A WILD RUSSIAN
狂野的俄罗斯男子--萨芬小传

JULY-AUGUST 2005 OF A RUSSIAN �MEDVED� (�THE BEAR�)
俄罗斯杂志--MEDVED 节录自 http://www.safinator.com/
By Sergey Shachin

He sincerely admits his mistakes. He smashes racquets when angry at himself. He curses himself in Russian, English and Spanish when does silly mistakes on court. He pretends to cry when he hits the ball into the net. In order to celebrate a win of a vivid point at Roland Garros he even pulled his pants down
他总是诚恳地认错，对自己不爽时以摔拍发洩；当在场上犯了可笑的失误後，他用俄语、英语、西班牙语咒骂自己；抽球下网时，他假装掩面哭泣，甚至在法网时，为了庆祝精彩的一分，他把裤子脱了下来。

This is how a famous USA Today journalist Gils Leeber sees Marat Safin. But why have we started the story about our compatriot with a quote from a foreign periodical? That's because from a while back Marat has been boycotting Russian press. This is how he explains it: Russia is a very particular country. Our people know no limits. Today they love you to death, tomorrow they're throwing stones at you. They beg for an interview and when you give one they turn
everything inside out and make you look like a monster. One thing I can't understand is WHY they do it. Are they trying to increase their popularity or something? Anyway, I recommend watching your step in Russia. Here they won't help you get up, what's worse they'll probably push you in the back, too.
这是美国大报 USA TODAY 记者 GILS LEEBER 眼中的马拉特 萨芬，然而为何作为一个俄国传媒，本文的楔子非得引用外国 的文章来形容我们的马拉特呢 ? 因为，从很久很久之前MARAT便开始抵制俄国媒体。他是如此解释的:俄罗斯是个很奇特的国家，人们不知节制，得寸进 尺。今天他们爱你至死，明天他们马上对你丢石头。他们求你给他们一个专访，但一旦你接受了，他们扭曲事实把你写成一个恶魔。我最不能理解的一点是，为什麼 他们要如此? 是因为这样能提高知名度吗 ? 总之，我提醒各位在俄罗斯要步步为营，当你摔了跤，非但没人扶你一把，甚至再从背後踹你一脚。
his is on one side. On the other side Safin has a beautiful house in Valencia and an apartment in Monte Carlo. But on any given occasion Marat rushes to Moscow where he says he feels most comfortable even though some specific events of Russian life effect sport celebrities lives as well. In earlier times Russian hooligans had a law: not to touch famous sportsmen because their own sweat and blood earn their money. Today times have changed. In 2002 before a DC semifinal against Argentina Safin's BMW was stolen, then one after another two jeeps and then his parents' flat got robbed. Marat treats these losses philosophically: It is very important for a man to find the right time to feel independent of things as well as not to lose your mind when big money comes your way. A real man will always find himself even without money as long as he does something he loves. I really liked that stolen BMW but when the story became public I addressed the thieves through a newspaper (if they read newspapers that is) Guys, if you managed to steal a car and not get caught I sincerely wish you happiness. Let there be at least be someone who gains out of this situation.
萨芬在瓦伦西亚有一间漂亮的房子，蒙特卡罗也有套公寓。然而如果有空，萨芬总是回到他认为最舒适的莫斯科，即便很多活动影响运动人员的隐私权。 早期俄罗斯街上的不良少年有个规矩，不准去打扰有名的运动员，因为他们的每分钱都是血汗所换来的，但是一切已昨是今非。2002年在DAVIS CUP 半决赛对阿根廷前，萨芬的BMW爱车被偷，之後两台吉普车相继失窃，甚至盗贼连他父母的住家都没放过。MARAT 看待这些不幸自有他一套哲学: 人要适 时懂得不为物质所驾驭，同时也不要因为赚大钱而冲昏了头。一个有脑子的人即使没钱，只要热爱自己所从事的事业，就不会迷失人生的方向。我真的很喜欢那辆被 偷我BMW，但当事件已成新闻，我只透过报纸对窃贼声明 (如果他们有读报纸的话)，朋友呀，假如你有本事偷车且没被逮捕，我真心祝你幸福。至少，在这个 事件上有人有所收获吧，不是双方皆输的局面。

On the whole Safin is not an avenger. There is however things he will not put up with: deceit, for example, or lying. The most important quality in a man is honestly, Marat once said, do not tell small lies, then it will be hard to tell big ones.
- What present would you chose for your worst enemy? he was once asked during a press-conference
- A good present, - he replied and that person would feel really bad not understanding what's going on.
- Do you have a lot of enemies? When was the last time you wanted to his someone?
- This happens rather often because I cannot stand pushy and impolite people. And they are all over the place, - Safin replied.
总而言之，萨芬不是个记仇的人，也不寻求报复。但是，有些事却是他怎麼也不能忍受的，举例而言，欺骗、谎言。人类最可贵在於真诚，马拉特曾说，不要说小谎，以後要说更多大谎来圆谎。
"你会送什麼礼物给你最大的敌人? " 有一次在记者会上被问及这个问题，他回答"一个很棒的礼物，因为收到礼物後他会觉得很羞愧到底是怎麼回事。"
"你有很多敌人吗? " 萨芬回答 : "什麼时候你希望每个人都说他跟你有关系 (亲戚或朋友)? 这样的事老在重覆发生，我实在很难忍爱管闲事或没有礼貌的人，而这种人到处都是"
Around the World
周游世界

Marat acquired his favourite occupation at the age of 5. His mother Rausa Islanova was a good tennis player, a multi times champion of the USSR. The she became and excellent coach. She worked at the oldest tennis courts of Moscow, where loads of famous tennis players grew up: Andrei Chesnokov, Andrei Cherkassov, Anya Kournikova, Nastya Myskina.I suppose you can't name all. Mum often took Marat with her to work because there was no one to leave him at home with. At first he was just fooling around with a racquet, then started to show some signs of talent and afterwards he began to like victories. That's when his parents decided to make a real tennis player out of him.
MARAT 在5岁时接触了网球。妈妈ISLANOVA 是个优秀的女网球员，苏联时代多次夺冠，尔後她成功地转职为一名教练。她在莫斯科历史 最久的网球场工作，在那里酝育了许多名球手， Chesnokov, Cherkassov, 库娃，米娜，多到数不完。妈妈因为分身乏术，所以工作时常 带著MARAT在身边。一开始他只是拿著球拍玩玩，之後开始显露过人的天份，渐渐地，他开始享受赢球的滋味。那也是父母决定栽培儿子成为一个网球员的开 始。

But how? Nowadays Russia is living through a tennis boom but 20 years ago Courts' conditions were far from good and the indoor ones could be counted with fingers on one hand, racquets sold in shops were a nightmare, to find a good sparring partner was a whole problem. Some wise people advised the Safins to send the boy abroad. Some kind people helped with funds. So just like that at the age of 12 Marat found himself in the USA, in Florida, in a famous academy of Nick Bolletieri. However, he didn't stay there long, didn't make much of an impression on the tennis guru. This probably really hurt Marat's ego. A few later he told the whole world about the true face of Mr. Bolletieri that not many people in the US know about, noone knows how Marat knows, too:
但要怎麼栽培?俄罗斯现在网球盛行，20年前球场设备很差，室内球场曲指可数，能买到的球拍品质恶劣，更别提去找到能练习的伙伴。有些人建议萨 芬父母送小孩出国，有些人帮忙出资。因此在12岁时，MARAT 远赴美国佛罗里达一个著名的 Nick Bolletieri 学院，不过，他只待一会 儿，没得到这个网球教头的青睐，这或许刺伤了小小马拉特的心灵。几年之後，他告诉全世界 Bolletieri 的真面目，没有几个美国人知道，只有他亲 身体会过

He says he brought up Sampras, Agassi, Seles, Becker, Haas.Really and truly Bolletieri is a former paratrooper, who maybe knows how to hold a machine gun properly but not a racquet. It's just that Nick is a very good businessman plus an experienced self-promoter and right connections guy. He attracts gifted kids to his academy, there well-known experienced coaches train them and Bolletieri announces himself as an achiever or results his coaches produce. By the way, he has the same kinds of academies in golf, soccer, baseball and horse riding. Are you meaning to tell me he is also good in these sports?
他说，他培养出山普拉斯、阿加西、莎莉斯、贝克尔、哈斯，事实上，Bolletieri 以前是个军人，他可能懂得怎麼举枪，但却不懂拿球拍， 他不过是个很会做生意，也很懂透过各种管道自我行销的人罢了。他吸引有天赋的小孩到学院去，请一流的教练指导他们，然後自己宣称一切都是他及他的教练们成 就出来的。除了网球，他还开设高尔夫、足球、棒球及马术学院，告诉我，难道他精通所有的运动吗?

So it didn't work out with Bolletieri and Marat got his tennis degree in Valencia, at the tennis school of Pancho Alvarina. Apart from all the features of future champion, he also developed features of a macho there, namely dark, passionate unpredictable inner power ready to break free at the right moment, - such a comment was passed by one of the super models after she watched Marat play. Another stunning woman, star of Beverly Hills 90210 Tiffany Amber Thiessen said that she would not rest until she manages to get Safin into her bed. Madonna herself through newspapers announced to the whole world that she included Marat in the list of sperm donors for her future son. But all of this was much later
美国之行不顺利，MARAT 在瓦伦西亚得到他的网球"学位" ，就在PANCHO ALVARNA 学校。除了具有成为未来王者的特质之外， 他在西班牙也锻练出不凡的气慨，一种随时都会爆发出来的内在能量--这是一位名模看过MARAT 打球後的惊叹。另一位好莱坞明星，主演比佛利90210 女演员Tiffany Amber Thiessen 说，除非把MARAT搞上床，否则她不会善罢甘休。MADONNA 在报纸上也公开表示，她希望未 来能得到MARAT的精子来生养下一代。而这一切光芒，都在贫困中奋斗很久很久之後......

I moved to Valencia when I was 14. This is how my independent life began, Marat recollects. In those days I could only spend 15 dollars per day as pocket money. And that is in a gorgeous country with so many seductions! I remember walking in the street and closing my eyes in order not to get too upset that I couldn't at a time afford this, this and that. However, I believe everyone has to pass a penniless stage once, then you start treasuring every dime. It's funny to think about it now but the first car I ever bought was a wrecked red Volkswagen Golf. One door didn't use to open and I think the car was about my age.
我14岁就自己前往瓦伦西亚，这是我异乡独立生活的开始，记得那时候每天只有15块的零用钱。而你知道西班牙是个很棒的国家，有好多诱人的事物 阿 ! 印象中为了怕看到自己买不起的东西我索性闭著眼睛走过街道，不然实在太难过了。然而，我也深深感到，每个人应该要历经贫困，未来才懂得珍惜每一分 钱。现在回想起来是很好笑，但我第一次买的车是一辆破旧的红色VW GOLF，一个车门坏掉，车龄跟我年纪差不多。

Safin and Lenin
萨芬与列宁

Life is short and I want to live it the way I like. There is no perfect player, everyone has weaknesses. Life presumes a balance between your strengths and weaknesses. No matter who you are you have to be happy. You cannot change yourself completely and there is no point in pretending you can when you can't.

Noone can change you no matter how much they try and how much time they waste on it.This is a part of Marat's philosophy today.
生命苦短，我要过自己想过的生活。没有所谓的完美球员，每个人总有些弱点。生命本身就是优点与弱点平衡地存在著。不管自己是谁，你总要快乐地活下 去。你无法完全改变自己，而勉强自己做超过能力的事情有什麼意义? 不管别人花多少时间精力想改变你，那都是徒劳的。这是 MARAT 的论点之ㄧ

Pyrrhic Victory
牺牲换来的珍贵胜利

Everything changed in a second when in 2000 a 20 year old Russian showing great potential won one of the most prestigious Grand Slams the US Open, thrashing the Great Pete Sampras in the final. That�s when at once Marat suddenly obtained a beautiful luxurious house in Valencia, a whole auto park of 5 cars, including of course a Ferrari and a massive crowd of female fans. In those days Marat swam in luxury and loved it. Nowadays however five years later,grown-up Marat is positive that the US Open victory played a cruel trick on him.
所有的一切因2000年20 岁的俄罗斯少年在美网决赛轻取山普拉斯後改变了。MARAT 突然在瓦伦西亚买了一栋豪华的房子，可以容纳5台车 的车库，藏车包含法拉利等，还有一票女球迷。在那段时间，MARAT沈浸在奢华中，热爱这样的生活。5年之後，长大的MARAT 说美网的胜利让他顿时迷 失了自我。

It came way too early and I so to speak lost my head. I wanted to win every tournament, every match. A while later I realised that it is absolutely impossible. Tennis players have the longest season in the world, we only have a two week break in winter, we play 25-30 tournaments per season and you should make 5 maximum 7 tournaments your top priority, the rest are just passing by.
少年得志大不幸，我当时可说是昏头了。我想赢每一个冠军，每一场比赛，後来我才明白那根本是不可能的。网球员是所有运动中赛季最长的，我们一年只有冬天两个礼拜的假期，每年要打25-30个比赛，你应该把重点放在5到7场比赛，其他的就平常心度过。

Payback for the efforts of becoming the unbeatable came in the form of psychological instability, mountains of smashed racquets, conflicts with umpires, etc. but worst of all serious injuries. The state that came over Marat urged him to get out on court not being 100% fit. As a result old injuries got worse and the new ones piled up on top. Yes, he did play some truly outstanding tennis every now and then and was in Grand Slam finals three times but nevertheless he started slipping downhill in ratings. November 2000- Safin is world's Number One, the season of 2004 he started 77th.
想成为不败的铁人的所换来的代价是不稳定的心理状态，数不清被摔烂的球拍，与裁判的争执...等，最糟的，是严重的伤病。MARAT 曾经身体 不很舒服也勉强上场，最後旧伤未愈新伤接肿而至。没错，他时有佳作，也曾三度杀入大满贯决赛，但是排名却残酷地不断在下降。2000年11月，萨芬是世界 第一，2004年开始，他以77名复出。

You do not want to miss a step in Russia: not only won't they help you, they'd push you in the back, too. Marat probably reached this sad conclusion during that black period of his life. Because this is exactly when Russian press poured all sorts of dirt on its idol. Russian paparazzi hunted for Marat. They were trying to expose him as someone who leads a dissolute lifestyle and that lifestyle is a cause of all his problems. A really great opportunity for these
accusations turned up at Australian Open 2003, where Safin was accompanied by 3(!!!) stunning blondes everywhere he went. Marat had a close relationship with only one of them a model from a US Agency New Generation Katya Bestuzheva and the other two were none more than her two Australian girlfriends. But noone really cared about that, did they? The reason for Marat's poor performance are his wild pre-match orgies! That is what the journalists wanted to see and they obviously did see and write what they wanted.
你绝对不要在俄罗斯走错一步，他们不但不帮你，还会落井下石。MARAT 在那段黑暗失落的时期感慨世态的炎凉，因为这也正是俄罗斯媒体无情攻击这位偶像的时期。俄国狗仔队

守著MARAT，他们总想证明他的一切问题不值同情，全是自己放荡纵情的後果。当2003年澳网在三位美丽的金发女郎陪同时，狗仔队找到最佳机会 证明他们的理论。MARAT 其实只跟其中一位模特儿 Katya Bestuzhueva 交往，其他两个只是她的姊妹淘而已。但谁在乎真相是什麼? 由於赛前过度玩乐，导致他表现失常，记者想看到这些东西，他们看到什麼了之後便捕风捉影，把他写得不堪。

About sex, by the way. A legendary basketball player Wilt Chamberlain insisted that he wasn't able to play well if he spent the night before the game without a woman. Something on those lines was also admitted by an English soccer player from that era George Best. But sport has dramatically changed since then and Safin speaks differently. Sex is a tremendous hormonal shaking. All pre-match excitement disappears after good sex. I also read somewhere that the sexier the person, the more of a genius he/she4 is. However if I had sex the nights before the game, I'd break down for spare parts on court.
有关性爱一事，传奇棒球手 Wilt Chamberlain 强调如果赛前之夜没有女人陪伴他就打不好；英国的足球员 George Best 也同意这个说法。但是运动从以前到现在已改变太多，萨芬则持相反观点。性爱是贺尔蒙对身体的大震撼，在赛前有了美好的性爱後， 一切兴奋感将随之消失。我也曾读过，越性感的人越聪明。但就我个人而言，如果在赛前跟人上床，上场时我完全无法好好比赛。

Safin and Lenin
萨芬与列宁

Life is short and I want to live it the way I like. There is no perfect player, everyone has weaknesses. Life presumes a balance between your strengths and weaknesses. No matter who you are you have to be happy. You cannot change yourself completely and there is no point in pretending you can when you can't.

Noone can change you no matter how much they try and how much time they waste on it.This is a part of Marat's philosophy today.
生命苦短，我要过自己想过的生活。没有所谓的完美球员，每个人总有些弱点。生命本身就是优点与弱点平衡地存在著。不管自己是谁，你总要快乐地活下 去。你无法完全改变自己，而勉强自己做超过能力的事情有什麼意义? 不管别人花多少时间精力想改变你，那都是徒劳的。这是 MARAT 的论点之一。

During one of the numerous press conferences he literally stunned the journalists when he said that he had been carefully studying Vladimir Lenin's biography. He then explained, I am fascinated by the phenomenon. How could anyone so small and weak force his will upon millions of people? Generally, if I admire anyone the reason would be their way of thinking.
在很多记者会中，记者们总非常惊讶 MARAT 说他一直在研究列宁的传记。他的解释是，"列宁现象实在太令人震慑了，如此瘦小的人为何会有那麼强大的统治能力? 如果我崇拜一个人，必定在於他思考的模式。"

That is what keeps a Russian wild cat (as Tennis Magazine once called him) occupied these days.
这是 俄罗斯野狮(美国杂志如此形容他) 最近著迷的东西。

Safin will never let you get bored, Peter Lundgren noted once. By the age of 25 Marat has earned over 12 million dollars, in addition to that he receives substantial pays from sponsors and advertisers. However, he prefers to buy his jeans on sale. Everything on sale, Safin adds. But it has nothing to do with greed. It’s a drive looking of looking for something and then finding it. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad, expensive stuff is in excess everywhere.
LUNDGREN 曾表示，跟萨芬在一起你绝不会无聊。25岁的他已赚取一千两百万美金，除了这些，他还有赞助商及广告等其他收入。但是，他偏 好买打折的牛仔裤。萨芬再次强调，"只要打折便宜的，什麼都好。这跟贪婪毫不相干，是一种动力去找东西，最後找到它的乐趣。便宜并不等於劣质，昂贵的东西 到处都是。"

n addition to that by the age of 25 Safin obtained three serious injuries that will remind of themselves for a while. This forced Marat, whom ACE Magazine announced the sexiest sportsman, seriously think about justice of rules in professional sports. We are simply exploited but we cannot do anything about it. ATP Tour bosses are cool, dodge businessmen, they will not let profit slip away. What comes as a result? Every single one of us, tennis professionals, has a list of prohibited medicine, there are hundreds of brands in there. Often sportsmen don't have a right to take widely used medicine like Coldrex or Fervex. Once I had extremely high fever and I was literally scared to go to the pharmacy. What if I buy and swallow something prohibited?!? Abnd stuffing yourself with antibiotics, which are sort of allowed, is a major knockout for your immune system. Now tell me, what normal person can bare 3-4 hours of running around the court when it's +35 C??? You feel roasted, your pulse is about 200 beats. We are victims and it hurts to know noone cares. This means we have to think for the future and take care of ourselves. Now, for example, me and Mr. Arkhipov (he is a very famous Russian surgeon) want to establish an aid fund for the veterans of sport. And that's not my only idea of this sort.
在25岁之前，萨芬总共严重受伤三次，後遗症在残存著。这促使ACE 杂志票选最性感的运动萨芬严肃地思考职业运动员的权益问题。"我们被剥削 却无力反抗。ATP 那些主事者冷酷，眼中只有利益，一分一毛都不愿错过。结果呢? 他们发给每个职业运动员一系列禁药的名单，几百种药都在名单里。平常 民众常服用的Coldrex 或 Fervex 也不获准。有一次我发高烧，但却不敢去药房买药。如果一不小心我服了禁药呢 ? 所以就吃抗生素，那是允 许的，但那对我们的免疫系列有强烈杀伤性。所以，请你告诉我，哪个正常人能在35度C 以上高温下连续奔跑三四个小时??? 你彷佛被火烤著，心跳一分钟 200次...我们是商业利益下的牺牲品，但想到这事竟然无人关切就令我痛心。这也表示，我们只能为了前途自求多福。现在，我和 Arkhipov先生 (有名的俄罗斯外科医师)想要成立基金会为老运动员筹募资金，不是只有我自己这麼想而已。

(JS : 如果没记错，MARAT 这个计画已经在运作了，基金会好像成立了。他说了，也做到了)

The Famous Tie-Break
有名的抢七

Specialists come to a unified decision that in the next few years the main decoration of male tennis will be the battles between pragmatic Federer and adventurous Safin. Roger and Marat already handed us a few matches like that. The wildest of all was the Australian Open 2005 semifinal, which lasted for 5 hours. Marat lost the first set, won the second, lost the third and snatched out a victory in the final fourth set in a manner that is very popular with a Russian wild cat on a tie-break. By the way, Marat's birthday was on the same day.
专家一致认为，未来几年，男子网坛会因务实的费德勒跟冒险家萨芬的争斗而精彩。ROGER 跟 MARAT 已经带给我们几次飨宴了。最疯狂的 莫过於05年澳网历经 5小时惊心动魄的半决赛。MARAT 输掉第一盘，拿下第二盘，又失去第三盘，最後在第四盘中拿下了俄罗斯野狮著名的抢七，喔，那 天也正好是MARAT 的生日。

This time in Safin's box there were no sexy long-legged blondes. There was however a sweet dark-haired girl named Dasha, whom the journalists hurried to sign in as Marat's fianc'e and a daughter of some Russian oligarch Zhukov. Furious Marat accused the press of lying once again and said that Mr. Zhukov is not an oligarch but simply a successful businessman. Later, having cooled off a little Marat admitted that Dasha andhim have a long-term relationship but there is no wedding in plans. Look at my curls, and you want me to get married?!?! This responsible step can only be taken at 60, when your kids are grown. And then he adds seriously, A happy marriage to a tennis-player is tough, so why risk it? We, tennis players are used to belonging to ourselves, we never report to anyone. These are not the bet habits for family life. And then, what kind of family will that be with my never-ending travelling?!?!
这次，萨芬的包厢不再有一群长腿金发辣妹，倒是有一个甜美的棕发女孩达莎，记者又赶忙加盐添醋她是MARAT的未婚妻，她爸爸是俄罗斯石油寡头 朱可夫。愤怒的MARAT严斥媒体造谣兹事，并表示朱可夫只不过是个成功的企业家。後来当他气消了之後，才承认他和达莎已经交往很久，但是还没打算结婚。 看看我满头卷发，我能结婚吗? 大概60岁才有办法吧。他更严肃地表示，一个职业网球员要维系幸福的婚姻是不容易的，那为什麼要冒然行事呢? 我们已经长 年习惯自己打理生活，从不需向谁报告行踪。这不是家庭生活的该有的习惯，而且，整年旅行的我能带给家庭什麼 ?"

Australian Open 2005 final was the 100th one. Safin played Lleyton Hewitt. Easy to imagine how the whole crowd prayed for the Australian to win. Lleyton could have presented his country with a national holiday but...Marat snatched the opportunity away from him and won his second Grand Slam.
The day after the final, an Australian newspaper "Today" wrote, There is also something else about Marat. It's more than tennis, It's his humanity. Being as emotional as he is he didn't dance, roar, throw fists in the air after he had beaten Federer, he just stood there, reserved calm. After the final Safin was calmness itself. It was a part of winner's politeness. He ruined Hewitt's and Australia's dream but there was no need to rub it in.
05年澳网是百年澳网。萨芬迎战休依特。你可以想像所有在场的球迷多麼希望兔子赢球，兔子说不定能带来一个国定假日...但MARAT 把这机 会夺走，赢得第二座满贯。在决赛隔天，澳网报纸 "TODAY"写著，MARAT 有著一些为人不知的特质。不只是他的球技，而是他的人道主义精神。像他 那麼情绪化的人物，在打败费德勒後他既不跳舞，也不吼叫或空中握拳，只是站在那里，静静地。决赛之後，他依然如此。这是一个胜者的礼貌，他粉碎了兔子及澳 洲人的梦想，不需要再火上加油。

At the end of August a US Open tournament will take place, a tournament, which Marat's stardom began with. Marat is amongst the favourites, we hope for his victory.
八月底美网即将开始，美网，也是MARAT成为明星的福地。他是热门夺冠者，我们衷心祝福他胜利。

The End
全文完

Experience Marat's love-hate relationship with the Russian media in this fascinating interview.
跟薩芬一起體驗他與俄國媒體複雜的愛恨關係

Sovetsky 運動雜誌 摘自 http://www.safinator.com
Sovetsky Sport" Moscow .

採訪於05年澳網奪冠之後
Sovetsky Sport
21 February, 2005


The best Russian tennis player Marat Safin: I am? surprised at myself!
薩芬說: 我自己都嚇了一大跳!!
Andrey Vandenko

When on 1 February the winner of the centennial Australian Open arrived from Melbourne to Moscow it seemed that Marat will spend a couple of days in Moscow, attend some social events, pay tribute to his native country and leave for Europe & America. The conditions to prepare for the ATP tournaments are better there. But Safin stayed in Moscow for an unexpectedly long time. And, which seems even more surprising, he knew how to keep his privacy, slipping off from the photo and TV cameras. No reports from the night clubs, no pictures from the discos as there were before. It became even alarming: has something happened, has our hero fallen ill? But the intelligence reported: everything is fine, Marat is doing well, he is training every day on the courts of an elite sports club. There we met Safin before he left for the tournament in Dubai.
在贏得百年澳網後﹐薩芬回到莫斯科﹐本來大家以為他會短暫停留﹐參加社交活動﹑回饋祖國然後再前往歐美﹐因為那邊的天候設備好﹐對準備未來賽事上比較有利。然而﹐薩芬卻意外地待了很長一段時間﹐更不可思議的是﹐他精於保護隱私﹐閃避媒體。我們不再像以前看到夜店的小道新聞或舞廳的玩樂照片。甚至﹐我們覺得有點緊張﹐難道發生什麼事了嗎﹐我們的英雄病了? 不過﹐根據可靠情報﹐事事都順利﹐MARAT 很好﹐他每天都在俱樂部訓練。我們在他前往迪拜之前於俱樂部跟他碰了面。

ON THE RUSSIAN MEDIA
有關俄國媒體

Congratulations Marat! You managed to make impossible possible.
MS: In our life everything is possible so don't waste the words, I get the idea. We can forget about Melbourne soon and calm down. Passed that, let's go on...
恭禧你﹐MARAT !! 你完成不可能的使命。
MS 生命中什麼都可能發生﹐所以不要浪費唇舌了﹐我瞭解你的意思。我們應早早把莫爾本忘掉泠靜下來。不管怎麼輝煌﹐都過去了﹐向前看吧 ....

I am not speaking about the Australian Open at all. Your victory there doesn't seem to me like something extraordinary. It was due a long time ago! We waited five years? after the US Open title. I am talking about something else: how did you manage to spend almost three weeks in Moscow without being noticed?
MS: So what are you wondering about? Yes, I hadn't stayed in Moscow for so long in a while but this time I decided beforehand that I'll fly home after the Australian Open. I didn't hide from anyone but didn't try to get noticed either.
我不只是談澳網而已。你在那裡的勝利對我而言並不是奇跡﹐早該發生了。00年美網後﹐我們已漫漫等待五年。我想聊的是別的事﹐在莫斯科三個禮拜﹐你怎麼都沒被發現呢?
MS 那麼﹐你又懷疑了什麼? 沒錯﹐有很長一段時候我沒辦法待在莫斯科﹐但這次我事先就決定好了﹐一旦澳網結束馬上就飛回來。我並沒有特別閃躲﹐當然也沒刻意引人注意。

I am afraid that my colleagues who received you at Sheremetyevo 2 hardly agree with that. Your quiet march past the cameras was pretty clear.
?MS: I had spent more than 24 hours on a plane. I think this explains everything.
恐怕我在S2電視台的同仁不同意喔﹐你回來時的快閃冷漠態度似乎作了很明確的表態。
MS 在飛機上已超過24小時了..我想不需多言已澄清一切。

But then you ignored the Tennis Federation's press conference. Tarpischev and Kafelnikov had to answer the questions instead of you.
MS: I didn't ask them to, and I hadn't promised anything. I did what I thought was necessary.
但是之後你也不理會網協的記者會。Tarpischev(DAVIS CUP 隊長 和卡費 得要幫你回答問題。
MS 我並沒要求他們舉辦採訪會﹐更沒有承諾會參加。我只做我自認份內該做的事

Payback for the Russian media for the critical articles during the last season that wasn't too successful at the beginning?
MS: I had no intentions of any payback or anything. What's the point? The journalists will write what they consider necessary anyway. They couldn't find me in Moscow, started to cling on to my girlfriend, write tales about Dasha.
這是對上一個賽季開始你成績不理想﹐媒體嚴厲批評的報復行為嗎
MS 我沒有任何報復的意思﹐那有何意義? 反正記者自有定見想寫哪些。他們找不到我﹐就開始八卦我的女朋友﹐達莎。

So you still were offended, Marat?
MS: Please understand: it's not difficult for me to give an interview but how can I speak to a representative of a paper that just yesterday poured mud on me? You have to respect yourself. We don't know the measure: today they love you to death, tomorrow they are ready to throw stones at you. In the West the approach is more balanced, we here still go from one extreme to another... In short, in Russia you better not stumble; here they will hardly support you, they rather hit you in the back. In any case, I understood long ago that after defeats it's better not to read the Russian newspapers, you'll get no positive emotions from them.
MARAT﹐所以你讓是被侵犯了
MS 請瞭解﹐我給記者採訪並不困難﹐但叫我怎麼面對一個昨天才對我抹黑的記者? 人要自重。我們已不再有分寸了: 今天他們愛你至死﹐明天卻反過來要對你丟石頭。至少在西方國方﹐他們比較平衡一點﹐而我們這裡老是從一個極端到另一個極端...總之﹐在俄羅斯﹐最好不要跌跤﹐鮮有人會雪中送炭的﹐他們寧願在背後捅你幾刀。從經驗我早已學到教訓﹐如果我輸球了﹐千萬別浪費時間讀俄國報紙﹐你會讓自己情緒更低迷。

Don't paint everything with one colour, there are different papaers...
MS: Yes, some small papers can badmouth Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf but serious newspapers like USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Times never allow such things. But here you often can't distinguish the yellow and the blue...
不要一概而?吧，也有不?的??...
MS 是阿，有些小???AGASSI和 GRAF的坏?，但??的?社像 今日美?(USA today)，洛杉???，??????不允??似的情?，而在?里，黑白?很?搞清楚

Again you accuse!
MS: But you mentioned it! The papers need sensations, big headlines "Bure parted with Kournikova, "Titov caught on doping", "Safin is dating the daughter of an oligarch". I understand, public people draw the increased interest, it's inevitable, you have to live with it. I categorically object to one thing - lies. I repeat, write what you want about me, only do not lie!
你又控訴了!!
MS 是你先提的。報紙喜歡辛辣的東西﹐比如大頭條 "BURE跟庫娃約會﹐TITOV吸毒﹐薩芬跟石油霸主的女兒在一起 "。我瞭解﹐大家對這些越來越有興趣﹐那不能避免﹐只能坦然面對。我只是特別對一件事反感﹐那就是謊言。讓我再次強調﹐你想寫什麼隨便你﹐但是不要撒謊!


But you yourself won't tell the truth, Marat.
MS: About what?
MARAT﹐但你自己不說實話的
MS 有關什麼?

About whom. Daria Zhukova.
MS: Yes, her father is a businessman, so what? I have enough wealth of my own. Yes, I have dated Dasha for two years already but I've had longer relationships before. What now?
有關誰﹐達莎阿
MS 對﹐她父親是個生意人﹐那又怎麼樣?我自己賺的錢很夠用了。沒錯﹐我跟達莎在一起兩年了﹐以前我還有更久的女友。所以現在你 想問什麼?

That's what I also want to ask - what now?
MS: If you are talking about a wedding, it's not in my plans for the time being. Look at my curls, how can I marry? You have to be sixty to make such a huge step, when the kids are grown up... I'm kidding. But seriously, right now Dasha is helping me a lot. Everybody needs a close person who understands, supports. What other details you need?
那就正是我想問的﹐現在呢?
MS 如果你是指婚禮﹐那不在我的計畫中。看看我一頭捲髮﹐我怎麼結婚? 你大概要到60歲﹐孫子都長大了才能踏出這一大步吧... 開玩笑的。說真的﹐達莎幫我很多﹐每個人都需要一個瞭解支持自己的人。還有什麼細節你想問呢?

ON SECLUSION
有關與世隔絕

I noticed you have many pendants around your neck? Don't they bother you?
MS: They are amulets. Fans sent the leaf. It seems to be from ivory. So far I have been lucky with it. I don't take it off. The ring from "The Lord of the Rings" I bought myself. It's like black magic. The golden plate with the text from the Koran in Arabic was given to me by a Moroccan Muslem.
我發現你頸上有很多項練﹐不會麻煩嗎
MS 他們是護身符。球迷送那片葉子﹐好像是從象牙製作的﹐從戴它之後我一直很幸運﹐所以沒拿下它。戒指是我自己買的﹐源自"指環王 (魔戒)" ﹐好比是黑色的魔法般。金牌是一個摩洛哥穆斯林送我的﹐背後刻有阿拉伯文的可蘭經。

Are you religious? Do you fast?
MS: As much as possible, although it doesn't go along with sports well... But this is a topic I would not like to get into. I am not ready pose for society pages. At this stage tennis is the most important for me so I prefer to keep the conversation about it. And to talk to whom I want to, when and where I want to. If a Moscow newspaper wanted an exclusive story, they could have sent a correspondent to Australia, there were press conferences after every match. Please, ask questions, write the interviews, publish... No, it was more comfortable to wait until I return to Moscow, and then accuse me of arrogance when I refuse to discuss with everyone interested what happened a month ago in Melbourne and how it was.
你有信仰嗎? 你齋戒?
MS 我盡可能照作﹐從事運動行業是有點難...不過﹐這是我想談的話題。我還不到什麼社會典範的﹐目前網球是我的重心﹐所以我希望能多聊聊網球﹐跟我想聊的人聊﹐我想去哪裡﹐什麼時候去都是自己作主。如果莫斯科報紙想來個獨家﹐他們可以送特派記者到澳洲去﹐每一場比賽後都有採訪會的。拜託﹐問問題﹐作專訪﹐發行...不是﹐你們什麼也不做就在這裡等我回來﹐而當我不想再討論一個月前的賽事經過﹐便惡劣地譴責我傲慢無禮。

You are speaking like we have kangaroos instead of cows on our pastures, and you can take a train from the Kazan train station to this Australia of yours.
MS: I thought we were talking not about some small papers from Monino or Balashikha but about papers that can afford trips abroad...
你說得好像我們這裡就有袋鼠﹐而不是飼養牛﹐彷彿我們有本事可以從KAZAN 坐火車到澳洲找你似的
MS 我們講的是有能力負擔的大報紙﹐而不是像Monino或 Balashikha 這種小報紙

OK, we cleared the issue with the journalists more or less but you also ignored Shamil Tarpishev, who offered a small celebration in your honour.
MS: Again, I'm choosing for myself what to do and when. I didn't need any celebration at the moment. I spent a month in Australia and flew home to relax and catch my breath before joining the race again. You say: celebration, but for me, it's work where I can't rest or relax. There would have been a bunch of people and nearly everyone would have wanted something from me. I would have had to smile politely to the guests whom I didn't invite, to listen to the speeches, answer the questions. Can you answer why do I need it? No? I couldn't too.
OK﹐對於記者的看法我們多少瞭解了﹐但你怎麼解釋連 DAVIS CUP 隊長幫你辦PARTY你也不參加呢
MS 再說一次﹐我決定自己何時﹐何地要做什麼事。我不需要什麼慶祝活動﹐在澳洲常達一個月﹐我飛回來只想喘息一下後再出發比賽。你認為是 慶祝﹐但對我而言﹐那是工作﹐因為我在會場無法休息或放鬆。一定會有很多人參加﹐而每個人都要從我這裡挖到些東西。我得對一堆我不熟的會眾不斷作出禮貌性的微笑﹐聽演講﹐回答問題。你能告訴我為什麼我要參加這種慶祝會? 不﹐我不需要。

ON COMPANY
有關陪伴

Were you at least at the granddad's birthday?
MS: How? I was in Australia at the time.
至少你會為爺爺慶生吧
MS 怎麼辦得到? 那時我人在澳洲

Sorry, I mean the other granddad, the all-Russian - Boris Yeltsin. He turned 74 on? 1 February.
MS: Straight from the airplane to go to Boris Nikolayevich's dacha? Cool! As much as I would have wanted I could not be in two placed at the same time. No, we did not meet this day but later I was at the ceremony where the scholarships were awarded from the Foundation of the 1st President of Russia to our talented tennis players aged 14 to 18.
喔﹐抱歉﹐我指的是另外一個大爺爺﹐俄羅斯爺爺-葉利欽﹐他2月1號74歲了。
MS 直接從飛機上趕到那裡嗎? 如果有本事的話﹐我真希望能兼顧。我並沒在那日為他慶生﹐但之後我參加第一?總統網壇新秀獎學金基金會的典禮了。

Did you speak to Boris Nikolayevich?
MS: Yes. We didn't say anything special to each other, we didn't discuss the world politics. He wasn't at work, I wasn't at work, we spoke about everyday things. It's not the words that matter here, it's the communication itself. It's an honour even to say hello to such a person.
你有跟他交談嗎
MS 是的﹐我們並沒有談什麼特別的事情﹐也沒討論政治。他休假﹐我也在休假中﹐我們只是閒話家常罷了。談什麼內容不重要﹐交流溝通本身才是重點。光是跟這樣的人物打招呼便是很榮幸的事了。

Besides the meeting at the top level, were there any other public appearances?
MS: Do restaurants count? I have to eat somewhere, right? I prefer "Korchma", "Pushkin", "Tzarskaja ohota"... There are nice places in Moscow to relax with friends. A couple of times played ice hockey at CSKA. First time with my dad and his friends, later with younger guys. Visited sauna regularly.
除了這些高檔次的會議﹐你還有公開出席其他活動嗎
MS 去餐廳吃飯算數嗎 ? 我總要吃東西吧﹐是吧。我特別喜歡"Korcham","Pushkin","Tzarskaja ohota"....莫斯科有不少跟朋友放鬆的好地方。有時候我會去CSKA玩冰上曲棍球。第一次是跟我爸爸和他朋友﹐之後與其他年輕的朋友去。我也固定會去三溫暖。

Who kept you company?
MS: Different people. When the plans coincided I was always glad to meet with Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Bure, Sasha Mostovoi... There are enough dignified people. I respect great athletes.
誰陪呢
MS 不同人。如果大家行程相同﹐我喜歡找 Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Bure, Sasha Mostovoi... 夠多有修養的朋友了。我一直崇敬偉大的運動員。

ON FUTURE
有關未來

Can you stand well a drastic change of climate?? It was over 30 degrees Celsius in Australia.
MS: I am steeled. So far my system can take it. I like our winter in general. With snow, frost...
你能忍受天候的變化嗎? 澳洲可是30幾度呀
MS 我很強壯﹐到目前為止﹐我都適應得不錯。當然我喜歡俄國的冬季﹐霜與雪...

Are you a mountain-skier?
MS: No, I didn't learn skiing as a child and now I am afraid to experiment because of the injuries. When I'll quit tennis, maybe then. in a couple of years, in short...
你滑雪嗎
MS 沒有。小時候沒學過﹐現在我因為傷病的顧慮不敢嘗試。如果我退休了﹐也許我會玩玩看吧。再過幾年吧...

Only?
MS: I just said it so. We'll see. Until 30 I'll probably play but hardly after that. Enough. It's better to retire in time. Life is so short that I would like to have time to try myself in something else besides tennis also.
只有幾年嗎
MS 我剛剛才提到﹐未來就知道了。30歲大概我還會打球﹐之後機會應該不大﹐夠啦。要在最佳的時機急流勇退。生命苦短﹐我期許自己在網球外也能多方嘗試其他的事物。

And in what direction could that be?
MS: I'm still looking, but it's obvious I have to be involved in business. One has to live from something.
有沒有方向了?
MS 我還在尋找﹐但很確定地﹐我會找事情做。人活著就要有事做。

You suppose the earned twelve million bucks won't be enough for a comfortable life?
MS: Yes, I have money but it's not about the amount. I have to find something that will interest me. It only seems so that you can take the interests and lie under a palm tree. Any normal person would go insane after two months of such a life! I definitely won't be able to idle for a long time.
是因為賺來了一千兩百萬美金還不夠過優渥的生活嗎
MS 我是有些錢﹐但不是那個金額。我必須找到自己的興趣。聽起來好像你能躺在棕櫚樹下﹐又能享受興趣。一個正常人如此無所事事兩個月都會發瘋吧! 我是沒辦法長時間懶散不做點事的。

Did you hear about the Team Russia program?
MS: It's necessary to support talented children! I think that's my duty. How many boys and girls are roaming the streets now, searching for something? Many of them have neither past nor future. They don't all have to join the sport, but they need to do something useful, to not to become drug-users or criminals. Good people helped me in my day, and I haven't forgotten it.
是否曾耳聞 俄羅斯培育計畫
MS 一定要援助有天賦的孩子們! 那是我的使命。有多少男孩女孩在街上閒晃﹐尋找生命意義阿。很多沒有過去﹐更談不上未來。他們不一定要從事運動﹐但必須要活得有意義﹐不要淪落成毒販或罪犯。

On the subject of help, it's well known that at 14 you joined the tennis school in Valencia, but it gets somehow forgotten that before that you applied to Bolletieri? academy in the States two years earlier.
MS: That trip ended in nothing. They refused me, saying that they didn't see potential. Like, nothing can be done out of me.
提到援助﹐大家都知道你在14歲時前往瓦倫西亞訓練。可是很多人忘了在12歲時﹐你曾申請美國Bolletieri 學院。

Were these Bolletieri's words?
MS: Yes, he selected the so-called elite group personally, he did testing twice and said I had no chance to be accepted in his academy. Dad and I packed and came back.
這是 Bolletieri 說的嗎
MS 是的﹐他選擇所謂的精英群﹐親自己測試兩次﹐之後告訴我﹐我不可能入學。爸爸跟我聽完收拾行李就回來了。

Was it a big let down?
MS: I was disappointed. I was first in my age group in Russia. On the other hand, I wanted all the more to prove that I can get good results.
那是不是個大打擊
MS 我很失望。在俄羅斯﹐我是同年次的第一名。當然﹐我也想在別的地方能得到肯定

Did yours and Bollitieri's paths cross later?
MS: Yeah, a few years back we met and he offered his excuses for his mistake.

之後有跟 Bottetieri 碰過
MS 嗯﹐幾年之後我們遇到﹐他為自己的錯誤以一些藉口解釋

Was it pleasant to gloat?
MS: On whom? Bolletieri knows nothing about tennis. When I was 12, I was hurting, but I soon understood what kind of a man he is.
當時是否為他的窘態暗自高興
MS 為誰? Bolletieri 根本不懂網球。當我12歲時﹐我真的很受傷﹐但很快我便知道他是什麼樣的人了

What kind of a man?
MS: A businessman and a very high-profile publicitist. Beside the tennis academy, he owns academies of golf, football, baseball, riding... And it's all funded by his pupils' rich parents. You listen to Bolletieri, he raised Pete Sampras, Agassi, Courier, Seles, Becker, Haas... Everyone in the world! How can you not pay to such an outstanding coach? They go to him from all over the world and don't know that Bolletieri's a former commando who's never played tennis himself...
是什麼樣的人
MS 一個精明的生意人﹐善於公關的知名人物。除了網球學院﹐他還經營高爾夫﹑美式足球﹑棒球 等。這都是他那些有錢學生的父母贊助的。你聽 Bottetieri說﹐他栽培過山普拉斯﹑阿加西﹑科瑞爾﹐莎莉斯﹐貝克爾﹐哈斯...所有人都是他那裡來的!! 你怎麼可能不掏錢給如此優秀的教練? 小孩們從世界蜂湧而至來求他指導﹐根本不清楚他原本是個突擊隊員﹐自己完全不打網球的

So your real tennis school was in Spain?
MS: I was given a chance, and I took it.
因此你真正的網球學校在西班牙
MS 有幸我得到機會﹐並把握住了。

ON COACH
有關教練

以下談到PETER LUNDGREN ﹐恕因太長也因他們在前一陣子確定分手﹐所以此部分我略過﹐有興趣者自己閱讀吧
因為標題是他對媒體的想法﹐所以我對他的 "想法"部分比較感興趣
Many noticed that your game took a turn for the better after Peter Lundgren had started coaching you.
MS: True. I needed just that kind of a man, and I was searching for him for a long time. I heard it many times that it's my quarrelsome temper. Like, because of it nobody can work with me. Since I was 18 I was told constantly that I'm wasting my talent, missing the train... After Peter appeared, I started to play more consistently, started winning, and instantly there were speeches that finally Marat has matured, become more serious. Those are words of people who know very little about tennis. It's not my temper that's the problem. The problem is a deficit of really good coaches in our sport. They're all accounted for, hunted for. Good specialists who used to be players don't want to submit their life to another, to step in the shadow of another, to travel full-time yet again, spending a lot of time in airports and hotels. These people earned good money during their careers, what can they achieve by repeating the past? They need additional ambitions. But Peter's interested in that, he coached Rios for 2 years, then Federer for 7 years. I was on the tour with Denis Golovanov. He's my best friend from childhood, we even used to play doubles, know and understand each other perfectly, but for the work I needed something else. The results dropped... When I learned that Lundgren parted with Federer, I made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Lundgren said in his interview that he hadn't done anything extraordinary, merely helped you to find motivation to take pleasure in playing.
LUNDGREN 說其實他沒施什麼魔術﹐只是幫你提昇動力﹐享受比賽

MS: I never made it a secret that my problems were of psychological origin, that's why as far as 4 years back I thought seriously about quitting tennis, quitting sport. What held me from it was that I didn't know what to do next. I convinced myself not to rush. Yes, Peter has helped me and we extended our contract till the end of the year. Imagine: during the season I play 25 tournaments and win, say, 5. That means that in the rest I lose. On different stages, but lose all the same. There are not many sports where losses happen so often. Football team which loses 20 matches a season, will crash into 2nd or 3rd league. I stay at the top, obviously but constantly get smacked by my opponents. Besides, our contest is an individual one, you play man-to-man. In football, say, you can write a loss off on keeper's mistakes, or inept strikers, or wrong tactics chosen by the coach; in tennis you've no one to blame but yourself. Several straight losses can cause complexes which you can't get out of by yourself. Then you start to lose it: smash racquets or swear on court...
MS 我從來不否認自己的問題來自心理層面﹐也因此四年前我曾認真考慮要退役﹐甚至其他的運動。我留下來﹐因為當時真的不知何去何從﹐我說服自己不要急。PETER 幫我很多﹐我們延長合約到今年底。想像這樣的情景﹐我參加25項賽事﹐然後只贏5個。那表示其餘的都輸掉了。在不同的舞台﹐但都是輸了。沒有太多運動像網球一樣﹐你常要面對輸球的殘酷。足球隊就算一季輸了20場﹐還是可能進入2﹐3 名。我的排名一直蠻前面﹐但常常被對手痛宰﹔另外﹐我們的比賽是個人的﹐足球﹐如果輸球你可以怪很多人﹐但是網球﹐你只能怪自己打不好。連續的措敗會擊潰一個人的士氣﹐讓你無法抽離﹐一厥不振。然後﹐你繼續輸球﹐在場上摔拍 咒罵...


Did Peter teach you some of nordic restraint?
MS: I'm 25, my personality is set and you can't change it. If I appear to be calmer, it means that I learnt to control it better, not to let the steam to blow up. Of course we all change through the years. Maybe, some time I needed to throw racquets, swear aloud or talk about myself in third person. There'd be nothing without that. That's my life, no one knows it better than me, that's why I'm so amused by the outside expert's opinions. TV commentators in particular are guilty of that - always raring to give an advice.
PETER 教你北歐人的自制祕方嗎
MS 我25歲了﹐人格特質早已形成無法改變。如果我看起來比較冷靜﹐只表示我學著多控制一些﹐不使自己失控。當然﹐隨著時間我們或多或少會改變。也許有時候我得摔幾支拍子﹐大聲發誓﹐或自言自語﹐就如此而已。那是我的生活﹐沒人比我瞭解自己﹐所以讀到專家的評論我總想笑﹐特別是電視評述員﹐總愛給自以為是給建議


Do you listen to them?
MS: The commentators or the advice? I never watch my matches on video but I am informed about who and what is telling. My friends tell me... Firstly, there is a common culture. in the civilized world commentators don't speak during play, in Russia obviously not everybody has heard about it. I take it calmly when people discuss tennis as they see it and even teach me how to hit the ball or receive a serve. They have to say something on TV and there might not be enough clever thoughts for three hours. Good, it's your vision of the game, you can tell about it. I just don't understand why you have to tell about things outside the court? With whom I sleep, what I eat... Are they trying to get new spectators?
你聽進去嗎
MS 評述員﹐還是他們的建議? 我從不看自己比賽的錄相﹐但是別人會告訴我誰說的﹐又說了些什麼﹐我朋友會告訴我...第一﹐世上有個共通文化﹐文明世界裡的評述員在心賽中間是不該講話的﹐但在俄羅斯好像不是人人都知道這個道理。當他們談論﹐甚至教我該怎麼抽球或接球﹐我平靜地接受。反正在電視上﹐他們總得說些什麼﹐但是又沒本事在三小時內都說聰明的話。很好﹐那是你個人對球賽的看法﹐你盡管講。這些就算了﹐但我不懂為什麼場外的事他們也如此熱衷? 我跟誰上床﹐我吃什麼東西...他們想找另一群新觀眾不成?

Who, besides Lundgren, is on your team? I heard you hired a fitness trainer from Israel?
MS: Kowalsky was my consultant for a few weeks, then we parted. Now I got back to my old fitness trainer from Valencia, bring him over periodically when I need to improve my fitness. You need a man who writes good programmes and forces you to follow them. Sometimes I can get lazy, start pitying myself, slacking. Also I have a personal masseur. First, he was an American, now Thai.
除了LUNDGREN 外﹐團隊成員還有誰。我聽說你從以色列聘雇了一位體能訓練師。
MS 我曾向Kowalsky 討教幾個禮拜﹐之後分開了。現在我再度跟瓦倫西亞的體能訓師合作﹐固定地帶著他巡迴以增進體能。我需要一個善於計畫並執行的人才﹐因為有時候自己會偷懶﹐開始自怨自艾﹐鬆鬆散散的。我還有一個私人按摩師﹐以前是個美國人﹐現在是泰國人。

Sounds Exotic.
MS: You understand: I don't need what's offered at the beaches of Phuket... It's important to consider the individual. Some players like hard massage before the match but I get apathetic after that, my muscles lose the tone. But these are such nuances that fans don't need to know I guess.
聽起來很有異國風情
MS 你要知道﹐我不是要那種普吉島海灘的觀光客享用的玩意兒...考慮到個人的需要是重點。有些球員喜歡在比賽前大力按摩﹐對我則是反效果﹐肌肉會感覺鬆馳。不過﹐這些小細節大概粉絲們沒有興趣吧﹐我猜 (JS : 不會﹐我很有興趣知道滴)

Because your surroundings are international it's easier for you to speak English than Russian?
MS: When you are in the States for a month it's difficult to switch, foreign words come into your native language. But don't think that I do it on purpose or have become completely daft by the sport, forgotten Russian. No, I know the grammar, I have graduated from a secondary school.
因為你的環境關係﹐所以你比較習慣在公開場合講英文而非俄文
MS 當你在美國一個月後﹐要轉變是有點不習慣﹐外國語反變成母語了。但千萬別誤會我故意如此或者因為此運動變得愚蠢﹐而忘掉俄語。當然不是﹐我懂文法﹐也有高中的學歷。

You also entered a university?
MS: Yep. We study, study...
你好像還進大學?
MS 是阿﹐我們就是念書﹐念書的...(JS: 這我以前真的不知道說......)

Isn't it taking too long?
MS: Where to rush? To be honest I don't know what's the use from my studies. What will the university degree on physical training give me? If I decide to work as a coach I'll find students without the diploma, and can explain how to divide physical exercises, hit forehands, avoid cramps or, for instance, raise blood haemoglobin levels. It's obvious that in seven years as a professional athlete I have learned more than the university professors can tell you. I don't want to insult them.
不會念太久了嗎
MS 急什麼呢。講實話﹐我不知道念這個學位要幹嘛。一個生理訓練的大學學位能給我什麼? 如果我想當教練﹐不用學位也可以指導學生﹐也能講解各種體能訓練﹐打正拍﹐如何避免抽筋或者﹐怎麼提高血紅素等等。很顯然地﹐當了七年的職業選手我學得遠比大學教授還多...我無意侮辱他們。

Besides the coach and the masseur, are there other people accompanying you at the tournaments?
MS: For what? To entertain? I don't like clowns, I find them repugnant.
除了教練和按摩師﹐還有人陪你比賽嗎
MS 什麼用途? 取悅我嗎 ? 我不喜歡小丑﹐他們令人厭惡。

Do people cling on to you?
MS: Sometimes it's difficult to explain to a person that I don't need his services. My parents taught me to be polite but sometimes it's difficult with especially unreasonable people. A few years ago there was a moment when I felt that I questioned the people around me. I was afraid that they are after self-profit. Then I understood: you can't leave questioning everything and relaxed. Now I have some friends, we are completely open to each other, respect each other. That's what I look for in a friendship.
有些人會纏著你嗎
MS 有時候﹐要告訴一個人我不需要他幫忙真的很難。我父母親從小教導我要有禮貌﹐但對一些不理性的人的確不容易辦到。幾年前﹐我發現我對周遭的人都懷著質疑的態度﹐我害怕他們只一味追求個人利益。後來我漸漸明白﹐如果事事存疑﹐你會活得很累。現在我有不少朋友﹐我們對彼此完全坦白﹑尊重﹐我尋求的是這種友誼。

ON SISTER
有關妹妹

What presents did you get on your 25th birthday?
MS: Don't know if you believe it but I don't wait for presents. Moreover, I ask people not to give me any presents. I don't know where it comes from. Maybe from Spain where I got pocket money 15 dollars a week and had so many desires. Seventeen years old, you know... On the other hand, everyone needs to go through a stage of life without money. Then you value every penny more. If you get everything easily you take it easily too, let it go easily. The most important thing that money gives is freedom.
25歲生日你有什麼禮物
MS 我不知道﹐如果你真的相信我﹐我不等待禮物的﹐而且我請求朋友不要送我禮物﹐我總忘記是哪來的。也許在西班牙﹐當我只有15塊零用錢時﹐我有很多慾望。你曉得﹐只是17歲的男孩子...從另一角度說﹐每個人也應該經歷貧困的日子﹐如此才能更懂得惜福感恩。如果凡事皆垂手可得﹐你也不太會去珍惜。錢最大的用途﹐是可以獲取自由。

When could you start spending, Marat?
MS: Difficult to say. I bought my first apartment when I was 19. In Valencia. Small, modest but my own. Bought a car. Old red Volkswagen Golf. It was not much younger than me, without conditioning, one door jammed, but it moved so that was the main thing. later when the real money came I wanted everything and immediately. But soon, at 20 I understood that I can have practically any material thing I want and calmed down. It's very important to feel in time the independence from things. Now I have an apartment in Monte-Carlo, but it's not a huge apartment, it's a 30 sq m studio. Why have more when this is enough at the moment? I don't care what car I drive, I mean the label. It just has to be comfortable and safe. Yeah, I had a Ferrari once, tried a lot of other cars, in Monaco now I have my Porsche but in Moscow it's better to drive a jeep. By the way, I have a coupe Mercedes here too, a gift for the Davis Cup win. I myself wouldn't have bought it.
MARAT﹐什麼時候開始能隨心所欲花錢
MS 很難說。19歲時我在瓦倫西亞買了第一套公寓﹐小小的﹐但是屬於我自己的空間﹐買了一個老VW GOLF紅色車﹐那車沒比我年輕多少..沒空調﹐一個車門壞掉﹐但能開就好了。之後﹐我開始賺多了﹐慾望隨之大增﹐不只要多﹐而且想立即擁用。很快地﹐在20歲時﹐我發現物質上我什麼也不欠了﹐追求的熱度變冷了下來。能不為物質所駕馭是很重要的﹐什麼時候該放該收。現在我有在蒙特卡羅有一套房子﹐不是大房子﹐30平方呎的套房。為什麼要追逐超越自己需求的東西嗯? 我已不在乎開什麼車﹐我指的是廠牌。車子不外乎要舒適﹑安全﹐是阿﹐我曾買過法拉利﹐也試過很多車﹐在蒙特卡羅我開 PORSCHE﹐但在莫斯科﹐一輛吉普車反而較方便。喔﹐因為贏得DAVIS CUP﹐所以也有幾台BENZ﹐我自己是不會花錢去買的。

Did you help Dinara?
MS: When I had extra money I bought my sister's contract from her sponsor so she didn't belong to anybody and could do what she herself wanted. Now Dinara is working with my manager and is feeling great. Maybe the victory in Paris also came because of that. The first big tournament win in her life. I hope it won't be the last one.
你幫助妹妹嗎
MS 有餘錢時﹐我買下妹妹贊助商的合約﹐所以她不用受到限制﹐可以自由發展。現在妹妹也跟我的經紀人合作﹐關係很好。也許巴黎的成功也緣自於此﹐這可是她生涯第一個大勝利﹐當然我希望她能再贏更多。

You follow the progress of our girls?
MS: I try. Although I have no TV in Moscow. I mean, I have no cable. Only video works.
你也關注俄國女子網球嗎
MS 有時間我會﹐雖然我在莫斯科有一台電視﹐但沒有裝設線路﹐只有錄相的東西可看。

Can you explain why the Russian girls are doing better than guys?
MS: I don't want to insult the girls but it's easier to get to the top there. There is a group of strong players and after them the rest of the field. in Men you have to pass many stages to get to the top, and the level of the majority of players is pretty even. You have to put in a lot of effort, work hard for at least five years to reach something. Unfortunately our guys are not too studious. I spoke to them, everything seems so unserious. Instead of working they find reasons to idle.
可解釋為什麼女小發展地比男子好嗎
MS 我不想對女孩們不敬﹐但她們要進頂尖比男子容易。有一群實力的球手﹐其他的是另一個層次。在男子網壇﹐你得經過重重考驗才能爬上去﹐而球員的素質是很平均的。你必須努力不懈至少五年才能有所收獲。不幸地﹐我們的男孩們一般都不太勤奮﹐我跟他警告過﹐他們太吊兒啷噹了。不努力就罷﹐總找藉口懶散。


Interesting, are your and Dinara's characters similar?
MS: She grew up in a family, I live on my own since the age of 14. But my sister has the same problem: unless she will find pleasure in the game, the results won't come.
聽起來很有意思﹐那麼你跟妹妹的個性相似嗎
MS 她跟我同個家庭長大﹐我從14歲開始自立。不過妹妹跟我同樣的問題﹐除非她享受球賽﹐否則結果就打不好。

In your opinion, about whom do the parents worry more nowadays?
MS: Which hand does a man value more - right or left? I don't know how to answer such questions.
你認為﹐父母現在比較需要擔心誰呢
MS 手心手背都是肉﹐你要怎麼選? 我不知如何回答這種問題。

ON EVERYDAY LIFE
有關日常生活

I noticed that mother stopped travelling to the tournament with you.
MS: I asked her. It's more difficult to play when your family is around. You get distracted, start to look for them in the stands, to worry. The pressure overwhelms - it's twice as bad to lose in front of your family. That's why I can't play at the Kremlin Cup. the spectators demand a good result but because of the nerves you hit the ball out or net the ball. Especially if while serving someone shouts: "Russia!". Like the whole country is behind you. So I am very grateful to my parents but it's better when they watch? my matches on TV. The main thing is that dad with mom understood: I and my sister won't get lost in this life. Just recently I bought them an apartment, now they are renovating it, designing. Pleasant worries.
我發現媽媽不再跟你巡迴了
MS 我請求她休息的。在家人面前打球壓力更大﹐你會分心﹐有時會轉頭到包廂看他們﹐不自覺會擔憂。這壓力太可怕了﹐在家人面前輸球是兩倍的難過。這就是為什麼克杯我老打不好﹐觀眾期望我表現﹐但因為緊張所以不是打出界就是掛網。尤其是當我要發球時﹐有人會大喊"俄羅斯 !" 好像整個國家都在祈盼似的﹐我很感激他們﹐但比賽時還在電視前看吧。父母親很確信一點﹐我跟妹妹都不會迷失﹐知道自己在做什麼。最近我買了間公寓給他們﹐現在他們煩惱怎麼裝修才好﹐是種愉快的煩惱就是。

Do you yourself have an apartment in Moscow?
MS: I am also renovating, at the moment I use a rented apartment.
你在莫斯科也有個公寓?
MS 那也正在裝修﹐目前是租屋而住。

You don't want to move out of town?
MS: Everything at its time. At the moment it's more comfortable for me to live in the city centre.
你不想搬離市中心嗎
MS 每件事都有時機﹐目前我住在市區比較舒服。

Do you bear a grudge against your countrymen who some years ago stole your BMW and broke into your parents' apartment?
MS: Not everyone can become a banker, famous artist or musician. Some people earn their living stealing. Everyone has his own business. What's the point to bear a grudge against these people? I am concentrating on other things. I already got from tennis everything I wanted. I was No. 1 in the world, won the Grand Slam tournaments, held the Davis Cup above my head. Yes, I want to win some more but it can't be an aim itself, otherwise you'll burn out. It has happened to many people. In order not to repeat their mistakes I don't get too excited, I calmly go forward, and we'll see what will happen.
之前有人偷了你的BMW愛車﹐潛進父母公寓竊取財物﹐你對國人這種行為是否不悅
MS 不是每個人都能當銀行家﹑藝術家或音樂家。有些人是以偷竊維生的﹐每個人有每個人的生活方式。我為什麼要對這事耿耿於懷? 我要專注於其他事情﹐從網球我已得到我想要的物質生活﹐曾經世界第一﹐也有兩座滿貫﹐舉起DAVIS CUP 獎杯。是的﹐我想要贏更多比賽﹐但不能變成唯一的目標﹐否則會耗盡熱情的。很多人都有類似的經驗﹐為了不重蹈覆徹﹐我試著不要得失心過重﹐平靜地向前走﹐展望未來。

ON FEDERER
有關費德勒

Is it real to take down Federer?
MS: Difficult. He's a universal player almost without any weaknesses. Maybe I'm stronger physically, but his feel of the ball is exceptional.
你真的打敗費德勒了?
MS 相當困難。他是全面型的球員﹐近乎完美。也許身材上我比較健壯﹐但他的球感真的是無話可說。

Maybe throw Federer off balance with some small tricks?
MS: He's very nervous during matches, but he wouldn't show it. Tricks are not welcome among us - there are strict rules. Only mutual respect. Of course, sometimes a player can get out of line, but it's healed pretty fast.
也許運用一些小技巧來取勝
MS 他比賽是很緊張的﹐但絕不顯現出來。我們並不喜歡耍技倆﹐比賽有嚴格的規定。我們只是互相尊重。當然有時一個球員會失控﹐但很快就會復原了。


With fines?
MS: Not necessarily. The etiquette violator can get boycotted, that's worse.
你指罰款嗎
MS 不盡然。大家會抵制偽善式的犯規﹐因為那是更糟的。

What did Federer say in your ear in Melbourne?
MS: Wished me happy birthday, wished luck. The usual. He's a polite man, although some others shake your hand after a loss but don't look you in the eyes. You need to learn how to lose. I learned.
在墨爾本時﹐費德勒在你耳邊說了什麼
MS 說生日快樂﹐祝我幸運﹐很平常的事情。他是個相當有禮貌的人﹐很多球員在輸球後跟你握手卻不正眼看你...你要學著怎麼接受失敗﹐多年來我也學了。

After Dubai, there's a DC tie against Chile in Moscow. What are your impressions?
MS: They're serious opponents, Olympics champions. They're training in Sweden. A lot will depend on conditions, on the surface that we'll choose.
在迪拜之後﹐俄國將在莫斯科面對智利。你有什麼想法
MS 他們是可敬的對手﹐有奧運金牌。現在正在瑞典訓練﹐很多取決於臨場情況﹐不過我們決定使用什麼場地。

Any preferences?
MS: The faster the better.
有什麼偏好嗎
MS 越快越好

Will you get revenge for Athens?
MS: I explained already: I try not to look back. It's better to look forward. That way there's a better chance to surprise yourself and the others.
你會為雅典復仇嗎
MS 我解釋過了﹐人不要想過去。往前看吧﹐你總能找到機會給自己和別人驚喜的。


Translated by Natasha.. thanks very much!!