2007 US OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA
AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 9, 2007

Prize Money: US $9,098,000
128 DRAW

SITE: USTA NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER
Flushing Meadows - Corona Park
Flushing, NY 11368
WEB SITE: www.usopen.org

Congratulations to Roger, winning US open for 4 consecutive years !!
And also, superb job done, Novak, amazing talented young fellow. Could've won the first two set.....Well, you are still young, great future awaiting for sure !!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Dinara(Marat's sister) and Natalie,
capturing 2007 women's doubles trophy!!

• 2nd Rd: Marat lost to Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI):3-6,3-6,3-6
• They have never played singles before though have met on the doubles court.
• Wawrinka is currently ranked 49 on the ATP.

____________

• 2nd Round

Stanislas Wawrinka	6	6	6
Marat Safin	3	3	3

---

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are your thoughts on the match today and the situation?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, everything I tried didn't work out. It was kind of a weird match. I couldn't really feel comfortable out there. I had a couple of chances to break him back at 5-3 first set. Slipped away. The guy did much better. Start get much more confident on the court and he was going for it. Everything was on his side and I just couldn't get back into the match.

Q對於今天比賽的一切有什麼感想
MS 今天試什麼都沒用﹐很奇怪的比賽﹐就是在場上不自在。第一盤5-3時﹐有好幾次破他的機會﹐但都溜掉了。他打得好多了﹐越來越有信心﹐積極取分﹐似乎什麼都很順﹐而我就是無力挽回。

Q. Is there anything different about the grandstand court game, the closeness of it, the people on top of you?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Not really. Didn't bother me much. It wasn't that problem. I have these kind of matches, just whatever you try to do, it doesn't work out. Just then you just hope. But today didn't work.

Q 在GRANDSTAND 球場比賽不一樣嗎﹐距離呀﹐或者觀眾的。
MS 不﹐沒有﹐那一點都不困擾﹐問題不出在那裡。我時有這種情況的﹐就不管你作什麼都無效﹐最後只有希望發生奇跡。今天是失敗了。

Q. Have you played a lot on the grandstand?
MARAT SAFIN: I played last year and the year before. It's okay. It was same.

Q 你在GRANDSTAND 球場比賽多嗎
MS 去年跟前年都打過﹐OK的﹐沒差別。

Q. You said he was going for it. Did you feel like you weren't going for it?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, probably he was going for it for the right -- with the right balls, with the right shots, and he had nothing to lose. He played a very long match two days ago, so I guess finally found his rhythm on the court. And he was much more comfortable today. The way he was serving the last two sets was pretty impressive, so he had a lot of free points and easy balls and hitting down the lines. Whatever he was trying to do was great. I just didn't have the opportunity to break him or try to do something different because the guy was pretty fast and I wasn't really at my best.

Q 你說他積極取分﹐那麼你覺得自己沒有囉
MS 嗯﹐所有他搶攻的都奏效阿﹐他沒什麼可輸的。兩天前有個五盤大戰﹐我想經過那場長賽找到節奏了吧﹐今天發揮得更順暢。後兩盤的球發的很棒﹐所以輕鬆拿了不少分數﹐也多次打在線上。他怎麼打怎麼順﹐我就找不到機會破他﹐也沒辦法嘗試其他的﹐因為他節奏很快﹐而我狀態不好。

Q. How is it going, your working together with Hernan Gumy?
MARAT SAFIN: Much better than before, for sure. Still have to work. One month is not enough to make a big change, so have to move on and work and see if the results are a little bit later. It's very difficult to have results right away.

Q 你跟 GUMY 的合作如何
MS 當然是比之前更好了。一個月是不能有什麼改變的﹐所以要繼續努力看能不能漸入佳境﹐馬上要有結果是挺困難的。

Q. What goes through your mind on a day when the things are completely going the opponent's way and you don't feel at your best?
MARAT SAFIN: You know how many times I have like this? I'm used to it. You have to try until the end. Maybe something will -- he will start to get a little bit nervous or maybe I would hit a couple of good shots and everything can change. But today didn't really look this way, so I guess you have to swallow it. And one bad day off, there is not much you can do. That's it. The day is over and we move on, back to our lives.
Q 當遇到像今天這樣一面倒的情況你都怎麼想
MS 你知道這種經驗我有多少次了?早就習慣啦﹐你就只能一直嘗試到最後一刻。也許﹐他開始有些緊張了﹐或者我打了幾個好球﹐然後情勢逆轉。不過﹐今天就沒有阿﹐只有默默接受了。一個糟糕的日子﹐你能怎麼辦﹐就是這樣了。這一天結束了﹐展望未來﹐回復正常生活。

Q. You said the other day that you don't like looking back to the past to winning here. You live in the present and look to the future. What do you think the future holds now?
MARAT SAFIN: For me?

Q 之前你提到自己不喜歡陶醉在過去美網的輝煌裡﹐你活在當下﹐只想未來。你覺得未來的展望是什麼
MS 對我而言嗎

Q. Uh huh.
MARAT SAFIN: Only the most beautiful moments still to come. The past wasn't bad for me, but the future is -- that's why I will hope for the best. That's why moving through life I think the best moments are still to come. It can be tennis or anything different. Just have nothing to do with tennis. Maybe. Maybe it is. Maybe still be here and maybe next year I will win a couple of Grand Slams, you never know. But just I'm sure the best moments still to come.
Q 嗯
MS 美好的時刻終會來臨的呀。過去很不錯﹐但未來...所以我始終抱著最美的期待。回復到現實生活過下去﹐還有更美好的日子等著呢。也許是網球帶來的﹐也許是其他跟網球無關的事。也許﹐也許就是了。也許就在美網﹐也許明年可能再拿些滿貫﹐你永遠猜不到。但我確信最好的時刻終將到來的。

Q. Do you still enjoy tennis as much as that day when those doors sort of went open and in came the lobster to celebrate your win?
MARAT SAFIN: Oh, yeah. I'm still -- I don't like to lose. I love to win and I enjoy the moments on the court when it's a battle and you have to deal with the tough situation. I just -- it's a little bit different perspective than used to be before. Before it was all new and all interesting, and now I've been here for already ten years maybe. It's a little bit different. You approach different way. I don't hang out anymore here on the player's lounge. It was the second time in the last two weeks that I went upstairs. You know, so you take at that different way. We spend more time in the city and spend much less time here with the players. But still I love it. I love to do that, otherwise there is no other reason -- nothing else holding me here. Just the results, playing on the court and have this adrenaline when you're playing in front of 5, 10,000 people. It's the most beautiful feeling.
Q 你還像過去常在慶祝勝利般享受打網球嗎
MS 喔﹐那當然。我..我不喜歡輸球﹐熱愛贏球﹐尤其是享受一番激鬥奮戰的時刻。只是﹐看待網球的觀點跟以前不同了。過去﹐什麼都是新鮮有趣的﹐但是現在我已在網壇十年了﹐那感覺是不一樣的﹐你作法自然不同。我不再晃球員大廳了﹐過去兩個禮拜這是第二次我直接上二樓去。你知道的﹐你不再有同樣的作風。我花較長的時間在市區裡﹐較少跟球員聚會﹐但我還是喜歡阿﹐否則﹐我沒有理由再繼續混下去的。比賽的結果﹑在場上較勁﹑於萬人球迷面前打緊張刺激的比賽﹐那是最美最美的感覺了。

Q. When you won here in 2000, Sampras said you were able to be No. 1 in the world for as long a time as you wanted to. Do you think you still can go to the top?
MARAT SAFIN: See, even the geniuses make the mistakes. He was wrong.

Q 你2000年贏美網時﹐山普拉斯說你不只會變成世界第一﹐而且想稱霸多久就多久。你覺得自己還能爬到頂尖嗎。
MS 你看吧﹐就算天才都會犯錯。他預測錯誤啦。

Q. You seem somewhat resigned to taking the losses. Does it bother you at all?
MARAT SAFIN: Why? I just -- the thing is no matter how many times I will explain to the people, doesn't matter how many times the people ask me, they wonder why I didn't win the five Grand Slams, ten Grand Slams, why I only win -- win two and two finals. But once again, if the people look at me when I was 17 and I had no money and my mother gave me only $500 to go Roland Garros and the French Open and try to look for some money, to come from there from having nothing, zero, and to become what I achieve right until now, well, it's a long way. I could have end up anywhere in Moscow or Russia doing God knows what. I'm sitting here and you're asking me pretty nice questions, so I think I did pretty well in my career.

Q 感覺你面對失敗很習以為常的樣子﹐你不覺得困擾嗎
MS 為什麼? 我真的....不管我跟大家解釋多少次﹐不管有幾次人們問我﹐他們不懂我怎麼沒贏五個﹑十個大滿貫﹐而只有兩個獎杯﹐打進兩次決賽。但我要再次強調﹐如果你們看我17 歲的樣子﹐那時身無分文﹐媽媽給我500塊去參加法網試著賺點錢的窘境﹐從那時一無所有﹐到現在我所成就的﹐嗯﹐那真是條漫長的道路。我可能淪落在莫斯科或俄羅斯某處﹐天曉得在幹什麼。而此刻我坐在這裡﹐你們問我一些有趣的問題﹐我想自己職業生涯成績蠻好的。

Q. What do you think you might be doing if you stayed back home?
MARAT SAFIN: I don't want to think about it, because my classmates from school they are not really -- did not do well in their lives. So I don't even want to think about it. So also from where I'm coming from, I did pretty well.
Q 如果還留在家鄉﹐你想自己會做什麼
MS 我不願意想這個﹐我的同學們現在都混得不好﹐所以我不敢想這些。我家鄉的小孩們中﹐我想自己挺有作為的。

Q. In the new Russia, what kind of things have they done, your classmates?
MARAT SAFIN: Nothing. That's the problem. They didn't achieve anything in their lives, and that's only people that I knew back then. At age 17 I had nothing planned and no cash and my sponsor dropped me and nobody wanted to help me in the Federation because it was difficult times. The last source was my mother. She gave me $500 and said, you have luck or you don't have luck. So this is your last hope. Take the $500 and go to the French Open and try to look for some money. So I think this is tough situation, and here sitting here and asking about speculation about how many Grand Slam I should have won, it's a little bit funny.
Q 在現代的俄羅斯﹐你的同學們都在幹什麼
MS 沒做什麼﹐真是糟糕。他們一事無成﹐而他們是當時我認識的人。17歲時﹐我前途茫茫﹑窮困沒錢﹑贊助人不再支持我﹐網協因為經營困難也沒人能幫我。我最後的資助是來自母親﹐她給我500塊美金告訴我﹐你試試看吧﹐不是走運不然就是沒了﹐這是你最後的希望﹐拿這500元去法網試試看吧。那是多麼困窘的情形﹐而今坐在這裡被問到底我該贏幾個滿貫﹐想想是挺諷刺荒謬的。

Q. How do you like Wawrinka's game?
MARAT SAFIN: Today he played pretty well. I didn't expect that he's going play such great tennis for all three sets. I thought he will have a small dip and then I would take I was waiting for it at the end and then he was starting to play better and better. Forehands, even from the forehand, which is not his best side he was winning or making winners down the line. Serving well. Last two sets backhand was great. So I think if he continues to play this way he will be really good, but unfortunately his ranking doesn't go with his game. So I think he played extraordinary today.
Q 你喜歡WAWRINKA 的球風嗎
MS 今天他打得非常好﹐我沒想到三盤他都發揮那麼出色。本來以為他會有點分心﹐然後我趁虛而入﹐一直在等著﹐但是他就是越打越好。連他不擅長的正拍都常能在線上打出致勝球﹐發球很好﹐後兩盤反拍也很強。我想如果他能保持這樣的狀態﹐未來很看好﹐不過他的排名似乎對不上。所以﹐我想今天他是打得特別得好吧。

Q. You mentioned doing things in New York City during the Open. What kind of things?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, there's not much you can do. You can go for a walk in So Ho, typical things. It's not like we doing something extra that other people can't do. But just it's not like every week where I spending time in Europe. So even having coffee outside sitting cafeteria somewhere downtown really it's a big deal. Having coffee I sitting for one hour and looking for the people it's already one of the pleasant moments of the day.

Q 你說在美網期間在紐約逛﹐你都作什麼呢
MS WELL﹐沒做什麼。很典型的﹐比如在蘇活區散步阿。不是做什麼了不起的大事﹐跟大家都差不多的。只是跟我在歐洲的日子不一樣﹐即便在市中心喝個咖啡都不得了。坐下來喝一小時的咖啡﹐看著人來人往﹐那就是每天最愉快的時光了。

Q. What part of the city?
MARAT SAFIN: So Ho. I'm not a big fan of uptown.

Q 市區的哪裡
MS 蘇活 (有名自由藝術家聚集地)。我對住宅區沒興趣。

Q. Do you think you will come to Buenos Aires to play the tournament there?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Too far away.

Q 你會到布宜諾斯愛利斯(阿根廷首都)比賽嗎
MS 不﹐太遠了。

Q. What are your Davis Cup thoughts right now?
MARAT SAFIN: Hi, Jeffrey. Well, depends. We are pretty good team, so doesn't matter who will play there. We're favorites and I think we're going win and be in the final against the States.

Q 現在對DAVIS CUP 想法為何
MS "嗨﹐JEFFERY" (邊露出超迷人的笑容)﹐嗯﹐看情況吧。我們陣容很強的﹐對手要派誰都不要緊。大家都看好我們﹐而我也相信我們會贏﹐然後決賽跟美國一較高低。

Q. Do I think you'll play the States or Sweden?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. Well, Sweden, I don't know why, but they choose play indoor hard courts. I don't think it's the best surface to play against Americans. But we going to be there.
Q 你覺得美國還是瑞典會贏呢
MS 嗯﹐瑞典﹐我懂為什麼他們要選市內硬地﹐因為面對美國這樣對他們並不利。但我們會去決賽的。

Q. At what point in your life did you become able to put things in perspective the way you have now? Is it recent sort of development?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Intensive years of life. Short but intensive.
Q 什麼時候開始你看事情跟現在一樣呢?是最近才醞釀出來嗎
MS 不是。是來自於特別繁重的生活﹐短﹐卻異常煩忙....

FastScripts by ASAP Sport

________

• 1st Round

Marat Safin	7	7	7
Frank Dancevic	5	6	6

M. SAFIN/F. Dancevic INTERVIEW

7-5, 7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Enough going on in that match for you to lose your cool, but you didn't. Are you pleased with the way you kept your poise today?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, pretty much. I was a little bit nervous coming into the match 'cause the guy was playing pretty well the last two months. He did a great result. Here in the States he made the final in Indianapolis, beating Roddick in semifinal, and quarterfinals in Montréal. So he was pretty solid and confident coming here.
I never play against him. He's serving well, returning well, playing great from the baseline, full of confidence. Especially it's a first round, so he has nothing to lose. Anything can happen. It was pretty good.

Q. Did you ever have anything like that happen to you on match point, the sound system going off?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Hopefully it will never happen again (smiling).

Q. A lot of times in the last couple years at Grand Slams you've had tough first and second round matches, paid the price later in the tournament. Was it important to get it over and done with in three sets today?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, yeah. I mean, I was counting it was going to be a tough match, four sets. Didn't know want to go five sets, but it was definitely pretty close to get there. But, like I said, it's tough opponent and I'm pleased that I am going through the first match in three sets. Hopefully the next match, pretty tough also, two pretty good players. Hopefully I can continue this way and keep it short.

Q. How important is it to know you can keep your cool? Maybe proved something to yourself mentally.
MARAT SAFIN: Well, my station is not really the most pleasant right now because I'm trying to defend a lot of points. I didn't really do anything special here in the States. Some bad results, bad losses. Kind of I am trying the new coach. The only thing I have in mind is to fight and hope for the best days. Since I'm practicing already for one week and a half since I finished Cincinnati, been improving a lot. So just try to keep focus, try not to get upset and just work your way, because otherwise, it's tough for me to play and play well, especially when the confidence is not there. So you need to help yourself a little bit more. So that's why I try to be a little bit more calm. But unfortunately sometimes the balls doesn't go my way. Serving at 6-4 in the tiebreak. In the third set, he was a break up on both sets. So it's kind of tough, but you have to deal with it.

Q. Your debut was 10 years ago. You won it a couple years later. You solved the Open. Why do you think you haven't been able to solve it since then?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, good question. I did the semifinal the year after. I lost to Sampras; another bad loss. But, then, I don't know, I was injured a couple of times. I didn't play. And then last year was a good year for me, but I lost 7-6 in the fifth. But of course, losing match (indiscernible) final. For some reason I was not ready for it or I was not playing really well, I was just struggling or something. Something was happening to me.

Q. Do you still look back on the 2000 final as the best match of your career?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but who cares? It's so far in the past. It's already history. It's a long time ago. It's time to move on (smiling). I hate the people when they still live in the past and saying how great they were in, I don't know, in the past century. Who cares? I'm not this type of person. I try to move on. I try to improve and forget it. Whatever happened, happened. It was good memories, great. But you don't focus on that because there's so much going on, so many things coming to you.

Q. Do you ever think back about that tray of vodka that was rolled into the press conference after you won? Do you remember that?
MARAT SAFIN: No. I was underage (smiling).

Q. Your colleagues rolled in a tray.
MARAT SAFIN: They were drinking. I was just looking.

Q. You weren't drinking?
MARAT SAFIN: No. Under 21. I couldn't (smiling).

Q. If you don't want to look back on it, do you look forward, see yourself doing that again? Do you see yourself winning this tournament?
MARAT SAFIN: We prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It's kind of this way I'm looking forward.

Q. What is "preparing for the worst"?
MARAT SAFIN: Because the worst is I will never win. Hoping for the best that there is a chance to win. So I guess whenever I have the opportunity I will take it, but unfortunately they're not coming. I'm not getting any further than the third round.For me to make quarterfinal, it's a huge, huge deal lately. So kind of not expecting anything from this tournament and nothing from this year. But, if I -- well, at least I started to play better. I think Hernan is doing a great job. He explain to me what happened. Everything what happened I think is due to my knee injury I had to deal with for two years. But basically I hope that I will have a chance to win another Grand Slam. It's tougher and tougher, but why not? There is a chance. If Federer will lose to somebody, somebody will withdraw, Nadal will have something happen to him, the door is open (smiling).

Q. You mentioned people who sort of live in the past. Do you think that happens a lot in tennis?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, why you asking me this question? Because I said something before?

Q. Yes.
MARAT SAFIN: No, no, I didn't really find. Thank God I didn't meet these kind of people, and I hope there is none of them in tennis because otherwise it would be pretty disappointing to explain the people of our age how beautiful was tennis like 30 years ago, for example.Every part of life, it's a new era. We are living in 2007. Who cares about -- with all due respect, we respect the explayers that have been great for tennis. But that's it. They're good. Great history. They won. Good for them. But to explain that it was better, was more interesting, it's nonsense. I guess people are moving on. They really appreciate that and respect that, I hope. I never met such a person, and I hope I will never meet.

Q. Will it matter to you 30 years from now when somebody says, Marat Safin won the US Open and somebody says, I don't care?
MARAT SAFIN: Who cares? I will not care. I had been doing something else in my life and hopefully I will be happy. Also Henman is retiring. He has been great for tennis. Even though the English press was not very nice to him, I think he did very well for the English people and English tennis, because there is none of the players.
Investing so many millions and they have only Henman and Murray. That's it. So I think he did pretty decent career. But, still, who will care about him in three years?

Q. His children.
MARAT SAFIN: Exactly. That's the only people that care: Family.

Q. What is your motivation level right now to be the best player you can be?
MARAT SAFIN: At maximum, because otherwise I won't be here. It's not like I'm struggling with the money. It's not like I need it. I'm here just because I want to play and I'm enjoying playing. I'm enjoying fighting. I'm enjoying what I'm doing.

Q. Are you motivated to play?
MARAT SAFIN: Because I like to travel, you think (smiling)? Even though I'm travelling first class and business. But, still, to be on the court, to run around, to have this feeling well after you win a match, is think is the most beautiful feeling in the world you're going to get. Afterwards, when someone is retiring, I think you are going to miss this feeling. So I think it kind of attracts you. It's what is moving you. And you still want to win matches and matches, so I think the motivation is there.

Q. Short of an injury to Nadal or Federer, how do you break into that rivalry? How does another player crack in?
MARAT SAFIN: Djokovic is there. Well, you have to be consistent. You have to have the opportunities. You have to be ready. You have to be motivated. You have to be hungry. You have to be really well guided with the coach and the people around, and then take your opportunities. It's pretty simple, but at the same time it's pretty tough because it's tough to be consistent during the year. It's only two people that can manage to do that: Nadal and Federer. To be in the same train with them you have to be really focused and you have to sacrifice a lot of things and you have to be doing semifinals and finals every week.And, of course, you have to choose the right calendar to play. That's the work of the coach. I think the coach, he plays a big part in it to guide the player, especially when he's young. It's a tough job.

Q. Many people have always felt that you could possibly have achieved more. Is that sacrifice too much for some people?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, Agassi could have won 20 Grand Slams, for example. Sampras should have won a little bit more. There's always going to be -- Rios, for example. He should have won 10 Grand Slams, but it didn't happen. If I will tell you the situation I was in when I was 17 and I had no money, I wouldn't be here sitting. So I think I did pretty well from where I'm coming from. I'm not disappointed with my career. Of course, would be greater if I would win the two finals that I lost in the Australian Open. And, of course, it would be great to win at Roland Garros. But the circumstances that was a desperate of time, I think I did pretty well. So I don't have any regrets.

Q. What advice did you give Gumy when he decided to be your coach?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, he called me, because I had nobody to travel with, to come here, because Alexander, he couldn't come. I was pretty disappointed because my tennis wasn't at my peak. So give it a shot. Why not?
I think he understands. He understood actually, and he explained to me what happened because I was kind of lost and I couldn't really understand why it was happening to me. I felt like tennis has improved so much that the players are much faster, but it's not. It's just because some things I would have to change on the court, small things, just the movement because of my knee injury that I was suffering and was getting worse and worse and worse because I was trying to protect my leg. Anyway, it's details. But he understood and he explained. So I think it's on the right direction and hopefully we'll continue this way.

Q. What has been the biggest enemy in your career: Your mind or your body?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, I think my body. The two injuries, because I was playing great tennis coming into Australian Open 2003 when I had problems with my wrist and 2005 when I went in Australian Open and got injured. Was getting worse, worse and worse, and I didn't know why it was happening to me till I couldn't play anymore. At that time I was playing great tennis. It kind of broke the rhythm of my career. I could have achieved more, but I didn't.

Q. What was your reaction to the investigation of Davydenko? Have you spoken with him?
MARAT SAFIN: I don't care about what the people. It's their business. I don't want to be involved with that. I want to be outside of that. I don't want to hear the stories. I don't want to know anything. I'm not really interested.If Davydenko, he has to answer some questions into his life, the life of ATP, I'm going to stay out of it.

Q. This is the only major with a breaker in the fifth set. Do you think that should change?
MARAT SAFIN: Of course, it should change. Of course. They should've changed last year. If I win a couple of them I would be not 25, I would be 15. This was a huge change. But unfortunately I lost all of them. Hopefully it will not happen again. Half of it is a lottery. Of course, when you don't have a confidence it's tough to win then because it's just a matter of one, two points, and the nerves of course are jumping a little bit more than a usual set.

Q. You won a challenge today. Do you still disbelieve the camera thing?
MARAT SAFIN: Hawk Eye?

Q. Yes.
MARAT SAFIN: What happened with it?

Q. You have never really agreed it was accurate before.
MARAT SAFIN: No, well, it's much better than not to have it for sure because the serves are going pretty fast. It's pretty difficult for the chair umpire to make a good decision. You're taking such responsibility. Imagine it happens 6-All in a tiebreak in the fifth set, you want to kill the guy. If he makes a mistake and you know he is making mistake, but at least you have a chance to see it and a chance to prove it, be more relieved.

Q. So when you see it now, you're believing it more than you used to?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, much more. Of course, I think they've been improving. It's getting better and better, more accurate.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

________________________

• EXCERCISE PICS TAKEN BY FANS (from TGFR)
  

MAIN DRAW
Roger Federer SUI (1) vs.QUALIFIER
QUALIFIER vs.QUALIFIER
QUALIFIER vs.QUALIFIER
John Isner USA vs.Jarkko Nieminen FIN (26)

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (21) vs. Feliciano Lopez ESP
Robert Kendrick USA vs.Igor Andreev RUS
Donald Young USA vs.Chris Guccione AUS
Sergio Roitman ARG vs.Richard Gasquet FRA (13)

Tomas Berdych CZE (9) vs.Marc Gicquel FRA
Simone Bolelli ITA vs.Julien Benneteau FRA
Gilles Simon FRA vs.QUALIFIER
Fernando Verdasco ESP vs.Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA (22)

Ivo Karlovic CRO (32) vs.Arnaud Clement FRA
Thomas Johansson SWE vs.Nicolas Massu CHI
Jose Acasuso ARG vs.Martin Vassallo Arguello ARG
Justin Gimelstob USA vs.Andy Roddick USA (5)

Nikolay Davydenko RUS (4) vs.Jesse Levine USA
Nicolas Kiefer GER vs.Vincent Spadea USA
Peter Luczak AUS vs.Luis Horna PER
Alex Kuznetsov USA vs.Nicolas Almagro ESP (28)

Andy Murray GBR (19) vs.QUALIFIER
Juan-Pablo Guzman ARG vs.Jonas Bjorkman SWE
Dominik Hrbaty SVK vs.Hyung-Taik Lee KOR
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo ESP vs.Guillermo Canas ARG (14)

Tommy Haas GER (10) vs.QUALIFIER
Benjamin Becker GER vs.QUALIFIER
Paul Goldstein USA vs.Sebastien Grosjean FRA
Max Mirnyi BLRvs.Marcos Baghdatis CYP (18)

Filippo Volandri ITA (29) vs.Michael Llodra FRA
Stefan Koubek AUT vs.Sam Querrey USA
Fabrice Santoro FRA vs.Albert Montanes ESP
Michael Russell USA vs.James Blake USA (6)

Tommy Robredo ESP (8) vs.QUALIFIER
Mardy Fish USA vs.QUALIFIER
QUALIFIER vs.Michael Berrer GER
Ernests Gulbis LAT vs.Potito Starace ITA (30)

Carlos Moya ESP (17) vs.QUALIFIER
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez ESP vs.Igor Kunitsyn RUS
Mariano Zabaleta ARG vs.Philipp Kohlschreiber GER
Nicolas Devilder FRA vs.Mikhail Youzhny RUS (11)

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (16) vs.Amer Delic USA
Andreas Seppi ITA vs.Agustin Calleri ARG
QUALIFIER vs.Nicolas Lapentti ECU
Edouard Roger-Vasselin FRA vs.Juan Monaco ARG (23)

Jurgen Melzer AUT (31) vs.Diego Hartfield ARG
Juan Martin Del Potro ARG vs.Nicolas Mahut FRA
Carlos Berlocq ARG vs.Radek Stepanek CZE
Mario Ancic CRO vs.Novak Djokovic SRB (3)

Fernando Gonzalez CHI (7) vs.Teimuraz Gabashvili RUS
Robby Ginepri USA vs.Olivier Rochus BEL
Stanislas Wawrinka SUI vs.Evgeny Korolev RUS
QUALIFIER vs.Marat Safin RUS (25)

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (20) vs.Michael McClune USA
Danai Udomchoke THA vs.Wayne Odesnik USA
QUALIFIER vs.Gael Monfils FRA
Kristof Vliegen BEL vs.Ivan Ljubicic CRO (12)

David Ferrer ESP (15) vs.Florian Mayer GER
Florent Serra FRA vs.Werner Eschauer AUT
Xavier Malisse BEL vs.Kristian Pless DEN
Ivan Navarro Pastor ESP vs.David Nalbandian ARG (24)

Dmitry Tursunov RUS (27) vs.Tim Henman GBR
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA vs.Oscar Hernandez ESP
Janko Tipsarevic SRB vs.Ryan Sweeting USA
Alun Jones AUS vs.Rafael Nadal ESP (2)

WESTERN & SOUTHERN
FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Aug 13-19, 2007
辛辛那提大師賽

Prize Money: US $2,450,000 (US $2,200,000)
56 DRAW
SITE: 5460 COURSEVIEW DRIVE
MASON, OH 45040
SURFACE: DECO TURF II
BALL: PENN ATP
PRIZE MONEY: USD
WEB SITE: http://www.cincytennis.com/1/en/default.asp

1st round

Marat Safin	3	6
Nicolas Kiefer	6	7

ROGERS MASTERS
Montreal, Canada
August 6-12, 2007

Draw Size: 56
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $2,450,000
Ticket Hotline:1-800/398-8761
Website: www.rogerscupmen.com

Fashion Show Pics:

2nd round : Marat lost to Nadal

Marat Safin	6	0
Rafael Nadal	7	6

Post-Nadal interview
第二輪 vs NADAL 賽後記者會

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You talked before about matches like this giving you a good indication of where you are, what you need to do. First set was very tight.
MARAT SAFIN: The only thing, if you really start to think, it's just a matter of me missing these kind of matches with such players, level as a Nadal, Federer, top 10 players. It's the only thing, because you don't get to play against them many times because they don't get there.
But with these kind of matches, you improve your tennis actually. After what I saw today, I had my opportunities. I was a little bit nervous at the beginning, but then I start to figure out how to play against him. Just a lot of mistakes, easy mistakes, because probably I had a little bit too much precipitation (sic), going for too much.
But the only thing is just missing these kind of matches, to play more and more and more.
Q 之前你自己提到像這樣的比賽能讓你知道自己的狀態如何﹐該改善什麼。第一盤好接近。
MS 就一個想法﹐如果你認真思考﹐這是我缺乏跟高水平選手如NADAL﹐FEDERER 前十名較量的機會。就是這一點﹐畢竟你沒能跟他們多打幾場來增加經驗。
但今天有了這比賽﹐的確提升了自己的球技。我回頭看了今天的比賽﹐我是有機會的。一開始有些緊張﹐但沒多久就找到對付他的竅門了。就差那麼些散漫的失誤﹐可能自己期許過多﹐拚過頭了。
不過﹐我在意的就是這一點﹐我沒能跟他們多比賽﹐我需要更多這類的比賽。

Q. Is it quite encouraging overall?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, the second set, we can forget it. But actually the level of tennis, now I know more or less what I have to do, what I have to improve to make my game a little more complete. But definitely I can play against these kind of players and I'm pretty far from letting it go and just keep on working on a few things and things is going to be all right. This match really showed me where I am.
Q 所以這場比賽有鼓舞的作用囉
MS 是阿﹐第二盤﹐我們姑且忘了它吧。至於我的狀態﹐現在我多少瞭解自己該如何才能讓作戰策略更完善。我的確有能力跟這些水平的選手一較高下的﹐說放棄還早得很﹐只要繼續加強一些弱點﹐應該會有進步。這場比賽確實讓我理出頭緒。

Q. What do you think you need to do?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, well, just stick to my game, you know, come a little bit closer to the baseline faster. That's how I play before, that's how I was winning matches. Unfortunately with my injury with the knee, I went a little back, so I had to learn a little bit different type of game because I couldn't play as fast as I used to play. I couldn't move as fast as I need to move.
But now that the knee is okay, I need just to try to play a little bit closer to the line, play a little bit faster.
Q 你應該做什麼努力呢
MS 嗯﹐保持我一貫的風格﹐多多快攻底線。以前我就是這麼打的﹐也是靠這個戰術獲勝。可惜的是自從膝蓋受傷後﹐我卻退步﹐因為我不能像以前一樣快攻快打了﹐所以我得要讓打法多元一些。我沒辦法隨心所欲到達自己要求的速度了。

Q. When you don't play as many matches like that against top 10 players, do you sort of forget a little bit of what you need to do?
MARAT SAFIN: Of course, because you want so badly, you see opportunities. I can see the match, I can read what was going on; the only thing I need to do is maybe go for it sometimes. I stayed on the baseline, was going for it on the wrong shots. So these kind of things made the score 7-6, 6-Love.
If I would win the first set, then it's going to be a different ballgame because he would be a little bit nervous and then I have a little bit more confidence, the whole picture change.
Q 當你缺乏跟前十選手比賽的機會後﹐是不是漸漸忘了自己應該怎麼打了
MS 當然﹐因為你是那麼渴望﹐機會就在眼前呀。我瞭解比賽的內容﹐也知道各種問題﹐我需要做的就是有時放手一搏不要懼怕。我停留在底線﹐在錯誤的時機作攻擊﹐這樣的錯誤就變成今天7-6﹐6-0的結果。
如果我拿下第一盤﹐情勢應該有所不同﹐因為他會有些緊張﹐而我卻多了點自信﹐整個結果也會跟著變化。

Q. After playing him now, would you play him differently if you played him again?
MARAT SAFIN: No, the same way. I have to use my power and be a little bit smarter, maybe wait for an extra ball. But it was a little bit too windy for me today, so kind of a lot of miss-hits. But otherwise it was a pretty good match because it's pretty comfortable for me to play against him because he leaves the ball too high up, so for me it's easy to play. He doesn't play too fast, as fast as I thought he was going to play.
So I expect a little bit different game plan from him and I was a little bit surprised so I didn't really -- I was -- I thought it was going to be a different game from him.
Q 今天跟他打過後﹐下次再對陣你打法會改變嗎
MS 不﹐一樣的。我要善用自己的爆發力﹐打聰明點﹐耐心等一些球。今天風勢很大﹐所以我犯了不少失誤。不然整體而言﹐這是場不錯的競技﹐我跟他比賽很過癮﹐他的球很上旋﹐對我而言並不難打。他沒打得很快﹐跟我想像的差不多。我以為他會作點變化﹐不過我很訝異....我一直以為他會換另外的球路。


Q. Did you expect more power?
MARAT SAFIN: I expected more power. I expected the game is going to be faster, the level of the game would be a little bit faster and more intense. He let me play for basically the whole match.
Q 你想像他的力量很大嗎
MS 我以為會更大﹐也以為進行速度會更快﹐比賽快速進行且緊湊。基本上﹐整個比賽我都能發揮。

Q. You were dominating the rallies.
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but he's a good (indiscernible). He knew the opportunities. He went for the right one on the set point where I had the first one. He went down the line with the backhand. I think it's pretty good shot. But otherwise he knew what he was doing and he was waiting for me to make mistakes.
Now I know, and for me it's easier to see the picture for next match. I hope is going to be a little bit different.
Q 你一直在主導抽擊
MS 是阿﹐但是他太棒了。他很清楚機會在哪裡﹐當我有了第一個賽末點要拿下第一盤時﹐他適時進攻解救﹐當時他反拍進攻底線﹐我覺得那一球打得真好。現在我知道了﹐面對下一場比賽時我比較能抓到方向。希望能有不同的結果

Q. What are you going to do now between now and the US Open?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, of course, Cincinnati. It's another tournament, another opportunity, see how it's going to go. Hopefully it will get better with my game.
The thing is just more or less I know where my level of tennis is. It's just a few things I have to correct and that's it because otherwise I'm moving pretty well, moving the ball pretty well. But some shots I'm a little bit maybe more scared because I didn't use them for a long time.
I need to bring them back.
Q 在美網前你有何計畫
MS 喔﹐當然﹐辛辛那提大師賽。有些毛病我必須要改進﹐否則我移位不錯﹐控球也很好。有些攻擊﹐大概是我會怕吧﹐我並沒有擅加發揮

Q. Andy Murray is coming back from his wrist problems. You've had several injuries, including your wrist. Can you explain how difficult it is physically and mentally to recover from something like that?
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's a little bit pain in the ass actually frankly because it takes a while until you completely recovered, you start to really feel the power in the wrist or on the knee or on the shoulder again, you start to believe in it and you start to be confident with these parts of the body because is the most important thing to feel comfortable, that you're going to go hit on the backhand and the wrist is not going to hurt, that you're going to run to the left side and the knee will not hurt, will be stable. The shoulder, when you're serving 220, it needs to stay on.
So to come back from injury, to recover completely, completely, it takes a while. More you spend in rehab, the longer it gets to come back. Look at me, I'm one year and a half and still like for probably couple of last months I more or less started to move all right and I really started to really believe in my knee. Before I couldn't move.
So for him to hit the backhand, get the confidence back, is gonna take a while. So he needs to be patient. But he's still young. I'm pretty sure he has a good quality of game and he's going to be patient. But he needs to be patient.
Q ANDY MURRAY 正要從手腕傷停復出﹐你曾經受傷多次﹐手腕也是。可否解釋一下這樣的復出在生理﹑心理上的壓力嗎
MS 那真是夠痛苦的﹐直到復原時﹐需要漫長的等待﹐很久之後﹐你開始感覺手腕﹑膝蓋或肩膀有力了﹐也開始相信自己恢復了﹐對身體狀態也漸感到信心﹐因為最重要的莫過於自在的感覺阿﹐打反拍時手腕不痛了﹐往左邊跑時膝蓋也不疼了﹐穩下來了。當發220KM的球時﹐你也能撐住。
因此﹐從受傷復出到完全復原﹐需要一點時間。你復健越久﹐復出時間也越久。看看我﹐都已經一年半了﹐到幾個月前我才能完全自由奔跑移動﹐也相信膝蓋應該是OK了﹐之前我總是沒辦法。
對他來說﹐要打反拍﹐找到自信﹐就是要等一陣子﹐他要有耐心。不過他還年輕﹐我相信他水平很高﹐也會耐心等待時機﹐就是不要操之過及。

Q. Is it more a mental thing than physical?
MARAT SAFIN: Both. A little both, but more mental. I think more mental than physical.
Q 所以心理的影響多於生理囉
MS 兩者都是﹐不過心理多一些。我覺得心理影響較大

Q. Just convincing yourself that you're okay?
MARAT SAFIN: That you're okay, you can trust your wrist, can go for it. Because when you start to be scared, of course it's not tennis that you want to play. You start to get pissed, nothing doesn't really make sense.
Q 所以就是說服自己是OK 的?
MS 嗯﹐告訴自己可以﹐手腕是OK的﹐打吧。如果你開始懼怕﹐那麼打出來的也不是自己該有的水平﹐你變開始生氣﹐好像一切都沒道理似的。

Q. Did you feel the first set, the tiebreak, being close to winning that set, changing how the match would turn out, did that take too much out of you?
MARAT SAFIN: I really want to believe in this way because I was really close to winning it. I just didn't go for it. I should have pushed a little bit myself a little bit more. My serve fell a little bit.
But I think it will be different story if I win the first set because I will have more confidence and I will get more chances in the second set to break him, my serve for sure would work a little bit more.
It's all confidence, it's all mental. The first set, of course, was the key. And second set, even though it was 6-0, but still I felt that I could play with him. But a lot of mistakes. Is not like he was killing me on the court, I just missed everything.
Q 第一盤的搶七﹐就差那麼點要贏了﹐也將改變整個局勢﹐是不是一大損失
MS 我真的很想這麼相信﹐因為我真就差點要拿下了﹐可是自己沒有把握住。我應該要更積極﹐督促自己些﹐我發球變得比較弱。不過我想﹐如果第一盤真的拿下了﹐故事會改寫的﹐因為我會更有自信﹐第二盤會找到更多機會來破他﹐發球勢必也會較順。
全都關於信心﹐心理的問題。第一盤﹐是關鍵。第二盤﹐雖然是6-0﹐我仍覺得自己是有能力跟他抗衡的﹐只是太多失誤了﹐不是他把我打垮﹐是我自己把球賽搞砸了。












1st round : Soderling Retired due to wrist injury, Winner: Marat Safin

Robin Soderling	2
Marat Safin	1

MAIN DRAW

(1)FEDERER, Roger SUI
KARLOVIC, Ivo CRO vs MIRNYI, Max BLR
(WC)POLANSKY, Peter CAN vs QUALIFIER
GINEPRI, Robby USA vs (13)MURRAY, Andy GBR

(9)BLAKE, James USA vs MELZER, Jurgen AUT
HEWITT, Lleyton AUS vs FERRERO, Juan Carlos ESP
HRBATY, Dominik SVK vs KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp GER
(7)ROBREDO, Tommy ESP

(4)DAVYDENKO, Nikolay RUS
BENNETEAU, Julien FRA vs NIEMINEN, Jarkko FIN
LEE, Hyung-Taik KOR vs WAWRINKA, Stanislas SUI
QUALIFIER vs (14)YOUZHNY, Mikhail RUS

(12)HAAS, Tommy GER vs CALLERI, Agustin ARG
ALMAGRO, Nicolas ESP vs QUALIFIER
STEPANEK, Radek CZE vs BJORKMAN, Jonas SWE
(6)GONZALEZ, Fernando CHI

(5)RODDICK, Andy USA
CLEMENT, Arnaud FRA vs (WC)BESTER, Philip CAN
BAGHDATIS, Marcos CYP vs MOYA, Carlos ESP
QUALIFIER vs (10)BERDYCH, Tomas CZE

(16)FERRER, David ESP vs QUALIFIER
NALBANDIAN, David ARG vs QUALIFIER
TURSUNOV, Dmitry RUS vs KIEFER, Nicolas GER
(3)DJOKOVIC, Novak SRB

(8)GASQUET, Richard FRA
VERDASCO, Fernando ESP vs CHELA, Juan Ignacio ARG
DEL POTRO, Juan Martin ARG vs (WC)DANCEVIC, Frank CAN
QUALIFIER vs (11)LJUBICIC, Ivan CRO

(15)CANAS, Guillermo ARG vs MATHIEU, Paul-Henri FRA
(WC)NIEMEYER, Frederic CAN vs ANCIC, Mario CRO
SODERLING, Robin SWE vs SAFIN, Marat RUS
2)NADAL, Rafael