搏﹐或者停下來在重要時刻做出正確的決策。

因為﹐每個球員打正手反手都有相當的水平了﹐基本上是沒有問題的。所以﹐誰的 心理比較成熟穩定就是贏球的關鍵﹐現在網壇的情況是﹐有良好的心理建設的球手才能進入前十名。這是不可思議的﹐他們能從頭到尾都專注在球賽上面﹐沒有情緒 的起伏。在關鍵時刻﹐頭腦清醒知道自己該採取什麼行動。這便是決定排名差距大小的原因。如果光只講技術﹐在現今網壇﹐人人都有很有一套的。

Q. While you were on the court, were you aware at all of what was going on in your sister's match?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, they showed a couple of times a few shots from her court, and I was following her.
Q 你在比賽時﹐有注意妹妹的比賽嗎
MS 有阿﹐他們有播放一些她比賽的片斷﹐我一直在關心她

Q. Can you just talk about the emotions. If she would have won, that would have cheered you up a little bit. It's kind of a double whammy in that sense.
MARAT SAFIN: No, it's okay. She's doing much better than me. She's No. 12 in the world. She made the quarterfinals. She's basically on her way to become a top 10 player in a couple of weeks. So I'm not worried about her. I should worry about a little bit more myself.
Q 你能談談情緒的問題嗎。如果她贏了﹐也許你會振奮一些。這樣的結果無疑是雙重打擊。
MS 不﹐那不影響的。她表現比我好﹐現在是世界第12﹐打進了八強。幾周後﹐她便朝向前十名的方向邁進。所以我不擔心她﹐我倒是要多煩惱自己一些。

Q. Speaking about yourself, how is the knee? Is it a factor still?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Everything's perfect. I'm moving around without any problems, no pain. Just if I continue this way, physically and mentally, I think I can pull it through. But physically, I'm perfect.
Q 說到你自己﹐膝蓋如何。還是個問題嗎
MS 不。一切都很好。我移動上沒有問題﹐不會疼痛。如果我心理上和生理上都能持續如此﹐我想我會撐出一片天的。生理上﹐我很OK。

Q. I wanted to ask you a little bit about the development of men's and women's tennis in Russia. In China right now, the question is will they ever have a men's player that's so great because the women are going so well. You and your sister have a pretty interesting history as far as experiencing the development of men's and women's tennis in Russia. Are men and women in Russia riding the same wave? Is there a difference in the way the sports have developed for men and women?
MARAT SAFIN: With all due respect, you cannot compare the men to the women. Why is simple. Because the tennis, women's tennis, is a little bit more simple than the men's, unfortunately, you know, with all the respect to the women. It's a little bit easier to become a pro, to become a top hundred player. Right now we have I don't know how many girls, maybe 20, 30 girls, who have their that make it. It's unbelievable.
From the guys, it takes a little bit longer because the competition is a little bit harder. Satellites, futures, challengers, you have to somehow be more stable in the head because a lot of temptations are around. It's difficult to find a sponsor for the guys. Also, you know, like when they young, they want to fool around. That's why a lot of talents, they never became anything.
We have great players in Russia, Juniors, but somehow nobody knows how to explain to them what to do, they should do. All the time I speak to anybody, they come with excuses, I'm not going here, I'm not going there, this one hurts, my wrist, I have another week in Moscow. All of a sudden, you don't see them do anything in a year, they quit. That's just disappointing a little bit.
I think somebody has to put them in the right direction, guide them a little bit, because they don't have much experience. It's disappointing for us because we have really a lot of talents.
The women are more consistent. They work much harder. They dedicate them self fully to tennis and they can stay on the court forever. The guys, it's just way too many temptations.
Q 我想問你俄國男女網球的發展現況。現在中國的問題是﹐有哪一位男子選手也能像女子一樣發光。很有趣地﹐你和妹妹同時經歷了俄國網球的發展。那邊男女的發展均衡嗎﹐有什麼不同嗎。
MS 我沒有冒犯的意思﹐但是男女網球是不能比較的。女網相較於男網是比較容易的﹐當然女子選手也很優秀。但女子要轉職業比較容易﹐要打進百名內也是。現在我不知道有多少女孩們﹐或許20個 30個都做到了﹐很棒。
但對男子而言﹐因為競爭激烈﹐所以困難度較高﹐時間也較久。男子要找贊助商也難。還有﹐男孩子年輕時總不免愛玩﹐所以很多有天分的球員一事無成。
我認為應該有人要帶領他們走正確的路﹐引導他們﹐因為他們缺乏經驗。我們很失望﹐因為我們有太多人才。
女子網球比較穩定﹐她們也比較努力。她們完全獻身網球﹐而且能終生都不放棄。而男子﹐有太多誘惑了

Q. Is that universal across all the men everywhere, or do you feel that's a specific thing for Russia?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, I'm not gonna talk for other countries, but for Russia right now, what I saw, basically what I saw in Moscow, it's just the way it is. All the time they come with excuse. Everything is just, This week, no, because I'm injured, and then I'm injured again, and then I don't know, maybe, I have no Visa. All the time, the excuses. Nobody will stop them and explain them what they should do. It's just one year, two years, and then everything the train is gone and you can't jump on it unfortunately.
Q 這是全世界共同的問題﹐或是俄國特有的
MS 我並不打算評論其他國家﹐但現在的俄羅斯﹐在莫斯科我所看到的情況就是如此。他們總是藉口一大堆﹐每件事都可以推拖﹐這禮拜﹐喔不﹐我受傷了﹐然後我又受 傷了﹐之後我不知道﹐可能是﹐我沒簽證。總是很多藉口。沒有人斥止他們﹐並告訴他們該怎麼辦。一年﹐兩年﹐火車就開走了﹐你要跳上去也沒有機會了。

Q. Dinara was in here when you were out there in the fifth set. She was talking just a little bit about the advice you had given her over the years, and specifically about the
MARAT SAFIN: I hope the good advices (smiling).
Q 當你打第五盤時妹妹也在這裡。她談到一些你給她的建議﹐尤其是關於 ...
MS 希望那些是正面的建議 (微笑)

Q. Well, what have you told her? She was talking about the racquet throwing, how you would tell her to calm down a little bit. Is that advice that you have imparted to her?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, not exactly. She just put it in a different way. But I had some issues with her that doesn't I'm not gonna go into details. But some things I didn't really like, and I really told her, you know, because it's just it's unacceptable from her side to do some things on the court what she was doing before. Right now, she stopped doing that, looks like that. Look at her right now. She was top 50, 50, 60, 40, 30, jumping all around. Right now, she's basically cracking top 10. So it really worked.
So it was pretty good advice, I guess (smiling).
Q 你跟她說什麼? 她提到摔拍的問題﹐你跟她說要冷靜點。那是你對她的建議嗎
MS 嗯﹐不完全是。她只是換一個方式來說。我的確跟她談過一些戲題﹐不過我不想講其中細節。有些事﹐以前她有一些行為﹐我不喜歡﹐但她聽不進去﹐但我誠心地告訴她。看看她現在﹐她從﹐50﹐50﹐60﹐40﹐30﹐進步神速。現在就要垮進前十了。所以我的建議看來是奏效
所以﹐應該是不錯的建議吧﹐我猜 (微笑)

Q. Is it advice you would follow for yourself?
MARAT SAFIN: No, when you're 26, it's difficult to change. You can't teach the old dog to sit, huh?
Q 是你自己也會遵循的建議嗎
MS 不﹐當你已經26歲﹐本性已難移。你沒辦法教一條老狗坐下吧﹐不是嗎 (JS :MARAT 我真的也敗給你了﹐ -__________-)


Q. Does Dinara ever actually attempt to give you advice in any way since she's gotten successful, or is it always older brother/younger sister?
MARAT SAFIN: I'm really not interfering with her tennis at all. She has a coach, and I respect everything. The guy is doing pretty good job. Just I have nothing to do with that, you know. Some things, just outside of tennis, she can come and ask me anything. Inside of tennis, I trust fully Glenn and I think he's the right guy for her. I don't want to mess around and just make him feel uncomfortable and make speak about something which is it's not my job. He's getting paid for this, and he knows what he's doing, and he's doing really good job.
Q 從她開始突破成續後﹐妹妹有沒有試著給你什麼建議﹐還是你們永遠是大哥哥 小妹妹的關係
MS 我真的沒干涉她的網球事業。她有教練﹐我也尊重一切。他(教練)很稱職﹐我對妹妹的成功沒有什麼功勞。只是在網球場外的任何事情﹐她都可以來問我。場上的 事﹐我完全信任 GLENN﹐也認為他很適合妹妹。我可不想去攪局﹐讓GLENN 覺得不愉快﹐講一些我沒資格說的話。他是拿薪水的﹐他很清楚要做什麼﹐而且也執行得很好。

Q. Has she ever given you advice and say, Hey, Marat, you might want to try this? Is that something that would never happen, you're the older brother?
MARAT SAFIN: It would never happen (smiling).
Q 那妹妹是否曾告訴你﹐HEY﹐MARAT﹐也許你可以試著這樣? 或者這是不可能的﹐因為你是哥哥
MS 沒錯﹐那是不可能的 (微笑)