new AUG tennis magazine

Marat’s not a poor thing Russian tennis player Marat Safin keeps trying to come back to his former level
Aleksander Erastov
11-AUG-2006

He himself wants to be the first one in the world, at least to be on the same level with the top players. Still one should admit that even if he makes that great come back, rushes into the ATP top he will not be able to stay there for a long period. It doesn’t suit him at all. Consistency is simply not his cup of tea. To stay in the top 10 for a considerable time is not in his character.
他渴望成為世界第一﹐起碼能跟其他頂尖高手相抗衡。不過﹐殘酷的是即便復出成功﹐快速回到ATP 頂端﹐他就是不能一直維持狀態﹐因為這實在太不像他了﹐薩芬的字典裡沒有"穩定"二字。長時間保持前十名實非薩芬扮演的角色。

Once again to challenge the fate
再一次挑戰命運
On Monday 26 years old Marat Safin will get another the 32th in this season chance to challenge his fate. He’ll come on court to win. The Russian tries to find his game after missing the second part of the last season because of the serious knee injury. In the year 2006 he leads in his rivalry with himself, the score is 17: 14. His best results so far are semis in Valencia and Washington. By the way, thanks to the Washington achievements Safin has significantly improved his position in the ATP rankings (he was in the top 95 as far as I remember). His current result is number 77 and it means that he is not only out of the seeded players list but also out of the main draw of some tournaments. There’s still opportunity either to receive a WC from the organizers or get an easy draw….or finally find the game.
星期一﹐薩芬在此賽季將再第32次挑戰自己的命運﹐他要爭取勝利。去年後半賽季因嚴重膝傷而缺席﹐俄羅斯人試著找回自己的狀態。2006年薩芬的戰績為17勝14負﹐最好的成續僅在VALENCIA 和 WASHINGTON進入四強﹐而也因為WASHINGTON 的突破﹐薩芬ATP 排名得以顯著提昇 (在這之前好像只有95名)。現在他的排名是77﹐意味著他不在種子球員名單內﹐很多球賽也無資格進入簽表。當然﹐他仍有機會跟主辦單位要求外卡﹐或者他最終恢復原來的水平。

Charisma is still here
非凡的領導魅力不減
It’s strange, but whatever Marat’s deeds are he’s still the number one in the people’s hearts. Do you remember Safin having got to the extreme of courage pulled his shorts down on court, or crashing racquets by dozens, or swearing loud on court, or ignoring post match press-conferences, or not giving hand to the umpire and finally keeping screwing the matches up! And crowds still love him. They say he has charisma, peculiar magnetism. God must have possibly given it to him. After all the word “charisma” is being translated from Greek as "Grace", "God’s gift". It’s interesting to know that journalists have defined Marat as one of the greatest tennis charismatic personalities. There are not only the Grand Slams winners and unbelievable records owners as Sampras of the USA or Borg of Sweden.
很奇怪﹐不管薩芬現狀是怎樣﹐在人們心目中他始終是第一。你記得薩芬瘋狂到脫褲慶祝精彩的一分吧﹑或者任性地摔壞拍子﹑場上大聲自我咒罵﹑不記後果缺席賽後記者會﹑甚至不跟主審握手搞砸了球賽 !! 然而﹐大家就是愛他。人們說﹐他有著非凡的魔力﹐神奇地吸引著球迷﹐一切一定是上帝天生賦予給他的。畢竟﹐"charisma"(非凡的領導魅力) 的希臘語原意是"恩賜"﹐"上帝的禮物"。有趣的是﹐許多記者也認為薩芬是網球史上最具領導魔力的人物之一﹐並不是大滿貫高手山普拉斯或者瑞典的BORG 才有這樣的封號。

Marat Safin’s won two Grand Slams tournaments; they are USO 2000 and AO in 2005. Still this is not the case. Safin is an unquestionable leader in the tennis pros popularity lists. Good sense of humor, ingenuousness and frankness, charming open smile... See what French Monde gives on his first round loss in the RG 2006: "Trying to get his Titan power after numerous hardships Demigod Safin will always be a magnet for the crowds’ attention unlike patient and emotionless Fernando Gonzales of Chile who’s technically won over him". Later Marat got into “Chilean trap” again.
薩芬曾拿過兩次滿貫﹐2000年美網及2005年澳網。不過﹐這不能真實反應他的獨特性。在網壇最受歡迎的球員名單中﹐他絕對是個領銜者。幽默風趣﹑率真﹑誠實﹑迷人的笑容.....聽聽法國時尚社交圈在2006年法網第一輪失利後怎麼說: 經過重重困難﹑努力找回自己強大力量﹐如神般的薩芬對群眾而言永遠是巨大票房磁石﹐跟耐心﹑沒有情緒起伏﹐打敗他的智利人Gonzalez不一樣"。之後﹐薩芬又再次栽在智利人手下。

Honesty is Safin’s prerogative
誠實是薩芬的特權
He has a reputation of the most equitable ATP player. Marat has proved many times to his opponents, umpires and crowds that if he says “the ball’s in” the ball is in, and if “it’s out” it is out. It often happens so that he umpires in favour of his opponent and never hashes up.
在ATP 圈裡﹐他享有最公正球員的美名。馬拉特在多次比賽中向對手﹑主審﹑觀眾證明﹐如果他說"球是進的"﹐球就真的是進的﹐而如果"球出界"﹐球果真出界了。他常常主動提出有利對手的證據﹐而不造成混亂。

If there’ve ever been any doubts considering this feature of the Russian they are to be eliminated with the introducing of the Hawk Eye technology in the US tournaments. Last weekend I watched Safin’s semifinal match. Marat serves, the umpire says “out”, one more serve and once again the ball is supposingly “out”. Marat seems to be fed up with that and asks for the Hawk Eye check. The ball is on the line, so the point should have been given to the Russian. And though Safin proved to be right whenever he asked for the Hawk Eye check, he’s against it. "I think it’ll ruin the game, take its tempo and dynamics. - He says. - Who is the genius that came up with this idiotic idea?"
如果有人質疑俄羅斯這個公平的人格特質﹐美網的鷹眼系統也能幫他討回公道。上周末﹐我去觀看薩芬的四強比賽。MARAT 發球﹐主審判" 出界"﹐再發一次﹐球又好像"出界" 了﹐薩芬再也受不了這些判決而要求鷹眼重播﹐球的確是壓在線上﹐這一分早應該給俄羅斯人的。即使透過鷹眼才證明自己清白﹐他還是反對鷹眼系統。"我認為它會擾亂比賽﹐節奏跟互動都受影響。"他說"哪個天才想出這麼白痴的玩意兒?"

Aborigine in Australia he is musketeer in France
澳網的原住民在法國變成持槍步兵
Being a couple of years ago in AO held Melbourne I got a new name there. Of course this name was Marat. When a taxi driver or a hotel server learnt I came from Moscow they said smiling “Oh, Marat Safin!” Although Melbourne was full of local hero Hewitt’s pictures, all what one could hear there’re conversations about Russian tennis player. Being a relaxed nation Australians are venturesome. They used to say that Marat’s Australian aborigine character, i.e. he stays cool and calm and then suddenly blows up…
幾年前澳網於墨爾本舉行時﹐我發現一個新人物﹐當然﹐這個人就是薩芬。不管是計程車司機或是旅館服務生一聽到我來自莫斯科﹐便會笑著脫口而出"喔﹐那個馬拉特薩芬" 。雖然墨爾本當地到處可見本土英雄 HEWITT 的照片﹐你也查覺到大家都在談論俄羅斯球員。在這快樂輕鬆的國度裡﹐澳洲人流著冒險的血。他們說﹐馬拉特有著澳洲原著民的特質﹐他總是靜靜地﹐酷酷地﹐卻瞬間爆發.....

In France for example people believe that Safin is named after their compatriot - famous revolutionary Marat. During recent DC matches in Pau Safin looked spectacular with his moustache, little imperial beard and reach chevelure. When Marat came to the official sortition I heard some of the local journalists whisper “d'Artagnan!” He really looked like a musketeer in the town considered being their place of origin.
法國人認為薩芬的名字是來自他們的同胞-有名的革命家馬拉特。最近一次在法國舉行的DAVIS CUP﹐薩芬看起來好偉大阿﹐留著鬍子﹑驕傲帝國味道的腮鬍﹑滿頭長髮。當馬拉特參加公開抽簽儀式時﹐我聽到當地記者耳語著"d'Artagnan (路易十六世時代步兵領袖) !!" 在步兵的發源地﹐他著實活像個步兵一樣。

We need your comebacks
我們都要你回來
Unlike Zemfira (Russian singer) singing “the last thing I need is your comeback”, we do want Safin to come back. Voluntarily or not the Russian carefully follows the “charisma rules”, i.e. if you really want to be cheered for, make the crowd get worried. Since there’s nothing more boring than consistency and predictability. During his tennis carrier Marat experienced a few impressing ups and lots of downs.
相反於俄羅斯歌手所唱"我們不願你回來"﹐我們真的希望薩芬回來。不論是有意的或者無意的﹐俄羅斯人彷佛遵照著領導人該走的路﹐亦即﹐要贏得歡呼前﹐你得先讓大家憂心忡忡﹐本來嘛﹐最無聊的事莫過於一成不變地穩定性與可預測性了。在精彩的職業生涯中﹐薩芬歷經一重重的起起伏伏﹐總是令人難以忘懷。

2003. Injuries come one after another: wrist, shoulder. Shamil Tarpischev counted then that for 8 months Safin got 7 various maladies with different gravity degree.
2003年﹐一傷接著另一傷﹐手腕﹑肩膀。DAVIS CUP 領隊 Tarpischev 算過﹐八個月內﹐薩芬被七種不同程度的傷病所困。

Then suddenly in the January 2004 came fabulous success. One by one he took out of the AO tournament Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and lost in the finals to Roger Federer. As an answer to the question how he had managed to achieve this he joked: “Traveling, fishing in California, driving. Wine, it helps to relax. Oh, I’ve forgotten training”.
之後﹐2004年一月﹐他奇蹟似地成功復出。在澳網﹐他一一打敗 RODDICK﹐AGASSI﹐最後才於決賽負於FEDERER。當被問到他是怎麼辦到的﹐他開玩笑說"旅行阿﹐在加洲釣魚﹑開車兜風。還有喝酒﹐它可以幫忙放鬆。喔﹐我都忘了要訓練了"

In the year 2005 success found him in Melbourne. And then recession and what’s more significant - the injury. This spring Safin said "It was extremely hard for me to get into the game, to find my form, rhythm. And it is the most important thing to find your rhythm".
2005年於墨爾本﹐他成功奪冠了﹐之後﹐狀態又不斷下滑﹐最後最糟地﹐又受傷了。這個春季薩芬表示"復出實在太難了﹐找不到狀態也找不到節奏。而﹐打球最重要的莫過於找到自己的節奏"

Now Safin says: "I’m physically ready. Maybe the legs are a little bit weak, but the head’s strong, and this is the most important thing in sport. Staying this way I’ll be defiantly back in the top10.
現在薩芬說 "生理上我已經沒有問題了﹐或許腿仍稍嫌脆弱﹐可是我有強大的意志﹐那才是運動的首要元素。如果能持續這種心態﹐我必能重回前十。

He is not like he used to
他不再是以前的他
Marat’s father, Mikhail Alekseevich asked not to wait for the immediate results from his son. "Patience, - he says. – Marat is not interested in doing nothing, he works on the limits of this abilities. He just needs some time. And as far as I know he is not going to be into something but tennis".
馬拉特的父親, Mikhail Alekseevich 要求大家不要期待他兒子很快能有成果。他表示"耐心等待吧"。馬拉特對於無所事事無法忍受﹐他總在挑戰能力的極限﹐而據我瞭解﹐他不會離開網球的。

Peter Lundgren, Safin’s trainer, admitted that he’s pleased to work with Safin.
A few days ago Nikolay Davydenko said: "No doubts, Marat is the leader in our DC team. He was the world top player, won Grand Slam’s tournaments. And I’m sure he’ll come back to the top10". Then kolya added: "I think it will happen next year".
PETER LUNDGREN﹐薩芬的教練也表示﹐他很高興這個合作機會。不久前﹐DAVYDENKO 說"無庸置疑﹐薩芬是我們DAVIS CUP 的領導人。他曾經是世界第一﹐滿貫得主﹐而我深信他會回到前十的。之後﹐DAVYDENKO 說﹐我想大概就是明年吧。

23.11.06 New article from December 2006 Australian Tennis Magazine - Top 10 things to love about Marat Safin.
by Steven Nicholson

2006 澳洲網球雜誌 - 十個喜愛薩芬的理由

Read them here and send your comments to the author.
讀後請給作者您的意見

不管贏球或輸球﹐有比賽還是沒比賽，善變的薩芬一言一行及一舉一動總是眾人的焦點。我們為什麼如此喜愛他? 讓我說說他的魅力吧

1. 身材: 六呎四高大身材及全身結實
的肌肉。肩膀如壁爐台般平直。你怎可能不愛他?

2. 笑容: 老是自己不以為然的輕笑﹐但又那麼迷人﹐從來不畏懼在場上表達自己的情緒

3. 亂七八糟但有極有趣的英文: 當談他談到非關網球的事情﹐真的很好玩。我個人最喜歡他BLOG裡的一段"有個愉快的周末夜!!我很忌妒你們呀﹐當然澳洲人不算﹐他們現在大概都在宿醉中 了(時差關係吧﹐MARAT 的意思)﹐住在莫斯科﹑巴黎﹑倫敦﹐還有邁阿密的﹐我都好蒙慕你們。也祝愛PARTY的朋友們通霄愉快﹐記得不要喝太多﹐喝醉容易失去理智﹔也要小心遠離毒品﹐那很危險的。希望每個人身邊都有人陪伴﹐如果沒有﹐也希望你有樂子所以不致感到空虛寂寞。有男友/女友的朋友們﹐祝你們有個甜蜜之夜﹐看點電視吧﹐ 再吵個架決定誰去洗碗﹐哈哈。好好地玩樂吧"。

4. 決心與勇氣: 一次又一次嚴重的傷病再辛苦復出﹐沒種的男人早就放棄了。

5. 百年澳網封王 :實在太令人難忘了﹐我們尤其崇拜在百年澳網前一年 (2004)﹐他從嚴重傷病
糟糕的排名一路闖進決賽

6. 炫目(耀)的行頭 : 他的刺青 (他說每個刺青都代表著特別的回憶) 及所有的項練(很有趣地﹐其
中一個是為了記念他穆斯林的血統)

7. 與家人的親密 : 熱愛母親﹑給予妹妹建議﹐即便他承認有時不被領情

8. 幽默感 (搞笑本能): 我們親眼看他在場上脫褲子﹑親吻主審﹑帶著辣妹芬迷坐在家屬包廂為他加油

9. 雙面薩芬 : 性格雙重的他簡直得自伊萬(宣稱自己有"三個伊萬 " )的真傳﹐像伊萬上了身似的

10. 良好的公關 : 在卡費瘋狂參賽說是為了比賽獎金引來惡劣形象後﹐他再次將俄羅斯男子網球提昇為時尚的象徵

The Agony (and Fleeting Ecstasy) of Marat Safin
薩芬的煩惱﹑哀愁與稍縱即逝的狂樂

He has been called the purest physical talent in the history of the game. So why doesn't Marat Safin dominate the tennis world? John Jeremiah Sullivan explores the dark psyche of tennis's tormented genius.

I've hated him, you know. I've hated that wack-job six-foot-four-inch beautiful genuis Tatar. Oh, never for long. Never with consistency that might have led to true renunciation. But there have been times when I wanted to see him... well, not suffer - because i know he suffers; he tells us so. It's one of this words - suffering: "I just suffer a bit more"; "I was suffering too much"; "That's why I am suffering"; "Why should I suffer?" Not that, then, but to see him humbled. Yes - scolded, even. I'm watching at home, let's say, and he's just netted a midcourt forehand approach shot for the twelfth time in the set, having gotten all freaked out about some completely inconsequential baseline error six games earlier, and maybe he's talking to himself, but loud enough for the mikes to pick up, saying things like "Why you fecking run? Why not you make heem fecking run?" when from nowhere comes a tiny, creaking voice. The crowd goes still. A filthy crone, a babushka, has materialized in the service box, and she's waving a bony finger at him. "You," she hisses, "you were born the greatest of them all, and look at you, muttering to yourself like a душевнобольной.You betray your gift, Marat Mikhailovich, and now you will know what it means to suffer."
他一直被公認是網球史上最純正的天才﹐然而為什麼他總是不能主宰網壇呢? JOHN 正在步步探索這位飽受煎熬的天才靈魂深處的心魔。

===========

你們知道嗎﹐我始終憎恨他。我恨這個脾氣古怪﹑六呎四高大又美麗的天才韃靼人﹐喔﹐但是這股恨意總是那麼一下子﹐總是無法持續這樣的情緒而遺忘放棄他。有很 多次我很想看到他...不是掙扎痛苦的樣子--因為我知道他始終很痛苦﹐他是這麼告訴我們的。他總是說自己SUFFERING(受煎熬痛苦)--"我蠻掙 扎的","我實在是太苦太難過了","這就是為什麼我總是很難受"﹐"為什麼我要這樣痛苦地過日子?" 我不是想看他這樣﹐而是看他被貶低﹑瞧不起的模樣﹐是的﹐甚至被狠狠訓一頓。我在家裡看他打球﹐恰巧看到這樣的情景﹐他在這盤已經上了12次網用大力正手 抽球﹐卻為了六局前離譜的失誤整個人發瘋失態﹐或許他是在對自己說話﹐但大聲到麥克風都轉播出來﹐於是觀眾斥責著 "你TMD幹嘛亂跑啊﹐你TMD不會主動調動對方嗎? 巧巧地這樣的責罵從莫名其妙的地方發出﹐觀眾始終不諒解他糟糕的表現。此時﹐一個戴著頭巾的老太婆突然出現﹐對著MARAT揮著她瘦骨如柴的手咒罵﹐" 你,你天生就是上天賞飯吃的天才﹐但卻老是咕咕噥噥地像個душевнобольной(我不知俄文這是什麼意思)。你背叛了自己的天賦﹐馬拉特﹐現在你 自食惡果知道什麼叫做掙扎﹑困惑痛苦了吧"

I take advantage of the ensuing awkward pause and test-drive the one theory that's always made the nearest semblance of sense to me, in trying to account for the Safin phenomenon, namely, perfectionism. He's said a few times that he sees himself as a perfectionist. Of course, he says so many things, but this one matches what you can see in his game, the way a single ugly shot can derail him from what looks like a certain win, the way an error on his part always seems to bother him twice as much as a great shot from his opponent, the way he almost never seems happy on court.
我試著循著剛剛的談話後短暫靜寂﹐測試我認為最能代表MARAT SAFIN現象的理論﹐即完美主義。他在不少的場合常說他自認是個完美主義者﹐當然他也表達很多其他心聲﹐但是我正在觀賞的這場比賽﹐便發現了他的毛病﹐ 只要在一個糟糕的擊球之後﹐他便開始偏離了原來的軌道﹐本來能輕易贏的比賽卻因此毀了。他先前所犯下的失誤深深困擾著他﹐這困擾遠比其他選手嚴重好幾倍﹐ 代價是他老無法專注於當下﹐因此在球場上他看起來一直很鬱悶不開心。

It's my feeling that Safin's relationship to the game is fundamentally aesthetic. He may occasionally bandy about that tiresome tennis shibboleth "result," which gets used about 1,500 times per press conference (as in "I made a good result," "The important thing is to get a result," etc.), but I don't think he really cares so much about winning qua winning. Oh, I mean, he cares passionately about it, of course, but there's another, deeper level at which what he cares about most is playing beautiful tennis, which means, for Safin, playing perfectly. That he has occasionally achieved this is sort of cruel, when you think about it. It's like Wilander said, when I asked him about his idea that the US Open final against Sampras in 2000 had, for a time, hurt Safin: "It turned out to be the worse thing.... Every time he stepped on a court, he expected to play that way."

我的心裡深處有這樣的感觸﹐薩芬和比賽存在著一種" 唯美" 的關係。或許他不時在採訪記者會裡會提到網球慣用的語詞﹐即"結果論"﹐他可能提了1500次 (如"我今天打的成績(結果)不錯"﹐"最重要的是莫過於獲取好的成果"等等)﹐但我實在不認為他真的那麼在乎輸贏。沒錯﹐他的確也熱切渴望贏球﹔然而另 外一方面﹐深入地去探究﹐對薩芬來說﹐他念茲在茲地還是自己有否完美的表現。回顧一下的他的職業生涯﹐有幾次的確達到了這樣的境界。韋蘭德 (很久前的世界球王﹐也是MARAT前教練)告訴我說﹐2000年美網決賽的獲勝對薩芬來說﹐有好長一段時間未蒙其利﹐只見他為之所害。"本來是美事一樁 ﹐但卻不幸對MARAT造成致命傷﹐每次MARAT一上場﹐他期許自己永遠能表現地像美網決賽那天一樣完美........."

There's something he said during the trophy ceremony after that Sampras match, something I didn't notice at the time but that sticks out now. They were trying to get his take on the match, and he said he couldn't really remember the match, that he remembered only the very last game, when he'd had to serve it out. And here is the curious thing: That's the only game in which Safin played less then perfectly. Sampras even had a break point on him in that game. It was like the whole rest of the match - the astonishing, gorgeous part - hadn't even existed.

2000 年在他贏了SAMPRAS後﹐他在頒獎典禮時提到一些當時我沒特別注意而遲至今日才突然浮現的有趣感言。記者們好奇地問他是怎麼贏的﹐他卻說自己什麼都不 記得了。而他記得的唯一的部分是﹐令人十分好奇不解的﹐竟然是他的最後發球局﹐山普拉斯有破發點﹐那也正是他整場表現稍稍不理想的唯一一局。賽後薩芬回憶 這場比賽只剩這個小瑕疵﹐其他場上優異驚人的表現﹐他全都忘得一乾二淨。

Well that's precisely how true perfectionism works. Contrary to what the rest of us may assume, your clinical, bona fide perfectionist doesn't especially give a crap about the perfection itself. That's just the way it's supposed to go. Nothing to get all gleeful about. The screwups, the moments - the countless moments - when the performance is out phase with the natural order: Those you notice, those you can get emotional about. And this, I really do think, is the reason that although Safin's reactions to his mistakes are perhaps unprecedented in their fury (and I'm not forgetting McEnroe here, but McEnroe was bratty, and Marat Safin, when he's shrieking or breaking rackets or destroying near-court objects, is sort of scary), his deportment in victory tends to be conspicuously muted and unimpressive.
怎麼說呢﹐這正是完美主義的體現啊。跟我們一般凡人邏輯相反的是﹐真正的完美主義者才不屑什麼叫 做完美。他們只知道﹐事情本就應該是如此進行地﹐也因此沒什麼好得意或高興的。如果搞糟了﹐當他們的表現並沒有發揮出該有的水平﹐他們的情緒便失控了。而 我真的認為完美主義也許是薩芬對自己所犯的錯誤反應過度激烈﹑超乎常人的原因 (我並沒有忘記麥克安諾McEnroe的脾氣﹐但麥球王只能說是壞小子﹐而薩芬的怒吼﹑摔拍或場上的破壞﹐簡直是 ...可怕﹑恐怖.....)﹔奇怪的是﹐當他面對勝利時﹐卻是出人意表的無聲和平靜﹐似乎不著痕跡。

You could see this on display after the most recent Australian Open final, against Hewitt. Safin had so many reasons just to go completely ape-shit after that match, to sob, to drop his shorts (like he did in last year's French Open), to throw a ball girl into the stands, whatever he wanted. In addition to not having won a Grand Slam final since his first, in 2000, he'd lost in the final of this particular event twice in the preceding three years. Just to reach Hewitt, he'd had to get past Federer, the current messiah of tennis. That had been a match for the ages - "the match of the year," as they're still saying on TV - an ungodly tense four-and-a-half-hour five-setter that saw match points for both players before the final game but that ended with Federer literally on his hands and knees, crawling toward the net in disbelief. And now here he was, having won the one-hundredth Australian Open against yet another favored opponent, having silenced armies of critics (they'd called him "the one-Slam wonder"), and I might mention that he'd just turned 25. And you know what he did? He gave the weakest little fist pump. I don't really know how to describe the gesture. It was like, "Cool, that went well." Sure you might say, maybe he doesn't like to show his emotions so much. To which one might reply, Have you ever watched a Marat Safin match?
對於這點﹐大家可以回想2005百年澳網面對休依特的決賽勝利﹐他大可以放 肆狂跳慶祝﹐哭泣﹑甚至像法網一樣脫了褲子﹐把球丟到看台上﹐他想怎麼樣都好。對於他來說﹐這冠軍睽違了5年﹐在前三年又在決賽上連番失利﹔而這次﹐在打 敗休依特之前﹐他必須闖過世界天王費德勒這關...那半決賽場是場難得的比賽﹐人們至今仍津津樂道的" 最精典的比賽"﹐他們目睹四個半小時兩大高手狂烈精彩的廝殺﹐落敗費德勒倚著手和膝蓋爬到網前一臉茫然無法置信的情景...而薩芬﹐終於贏了百年澳網冠軍 ﹐令那些批評他的球評閉上嘴巴﹑啞口無言(他們老說他是只拿到一個大滿貫的阿斗)﹐而我還要再次提醒大家﹐薩芬才剛滿25歲(年輕氣盛的時期)。
而 你知道他是怎麼反應來著﹐只是那麼輕輕地握著拳頭.....我實在不知如何形容這樣的舉止行徑﹐好像輕輕表態 "不錯﹐這場比賽進行得還算順利"。當然你可能會說﹐或許薩芬不喜歡太顯露自己的情緒﹐對於這種說法﹐相信很多人都會反駮你的 "你到底看過馬拉特薩芬的比賽嗎 (因為他比賽中始終很情緒化啊)?"

Back in the car, Safin wasn't having any of that. He's over his perfectionism, you see. "You start to realize," he said, "that apart from perfection, if you want to win, you have to be satisfied with the win. You don't have to play incredible tennis; you fight And the luck..."

回到車子裡﹐薩芬不再談論這些了。他似乎已克服了自己的完美主義。他說 " 你漸漸明瞭﹐除了追求完美之外﹐如果想贏球﹐得要學會對贏球本身感到滿意才行。你不一定要場場打出精典之球﹔你只要堅持奮鬥下去﹐另外再加上運氣幫忙....."

I can't stand the word "celebrity"
我受不了"名人"這樣的字眼!!!!

by Igor Rabiner of Sport Express newspaper
(俄國運動報記者Igor Rbiner)

A reporter’s life is full of sudden surprises. You come to a little Ukrainian restaurant next to Tsvetnoy Boulevard to have lunch without a tape recorder and a notebook, you look at the table next to you and suddenly see Marat Safin.You get slightly surprised - this place is nice but it’s nothing ultra fashionable. As any regular person I would think people of such calibre should go to ‘special’ places but Safin is here, quietly having a bite to eat in a very regular restaurant (for the most curious readers I state that Marat was alone and not drinking alcohol). The tennis player, who has grown a lot of hair and a little beard recently, is polite with waiters and talks to them in a half-whispering manner not wanting to be noticed.
身為一名記者﹐生活總是充滿著各種驚喜。 你來到一個烏克蘭小餐館﹐沒帶錄音機或隨身電腦﹐你朝四周瞧瞧赫然發現MARAT SAFIN就坐在你旁邊。你會覺得有點驚訝﹐因為這是個不錯的地方﹐但一點也不起眼。如同一般人所想的﹐重量級的人物應該都會去特別的地方﹐然而薩芬卻在 這裡﹐靜靜地在一個很普通的小餐館吃東西(報告給好奇的讀者﹐MARAT是獨自一個人在那裡﹐而且也沒喝酒喔)。這個頭髮最近變長也留了鬍子的網球手對服 務生很有禮貌﹐因不想引起注意所以對他們總是輕聲細語。

Your journalistic nature tells you - you cannot let this chance slip! It doesn’t matter that Safin is known for his unfriendly attitude towards journalists and that you mainly write about football only watching tennis simply as a spectator. But then again Safin likes football too - he once said in an interview that he dreams about ‘Spartak’s’ victory in the Champions League and in June, 2005 he rushed from his tournament in Munchengladbach for just one night to watch a Russia-Germany match and after that he visited the changing room of our team. Behavioural norms were not violated by a Sport Express journalist - I waited until Safin finished his meal, went up and introduced myself and got an agreement to do an interview right away. Three days later instead of the pre-agreed 30 minutes we spoke for an hour and a half. And the winner of US Open 2000, Australian Open 2005 and Davis Cup 2002 turned out to be a rather natural and open young man.
你的記者本性不自覺流露出來了﹐怎麼可能讓這個機會失去呢。就算薩芬對記者的態度一貫不好﹐他總覺得記者只愛寫足球只不過偶 而看看網球。不過﹐薩芬本身就是個足球迷﹐他曾在專訪中表示夢想Spartak能夠奪冠﹐而在今年6月時﹐他在Munchengladbach比賽中便溜 出一晚觀賞俄國和德國的比賽並到球隊的更衣室拜訪。我慢慢等待﹐沒有違反記者該有的道德﹐直到他吃完飯才上前自我介紹﹐便馬上得到他接受專訪的應允。三天 之後﹐雖然之前我們的協議是訪談半小時﹐但我們聊了一個半小時。這個2000美網﹑2005網及2002DAVIS CUP的冠軍竟是個十分自然又開朗的青年。

It’s cold and my knee hurts
現在天氣很冷﹐我的膝蓋很疼

Aren’t you scared to gain weight when you have lunch in a Ukrainian restaurant? The food there is very calorie-rich and you haven’t been playing for a few months due to an injury?
你在烏克蘭式餐廳吃飯不怕變胖嗎﹐這種食物可是高熱量的啊﹐而你因為傷勢關係又有好久沒比了不是嗎
Luckily, my body allows me not to be afraid of that. I have only gained two kilos since I stopped playing, now I weigh 95 kilos instead of 93.
幸運地﹐我體質讓我不用擔心這個問題。從我開始停止練習至今只有增重2公斤﹐以前是93公斤現在是95公斤。

Your status doesn’t force you to visit more posh places as they say nowadays?
你現在的地位不會如同人們所講的只能到高級優雅的地方去嗎
Oh, please! I go to this Ukrainian restaurant 3-4 times a week and a friend of mine owns it. Every restaurant of this chain has a huge box for donations, which are used to buy hospital equipment. Once he was skiing in Switzerland and broke his arm really badly. He turned to a doctor named Sergey Arkhipov, who literally put his hand together piece by piece. To thank the doctor my friend came up with this idea. Not so long ago with this money a hospital bought equipment worth 130 thousand euros.
喔﹐拜託! 我每星期到這餐館三四次﹐是我朋友開的。這餐館的連鎖店都有一個捐款箱幫助籌募買醫院設備的資金。我朋友有一次在瑞士滑雪結果手臂嚴重受傷。他去找 SERGEY ARKHIPOV醫師﹐耐心地幫他治療。為了感 謝這位醫師的仁心仁術﹐我朋友才有了這個想法。在不久之前﹐餐廳所募得的資金買了13萬歐元的設備。

As for the status, I cannot stand the word ‘celebrity’ and anything that it might imply. It’s total nonsense. When someone calls a person a celebrity, it’s like they are trying to turn him into a robot. And I am a human being.
至於你提到所謂的地位﹐我真是受不了"名人"這種字眼﹐或者名人所暗示影射的含義﹐那是毫無意義的。當有人被稱為名人﹐就好比人們要把它變成機器人﹐而我﹐是個有血有肉的平凡人。

You started this season with a brilliant victory at the Australian Open, then you missed quite a few tournaments and now you have withdrawn from the Masters Cup in Shanghai. When you do plan to return to court?
今年你有個燦爛的開始﹐拿到澳網冠軍﹐之後你放棄不少比賽﹐現在甚至退出年終大師杯。打算什麼時候重返球壇
If everything turns out how the doctors promised, I will start running slowly in two weeks, then in December I will slowly start putting some additional pressure on my body, no weightlifting or anything serious like that. My goal is to pick up good form for the Australian Open where I have a lot of ranking points to defend. I don’t know whether I will have enough time. I am still not allowed to do anything like run, do sharp movements. Even going up the stairs I have to be extremely careful. It’s cold today and my knee hurts. This is a permanent injury and I will never be able to completely get rid of it.
如果事情進行地如醫師判斷一樣的 順利﹐我在兩個禮拜後會慢慢地開始練習﹐之後12月時我會漸漸給身體多一點訓練﹐但不是舉重之類的東西。我的目標是要為明年的澳網保積分之前好好地將自己 調到最佳狀態﹐雖然我不能至定時間是否足夠。現在醫生還是不准我跑步或激烈的運動﹐即便是爬樓梯我都要格外小心。現在天氣很冷﹐我的膝蓋十分疼痛。這個傷 是永久的﹐我一生都沒辦法完全根治。

What’s it called?
是什麼傷
Torn fibres around the kneecap. All pressure passes through these fibres. I played injured for 6 months. I played Roland Garros after painkilling injections of up to 1400/1600 milligrams. It helped at the time but it was impossible not to limp after a match.
膝蓋骨肌纖維撕裂。所有的壓力都會經過這些肌纖維。我帶傷比賽6個月﹐在法網時都要注射高劑量的止痛針。在比賽時止痛針的確有發揮功效﹐在但比賽後我幾乎無法正常走路﹐步履艱難蹣跚。

Is that how you beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in Paris?
這就是你在巴黎如何贏JC的
Yes. This is the same way I won matches in Wimbledon. There my leg would only take two matches.
是啊﹐也是我在溫網贏兩場的方法﹐可惜在溫網我的腳在兩場比賽之後再也不能撐下去了

Do you regret playing injured for so long?
你是否後悔帶傷比賽如此久呢
I had something very similar five years ago. Every time I changed the surface, my knee was hurting and then in a couple of weeks it used to pass. I thought the pain would go away. It started to really hurt during Indian Wells. I was hoping it would be better when we moved to clay. It wasn’t. But I couldn’t get a proper cure - Roland Garros was ahead, Super 9 tournaments in Hamburg and Rome, Wimbledon. You have to play while you can, you cannot escape from it. However, after London I just couldn’t anymore.
在5年前我曾面臨相同的情況﹐每次更換場地我的膝蓋就會痛幾個禮拜﹐然後它們就自然消失了﹐所以這 次我以為也會如此。這次我是從INDIAN WELLS 開始有劇烈疼痛﹐當時希望疼痛能到紅土賽季後減輕﹐但卻沒有。那個時候﹐我沒辦法及時得到妥善的治療﹐法網就在眼前﹐八個大比賽接踵而至-漢堡﹑羅馬及溫 網。能打球時你必須要盡力去打﹐不能逃避﹐只不過﹐在溫網之後﹐我就真的不能再勉強下去了

Rushed to court before it was time
太早回到球場

So you went to Italy to get treatment?
所以你到義大利按受治療
Yes. I had calculated that I could afford missing tournaments for a month/a month and a half. However I obviously rushed out before it was time.
對﹐當時我估計放棄一個月到一個半月的比賽是OK的﹐但很顯然地﹐我太急了時機未到。

Why obviously?
為什麼這麼急
Two reasons. First of all, I had to play, to defend points. US Open was coming up and I had to gain form. In tennis one thing leads to another, it’s like a circle, which you cannot get out from. And even though I had been warned that I had to stay and get treatment for another 2-3 weeks, I took a decision and left. I got on court and ‘finished myself off’. It would be best now to make the treatment a little longer but Australian Open starts in January and I am the defending champion. I will already be out of the top 10 at the beginning of next year and if, in addition to that, I will play badly during this tournament, then I will not be seeded at large tournaments. I cannot allow that to happen even though right now I totally realise that my form in Melbourne will not be super. I will only start playing then.
有兩個原因。首先﹐我要比賽才能保分。美網馬上就 要開始﹐我得調查好狀態。網球是像個巡環﹐一個比賽帶動另一個比賽﹐你無法逃脫。雖然醫師警告要再治療2-3周﹐我決定不再治療離開。我回到球場打場﹐之 後把自己"玩完了"。如同此刻﹐我最好是再治療久一點﹐但澳網明年一月便開打﹐我是今年的冠軍﹐明年開始﹐我排名已經在十名之外了﹐如果我在澳網又表現不 好﹐往後的大比賽將淪為非種子球員。這樣情況千萬要不得的﹐即便我心裡很清楚在明年澳網我的狀態仍然無法達到最好。我只是要從那個時候開始復出打球了。

Let’s get back to your rushing out, what was the second reason?
我們回到你急著返回球場的問題吧﹐第二個理由是什麼呢
There is a huge difference between getting treatment in Moscow and in an unknown city. I knew no one in Bologna and stayed at the hotel. I wanted to howl I was so sick at heart. I hardly speak Italian and then there was this moment when I felt an urge to play. All in all, I couldn’t take it anymore there. I told the doctors I could not stand it any longer and went to Moscow, to my friends and family. And then I returned to court too soon.
在莫斯科治療跟在一個完全漠生的城市治療感覺是很不一樣的。在義大利﹐我沒有朋友住在旅 館裡﹐我真想從心底吶喊自己受傷有多嚴重﹐但我只懂一點點義大利文﹐而在某個時刻我十分渴望再回去打球。總之﹐我受不了了﹐我告訴醫師我不能在待下去便回 到莫斯科親友的懷抱﹐之後我太早回到球場比賽了......

Do you still go to Italy?
你還去義大利嗎
No, I go to a health centre near Kurskaya tube station. They have great specialists there, once in 2 weeks they fixed my hand, which had already made me miss 8 months of tennis. I trust them completely. A diagnosis was the same from everyone – Italians, Americans and our doctors. I had people coming up to me and saying - there is this fantastic doctor, he knows how to cure you. How the hell does this so called doctor know anything if we haven’t even met?
沒有﹐我到莫斯科的某醫學中心治療。 他們有優秀的專家﹐上次讓我離開球場八個月的手傷﹐他們在兩個星期便幫我治癒了﹐所以我完全信任他們。診斷結果都是一樣的﹐不管是義大利﹑美國或這裡的醫 師。常有人跑來告訴我﹐有一個很棒的醫師能治好你﹐但我不懂這個所謂"很棒的醫師"都沒見過我怎麼知道如何治好我呢

How do you know - is it from the money that you have?
怎麼知道(嗯...)會不會是因為知道你有錢
Life has been teaching me to recognise people like that. I make mistakes sometimes but on the whole I am becoming an expert.
我從生活中學會如何看人。有時候我會失準﹐但大體上而言我已經變專家了。

Have you thought of having surgery especially considering that it’s a permanent injury?
因為是永久性的傷﹐你有沒有考慮要動手術
I would have had to miss a whole year. I will be 27 in 2007. Plus I would have to go through hell- crutches, therapy. I think that I won’t be able to return to tennis after this.
如果動手術我勢必一整年都要缺席網壇﹐復出時便是27歲了﹐另外﹐我還要撐柺杖﹐復健治療﹐那麼我想我的職業生涯也將沒了。

They turn us into invalids
他們(ATP)把球手都搞成廢人

I remember your criticism addressed to ATP management with regards to the tournament schedule, which increases levels of injuries.
我記得你曾批評ATP對賽程的安排﹐導致球員不斷地受傷病困擾

Yes, I criticised them. We play non-stop for 11 months a year. We have one month to rest and get ready for the next season. How can we talk about health, rest and personal life? And the system is made in such a way that you have to play tournaments all year round. You cannot take a two week break if you are tired. And tennis balls change every time. Can you imagine football players having to play with balls of different weight all the time? Yes, I am in this business and I don’t want to die. But in addition to that I want to be healthy and I don’t want my colleagues to receive numerous injuries in one year.
沒錯﹐我批判他們。我們一整年打 11個月球都不得休息﹐當喘息一個月後就又要迎戰下一個賽季。這樣的安排怎麼談得上健康﹑休養生息﹑及生活品質? 而他們操作的模式逼使球員不得不整年比賽﹐你無法因為勞累就請假兩個星期之類的。而且官方指定的網球不停在更換﹐你能想像足球員上場比賽每次都用不同重量 的球嗎? 是的﹐我是網球事業的一員﹐但我不想被整死﹐而是要健健康康的﹐另外﹐我不想見到其他的球手終年被傷病所困。

Will I exaggerate if I say that this super tight ATP schedule turns you all into invalids?
如果我說ATP的賽事安排把大家都搞成廢人了會太誇張嗎
No, you won’t, it does. Not even a well-trained person can handle this pressure. That’s why by 30 most players retire.
不會﹐你的確說對了。即使是一個訓練精良的優秀人才也不能因應這樣的壓力﹐也因如此﹐大部分的球員30歲前就不得不退休了。

Then how do you explain the Agassi phenomenon?
那麼﹐你如何解釋阿加西的情況呢
It’s a mystery to us all. Well done, I take my hat off to him. I don’t know his secrets though, we don’t communicate much, there is quite a big age gap.
對我們其他來說﹐這還是個謎。他真的很厲害﹐我摘下帽子向他致敬。不過我不曉得他的祕方﹐我們不是那麼熟﹐畢竟年齡有一段差距。

How do you treat the opinion that your injuries are a result of your tennis routine violations?
人們說你的傷勢源自於你打球常太暴躁(常犯規?),對這樣的評價你自己有何看法

To those people, who think that way I would like to remind them that tennis is my life and my business. All that I have, I owe it to tennis. And I treat my business just the same way as let’s say a chairman of the bank treats his. Will he go to work with a headache and swollen face suffering from a hangover? Neither will I, I cannot abuse something, which is the basis of my lifestyle. And then I play for Russia and not for some Thai Pei, where no one even watches tennis. Here they notice these things right away.
對於這些人﹐我想說﹐網球是我的生命也是我的事業。我現在 所擁用的一切都是因為網球﹐而我處理我的事業的態度跟一個銀行總裁經營公司一樣認真用心。試問這公司老板如果頭痛﹑或因喝酒宿醉臉部浮腫還會去上班嗎? 他不會﹐我也不會的﹐我不會糟蹋自己的生活品質。我會為俄國打球﹐而不是什麼Thai Pei(js: 這是哪裡?)那種沒人看網球的地方。在俄國這裡﹐他們觀察敏銳﹐有什麼事情都馬上知道了。

I am already 25 and not 18 when I could have gone out to play after a party and treated tennis differently. Knowing what kind of money I earn people tend to think that I party every night and don’t give a damn about tennis. This point of view is not only stupid but it is also an insult to me. It is very unpleasant to communicate with people who think like that. It means that this person is ‘spitting in my face’ thinking that I am just lucky because I have the talent. How many of these same talents weren’t able to remain in professional tennis! Take Marcelo Rios for example. When he worked - he was the first, then he stopped taking the business seriously and had to leave. And if I treated tennis in the same manner I would not be around. It was ten years ago that you could reach a final of a serious tournament with just your serve. Now everyone has impeccable preparation, everyone has a whole team behind him. You get into the changing room and look at these guys shirtless and get an impression that you have come to a bodybuilding contest, that’s how much time people spend in gyms with their fitness coaches. You won’t get far with just talent nowadays!
我 已經25歲了﹐18歲年少輕狂我大可以去參加PARTY﹐對網球不太正視。當人們知道我賺了不少錢便以為我一定是夜夜笙歌﹐對網球不屑一顧﹐這樣的批評不 僅是愚蠢﹐簡直對我是一種侮辱﹐跟這種想法的人溝通非常不愉快的。他們好像是朝著我吐口水﹐認為我只不過恰巧幸運有天賦罷了。想想看有多少天才的球員在網 壇卻不能生存!! 舉里奧斯 RIOS (巴西前天才球手)為例﹐當他進入職業生涯時是第一的﹐之後他沒有好好把網球當一回事便被淘汰了﹐如果我也是這樣的態度的話﹐今天我不會還在這裡。十年前 ﹐或許你只要能大力發球便能輕鬆進入決賽﹔現在的球員不只人人準備充份﹐還有整個團隊來支援。如果你進到更衣室會錯以為自己進入健身比賽會場了﹐你便知道 大家花多少時間與健身教練來訓練。現在﹐光有天分﹐你混不了多久的。

What’s more important for you - to be first in tennis or to live a balanced life?
對你來說什麼比較重要﹐稱霸網壇還是過優質的生活?

To be first in tennis and live a balanced life.
稱霸網球並且過優質的生活。

Just like in that proverb - it’s better to be healthy and rich than to be ill and poor.
俗話說﹐健康有錢總比貧窮又病痛好
That’s right. I was number 1 for 12 weeks and in the times of Sampras, Kafelnikov, Rafter and even Becker and Korda and Federer and Ferrero have appeared already. I only left that spot when I had torn a ligament. It turned out that 1 is a very tough number. You get this feeling of reaching a ceiling, like you hit something and cannot go higher, and when you’re a bit lower you have something to aim at.
正是。 當Sampras, 卡菲尼可夫﹐拉夫特(澳洲名將)﹐甚至貝克(德國名將)﹑克爾達﹑JC 費德勒都在網壇競爭時﹐我就曾經登上世界第一(為時12周)﹐我離開是因為靱帶裂傷。後來發現﹐第一﹐是一個難以承受的數字。你感覺自己已經碰到頂﹐再也 升不上去了﹐當你在低一點的位置 時﹐你反而有目標去衝刺。

I cannot lie around on the sofa watching TV
我沒辦法盡是躺在沙發上看電視

When you spend months undergoing therapy do you feel discomfort or on the contrary enjoy life?
當你數月休戰接受治療時﹐你覺得不愉快嗎﹐還是很享受生活?
I treat injuries differently compared to younger days. Tennis, too. I had a few moments of crisis on those days when I hated it and wanted to quit. Now I understand that I owe everything to tennis. And I would be stupid to claim that I would have reached the same level without it. I play not only because it pays good money but because I enjoy it. The more I like it, the better I play and therefore the higher the level of my life. Satisfaction, results and money all go together as a whole. That is why the times of uncertainty, when the moment of my return to court keeps being postponed, I cannot call them good times. Certainty is always better, either a yes or a no.
我看待受傷的態度跟年輕時不同﹐看網球的態度也變了。我曾經跌 入深谷﹐憎恨一切想要放棄。現在我很清來﹐我該在網球上更盡心力﹐因為網球給了我許多。如果我大放厥詞說沒有網球我也可以如此成功﹐那麼我就是個蠢蛋。我 打球﹐不只因為我可以致富﹐而是我真的喜歡。我更享受打球﹐我便會打得更好﹐我的生活水平因之也會提高﹐成就感﹑滿足及財富全部隨之而來。因此當情況不明 朗﹐我必須要延遲復出時﹐那是痛苦難捱的時刻。大家都需要確定感﹐任何時刻都一樣﹐不管答案是 是 或是 否 都好。

What if no?
如果是 "否"呢
This is a professional sport. It came and went. In any case I would say ‘thank you’.
這是職業球賽﹐你進入﹐終有一天要退出。不管情況如何﹐我都謝謝你的關心。

Are you meaning to say that you are mentally ready to accept the fact that injuries will one day force you to terminate your career?
那麼你也暗示著你心理已有準備你的傷勢可能迫使你結束網球職業?
I suppose so.
我想是吧

If it happens, what will you do?
那麼你打算做什麼呢
This is the most difficult part - what to do after a career? I ask advice from my closest friends. When I was passing through bad times they were always with me, one of them even went to tournaments to China with me.They are normal people, no snobs and I know that they won’t leave me. I hope we manage to figure something out together.
這是最困難的一點-退休後到底要幹什麼好? 我會請好友給我建議。當我在低潮的時候﹐他們總在身邊支持﹐其中一個甚至一起跟我到中國去。他們都是一般凡夫俗子﹐不是勢利的小人﹐我知道他們不會離開我。希望我們能一起構思出未來的方向

Won’t you be able to afford to live off what you have already earned?
你目前所賺的錢難道不夠往後退休的生活嗎
The worst thing for a man is a ceiling. When there is nothing to do and no future a man starts to degrade. And I love life. I constantly need to do something, I can’t just lie around on the sofa watching TV. Days, hours, minutes fly by, life is great and it’s really stupid to waste time in order not to regret aimlessly wasted years.
對一個人來說﹐到達頂峰是最糟的。當你無所事事﹐未來沒有目標﹐人變開始墮落喪志。而我熱愛生命﹐我一定要有事做﹐我沒辦法躺著看TV過日子﹐幾天﹐幾小時﹐幾分鐘就這麼飛逝了。生命是如此美好﹐浪費時間將來才後悔莫及未能及時把握是多麼不值得

Where will you settle down?
你打算在哪裡定下來
I have lived everywhere, I know three languages - English, Spanish and a little bit of Italian. I have my own apartment in Moscow, family, friends. I have a place in Monte Carlo. A lot of things still tie me to Spain, where I always train because it is much more comfortable there than in Russia. Plus tennis dictates a lifestyle, which you can’t lead staying in one place. I have lived like that since I was 15, I cannot even imagine being in the same city for over three months. I have to keep moving, otherwise it feels like I am missing something. That is why I shall decide on the settlement place after I finish with my career.
我住過世界各地﹐我懂三國語言﹐英文﹐西班牙文和一點點義大利文。莫斯科﹐我有一套房子﹐家人﹐朋友。蒙特卡羅也有一套。我也常常 會在西班牙訓練﹐因為天候比俄國舒適許多。另外﹐網球也主導了一個球員的生活方式﹐你不可能老是住在固定的地方。這樣流浪般的生活已經有15年了﹐現在我 都不敢想像在同一個城市待上超過三個月是什麼感覺。我得要一直飄泊﹐不然總覺得欠缺點東西。這也就是我覺得自己只能在退休後才可去思考到底到定居在何處的 問題。

Are you in touch with Kafelnikov?
你有跟 卡菲尼可夫 聯絡嗎
Yes.
有啊

Has he managed to interest you in golf and poker?
他有沒有影響你去玩牌或打高爾夫球
No. I am not a gambler at all that is why I don’t fancy poker or any other card games. I also have no patience so golf is out of the question, too.
沒有。我不愛賭博﹐所以對打牌沒興趣﹐我也沒有耐心﹐所以高爾夫也沒什麼好談的

Do you think it was easy for Kafelnikov to retire?
你覺得對卡菲來說﹐決定退休很簡單嗎
We have different characters. Zhenya said he was quitting and did it right away. I wouldn’t be able to do that. I have no idea how he had the strength to make such a decision in one day. I am temporarily not playing and still it’s really hard.
我們個性不同。ZENYA(卡菲說退就退﹐十分乾脆。我沒辦法這樣﹐很納悶他怎麼有勇氣在一天之內做出如此重大的決定。目前我雖然暫時不打球﹐但還是蠻難調適的。

My grandpa dug foundation pits for skyscrapers
我爺爺曾為摩天大樓挖基地

How do you spend your time now that you can’t train?
現在休息你如何打發時間

I arrive at the clinic at 11 nowadays, to do the treatment. Then I go to the gym and work on my upper body - that’s the only thing I am allowed to do. Then I go swimming and go back to the clinic for the rest of my treatment. Then I work on my apartment. I really enjoy it and now I am also helping my parents to do up their apartment.
我11點會到診所去進行治療﹐之後到健身房鍛練上半身--這是目前我唯一獲 准去做的事﹐然後我會去游泳再回到診所完成一天的治療。其餘的時間﹐我去整理布置自己的公寓﹐我做得很高興﹐也幫父母整理他們的公寓。

Do you hang around a lot with them?
你常跟爸媽在一起嗎
Yeah, I just had lunch with them today. We were never as close as we are right now. They understand me perfectly and support me a great deal. I even have fun with them.
是啊﹐今天才跟他們一起吃午餐而已。我們現在比以前還要更親密﹐他們很瞭解我﹐支持我。跟他們在一起很有意思。

I heard you went to your motherland the other day?
我聽說你拜訪自己的故鄉
Yes. First my Dad and I went to Kazan, we were invited by the President Shaymiev and then we went to this little village in the middle of nowhere in Tatarstan, where my grandpa once lived. We were looking for his house and suddenly this 80 year old granny shouts out ‘Are you Marat Safin?’ I was shocked that anyone knows me in a place that I have never been to before, 500 kilometres away from Moscow which you can’t drive to, can barely walk to and where they don’t even have signs with street names. And when they know who you are, you start to understand how popular tennis is in Russia.
是的。一開始我和爸爸接受總統的邀請到KAZAN去﹐之後到一個無人知曉的小 鎮Tartarstan去﹐以前我爺爺就住那兒。我們在找他住的那間房子﹐突然之間有個80歲的老伯伯大喊"你是薩芬嗎" 當時我好驚訝啊﹐在一個莫斯科城外500公里我未曾到過的荒淹之地竟然也有人認識我。當你發現他們認識你﹐ 你才明白網球在俄國是多麼火。

What made it so popular?
是什麼原因促使網球的興起呢
It’s not a what - it’s a who. Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin. If the first Russian President never played tennis it would have been just a casual sport. But nowadays people know so much about it that you start to wonder how.
這不是"什麼"﹐而是"誰"的問題﹐葉爾欽。如果俄國第一位總統從不打網球﹐那麼網球還是不會受到矚目。但你看現在人們對網球有多瞭解與熱衷﹐你才開始在懷疑到底是為什麼

Is your Grandpa still alive?
你的爺爺還健在嗎
Yeah, he is over 80 now. He goes to every Kremlin Cup, every security guard knows him and lets him in without a pass. A long time ago, in the 1930s without a passport he decided to go to Moscow hardly speaking Russian at all. No one used to leave places like that village where he is from, but he did it for his family. He said he was going to Moscow and to try to get lucky. He dug foundation pits for skyscrapers by hand and built the first tube stations. He lived through the whole war and was wounded twice. He got a place to live in Moscow, got married, had three sons, one of them is my Dad. It turns out Safins’ have it in the blood to strive for perfection.
是啊﹐他已經八十多歲了。每場克里姆林杯他都會去觀看﹐每個安全人員都認識他﹐不需要通行證。很久 以前﹐1930年代時他沒有護照也幾乎不會俄語便決定到莫斯科去。在他居住的小鎮沒有人像他一樣離開﹐而他為了家人犧牲盡力。他說他去莫斯科試試看會不會 幸運之神眷顧有個好發展﹐他赤手幫摩天大樓挖基地﹐建造第一座管道站 (不清楚是什麼東西)。他經歷了整個戰爭時期﹐受傷兩次。後來在莫斯科找到地方住下來﹐結婚生了三個兒子﹐其中一個是我爸爸。我發覺薩芬家族成員都流著追 求完美的血液。

Do you speak the Tartar language?
你會說Tartar話嗎
I understand a few words but I have never learned how to speak it. But I think I shouldn’t be blamed for that. My Grandpa still doesn’t speak Russian very well but he said everything with his actions. I don’t think I would have become what I am right now if it wasn’t for him.
我知道一些詞但始終沒學會怎麼說﹐但我想這不是我的錯吧。我爺爺俄語還是不太好﹐但他說話時舉止生動。如果不是爺爺﹐不會有今天的我。

My parents set up a transfer from football to tennis
我父母安排我從足球轉到網球發展

Is it true that someone didn’t accept you in a football section due to the fact that you were too short?
聽說你因為太矮所以在足球部被拒絕了

I heard this fable. It’s total nonsense. I desperately wanted to play football and I was accepted to the Spartak school. I went there for about a month and a half and it turned out that there was no one who would accept me there. Now I understand that this was set up on purpose and I am grateful. I definitely couldn’t have reached my present level if I continued with football.
我聽過這個胡謅之言﹐荒謬至極。我當時好想踢足球﹐而且Spartak學校也收我為學生了。我在那裡待了一個半月﹐同圍的人似乎都不太接受我。現在我才知道﹐這樣的情況是事先安排好的﹐而我真的只有感激。可以確定的是﹐如果我繼續發展足球﹐我絕不可能達到現在的成就。

Nonetheless you remain a Spartak supporter?
即便如此﹐你一直都是Spartak的擁護者
I grew up there! My Mum worked in their tennis club. I worshipped Spartak in football, hockey and other sports. Even when I lived in Spain I managed to watch some Champions League games with Spartak. I was a really passionate supporter. Now, however, I am signed with Dinamo.
我在那裡長大的啊﹐我媽媽在網球部工作。我崇拜Spartak的足球﹑曲棍球及其他運動。我在西班牙時也會看Spartak的比賽﹐是個十足的熱情球迷。不過現在我向DINAMO簽合約了。

So whom do you support in football now?
所以你現在支持那一隊呢
Spartak is still closer to my heart. (smiles) I am glad the team is being re-born.
Spartak還是更貼進我心呀 (微笑)﹐我很高興這個球隊又重生了

Was it difficult for your Mum to give you into the hands of complete strangers and let you go to Spain at the age of 14?
你媽媽在14歲時將你送到西班牙陌生人手中﹐對她來說是不是很難受
I think she understood that there was no other way. In the 1990s our tennis was totally hopeless. No racquets, no balls, no tournaments. It was impossible to break through staying in Russia. In men’s tennis there is still no proper system of preparing the kids up to now. The results speak for themselves - what is going to happen to the guys who are coming after us is a mystery. If a person wants to achieve something by the age of 18 he has to at least be in top 200. If you’re in top 700 then in my opinion that means that you’re not playing seriously but fooling around.
我想她明白除此之外別無他路了。1990年代我們的網球是很無助的﹐球拍﹐練習球﹐ 比賽什麼都沒有﹐待在俄國不可能有進展。即便到現在﹐男子網球我們還是沒有完整的培訓系統。結果會說話﹐騙不了人的﹐後繼的人才到底會有什麼成就仍舊充滿 不確定性。如果一個球手要有成就的話﹐在18歲之前必須打進前200名﹔如果你是前700名﹐我的意見是﹐你不是在打球而是在混日子。

Our female tennis boom is because of Kournikova
我們女子網球的崛起要歸功於庫娃

Why is our female tennis progressing at such high speed?
為什麼我們女子網球會成長如此快速
It’s easier to break through there. And in addition, we are living through a real female tennis boom unlike the men’s. You know who we should thank for that? Even though everyone is trying to deny it - it is thanks to Anna Kournikova. Anna showed what levels of popularity one can achieve in tennis. Parents took their daughters to tennis courts because of her influence.
女子網壇要突破比較容易﹐另外﹐我們正好經歷女子網球風潮﹐不像男子還停滯中。你知道我們該感謝誰嗎? 就算大家都想否認--但真的庫維功不可莫。庫娃讓大家看到網球打好的話你會多受歡迎﹐受到庫娃效應影響家長們帶著他們的女兒去打網球。

What do you think about the path she’s chosen?
你對她選擇的路線有何想法
I have known Anna since we were six, I like her a lot. We have our separate lives. Who forced her to evolve life around tennis? The fact that a person decided to make such drastic changes in her life talks of nothing but her strength. To quit everything you’ve lived for, for 15 years and try to do something new is very hard. I wouldn’t have managed to do it even if I had opportunities like hers.
我從六歲就認識她了﹐我很喜歡她。我們過著不同的生活。當時有誰逼她生活在網球場裡呢?她下 如此大的決心去改變生活表示她是個堅強的人。放棄你15年來賴以為生的東西嘗試全新的生活是很不容易的。就算我有她那樣的機會﹐我也沒辦法做到。

What do you think about the whole fuss over Maria Sharapova?
那麼莎娃風潮你有什麼想法
Nothing for now. She stormed in at the beginning and we shall see what happens next. Our paths don’t cross - different age, different interests. We know each other, no more than that.
目前沒有。她現在氣勢正旺﹐我們可以觀察後續的發展。我們成長的方式沒有交集﹐不同的年紀﹐不同的興趣。我們彼此認識﹐如此而已。

Does Dinara consult you on professional matters a lot?
妹妹會跟你討教網球嗎
No. At the age of 19 a person has to make their own mistakes, hurt themselves, otherwise you cannot become strong. You’ve been through this, I’ve been through this and she will, too. Dinara has grown up, we started to communicate more and during, for example, Grand Slams we go and have dinner when we get a chance. But I don’t barge in with my advice.
不。19歲的青年必須自己去承受失敗﹐受傷﹐不然你無法堅強走下去。你曾這樣走過﹐我也是﹐她也將如此。妹妹已經長大﹐我們聊得更多﹐譬如在大滿貫比賽時有機會時會一起吃晚餐。但我不會用我自己的想法去甘涉她的職業路途。

Do you want your sister to live up to the surname or you don’t care what ranking she’s got?
你希望妹妹也傳承薩芬家的榮耀嗎﹐或者你不在乎她到底排名多少
It doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that she remains a normal human being. And I don’t care whether she is 10th, 300th or quits tennis as such. It is more important that everything she does makes her happy and does her good.
這些都不重要。最重要的是她還是個正常的凡人。我不管她到底是排第十﹐300﹐或甚至放棄打球。我比較重視的事﹐她做的事使自己開心﹐對她有益處那就好了。

Whom do you support from the Russian girls?
你支持哪些俄國女選手
All the girls are great. Sometimes you see how fame changes people but it didn’t spoil our girls.
所有的女孩們都很棒。你常常看到名聲使人改變﹐但我們的女孩們都還保有原來的樣子﹐沒被寵壞

Roddick and I don’t talk to each other
我跟羅迪克不太說話

Is there anyone from the top players you haven’t managed to build a relationship with?
和哪些頂尖球員你處不好

Roddick and I don’t talk to each other. We fell out during the Olympic Games in Athens.
我和羅迪克不太說話﹐從雅典奧運開始的

What hapenned?
發生什麼事呢
I am not going to say anything, it’s stupid. But the man has changed and not for the best. I’ve known him, Federer and Hewitt practically since childhood, we’re of the same age, we’ve been playing each other forever. I have an excellent relationship with the other two. Federer became more disciplined, serious, a real Swiss. He is a very good person. Once I had to present some one I knew with a racquet and I didn’t have one on me. I asked Roger for one and he gave it to me without hesitation. I have wonderful memories about Sampras – he treated me really well and I respected him deeply. Just as I respect Agassi.
現在我不想多說什麼﹐有點多餘﹐ 只能說他變了不少﹐但不是正面的改變。從小時候開始﹐我便和他﹑費德勒﹑兔子認識﹐一起打球了﹐跟其他兩位球手還是十分要好。費德勒變得較有紀律自我要求 ﹐嚴肅﹐一個典型的瑞士人﹐他是個很NICE的人﹐有一次我必須要送人一把球拍但是手邊沒有﹐我向他要﹐他不假思索便給我一支。對於山普拉斯我也保有美好 的回憶﹐他對我很好﹐我打從內心尊敬他﹐就像尊敬阿加西一樣

You have admired Federer’s game on numerous occasions. Some people actually consider him the best player of all times. Do you agree?
在不同的場合裡﹐你都推崇費德勒的球技。有些人認為他是有史以來最佳的網球員﹐你同意嗎
I’d say yes. He has everything a perfect player should have. You can find flaws in Agassi and Sampras but Federer has none.
我覺得是的。他具有完美球員的各種特質﹐你或許在山普拉斯及阿加西上會發現他們的弱點﹐但費德勒堪稱完美無缺

Nevertheless you managed to beat him in the Australian Open semi final?
僅管如此﹐你在澳網半決賽還是打敗他了
It happens (laughs).
就這麼發生了 (笑)

What flaws do you have in your game?
你自己的缺點是什麼
Even though I hit balls in motion much better now I am still far from perfect. You see, I trained in Spain where they don’t really pay perfection too much attention. What else? Due to my height I am limited in movement on court. I could play better at the backline. Oh and by the way, this is an answer to those who think talent and height are a key to any problem. There are other things, which I am not going to talk about. I would call them ‘well covered holes’. I cannot get rid of them, but I can cover them up.
雖然我現在打球更有節奏﹐但離完美還遠著呢。你知道我是在西班牙受訓的﹐他們並不 太在意追求完美。還有呢﹐由於我太高﹐多少限制了場上的移動﹐在底線我發揮地比較好。喔﹐順道一提﹐這是天賦與高度是問題關鍵的答案......有些事情 我不想講﹐只能稱它們是"隱藏良好的漏洞"﹐我沒辦法去改變既有的現實﹐但有辦法不使之顯露出來

Is your main dream to win Roland Garros?
你的最大夢想是法網
Yes. In Paris the crowd treats me amazingly ever since 1998, when I really showed myself and had beaten Kuerten and Agassi. Even when we were winning over French in the Davis Cup final, the French applauded me can you believe it?
是的﹐從1998年我出道打敗庫爾騰和阿叔﹐巴黎的球迷們始終對我特別熱情。甚至在法國主場我們贏了DAVIS CUP 決賽﹐法國人還是為我鼓掌叫我﹐你能相信嗎﹐不可思議

Did your Mum tell you how she played Roland Garros?
媽媽有告訴你她比賽法網的經驗嗎
I am not interested. As if I have nothing better to talk to my mother about!
我沒興趣知道這些﹐好像除了這個我跟媽媽沒話可說似的 (MARAT意思應該是他跟媽媽有很多事可聊吧...)

What do you think of our supporters?
你對我們國家的球迷有何看法
They are very demanding and that is why it is rather difficult for me to play in Moscow. But nonetheless Russian supporters like me more than the Brits like Henman, who has been hated in London because he cannot win Wimbledon. But everyone forgets that there was no one in England like him for a 100 years! So in comparison to him I have nothing to complain about. I feel that in Russia I am no longer considered as a ‘spoilt by fate’ brat that doesn’t care about anything. Now I walk along the street, go into shops and I hear ‘Get well Marat!’ That’s nice. And when little kids pull their mums’ dresses and whisper ‘Mummy, do you know who this is?’ - it really gets to me. That is why when they ask me to visit Tver or Kazan in order to attract kids to tennis I go without thinking twice.
他們要求很高﹐所以我在莫斯科打球備感壓力。但他們是喜歡我的﹐不像亨曼因為沒能贏得溫網總是被 英國球迷憎恨﹐但大家都忘了百年來沒有英國人像他這樣啊!! 跟他比起來﹐我沒得抱怨了。我感覺在俄國﹐人們不再視我為不可一視被盛名所寵壞的小孩了。現在我走在街上﹐去商店買東西都會聽到" MARAT要早點康復喔!!V感覺很溫馨。還有當有些小孩拉著媽媽的衣服輕聲地問說 "媽咪﹐你知道他是誰嗎 ?那時我心中湧滿感動﹐這也是為何人們邀請我到Tver或Kazan去鼓勵小朋友打網球我毫無猶豫便去了兩次。

Do you think of having your own children?
你想不想有小孩
I would love to become a father, even in the next year or two. But up to now I haven’t met anyone I would have kids with!
我很想當爸﹐甚至明年或後年都好﹐可惜到目前為止﹐我還沒找到能共組家庭的對象

I don’t like Wimbledon. And US OPEN only for New York.
我不喜歡溫網﹐也不喜歡美網﹐參加只因我愛紐約

Do you still have a tricky relationship with Wimbledon?
你還是跟溫網搞不好關係
I do not like this tournament. One of the reasons is a totally disastrous sportsmen treatment. Here’s an example. We get 20 pounds for lunch. I have a coach and a masseuse and one portion of the most uneatable spaghetti costs 12 pounds, a portion of tasteless strawberries with cream from a sachet costs 5 pounds, coffee - another 5. The rest of the food is horrible - fish and chips everywhere and hamburgers. I can pay myself of course. What’s really unappealing is disrespect. How can you give such a treatment to people, who waste lots of health and strength earning tons of money for the organisers? Wimbledon’s profit alone is around 60 milliom pounds!
我不喜歡這個比賽。原因之一是他們對待球員糟透了﹐舉例來說﹐午餐供應20英磅。我有一個教 練﹐一個按摩師﹐一盤難以下嚥的義大利麵12英磅﹐加奶油沒味道從香袋裡拿出來的草莓5英磅﹐咖啡又是5英磅﹐其他的食物真的也很糟﹐不管是魚﹑薯條或是 漢堡都一樣。當然我可以自己掏腰包﹐但最難過的是" 不受尊重 "。你對於這些犧牲健康及精力為你賺下巨額收入的球員怎可如此呢? 溫網的收入可是六千萬英磅啊

Maybe you don’t like Wimbledon due to the surface as well?
或許也是因為你不喜歡溫網的場地吧
You can get used to grass. In 2001 I was in the quarterfinals, I played really well this year and would have got further than two rounds if it wasn’t for the knee. In Halle I almost beat Federer in the final on grass. It is another thing that it is very hard for me to switch from clay to grass, I don’t have time to get used to it. But the surface has nothing to do with it. Only for supporters is Wimbledon traditions and promotion but Wimbledon for players is horrible treatment.
你能適應草地球場的。 2001年我曾打入1/4決賽﹐今年我打得也很好﹐只是膝傷使我止步到第二輪﹐在哈雷決賽差點就擊敗費德勒。當然其中有一個問題是因為時間的關係﹐從紅土 轉換到草地對我而言有點難﹐但我不喜歡溫網跟場地一點關係也沒有。對於球迷﹐溫網代表著傳統和宣傳﹐但溫網對球員的待遇實在太差了

Nevertheless, are you hoping to win it one day?
即使如此﹐你也希望有天能奪冠吧
That would be hard to do.
那很難吧

At what other Grand Slams is the organisation suffering?
還有哪裡大滿貫你有意見
US Open. There are constant transport problems to get to the stadium and back. Food is unbearable as well - you get dried pizza, which has been lying around for about 5 hours, coffee is black water. And after September 11 the police have become animalistic - they are everywhere, questioning you at the entrance to the stadium, if you say something wrong you will be taken to police headquarters. You’re forced to take shoes and even shorts off at the airport, they’re really rude to you. This makes me go mad. Only New York itself saves the situation - it’s a fantastic city. I usually live nowhere near the majority of players. Old districts have really wonderful places, which the others don’t know about yet.
美網。球員的接泊問題一直都沒有解決。食物也好不到哪裡去-你吃的是放了5小時乾掉的披薩﹐咖啡好像是黑色的開水。而自從 911事件之後﹐公安人員簡直如野獸般粗暴﹐到處都公安﹐在入口對你不斷質問﹐假如你不小心說錯話馬上帶去警局。在機場他們逼你脫鞋﹐脫衣服﹐非常不禮貌 ﹐這種態度簡直令我瘋掉。還好紐約是個美麗的城市﹐抵消掉一些不愉快。通常我跟其他球手不一樣﹐自己住在遠遠的地方﹐紐約有些老市區很有意思﹐其他人都沒 去發掘的。

Are you friends with any of your colleagues?
你有沒有網球選手朋友呢
Tennis has become such an individual sport that I think no one is really friends with anyone. I hang out with many, first of all with Kolya Davydenko, Igor Andreev and Misha Youzhny. But we all have our own lives.
網球已經漸漸變成一種個人運動﹐我想沒有人跟其他選手是真正的好友。我跟很多選手出去玩﹐好比戴維登科﹑安德烈夫﹑尤茲尼﹐不過我們都有自己的生活。

What place do the Olympic Games occupy on your scale of sports valuables?
奧運在你心目中的分量是如何
It’s obviously very prestigious to win them but I value Grand Slams much higher. But this is not the reason I played badly in both my Olympics. I came to Sydney after I had won both the US Open and Tashkent tournament, I had no strength. Athens had horrible conditions. All tennis players were devastated. We played with balls, which you can easily buy in the cheapest supermarket. Courts were coloured in such a way that we could hardly see the ball. The wind was awful and we were given fast food to eat. It was a nightmare.
當然老是很神聖的﹐不過我覺得大滿貫等級更高﹐這可不 是我奧運表現不好的原因。我在贏得美網和Tashkent比賽到Sydney時已經精疲力盡了。雅典的比賽地使所有的球員都難熬無奈﹐我們用的是在超市能 買到最便宜的球﹐場地的漆色搞得大家幾乎看不到球飛到哪裡去﹐風勢很強﹐我們吃的是速食餐﹐那真的是場惡夢。
(JS :難怪記者說MARAT很直率﹐他真是想什麼就說什麼啊)

When Kafelnikov had won the Sydney Olympics he said ‘Only in the Olympic village I had realised I played for the country, not for myself.’
當卡菲尼可夫贏得西尼奧運時說﹐只有奧運時我真正感受到我不是為自己打球﹐而是為國家爭光"
And Zhenya didn’t live in the village, he just used to come there! (laughs). I lived there both times. Sydney was wonderful. The house was comfortable, my neighbours were a pentathlon champion Dima Svatkovkiy, Sasha Moskalenko, female tennis players, table tennis guys. Nemov came to visit, Sveta Khorkina (Russian gymnasts). I remember I met Karelin (heavy weight wrestling champion) and my hand drowned in his. All was beautiful, family - like. And the feelings were those that Kafelnikov talked about. When I put on a track suit with ‘Russia’ written on it everyone looked at me with respect. I lost on the very first day but stayed there until the end of the Olympics and never went outside the village it was so great there! Tons of fun! It was all different in Athens. There was barb wire all around the village. I had the Israeli team as neighbours and people with machine guns used to guard them, I felt uncomfortable. No grass underneath your feet, they had built bungalows on bare soil. I think Olympic sportsmen deserve better than that.
他並沒有住在選手村啊﹐他只是去比賽而已喔(笑)。我在那裡住了兩回﹐悉尼是很棒的城市﹐選手村的房子也舒適﹐我的鄰居是五項全能 冠軍Dima Svatkovki及Sasha Moskalenko,女子網球選手﹐還有桌球選手。俄國的體操選手來找我﹐記得我還遇到重量級拳擊冠軍KARELIN﹐緊握著他的手。整體感覺很好﹐大 家像是個大家庭一般。至於卡菲所提到的感覺我瞭解﹐當人們看我穿上俄國選手服時眼神充滿尊敬啊。雖然第一天我就輸球了﹐可是我一直待在選手村到比賽結束﹐ 美好的回憶﹐好有趣!!但雅典奧運就不同了﹐整個選手村都圍著鐵絲圈﹐我的鄰居是以色列團隊﹐外頭全是帶槍的警衛﹐感覺很不自在。選手村裡沒有草地﹐他們 把房子建在土上頭。我認為奧運選手應該受到較好的待遇才是。

TENNIS IS A WHOLE PERSONAL QUESTIONNAIRE
網球就是人格的測驗問卷

Your popularity helps you meet famous people. Which meetings were the most memorable?
你的名聲使你有機會接接觸有名的人物﹐哪些場合令你印象深刻
I can’t name them all. I had a chance to meet presidents - Vladimir Putin, George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, and directors, musicians. I know Fedya Bondarchuk, went to the opening night of his new film ‘The 9th company.’ The guys from ‘Uma2rman’ are great (Russian music group). I respect people who have achieved something in this life and whom the public admires.
我一時無法一一舉出。我曾經和各國總統-普丁﹑老布什﹐克林頓﹐電影導演﹐音樂家等人見過面。我認識"The 9th company"的導演﹐ Fendya Bondarchuk﹐也參加他電影的首映會﹔俄國的音樂團"Uma2rman"很棒。我十分尊敬那些在人生中努力求得成就又受到大眾愛戴的人物。

I heard you are friends with sportsmen too.
聽說你也有運動員好友
I have known Ilya Kovalchuk (a hockey player) for a long time. A short while ago football player Dmitry Bulikin joined our group and a wrestler Hasan Baroev. We saw Ilya off to Atlanta a few days ago and I saw the other two on the weekend. And we don’t talk about sport when we meet.
我跟 曲棍球手Ilya Kovalchck很早前便熟識﹐不久前﹐足球手Dmitry Bulikin 及拳擊手Hasan Baroev也加入我們的圈子。幾天前Ilya到美國亞特蘭大去我們去送行﹐而之後我和其他兩個也見面。當我們在一起時是不聊運動的。

Do you dress in designer clothes?
你穿設計師(名牌)服飾嗎
I have got over that already. When I was 17 I had one pair of trousers and one pair of shoes for every occasion. I remember coming to Davis Cup for the first time in my life - no suit, no white shirt. I look at the photos and feel ashamed. Then when I started earning money I obviously wanted to look good. And now when I can buy anything I want, my passion for chic clothes has vanished.
那種年輕的瘋狂已經過了。十七歲時﹐每個場合我都要穿不同 的褲子配上不同的鞋子。記得生平第一次參加DAVIS CUP ﹐沒有穿西裝﹐沒有白色襯衫﹐我看到自己的照片時感到很丟臉﹐有賺錢之後﹐我開始在意自己的外表﹐而現在﹐雖然想買什麼都舉手可得﹐那種追求流行奢華的狂 熱已經消失了。

A great actor Oleg Tabakov once told me – ‘I have been teaching for 30 years and I always recommend to my students to watch tennis because you understand a lot about yourself.’ Can you relate to that?
演員Oleg Tabakov曾告訴我"我教學三十年了﹐我總是建議學生們觀賞網球﹐能從中更瞭解自我" 你有同感嗎
Of course. In football for example, which is a team sport, one can hide himself, but on court a person is fully exposable. You can right away say if he is courageous, scared, strong, cheeky, soft, or emotional. Or even a ‘thief’ - on court of course. I just need one look at a person on court and I can tell you what he is like. Tennis is a personality questionnaire.
當然。拿足球來說﹐那是一種團隊運動﹐你可以隱藏自己﹐而在網球場上你是完全曝露豪無遮掩的﹐看一個人打球﹐你能馬 上知道他是否勇敢﹐恐懼﹐厚顏無恥﹐溫柔或情緒化﹐甚至是不是個"賊"都看得出來。我上場只要看對方一眼便能洞悉他是什麼樣的人了。網球就好比是人格的測 驗問卷。

Who’s a ‘thief’?
什麼樣的人算是"賊" 呢
Someone who always argues with an umpire, always trying to prove to the umpire that the ball was good when it was out and the opposite.
那些一天到晚老是跟主審爭執﹐明明球是出界卻老是跟主審抗議的人。

When Kiefer played Igor Andreev in the Kremlin Cup final, that’s exactly the way the German was reacting.
當基佛在克里姆林杯與安得烈夫打決賽時﹐他就是都這樣子的
Yeah, that is a vivid example. Obviously, in everyday life he is a normal guy but on court some secret features of a character start appearing. You can’t hide anything there.
是啊﹐這就是活生生的例子。在日常生活中他跟其他人沒有兩樣﹐但上球場你一些個性特質便不由得顯露出來﹐你不可能事事隱藏的﹐百密總有一疏。

Including your emotions. Are you easily wound up outside the court?
也包含你的情緒吧。你在場外容易緊張激動嗎
It’s elementary. I cannot stand boorishness. But I try to stay calm. It’s a result of long training sessions.
那是很基本的﹐我不能忍受粗魯沒禮貌的行徑﹐但我會試著保持平靜﹐這是長期訓練出來的結果。

How many racquets a year do you manage to break?
你一年摔幾支拍子
Now around 50. Before it was 60. I am slowly growing up (laughs).
現在大約50支吧﹐以前是60支﹐我慢慢長大成熟了 (笑)

Are there people who take care of your image and explain what you can and cannot do?
有沒有人負責指導你如何維持自己的形 象﹐告訴你什麼事可做什麼事不能做
No. I live for myself and not for someone else. I live in a way to make it fun and interesting. I don’t care what’s being said behind my back, if I think I can afford to do something I do it. I don’t need other people’s judgements and lectures on what’s good and what’s not. I decide it for myself.
沒有。我為自己而活﹐不為別人﹐我的生活方式就是使自己過得開心有趣。如果我覺得我想做什麼事我就去做﹐不會在乎別人背後的批評或八卦。我不需要別人來評斷或說教什麼是好或壞﹐自己決定自己負責。

I thank you for sitting through this interview so heroically. Is there anything you would like to say that I haven’t asked you about?
真的很感謝你這麼直率勇敢(原文是英雄式地)接受專訪﹐還有什麼遺漏的事情你想告訴我的呢
You already know more about me than my mother does!
你已經比我媽更瞭解我了!!!

Thank you to Annoushka(Annie from TGFR) for translating this article from Russian
謝謝Annoushka (TGFR)將俄文翻成英文

Gazetta Della Sport Interview

义大利报纸 Gazattez Della Sport专访
Translation from Italian and newspaper scans by aletia
原文感谢TGFR aletia由义文翻成英文(英文有些文法码太对，但大致上不影响理解)

“When he humiliated Pete Sampras in the final of US Open 2000,everyone thought that the tennis had found a new boss.Marat Safin had everything to remain at the peak (at the top):
force,talent,physique,personality. But for succeed it´s necessary to limit your bad habits. Too much complicated for Marat,a dude who has “closed” more discotheques than Christian Vieri (football player),who has won (Marat) tournaments staying til 4 in the morning everyday and who has split more than 40 rackets in his best year.There is who thinks that have been the women to ruin him,and he answers
that he has always had more hard work to chase them away from the room rather than make them enter to it. The result is that ,from the first place of the ranking in november 6 years ago,now is he in an anonymous 53 position. A wasted talent? We have met him after the umpteenth misfortune of the season and ,at least with us,he has begun commanding the game:
“Do you think we will manage to do a whole interview without asking me if I am the only one who can beat Federer and Nadal?”
"2000年美网，当他於决赛直落三盘给山普拉斯难堪後，大家开始议论纷纷，网坛终於有了新霸主了。上帝赐予萨芬在 网坛呼风唤雨的所有---力量、天赋、身材及人格特质，然而要达到真正的胜利，你得稍稍控制点自己的坏习惯。对享 乐主义的萨芬来说，这些都嫌复杂了些，他比著名爱玩的足球员Christian Vieri更爱去夜店，赢得比赛後继续狂欢到 凌晨四点，在顶盛时代一年至少摔坏40支球拍。人们总说是女人毁了他，但他的回答是把女人赶走比追求女人还费劲哩 。最後的结果是，从六年前的世界第一掉到现在的53位。被虚掷的天份? 在一连串失败不幸的赛事後，我们坐下来跟他 聊了聊，而即便失意，至少他还是大肆地放话著"在访问中可以不要再问我是不是唯一能击败NADAL跟费德勒的人了吗?"

It´s a little bit difficult,seeing that every tecnic (experts in tennis..) talk about it....
看那些自己为是的专家们在评论东西，实在很难受....

And I am tired of it.What does it mean that I´m the only one who can beat them? Apart from that others have managed to do it and I have ever not even met Nadal!So I answer immediately: I couldn´t care less about beating Federer and Nadal. If I meet them in the draw,I will try, but I´ don´t get up in the morning thinking that the duty of my life is to stop both of them.By now I ´m only thinking about recover me physically.
说真的，我很厌烦了。什麼叫我是唯一可能击败他们的人选? 早己经有人打败过他们了，更何况我根本没跟NADAL打 过!!让我马上就回答你: 这个问题我很不屑。如果在签表上要迎战他们，我会全力以赋，难道每天早上起床第一件工作 是思考我怎麼才能打败他们吗。现在我脑子只想著如何康复而已

An injury with the knee needs a long time to recover from: what have you done during the recovery? 膝伤需要长时间休养生息，在那段时间你干什麼呢

The work in the gym was boring.So,when I could move I thought in enjoying. So I went fishing,to relax me,to think. Then I went out with friends,like any boy who has 26 years old.
健身房太无聊了。所以，如果能动的话，我尽可能找点乐子。所以，我去钓鱼，放松心情，思考人生。我也会跟年纪相 彷的朋友一起出去。

This year the results fail but you don´t seem particularly distraught: Is tennis a priority in your life yet?
今年的战绩很糟，但似乎看不出你特别烦恼，网球究竟是否是第一优先的事情?
Sure,it´s my job. Without tennis I wouldn´t get money,tennis is what I can make better in my life and they pay well for do it.
当然，那是我的工作。没打网球，我就没钱赚，网球使我能过较优渥的生活，它的报酬很高。

Therefore is the money your principal motivation?
那麼，钱是最大的动力罗

Is there someone who likes working for free? Wining Roland Garros is fantastic,the trophy,the headlines in the journals,the crowd that acclaim you,but I think also Federer and Nadal are happy to bring home a million euro in two weeks. Doing something you like a lot and being paid for do it is a great luck. The thing I don´t like is to be judged for how much I train,for what I should do or should be. And then tennis is an honest sport: you earn depending on how much you win,so we steal nothing.
告诉我，有人喜欢做白工不拿钱吗? 赢得法网，举起奖杯是很棒，报纸的头条，球迷的赞赏肯定，但我想费德勒跟那达 尔一定也很高兴在两周内能抱点100万欧元回家，不是吗。做喜欢的事又能从中获利，那是幸福的。我讨厌人家批评我 是怎麼训练的，我应该做这个，不应做那个。网球是个很透明公开的运动，你赢多就赚得多，我们不骗半分钱的。
(JS:讲话真是直到不行 -_______-)

But the adrenaline of the victory,the fight for being the number one:is it possible that it´s all a past story?
那种胜利的兴奋，为第一而奋斗的感觉，难道都已是过去式?
In words it would be easy to say that I´m ready to win a Slam,to beat Federer,to dominate tennis. But in the end they don´t give you a point for having good words. What sense has to say certain things and then loose at the first round? The tecnics (experts,coaches,...) think that I can come back to number one of the world,but in reality,for them,how much cost to say it?
空口谈理想很容易阿，我可以说现在已经准备拿下一个满贯了，把费德勒击垮，统制网坛。但最後呢，他们对你这些厥 词般的抱負可不领情! 所以，讲一大堆，然後第一轮就出局，这样的意义在哪里? 专家们说我可以重返世界第一，但他 们说这些不负责任的话又没损失。

The critics arrive because displease to see a great talent not to reach the results that you deserve.
这些批评大半也因可惜一位天才白白浪费......

I´m 26 years old and I´ve past the last 8 in the circuit. I´ve been the number one of the world and I know very well what serves to stay in the top,to pass over the negative moments. Despite of it I don´t want to live frustrated for have lost a match. Attention:I don´t like losing,but as soon as I finish the match I disconnected of the world of tennis,I´ve near me the people I love and then I remenber that I have another life beyond this I have on the court.
我已经26岁，巡回八年了。我曾经世界第一，很清楚怎样才能维持颠峰状态，如何度过低潮时期。仅管如此，我并不想 因为输了一场球就如丧㛈枇。请注意听著:我很不喜欢输球，然而一旦比赛结束我便把它抛诸脑後，我有爱的的人在身边 ，除了网球之外也有很多事情可去享受。

Does it mean that you are less interested in success?
那意味著你对於成功不是太有兴趣?

It means that I´m more mature.I see things under a different perspective:if I win,good;if I lose I don´t stay closed in the room of a hotel crying,I think that the next week I will have another chance. And we don´t have to forget that I´m still coming back of a bad injury. It needs time to find again the optimun condition.
那表示我比较成熟。我从另外一个角度来看待人生，如果我赢了，太好了；如果输了，我不会关在房里哭泣。我会鼓励 自己，下礼拜还有机会。也告诉自己仍在复出的艰难过程中，需要一段时间恢复到最佳状态。

Marat Safin wise and calm: it´s a good change,isn´t it?
萨芬变得聪慧又冷静了: 这是个正面的改变，可不是?

I´m more stable. In the last years I have always been surrounded of famous people,I have lived very strong sensations,I have felt a lot of things. In 8 years of profesional career I´ve had experiences that a normal person doesn´t live in a hundred of years. Now I want to be more relaxed and if I´m not in the top ten of the best players of the world.....patience.
我比较稳重了。过去我一直被名人圈所包围，我经历了不少大事，也有很多感触。八年的职业生涯给予我平常人一百年 都想不到的奇妙经验。此刻，我想要轻松一点，假如我不再是前十名...那就是耐心等待吧。

You seems to be a big playboy: you are more relaxed aswell on this now?
你好像是个大花花公子: 这方面也比较收敛了吗

If you are famous,rich and you attend to good circles (I don´t know how to translate this word :-/), it´s not difficult to meet a beautiful girl. People talk as if women have ruined me,but when I was number one of the world they (women) came to call my door too. Nevertheless I won the same. I´ve had fiancee for 3 years and I was nearly to stablish a family,but in these cases is the woman who decides.
一旦出了名，你便不自觉会卷入那个名人圈里，所以要遇到美女实在很简单。他们总说是女人害了我，但当我还是第一 ，她们也围著我，敲我的房门，即使是这样，我还是可以赢球。我曾经订婚三年，几乎都要结婚了，但是通常这种事， 都是女人决定命运的(他意思好像是，他被甩了)。

Do you think that after finish your career you will invest in the sport?
在退休後，你会投资运动事业吗

No,in no way. Unless that I decide to lose some money.
绝对不可能，除非我钱太多等著赔。

Nevertheless if a swiss businessman hadn´t invest in you when you were a child maybe we hadn´t hear about Marat Safin...
难道你没想过，如果不是一个瑞士人在童年时赞助你，萨芬便只是个无名小卒.....

Between his money and my money it´s a big difference: he managed a bank in Switzerland. He was a friend of a friend of a friend....He invested 300,000 dollar because he made business with a person near of me and I was ...in the “package”. Part I have return it,in part a sponsor have return it,but it has been a favour to a friend,not a studied business for speculate. Noone would invest 300,000 dollar in a young tennis player thinking on seeing him returning with interests.
我们的金钱来源有很大不同，他在瑞士是开银行的。他是我朋友的朋友.....他跟我一个熟识的朋友做生意因此赞助了 三十万元，而我的事业.....也是那笔生意其中一件。有一些我自己还，另外一部分我的赞助商帮我付清。那不过是朋 友帮我一个忙的成份多，当初他并没有想到会获利多少。没人会笨到投资三十万元在一个年轻球员，期望未来能从中赚 取利息什麼的。

But now you would bet 300,000 dollar in Marat Safin coming back number one of the world?
不过，现在你会不会赌30万看萨芬能否重回第一呢?

Profesional players can´t bet.....
你知道职业选手是不准赌博的.....

Marat's (updated) favorites

MARAT的最爱事物-食衣住行全记录

November 2006

1. FAVOURITE COLOUR - Still Black

2. FAVOURITE FILM

- a) Current
Lately I have been focusing on TV serials -watching full seasons of TV Series.
My favourites are "24" and "Six Feet Under".
- b) Of all time
I have seen so many movies of all types I can't determine one as exceptional.

3. FAVOURITE ACTOR/ACTRESS OR DIRECTOR?

- David Lynch
Martin Scorsese - I particularly like his last film "The Departed".
Edward Norton - he is the type of actor I like.

4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

- All types. I am trying to keep open to an type of music and my preferences are
changing as well.

5. FAVOURITE SPORT OUTSIDE OF TENNIS? - Football

6. FAVOURITE BOOKS - WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO READ?
- Russian History at the moment - I find it very interesting.

7. FAVOURITE DRINK - Still Coke - but soon I'll have to move to Diet Coke !!!

8. FAVOURITE FOOD - Still Italian

9. WHAT TYPE OF CAR DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE?
- Now my period of sports cars has passed and now I feel more comfortable
driving bigger cars. I own a Range Rover and a Porsche Cayenne Jeep.

10. THE PLACE YOU WOULD MOST LIKE TO GO TO FOR A HOLIDAY?
- I like the Caribbean. I still want to visit Alaska and the Fjords of Scandinavia.
Wild nature has always been my favourite and that's why a holiday for me has to be interesting and not just watching the waves.

11. IS THERE ANY FAVOURITE ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU AND WHAT IS IT?
- Yes a pair of jeans.

12. ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS? DO YOU CARRY ANY GOOD LUCK CHARMS?
- I carry quite a few charms but don't consider myself superstitious because I
don't usually believe in certain habits or that bring me luck.
However all these items that I carry or wear were given to me by dear people.
So if it doesn't hurt it can only help yes?

Izvestiya Interview
Marat Safin: "Lying Around Doing Nothing Doesn't Interest Me" by Andrey Ivantsov
馬拉特 薩芬 "我不能躺著沒事幹"
俄國媒體Izvestiya Interview八月薩芬專訪


英文專文來自TGFR http://guyfromrussia.proboards48.com/index.cgi?board=press2006&;action=display&thread=1153386703

Russia's Marat Safin keeps trying to get back into the world tennis elite after a serious knee injury, which forced him to miss the second half of last year's season. Until now Safin's most successful performance was in Valencia where he reached semifinals. Other tournaments were less successful and that caused Marat to drop to a humiliating 95th position in the ATP rankings. Prior to an Indianapolis tournament, where Marat is planning to fight fate yet again, our correspondent decided to ask the player whether he was not fed up with that.
俄國的MARAT SAFIN 在嚴重的膝傷被迫放棄去年後半的所有比賽後﹐正試圖重回網壇頂尖行列。到目前為止﹐薩芬最好的表現在瓦倫西亞﹐進入四強。其他的比賽毫無斬獲﹐致使他的排 名掉到不堪的95名。在INDIANPLOLIS 比賽MARAT又再嘗試與命運對抗之際﹐我們的記者決定去問問他﹐是不是受夠了這些措折了

There has been certain information in the press that you have gotten pretty tired of all this non-resultful battle...
Q 新聞上時有提到你對於這一連串失敗已經很厭倦了

This is not true and people who say that are just trying to provoke. It's really hard for me right now. I was counting to slowly rise in the rankings and I am falling down...(after a pause) But this is not the reason to quit fighting. We have Andre Agassi's example before us, who successfully returned to tennis after a long break being out of top 100. So rankings are not the most important thing, it's finding your game which is. And this will definitely happen this year. Two-three serious wins and I will be unstoppable.
MS 這絕不是事實﹐講這些話的人不過是在無中生有﹐刻意刺激我罷了。現在我的處境真的很艱難。我一直期望能慢慢爬昇﹐但相反地我卻是不斷在下降 (MARAT停頓了一下)。但這不是放棄奮鬥下去的理由。我們有阿加西這麼一個鮮明的例子﹐他在休息好一陣子百名之外後又成功地復出。所以﹐排名也許不是 最重要﹐而是找回自己的狀態。我確信今年一定會的﹐兩三次優異的贏球之後﹐我便會變得很勇猛了。

[i]So the quality of the game is much more important now than the results?
Q 所以比賽的品質比結果重要嗎

Well, ideally I would love to have both of course. When I was just starting to get ready to come back on court in winter my coach Peter Lundgren used to say: don't rush, be careful. I on the other hand was dying to run out and catch up on everything I had missed 6 months before. As a result the plan of knee rehabilitation almost fell to pieces: the knee started killing me again, that's when I realised that rushing can cost me a fortune.
理想上﹐我想要兩者兼得。當冬天我開始試著要回到球場時﹐我的教練 PETER 告訴我﹐不要急﹐要小心。我卻是等不及要出去趕上我缺席的那半年﹐不料膝蓋復健的結果不如預期順利﹐我的膝蓋又讓我痛徹心扉﹐那時我才驚覺 急就章 將會有可怕的代價

You are quite a famous man with loads of famous friends and connections, why do you wanna keep torturing your body? Kournikova, for example, plays exhibition tournaments, does commercials, lives a great life...
Q 你是那麼有名﹐有很多朋友﹐也有不少管道﹐為什麼會要這樣持續折磨自己的身體呢? 舉例來說﹐庫娃﹐打一些表演賽﹐拍廣告﹐享受優閒的生活...

It only seems that such a popular guy like me will have no problem finding himself outside tennis. In reality it's practically impossible. Business? You have to spend tons of time on it every day, know the stuff. For a person like me who spent all of his life playing tennis it's impossible and simply selling my face and name and then lying around doing nothing is not interesting for me. I am used to living with a drive which tennis provides fully.
MS 談起來好像一個像我這樣的人在網球場外就會吃香喝辣﹐沒有問題似的。現實上那是不可能的。生意﹐事業? 你要深入瞭解它﹐每天花很多時間在上面。對一生都在打網球的傢伙
而言﹐那是完全不可能。只是賣我的臉蛋和名氣﹐躺在那裡什麼事也不幹﹐我是完全沒興趣的。我已經習慣循著某種動力來生活﹐而這全部都來自網球。

What's more difficult for you: getting back on track physically or psychologically?
Q 什麼對你是比較困難的: 回復到過去的生理或心理狀態?

Physically I am feeling very well right now, maybe my legs are a little too weak, but I have a strong head, which is the most important in sports.
MS 生理上我現在很好﹐也許我的腳有點太脆弱﹐但我有腦子﹐對運動員是最重要的

On a number of occasions Peter Lundgren said that recently your character has changed to a great extent. How exactly?
Q 在很多場合裡﹐PETER LUNDGREN 曾說最近你個性改變了很多。是這樣嗎

Probably I started cherishing people that surround me more - family, friends. In autumn when I was curing the knee I used to watch other players on TV and realised: I am just an ordinary guy...plus limping (laughs). It will be very difficult in this life for a guy like me without the love and support of people close to me. And all this image and populatiry stuff it's just a glittery wrap of a beautiful box, which needs to have something grand inside that cannot be measured in money terms.
MS 大概是我更珍惜身邊的人了﹐家人和朋友。秋季時﹐我正在治療膝蓋﹐我看電視網球轉播突然發現﹐原來我只是個凡夫估子...還加上跛腳(笑)。如果沒有這些 人的愛心和支持﹐像我這樣的人怎麼撐下去呢。而那些形象及名聲的東西﹐只是一個美麗盒子上面絃麗的包裝﹐那裡面需要有真實珍貴的東西﹐那是金錢無法衡量 的。

A Tale of Two Marats (page 4)

雙面薩芬 (頁4)

俄羅斯人也意識到他的高知名度不一定能保證成功﹐或帶來快樂。雖然隨著名氣而來的在高級的地方與名流交往﹐薩芬現在常選擇低調地留在瓦倫西亞﹑蒙特卡洛等地為賽事準備﹐或者獨自在莫斯科裝修新買的公寓。年初時接受俄羅斯報紙專訪時﹐他說 “這些形象及名聲的東西不過是包裝精美﹑表面華麗的的盒子﹐裡面必須有金錢難買的崇高內容才有其價值”

這樣的自我認知顯示﹐就算薩芬永遠不會是ATP裡最成熟的球員 (他在ATP BLOG 開玩笑說﹐” 我只有14歲而已”) ﹐至少﹐多年的巡迴已讓他學到可貴的經驗。在紐約時他提到 “我已經26歲了﹐巡迴長達八年﹐所以想要唬弄我﹐門兒都沒有。我不可能讓人占便宜的﹐我知道自己要什麼﹐欠缺什麼﹐而我始終在追尋。只是有時候事與願違﹐而你就是繼續嘗試﹐再嘗試﹐不要放棄﹐總有一天時機到了﹐我會讓願望成真的”

如果薩芬像是什麼過來人般突然頓悟網球人生﹐那也沒什麼奇怪的﹐畢竟他在很小的時候便透過熱愛網球的父母接觸這項運動了﹐13歲時離鄉背景﹐遠赴西班牙接受專業訓練成為一名職業球員。

事實上﹐薩芬闖蕩網壇多年的此刻﹐他似乎也已經考慮退役了。最近﹐他在法國報紙 L’Equipe宣布30歲後不會再打網球﹐也就是說2010年是他告別球迷的時候。然而﹐當很多球迷恐慌網壇最性格的球員即將消失之餘﹐也有另一群智者嗅出薩芬的野心而感到欣喜。半開玩笑的談話及近似冷漠的態度的背後﹐隱藏著薩芬不滿足於15座冠軍的強烈企圖。” 我還沒退役呢” 薩芬強調﹐” 還有四年的時間﹐大家拭目以待吧。也許我能再拿一兩個滿貫也說不定”

薩芬期許自己有所成就﹐成千上萬的薩芬迷們應該知道﹐薩芬可能帶給我們不可預知的驚喜。也許他還是會摔壞幾支拍子﹐繼續長篇大論的抱怨﹐但不要忘了﹐有別於業餘球評的觀察﹐現在的薩芬對於網球有全新的認識﹑展望﹐並賦予自己使命感。在前往美網前他告訴記者說 : ”網球給我一切﹐我所賺取的酬勞﹑遊歷的地方﹑下榻的旅館﹑認識各行各業的人物....等﹐生涯中美好豐富的經歷都拜網球所賜。沒有網球﹐我什麼都不是。”

“不能妄言網球只是 S….t﹐我沒資格抱怨﹐更不能不負責任地說我受夠了﹐不玩了。我仍然相信自己能回到前十名﹐網球是種公開透明的競賽﹐我一直在努力奮鬥著。我擁有的財富﹐使我過著優渥的生活﹐我不至於痛苦為生活掙扎﹑也沒餓著﹐更沒淪落到露宿街頭……因此﹐對於網球帶給我的所有﹐我心存感謝﹐也必須盡心回饋。”

A Tale of Two Marats (page 3)

雙面薩芬 (頁 3)

在愛戴他的家鄉父老 (包含前總統葉利欽) 面前重捶世界頂尖球手﹐這位前世界第一的表現出乎意表的冷靜與沈著。即便在過去兩年的對戰中﹐薩芬不曾贏過RODDICK﹐鐵人薩芬擺脫陰霾﹐直落三為家鄉爭光亦為自己譜出復仇樂章。

賽後﹐薩芬表示﹐” 過去不順的經驗使我那場比賽的壓力倍增。我想﹐那種感覺是從你開始瞭解網球的本質後開始才有的。” 薩芬說” 年輕的時候﹐你往往很愚蠢﹐不懂網球到底是什麼﹐竟是一味打球和奔跑。隨著經驗的累積﹐你漸漸能直覺什麼時候壓力產生了﹐這樣的感覺幫助自己判斷何時該給對方施壓﹐多一點進攻﹐但有時候那些經驗不是好事反而形成心理負擔。”

延續那股氣勢﹐他進入泰網四強﹔之後終於繼2005年澳網後﹐在莫斯科克林姆林杯闖進第一個決賽。雖然經過三盤苦戰仍敗給同胞選手達維登科﹐未能如願奪冠﹐薩芬終於從自己的表現中重新有了正面的思考。

“過去一年來﹐我的處境十分艱難﹐無數失望的落敗﹐自信的喪失﹐膝傷的困擾…”他指著帶領他找到新方向的新教練 “謝謝 SASHA (VOLKOV) ﹐我找到狀態﹐有能力再去競爭了。”

狀態漸漸回昇同時也意味著﹐薩芬未來的道路更加寬廣﹐值得期待。排名下滑使他在2006年賽季每場比賽都要辛苦地從非種子球員開始﹐因此薩芬對於新賽季有著清晰與實務的展望﹐” 我要成為澳網的種子球員” ﹐薩芬在曼谷四強後表示。” 我希望拋開06年的不愉快﹐在2007年從頭開始。”

薩芬會再重返莫爾本公園(澳網所在地) ﹐那裡到處都有崇拜他的女性﹐小至追星青少女老至祖母級﹐但隨行人員將大幅減少了。06年美網前他與協助他贏得05年澳網 (尤其是那場人人津津樂道的薩芬費德勒精彩大對決) 分開。在協議分開之際﹐薩芬說在美網之後會再重新評估他們的師徒關係﹐不過﹐最近被問及兩人再度合作的可能性時﹐薩芬笑著搖頭﹐意即兩人不再可能合作了。

“這些形象及名聲的東西不過是包裝精美﹑表面華麗的的盒子﹐裡面必須有金錢難買的崇高內容才有其價值”

泰國的成功﹐薩芬指出﹐也意味沒有教練隨行自由發揮的試驗已開花結果。” 這一年真的很掙扎痛苦﹐使我不得不決定與PETER分開一段時間。我總是胡思亂想﹐無所適從﹐整個人都迷失方向了﹐打不出自己的風格” ﹐他如此告訴當地的記者。

“我想要獨自思考這些事務﹐決定哪些有利﹐哪些有害﹐這樣我才能作出正確的決策而不會事後遺憾後悔。我已經老大不小﹐職業生涯只剩幾年﹐再也經不起犯錯的代價了。在巡迴的最後四五年間﹐我想順利地度過﹐不要像過去一樣老是有無謂的苦惱或愚笨的錯誤﹐因此﹐我要審慎決擇讓未來幾年越順利越好。目前看起來﹐一切進行得不錯。”

薩芬十分清楚﹐在網球這項運動中要出類拔萃的關鍵不是去加強體能﹐而是保持著健康的心態。薩芬有感而發 (JS註:美網第四輪的記者會內容)﹐” 職業球員如我們﹐將我們的一切﹐我們的生命都奉獻給網球﹐漸漸地形成每個球員的個人風格。因此﹐經過一段時間的粹練﹐所有的事物自然變成心理狀態的投射。當你轉為職業球員﹐並成為一個成功的球員﹐技術已經不是重點﹐不是怎麼發球﹑也不是正手或反手﹐更不是發球﹑上網的問題﹐而是心理層面的調節了﹐何時要保持冷靜﹑在關鍵時刻冒點風險奮力一搏﹑或者暫時耐心等待契機﹐並且在重要的時刻做出正確的決策。我認為﹐誰的心理穩健﹐誰就是贏家了。”