Marat Safin is not vanilla
RUSSIAN STAR BRINGS HIS UNPREDICTABILITY TO SAP OPEN THIS WEEK
薩芬與眾不同﹐一點也不乏味!!
俄羅斯巨星為SAP 公開賽帶來不可預測的刺激感

By Darren Sabedra
Mercury News


The SAP Open had tried for years to lure Marat Safin to San Jose, not just because, when he's on, he can play tennis like few can. The San Jose tournament also wanted the Russian star because, well, how shall we put this?
Safin is ``kind of nuts,'' according to tournament director Bill Rapp.
SAP 多年來一直不斷邀請薩芬來參賽﹐因為當薩芬氣勢上來時﹐很少有人能擋得住。另一個原因讓SAN JOSE 對薩芬情有獨鍾﹐乃因為﹐怎麼說﹐嗯﹐薩芬這個人"瘋瘋的" ﹐SAP OPEN 主席 BILL RAPP 如此形容。

``That's where he and I have something in common, because I am a little crazy myself at times,'' Rapp continued. ``As much as (Pete) Sampras could wow people with his stroke, he was very vanilla. When you see Safin breaking rackets over the top of his head and screaming at the top of his lungs, that's what people love to see.''
"這是我跟他相像的地方﹐因為我自己有時候也是瘋瘋顛顛的。山普拉斯的強勁抽球常令球迷驚嘆﹐但他個性比較木訥(普通平凡)﹔而薩芬狂摔球拍﹑使勁吼叫種種喜怒哀樂的肢體語言﹐卻令人們著迷不已" 賽會主席 RAPP 忙著繼續解釋。

More than six years removed from his eyebrow-raising victory over Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open final, Safin will make his San Jose debut Tuesday night at HP Pavilion against American wild card Scott Oudsema.
在2000年於美網公開賽決賽擊敗山普拉斯使世人括目相看之後﹐薩芬星期二晚上將在SAN JOSE HP 球場於SAP 首度亮相﹐出戰美國外卡球員 SCOTT OUDSEMA。

For Rapp, Safin's appearance will be the culmination of a lengthy recruitment. ``I have had my eye on him since he turned pro,'' Rapp said.
對RAPP 而言﹐薩芬出賽是多年努力爭取而來的豐收。他並表示"從薩芬轉職業之後﹐我一直關注他的一切"。

So, what took so long?

Like most European stars, Safin, who turned pro in 1997, had preferred to play closer to home at this time of year, waiting usually until shortly before the Indian Wells event, in March, to cross the Atlantic.
那麼﹐為什麼這麼久才邀請成功呢?
跟多數歐洲球星一樣﹐1997年轉職業的薩芬在這段期間偏好選擇離家鄉較近的歐洲賽事﹐等到三月大師賽 INDIAN WELLS 前才會前來美洲比賽。

But this year, Safin said, ``I want to be doing something else rather than playing in Europe. I haven't won a tournament for a long time, and I'm looking forward to doing it there.''
不過今年﹐薩芬表示"有別於過去一貫歐洲賽程安排﹐我想要有所作為。已經有很長一段時間我沒拿過冠軍了﹐希望能在SAP OPEN 有所突破"

Of course, in the post-Andre Agassi era of the SAP Open, it helped that Rapp had more appearance-fee dollars to throw Safin's way. It's unclear how much Safin will receive, but Rapp said he collaborated with the tournament director in Las Vegas -- the ATP Tour is there a week after San Jose -- to pool funds to bring Safin to both events.
當然﹐在阿加西退役之後的 SAP OPEN 給大會主席 RAPP 多一點預算來邀請薩芬參賽。我們不清楚究竟薩芬出場費金額多少﹐但RAPP 說他跟 LAS VEGAS OPEN 主席合作集資邀請﹐於是薩芬同意參加兩項賽事。 (LAS VEGAS OPEN 緊接在SAN JOSE OPEN 後舉行)

Why so much effort for a player who has won only one Grand Slam tournament since his breakthrough against Sampras and is ranked 24th in the world?

Because of all the players on tour, Safin, 27, might be the most unpredictable. He is capable of winning an event or losing in the first round, capable of keeping his cool or blowing up, capable of saying the right things or something outlandish.
為什麼要費這麼大的功夫邀請一個打敗山普拉斯﹐只贏一座滿貫(js:應該是作者筆誤﹐有兩個才對)﹐現在世界排名只有24的人呢?

因為巡迴的職業球員中﹐27歲的薩芬大概是最不可預測的了。他有本事贏冠軍﹐也可能跌破眾人眼鏡在第一輪淘汰﹐有時能整場酷酷的十分冷靜﹐有時又突然發火﹐另外他很有表達能力﹐語出驚人。

Part of the attraction, Rapp said, is the 6-foot-4 Safin is a ``good-looking guy. So he'll appeal to the ladies. (But) also he'll appeal to the guys, because he's a man's man.''
RAPP 又說﹐六呎四吋的薩芬之另一種魅力是 他的美貌。因此﹐他能吸引女性票房﹐不僅如此﹐男性球迷也喜歡他﹐因為﹐他是男人中的男人 (RAPP 主席﹐你.....你也太愛某芬了吧.....)

Safin is a noted playboy who acknowledges that he doesn't take tennis as seriously as rivals such as Rafael Nadal do.

If he did?

``I would quit, because I would get bored,'' Safin told the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald last month. ``I don't think I would like to have the life of Nadal, and Nadal maybe doesn't like my lifestyle.
薩芬被公認為享樂主義者(花花公子)﹐他自己也承認並沒有將網球看得像NADAL 那麼重。
那麼如果他真像NADAL 呢?
上個月在澳網被記者問到這問題時 ﹐他回答 "我或許會放棄打球了吧﹐那太無趣了。我不可能過NADAL 那種生活﹐而NADAL 也不見得喜歡我的生活方式"

``I would definitely not change my lifestyle for anything, even to be No. 1 in the world for many years. I just want to live like a normal person. I don't want to be as -- how you call it? -- tunnel vision. It's not me.''

Asked about that quote a few weeks later, Safin said, ``Of course, I want to be No. 1 in the world. But I want to live and enjoy my life.''
"我不會改變自己的生活方式﹐就算拿幾年連霸世界第一來交換都不。我只要享受生命﹐過平凡的日子。我不要.....你們記者是怎麼說的 (記者曾經形容NADAL) 具有什麼企圖心的願景﹐那就不是我了"
當記者幾周後再問他先前的回答﹐薩芬說 "當然﹐我希望能成為世界第一。但是我要好好活著﹐享受生命"

Still, Safin has shown he can beat anyone, including Roger Federer. Safin won a classic five-setter against the world's No. 1 player in the semifinals of the 2005 Australian Open, then defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the final.

Safin was slowed by injury in 2006, but the year ended on a good note as he helped lead Russia to the Davis Cup title in December.
不管怎樣﹐薩芬證明給世人﹐他有能力擊敗任何敵人﹐就算ROGER 不例外。2005年那場精典的五盤半決賽大戰﹐他贏了ROGER﹐之後又在決賽打敗 HEWITT 。

Safin opened this year with a rain-interrupted, five-set loss to Andy Roddick in the third round of the Australian Open. That match had Safin fuming because he thought the court was too slick when play resumed. He also saw some calls go against him. Safin called it a ``very difficult'' experience. But, he added, ``I'm playing very well. I think I'll have my chance to come back.''

Perhaps he will turn things around this week. Safin, seeded fourth, could play No. 2 seed James Blake in Saturday's semifinals and No. 1 seed Roddick in the final Sunday.

``It's going to be very interesting,'' Safin said.
今 年賽季開始﹐在下雨中斷干擾中﹐薩芬不幸於澳網第三輪負於RODDICK。那場比賽下雨後大會要求球員繼續上場﹐薩芬因為場地仍然潮濕不滿大會安排而憤怒 抗議﹐他同時也看到有觀眾鼓噪要他別囉嗦﹐他承認"那是很不好的經驗"。但他也表示 "我打得很好﹐看到重返的曙光了"

也許這周他能揮別過去的陰霾﹐扭轉一切。薩芬﹐大會四號種子﹐有可能在四強與JAMES BLAKE碰頭﹐決賽再度迎戰RODDICK。

薩芬說 "這賽事勢必很有意思"

2007 Russian Marie Claire February Issue with the article
2007 年俄國美麗佳人二月份雜誌照片及專文

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Oh Marat!
喔﹐馬拉特

Here is the man whom we should thank for winning Davis Cup for Russia and for beautiful women broken hearts. Marie Claire’s correspondent Inna Lokteva did just that.
這位是大家都十分感激的為俄國拿下戴維斯杯冠軍及令美麗女人心碎的男子﹐我們美麗佳人的記者才剛親身體驗。

At first he gave me a fright. To be more precise, he simply didn’t pick up the phone. A lazy voice recorded on the answering machine suggested I left a message “And maybe I would call you back…”. Sure, like we don’t know better. When I had finally managed to get through he very businesslike asked “How long would it take? I have a very tight schedule”. Whatever, we’ll sort it out once there.
一開始他讓我有點害怕膽怯。講白一點﹐他呢根本不接電話﹐電話那端是慵懶的電話答錄機說著"請留話﹐或許我會回電......"。廢話呀﹐好像我們不懂這規矩似的。最後好不容易跟他搭上線﹐他用一貫談公事的口吻問道 "要訪問多久 ? 我的行程很忙"。我們才不管呢﹐總會想辦法完成專訪的。

We met in a cafeteria next to Tishinskaya Square. He came and stretched his arm out “Marat”. Like I would have never guessed! He is two heads higher than anyone around, as for the rest – pretty democratic: jeans, a dark jacket. They show us to a window table. “Noone will disturb you here”, a waitress smileda nd lit a candle. Romantic.
我們約在 Tishinskaya 廣場隔壁的咖啡廳﹐他來了﹐伸開雙手自己喊著"我是MARAT "﹐好像我會認不出來哩。在擁擠的人群中﹐他比其他人都高出兩個頭﹐太顯眼了﹐不過他的打扮卻很平民喲﹐牛仔褲搭配一件深色夾克。服務生帶我們到窗邊坐下﹐微笑著點燃臘燭並說" 這邊沒人會打擾的"。好浪漫喔。

-What would you like? – Marat asks
-A coffee.
-Well, I’ll have green tea then.
MARAT 問我﹐你想點什麼?
"我要杯咖啡"
"那麼﹐我就喝綠茶吧"

He sits back and stretches. “So what has interested Marie Claire so much in me?”
他往椅背靠﹑伸伸懶腰說" 那麼﹐美麗佳人雜誌對我什麼事情那麼感到興趣呢?"

Marat how is your knee? We couldn’t believe our eyes when we watched the Davis Cup…
MARAT, 你膝蓋還好嗎? 觀看戴維斯杯時﹐我們簡直不敢相信自己的眼睛。。。

Yeah, I had a serious injury. The knee hurt really badly and my future in professional sport was uncertain. I didn’t want to retire but the result were not giving any satisfaction. And people started talking that this was it, his time has finished and this is the most horrible thing when they just write you off like that. But I had a great desire to play and since my whole life evolves around tennis – if everything is well on court, the rest is well too.
嗯﹐那時我有嚴重的膝傷。膝蓋疼痛椎心刺骨﹐職業運動生涯前景無常﹐不知何去何從。我並不想退役﹐然而結果卻深深打擊著我﹐完全無法滿意。人們開始八卦﹐這個人大概混不下去﹐他的一切都結束了﹐這種扼殺一個人的談論實在很可怕。所幸我有強烈繼續打下去的意願﹐畢竟我的人生因為網球而精彩 - 如果場上得意的話﹐其他事情也都挺順心的。


Is it true that injured Safin was treated worse right away?
人們對受傷的薩芬馬上落井下石﹐是真的嗎

Thank God I cannot say that about people close to me - my family and friends. Independent of how I play, they always support me, don’t turn their backs on me, I must say that I have the best friends in the world. As for the rest – yeah, heroes are easily forgotten here.
感謝上帝至少身邊的親友不是這樣的。不管我打得怎樣﹐他們永遠都支持我﹐不會棄我而去﹐我有世上最可貴的朋友。至於其他的﹐是呀﹐在這裡再怎麼風光也一下就被遺忘了。

Who are your friends?
你有哪些朋友呢

I have known some of them since childhood. Who? Businessmen, artists.
一些是兒時就認識的﹐你問誰嗎﹐生意人呀﹐藝術家等等。

Well-known?
有名嗎

In a closed circle (smiles). I have a good relationship with some sportsmen, Dima Sladkovskiy for example, Ilya Kovalchuk the famous hockey player, you probably know them…
在他們的小圈裡吧(笑)。我跟一些運動員也很要好﹐比如 Dima Sladkovskiy﹐有名的曲棍球員Ilya Kovalchuk﹐可能你們也都認識吧

Oligarchs?
寡頭生意家?

I wouldn’t throw such big words as oligarchs. I’d say: serious businessmen. Same people with a great life experience, some of them play tennis.
我不會套這麼重的字眼﹐我會稱他們是認真的生意人﹐有著豐富人生閱歷﹐其中有一些也打網球。

What do you think, does big money spoil people?
你覺得﹐財富使人腐敗嗎

Money gives you freedom and a possibility of choice. But with time you start to realize how comparative everything is in this life: fame, success. I look at this young boys now who just come into tennis and they are just so cool. “Oh look at me I am so cool, I play better than anyone”. It’s plain funny. This could finish any moment and then what? How many examples are there when people just got lost in life after they had retired from sport? I realized that I have to prepare a backup plan. I am soon 27, 10 out of them I have spent in professional sports…that’s a hell of a lot.
金錢能給予你自由和選擇的機會﹐不過隨著年紀增長﹐你會漸漸去瞭解生命裡各種事情的異同處:名聲﹑成就。我看到一些開始打網球的男孩子們﹐他們真是酷呀。" 喔﹐你們看看我很厲害吧﹐我比別人都強" 簡直太可笑了。這一切隨時會消失﹐然後你下一步該怎麼辦呢? 看看真實的例子﹐有多少運動員退役後迷失方向﹐人生變成一團糟呢﹐因此我意識到自己為要將來計畫。過不久我就27歲了﹐其中10年的歲月都在運動事業上...還真久呢。

Do you have any particular ideas about the backup plan?
關於未來計畫方面有何具體方案嗎

Plans are Napoleonic but it’s not that easy, you have to study and learn. Now I listen to smart people, I think by about 2010 everything should fall into place.
我有像拿破崙取天下般的野心﹐問題是實踐上不容易﹐必須要研究與學習。現在我常會聽取智者的意見﹐我想在2010年左右大概就會具體化了吧。

At least tell what area is it gonna be? Business?
至少可以告訴我們是怎樣的事業吧?生意嗎

Of course.
當然

Sportsmen nowadays are the most popular people, sex symbols…
現代社會運動員可是超受歡迎的﹐性感的象徵...

That’s probably Kournikova?
那大概是庫娃吧

And Bure*, and you…
還有 Bure* (註:一位非常有名贏得STANLEY 獎杯的曲棍球員) ﹐當然還有你.....

For God’s sake! I couldn’t care less. Rumours spread fast, get grown over with new ridiculous details and if you treat everything seriously, you could go insane.
拜託!! 我十分不屑。謠言傳起來是特別快的﹐要自我成長不要受這些荒謬的瑣碎事情干擾﹐假如你凡事當真﹐遲早會發瘋的。

You can earn quite a lot with a sex-symbol image…
你可以運用性感的形象獲利很多的。。。。。

I have enough as it is. Everything that I own – the car that I drive, the apartment I live in and even the fact that we are here talking – all of this is thanks to me being a tennis player.
我想我需要的都足夠了。我擁有的每樣東西-我開的車﹑住的公寓﹑甚至連我們在這兒聊天﹐全都要歸功於我是位職業網球手。

In reality Safin has three cars. One of them, Porsche, is currently in Monte Carlo. Two others – Mercedes CL and a Range Rover jeep are in Moscow. Marat changes them depending on the mood and the weather.
薩芬有三部車。在蒙特卡羅有一台PORSCHE﹔莫斯科有兩台- MERCEDES CL 及 RANGE ROVER 吉普車。MARAT 隨著心情和天候決定開哪一台車。


Young women travel around the tournaments after you ready for everything – to just get a bit of your attention…
年輕女孩們到處旅行追逐你的比賽﹐希望能引起你的注意......

It’s flattering of course. But I don’t treat them as young women, just as tennis appreciators. And then again, they are way too young, 17-18.
被你這麼說我感到榮幸。不過﹐我沒當她們是年輕女子﹐而是網球愛好者。而且﹐她們都只有十七八歲﹐太小了

What about the girls from Rublevka**?
那麼Rublevka** (註: 莫斯科高級住宅區) 的女孩呢

What has Rublevka got to do with anything? I don’t live there and I don’t ask the girls where they live. To be honest I never had anyone from there, the first thing which is important for me is for the girl to be someone as an individual.
這跟Rublevka有何關係?我既不住那邊﹐也不問女孩家在何處。說真的﹐我不認識那邊的女孩﹐對我來說最重要的是女孩有個人特質

You mean career success?
你指的是事業上有成就嗎

Not necessarily. Just for her to have her own identity, and not be afraid to express her opinion and stand by it. In general, to be open, natural. Because as you know some people just get into this role and can never snap out of it. It’s really obvious and pushes me away.
並不盡然。她要有自我﹐勇於表達自己的意見並堅持著﹐而個性上要大方﹑自然﹐有些人很拘謹﹐表現太明顯﹐我就不自覺想離開了

And she needs to be an honest blonde also?
她也必須是個誠懇的金髮女郎嗎

If you date blondes for a long time, you would want a brunette. You have to have variety in life! (laughs). Besides, it really doesn’t matter, it needs to be interesting and not boring.
如果你跟金髮女孩在一起久了會膩﹐會想換個棕髮﹐人生總要多彩多姿阿(笑聲)。唉呀﹐這些都不重要﹐只要她是個有趣不無聊的人就行了。

I noticed you had worn a ring on a chain around your neck…
我發現你脖子項練上套個戒指

I still have it, wanna see? (drags a chain from underneath his shirt and leans towards me – so close that I can feel the smell of the soap he used to shower after training, - the ring has runes engraved on it).
我還戴著呢﹐你要看嗎 ? (他從襯衫裡把項練拉出往我這邊靠過來 - 好近阿﹐近到我可以聞到他訓練後梳洗完留在身上的香皂味﹐ -喔﹐那戒指上有刻著一些神祕的記號)。

What is this?
這是什麼呢

It’s a ring, a silver one. “Lord of the Rings”, bought it in Spain. I love Tolkien and I respect hobbits, our little brothers.
這是銀製的戒指。 "魔戒 (指環王)"﹐我在西班牙買的。我很喜歡Tolkien﹐我也很尊敬我們的小兄弟哈比人。

So no private life?
所以現在感情一片空白?

None (sighs dramatically). I am not with anyone right now, don’t have a girlfriend. I am not seeking a serious relationship because I am not ready yet.
是阿(大嘆了一口氣)。我身邊沒伴﹐沒有女朋友。現在沒打算定下來﹐因為心理沒準備好。

Had some bad experiences?
是因為過去傷感的經驗嗎

Everyone gets sick with a disease called love…
每個人都會得一種叫 "戀愛" 的疾病。。。

Not everyone…
並不是每個人。。。

Why? It never happened to you? I think everyone experiences it some time. And those who say they never have – are just cunning. I was madly in love once, almost got married even. It was back in Spain. We had lived together for four years. We started dating when I was an eighteen year old nobody, I didn’t have anything, not even a car. She used to give me lifts, pick me up from training, used to support me in any way she could, provided great moral support. I was renting a room back then… Then money started coming in, we bought a flat, a house. We had been through a lot together, it was a great part of my life.
為什麼? 你沒經歷過嗎 ? 我想大家或多或少都曾有過吧。那些自稱從來沒有的-是有點狡猾喔。我曾經談一場轟轟烈烈的戀愛﹐都幾乎要結婚了﹐那時還在西班牙﹐我們同居了四年。她從我18歲還是個無名小卒時就跟我在一起﹐我一貧如洗﹐連車也沒有。她總是去訓練場接送我﹑支持我﹐給我最大的安慰。我租了一間小房間...之後開始有收入了﹐我們買了公寓﹐一棟房子﹐一起經歷風風雨雨﹐是我人生是很特別的一個階段。

Was she older than you?
她比較年長嗎

Yes, by two years.
嗯﹐大我兩歲。

Why did you break up?
你們為何分手

Different mentalities, different people… She is Spanish. In addition to that I didn’t want to live in Spain anymore, wanted to go home, to Moscow.
不同的心智﹐不同的人.....她是西班牙人﹐還有﹐我那時不打算再待在西班牙﹐想回莫斯科老家

Do you like it here?
喜歡莫斯科嗎

I love Moscow, I think it’s the best city in the world. And I have traveled around… People can have fun here in a great beautiful, chic manner…it impresses me.
我愛莫斯科﹐真是世上最棒的城市了﹐我可是世界都走遍了....人們在這裡能盡情地享樂﹐不可思議。


And how do you spend your spare time?
你怎麼打發閒暇時間呢

Differently. You can just hang out with a close circle of friends. If you want a party – please, there are tons of wonderful luxurious clubs in Moscow. We go to First, Dyagilev.
不一定。有時候跟好友在一起﹐如果想要PARTY﹐天阿﹐莫斯科有太多好玩高檔的俱樂部可消磨了。我們常去FIRST﹐ DYAGILEV。

Do you get recognized there?
你會被認出來吧

Well ,they still let me in…
是沒錯﹐不過他們還是讓我進去了.....

So you basically just hang out in clubs, breaking the sports regime…
所以基本上你就是泡夜店﹐打破運動員的規矩囉

Well imagine, I come to Moscow for a month or two a year! I rest here. Surely I want to go meet my friends, go somewhere, hang out and party. Why not? I have every right to.
你想想看﹐我一年只回莫斯科一兩個月。我回來休息﹐當然也想跟好友聚會﹐到處走走﹐出去玩或PARTY。有何不可? 我絕對有權利如此的。

Tell me, did you have the urge to punch Abramovich in the face?
告訴我﹐是否有衝動想對著ABRAMOVICH 的臉揍一拳

Why should I?!?
我為何要這樣?!

Dasha Zhukova…
那個﹐達莎.......

Nothing of the sort. We were over way before that. And while we had been together for three years none of us dated other people parallel to that. We used to fight, break up, get back together again, it was all quite hectic. And then…it just all vanished, just by itself. It turned out all of a sudden that we have absolutely different interests, cirles of friends. And I think we did the right thing to break up. She is young, I am young, why should we mess up each other’s lives?
沒這回事。在那之前我們就分手了﹐我們在一起三年時間彼此都沒有腳踏兩條船。我們曾經吵架﹑分手﹑又復合﹐很混亂﹐而之後﹐很自然地﹐突然一切就沒了。剎那之間﹐我們發現兩人沒有共同興趣﹐朋友也沒交集。而我們分手是對的﹐她還年輕﹐我也是﹐為什麼要彼此糟塌生命?

So whose initiative was it to break up?
那麼是誰先提議要分手?

Mine.
我

And what do you think about her life right now?
你覺得她現在過得如何?

Nothing. I don’t care. Everything is in the past. It’s her private life. However, I will always wish her the very best (his gaze is absolutely calm and sincere).
不知道﹐我不在乎。一切都過去了﹐那是她的私人生活。不過﹐我永遠祝她幸福 (他的眼神是那麼平和與誠懇)。

Tell me Marat, are you always this calm? Are you capable of doing something really crazy? Literally fight for the woman you love for example?
MARAT ﹐你總是這麼冷靜嗎? 你會不會做些瘋狂的事﹐ 好比為了一個女人而打架?

God what is with you all – fight. To fight for a woman is something really idiotic in my opinion (wrinkles his face). We are civilized people. Yes, I did get jealous at times. Everyone who suffers from love disease treats a person next to him as his own property, which is a mistake. A person cannot belong to you, he/she has his/her own thoughts, secrets. A person will never open up completely and he is just with you. For some time. Can leave tomorrow, or can leave in a year. It’s his right. Fight, beat each other up…what for? She has to choose herself.
天阿﹐你們腦子都在想什麼 -- 打架。我覺得為了一個女人暴力相向非常愚蠢 (臉上起了皺紋)﹐我們可是文明人阿。沒錯﹐有時我會嫉妒﹐每個為愛所苦的人都不禁把身邊的人當成自己的財產﹐那真是天大的錯誤。沒有人屬於你﹐他/她 有 他/她 個人的想法和祕密。一個人不可能完完全全對你赤裸所有的﹐他只是跟你在一起罷了。有時候﹐明天可以離開﹐或甚至離開一整年﹐那都是他的權利。打架﹐兩個男人打得你死我活﹐為了什麼? 女人自有她的選擇。

How do you court ladies?
你怎麼取悅女人呢

Women are tough to impress nowadays…Presents… I left the Spanish an apartment, a car and money. On the whole I am not a materialistic person and couldn’t care less about all these toys. Who needs all this? (waves hands with a Rolex shining on one of them). I think the most important thing is attention and a good relationship.
現在要滿足女人很難呀 。。。送禮物。。我給那個西班牙女孩一套公寓﹑一輛車和一些錢。基本上我不是個物質主義者﹐這些身外之物可有可無。誰需要這種東西 ? (邊講邊揮戴著閃亮ROLEX名錶的手﹐註 : ROLEX 是MARAT的贊助商﹐他得常戴﹔當然他喜歡收集錶﹐記得他說他喜歡SWATCH 那種便宜錶... ) 。人與人之間最重要的﹐莫過於關懷和良好的互動了。

Well do you at least give flowers?
至少你送花吧

That yes. And without any occasion. Just when I want to do something nice for someone. I give tulips – I think it’s a sign of style. And roses – traditional but very beautiful. I even sent roses to Paris.
會阿﹐並不限於特定場合﹐有時興緻一來想對人家好就送了。我送鬱金香﹐非常高雅﹔也會送玫瑰花﹐傳統又不失美麗。我甚至送花到巴黎去。

To whom?
給誰

Doesn’t matter. A Russian girl, worked as a model in Paris… This is my not-so-pleasant past. I made a lot of mistakes, too bad I realized that too late. I wanted to change things one way or another but it didn’t work out. But I sent roses.
那不重要啦。一個俄羅斯女孩﹐在巴黎當模待兒。這是我一段不太愉快的回憶﹐我犯了很多錯﹐當自己發現時一切為時已晚。我試著挽回﹐但沒能成功﹐不過我的確送了玫瑰花給她。

What did you do that was so awful?
你幹了什麼好事呀

Maybe nothing special, just acted wrong. Showed no interest, no care, kept “forgetting” to call. She worried. Small things in general that spoilt everything with time. Now I understand that you can’t do that.
也不是特別糟的事﹐只是行為失當。總是表現地不在乎﹐不太熱衷﹐老"忘記"打電話﹐她便憂慮起來了。小事累積久了就壞了兩人的關係。現在我明白﹐不可以這樣對待人家。

Why did you act like that back then?
為什麼那時會如此

Wasn’t over “the Spanish affair” yet. Didn’t want to get attached again even though I really liked her. To cut a long story short, couldn’t make up my mind and spoilt everything in the end.
那時對於跟西班牙女孩分手的傷感還沒恢復﹐雖然很喜歡她﹐卻不想很快又陷入另一段感情。簡而言之﹐我始終猶豫不決﹐所以最後搞砸了。

What do you look for in a relationship with a woman? Warmth? Fantastic sex?
你追求跟女人什麼樣的關係? 溫情? 激烈的性愛?

I don’t look for anything at all because when you look, you usually never find. It will come when you least expect it. For now I like my life the way it is. I do not report to anyone, I do not have to call several times a day to ask what she had done and where she had been. And I don’t want to be asked these questions.
我沒有刻意追尋什麼﹐因為你越想找就更找不到﹔它總在不經意時到來。現在我很滿意現狀﹐我不需跟誰報告﹐也不用每天打很多電話問她做了什麼去了哪裡﹐而我也不想被問東問西的。

Freedom is my choice…
自由是我的選擇......

Yes, I treasure freedom. And if I meet a person who will understand that and give me that freedom, maybe something could work out of it. We have to be similar in the way we look at the world, I am not saying “identical” – it’s impossible, just similar at least… But I haven’t met a person like that yet.
是的﹐我珍惜自由。如果我找到一個人瞭解我﹑願意給我那份自由﹐也許我們就能愉快在一起了。我們處世的看法要類似﹐我不是說得要"一模一樣"--當然那也可能﹐不過至少要相似。但是﹐我還沒遇到這樣的人哪。

From what I gathered, you are against marriage as such?
我整個聽起來你好像頗排斥婚姻

Why? If anyone likes it, they can go ahead and get married. I just don’t understand it: people are together, they love each other, why do you need a document to prove that?
為什麼? 誰想結婚﹐他盡可以去結婚組織家庭。我只是很不懂: 兩人在一起﹐彼此相愛﹐為何非要一張紙來證明呢?

A woman feels more secure like that.
女人會覺得較有安全感阿

So this means I have to support her all my life? I think this is obscene… I am ready to get married in just one situation: when our kids grow up.
意思是我得養她一輩子嗎? 我覺得這很離譜.....只有一種情況之下我會結婚:當我們的小孩都長大

??!
阿???!!

Well, kids would grow up and we would still be together. And we would have feelings for each other. That’s when we’d have the wedding. And celebrate together with the kids. What? I think its beautiful.
是阿﹐小孩都長大而我們還在一起﹐對彼此仍有感覺﹐那就是結婚的時候﹐跟小孩們一起慶祝﹐我覺得這樣很美好。

He was very courteous. And even offered me a ride. And even held the car door open (Mercedes Benz CL). However, I didn’t really delude myself. He’s got training, tight schedule…
他彬彬有禮﹐非常紳士﹐甚至還送我回家﹐甚至...還幫我開車門(MERCEDES BENZ CL)。不過我沒昏頭啦。他得趕著去訓練﹐行程滿檔.....

* - Pavel Bure. A famous hockey player who spent a few years in NHL and won the Stanley Cup.

** - Rublevka is a slang for Rublevskoe Avenue. A very posh area on the outskirts of Moscow.

Ten things to love about tennis this summer (Australian News)
1. MARAT SAFIN
http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/ten-things-to-love-about-tennis-this-summer/2007/01/05/1167777280484.html
今夏十項熱愛網球的理由(澳洲報紙)
1. 馬拉特﹑薩芬
pictures: Safin preparing for 2007 Aussie Open
附圖: 薩芬為澳網熱身訓練

WHAT'S not to love about Safin? Well, apart from the hot temper, the moodiness, the dubious entourages, the political incorrectness, the sometime career as a serial racquet-smasher?

嗯.....即便脾氣差﹑陰晴不定﹑伴侶不斷更替﹑"政治不正確"觀點﹑甚或是職業網壇連環摔拍犯之外.....有什麼原因讓你不愛薩芬的?

All of it part of the package, and most of it forgiven because Safin is not just guaranteed entertainment, and a reliable quote machine, but also a fabulous and truly gifted player some even rate as Roger Federer's equal — at least on a good day. Indeed, two years ago, Safin was the last player to beat Federer at a non-French major, in a magnificent Australian Open semi-final that preceded the killing of Lleyton Hewitt's home slam dream a few nights later. A knee injury kept him away last year, and his ranking dipped outside the top 100 before recovering to 25th, but Safin has a Davis Cup to show for his most recent efforts, hailing his win in the deciding rubber as his motivation to continue in the game.

這些都是薩芬獨有的一整套配備﹐缺了就不是他了﹐而大家也都"容許寬恕"了大半的壞玩意兒﹐因為薩芬不只是娛樂的保證﹑最妙語如珠的名言製造機﹐也是一位具有令人驚嘆天賦的球員﹐有些人甚至認為可與費德勒並駕齊趨 - 起碼在他狀態最佳的時候。事實上也沒錯﹐兩年前﹐薩芬是法網之外﹐最後一個在大滿貫擊敗費德勒的球手﹐時間就在他粉碎Hewitt 於家鄉捧杯之前的四強大戰裡。膝蓋傷勢迫使氣去年幾乎缺席所有比賽﹐排名掉到百名之外最後又回到第25﹐不過﹐薩芬的努力於戴維斯杯終於開花結果﹐決定賽裡取得勝利﹐為俄羅斯贏得冠軍﹐也為自己找回繼續留在網壇奮鬥的動力。

He has been called "the world's only Shakespearean tennis star", while fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov says he has "gigantic charisma as a personality" and claims that "if he had (Rafael) Nadal's focus and tunnel vision about tennis, yeah, he'd be No. 1". Safin is not that, but he once was, and he remains many other things besides. Welcome back.
他一向被喻為是" 世上唯一莎士比亞劇本般戲劇性的網球明星"﹐ 同胞選手Tursunov 曾說"他的人格特質有著非凡的魔力/領導性",並表示"如果他能像Nadal那樣專注地在網球事業上﹐不用懷疑﹐他會是世界第一的"。薩芬並沒有世界第一﹐但曾是世界第一﹐其他的特質﹐一個也沒改變。歡迎你歸隊呀﹐薩芬!!