Q. What's the reason for your withdrawal?
MARAT SAFIN: My wrist is bothering me, and I decided not to play.
Q. Disappointed?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, kind of.
Q. When did you feel the pain for the first time?
MARAT SAFIN: In the first match. I fall down, and then I hit the backhand a little bit too late, and I felt some pain here. Afterwards, for the second match, they put me injection, so I didn't feel in the second match. Afterwards, at night, I had my wrist really big. Just I couldn't move it. So no reason to play.
Q. Is there a diagnosis?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, is a cut in the ligament.
Q. A what?
MARAT SAFIN: A small cut.
Q. In the ligament?
MARAT SAFIN: Yes.
Q. Do you know how long you will be out?
MARAT SAFIN: The doctor says two, three weeks. Vacations (smiling).
Q. When you say you're kind of disappointed, are you looking forward to a little bit of rest now?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. Yeah, some time off, because of long season last year, I have a few weeks now off. It will be good. Is good for me.
Q. Will you be ready for Davis Cup?
MARAT SAFIN: I'm not sure. Not sure. I will see. I will check every week. I will try to do something to help to recover and we'll see. But I'm not sure for Davis Cup will be ready.
Q. What sort of treatment do you have to get for this sort of injury?
MARAT SAFIN: Not much you can do. Ice, laser. Doctors, they know.
Q. Mostly rest?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah.
Q. Do you feel like you've been very unlucky in Australia this year? The shoulder in Sydney, now this wrist.
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I'm unbeatable in Australia (smiling). Yeah, actually was very bad luck. I started to play well in Sydney, I got injured with problems with my shoulder. Here, very first match, just got injured. Because I'm already in second round, I start to play better. To fly 24 hours here, you know, leave from here without any success is not really good. That's life. What you can do?
Q. You've talked a lot about the long season, more time off. I'm wondering if you're going to reduce your schedule this year? Do you think these injuries are a result of playing too much last year?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, because everybody's getting injured. As you can see, tennis is becoming too physical. Everybody's trying to play tournaments and everybody -- because level of tennis is so high, the bodies of the players, they cannot anymore. So that's why you need to take a few weeks' rest. Every time you play two, three weeks, you also need to take a few weeks off, otherwise you cannot, because the body is getting tired really fast.
Q. Will you play less this year, do you think, than last year?
MARAT SAFIN: Even if before I played like around 35 weeks a year, so now if you're playing 25, is more than enough. I've been playing last year not so much actually. Play 25 weeks. You cannot play less. In the Masters Series, with Davis Cup, with Grand Slams, it's becoming already 19 weeks. But you also have to play a few tournaments, some other tournaments. So it's already 25.
And the schedules, we don't have rest at all, the tennis players. So it's difficult.
Q. I know you're no longer in the tournament. Who do you think might get through your quarter of the draw, Blake or Federer? Who do you think might win the title?
MARAT SAFIN: I didn't even see the draw. I don't really care. Definitely the best one who's in the best shape right now. The same people like Federer. But everybody can play tennis. Everybody can be in the semifinals. I don't need to just say the names. Everybody can be there, even the people who are not seeded can also play great tennis. We'll see. I really don't know.
Q. You've spoken about drug testing. Do you still feel the same way, that you're not in favor of it, it's too invasive in players' lives?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but the people, they're not taking anything, so they don't have to be scared. I'm not scared. I believe, and I still believe, the player to be able to play great tennis, you don't have to take -- you don't need to take drugs, you know. Just to play a tennis match, you can have the vitamins, all these things, but you don't need to take drugs to be able to play a match of the year.
Q. But you don't think it's necessary to do testing?
MARAT SAFIN: Of course, why not? We've been doing test like every year since I'm playing. We are doing drug testing, so why not? They don't have to go too deep. That's their decisions. I'm not scared. Just whatever the people, they say, we do. If it's good for tennis, that's great. If it's a great idea to make drug testing, I'm okay with that.
Q. Have you been selected at random this week for any blood testing?
MARAT SAFIN: No.
Q. Did the doctor advise you to not play?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. I asked. I can feel myself I cannot just hold the racquet. I spoke to the doctor. He said, "Just don't do that."
Still a long time to go. The year is just beginning. Just one tournament, why would I destroy all my season? I prefer to stop now, even if it's a Grand Slam. Still the health is more important than the rest of the things.
Q. When do you go back to Russia?
MARAT SAFIN: Today.
Q. If you cannot play Davis Cup, what will be your next tournament?
MARAT SAFIN: I will try to come back for Rotterdam for indoors, play a few weeks before the Masters Series, Indian Wells, Miami, play a few matches. I'm not sure I'm going to be ready for Davis Cup. I'll try to do my best. But otherwise Rotterdam, Dubai.
Sajna nem emlékszem!!!
Csak annyit tudok, hogy Hewitt és Agassi elég el fog húzni a pontversenyben, Ferrero pedig előre fog lépni és Safin 4. lesz így!Elég messze áll az első helytől!!!
Hát igen!
Nagyon sajnálom, hogy Safin nem tud tovább játszani, de erről nem tehet, végülis nem kapott ki, csak visszamondta! Sérülés ellen nem lehet mit tenni. Elöbb a váll, most a csukló!
Remélem a többi tornán OK lesz és tud nyerni, hiszen meg akarja szerezni az 1. helyet újra!!!
HAJRÁ!Mi szurkolunk!!!!
Hát ez ennyi volt. Természetesen sejtettük, hogy sérült vállal nem lehet csodát csinálni, de ez akkor is csalodás számomra.
Meanwhile, Marat Safin, last year's runner-up, withdrew with a wrist injury from a fall in his first-round match.
The 2000 U.S. Open champion's withdrawal sent No. 31 Rainer Schuettler into the fourth round against No. 23 James Blake, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 winner over Spain's Alberto Martin.
Safin, who had been coming back from a shoulder injury, said an injection helped him through his second-round victory over Spain's Albert Montanes but afterward his left wrist swelled up badly.
Safin, a right-hander who hits a two-handed backhand, said it was diagnosed as a cut ligament.
"It's very bad luck because I started to play better and to fly 24 hours to get here without any success is not really good. But that's life," Safin said.
But another Russian, Mikhail Youzhny, who led his nation to its first Davis Cup title last year, advanced by ousting seventh-seeded Jiri Novak, a 2002 semifinalist here, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Third seed Marat Safin cruised into the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Dutchman Raemon Sluiter on Tuesday.
The Russian showed no ill-effects from the shoulder problem that forced him to pull out of last week's Sydney International although he said he was using anti-inflammatory drugs to ease his pain.
He fired 13 aces past Sluiter, including one timed at 209 kph, to win in two and a half hours.
After securing a second round meeting with Spaniard Albert Montanes, Safin said: "It's okay, the pain is going away.
"It's much better and by the next match I think it will be perfect."
Safin was due to meet eventual champion, Korean qualifier Lee Hyung-taik, in the quarter-finals in Sydney last week but pulled out on medical advice because of problems with his serving shoulder.
He flew straight to Melbourne to receive treatment in the hope of starting in the Australian Open and was eventually cleared to play.
Safin, who briefly held the number one ranking shortly after his breakthrough victory in the 2000 U.S. Open, lost last year's Australian Open final to Swede Thomas Johansson.
Now ranked third in the world, the 22-year-old Russian said he had a great chance of going one better this year.
"Last year is history already, it was a year ago" he said.
"I still think I have great potential to do well here. I want to do well here.
"I will be tough (to beat) and I will give trouble to everybody, that's for sure."
Safin said he thought the Melbourne Park Rebound Ace courts were playing faster than last year and that would suit his big serving game.
"It is definitely faster, the bounce is a little bit slower but that's good for me," he said.
gondolod, h mások el fogják olvasni, ha még a legnagyobb rajongó is csak nagyjából futotta át? :) jó rég írtál nekem smst, pedig az utolsóban sztem tök szépet írtam. :))
Could you describe your emotion on match point, just when you won the point?
MARAT SAFIN: I was praying to finish in three sets. Just when was everything finished, I was so happy. I didn't have to go to the fourth set because you never know how it can finish. He started to play well. Also, my physical conditions, I was getting tired already. I wanted to finish in three sets. I was lucky that I could make it.
What about your happiness?
MARAT SAFIN: "Happiness," what do you mean? We still have to win. It's okay to win one match. For me, for myself, it's great, but I hope it will help the team, you know, it will help to Misha to win the last match, just to win Davis Cup. Why not? It's the last point. Two Juniors are playing basically. We'll see (smiling).
Do you remember the last time you played so well and so consistently from the first to the last point?
MARAT SAFIN: Two days ago (laughter).
No, I think probably Bercy when I won here. I think I played a great match. Every match I was playing, I was full of confidence, even if I didn't make any good results before that tournament. Just, I don't know, nothing to lose. Playing outside of Russia, playing against a big team, against all the spectators, it just was great. I was inspired.
You have been pulling your team for the past three days. Can you describe what it's like? Is it difficult?
MARAT SAFIN: It's difficult. It's difficult emotionally because every match you play, it's difficult to play because you're not playing only for yourself, you're playing for the team, for the country. Everybody's watching you. They want you to win.
It's really difficult, you know, to fight against the player, against the crowd, against everything, like when you choke, which is normal, being nervous in a match, especially in the final.
But I'm happy. I want to win. It doesn't matter how tired you are, how bad you're playing, doesn't make any difference, just we want to win. It's the last match. It's also my last match of the year, it was. I'm happy to finish. I have done everything what I could do to help the team to win the Davis Cup.
How do you explain you recovered so well after the doubles yesterday?
MARAT SAFIN: Still young, youth, nothing else. I'm just 22 years old, and my body let me play so many hours without being tired. The masseur, he did a great job. Also the support, it means a lot. I mean, if it would go to five sets, to play a tough match, then it will be difficult. After two days in a row playing tough matches, emotionally and physically you are getting tired. Still, I'm 22, so it saves my life today.
What was the key of the match today?
MARAT SAFIN: Just start from the beginning playing your game without giving to Sebastien any chance to control the match, otherwise... He's a really smart player. He knows how to play in the tough moments. He knows how to read the other play player. He knows where to put the ball.
I was going for it. Why not? Some shots I had to go for it, just put pressure all the time on Sebastien, on the return, on his serve, just move him around the court, just going to the net.
You think that the easy success against him in Roland Garros helped you today?
MARAT SAFIN: Yes, of course. Last time we played in Roland Garros, I won. I just understood how I have to play against him. It also gave me some kind of confidence that I can beat him. Already I knew from the beginning what I have to do, when I have to do. I was also a little bit lucky at some point of the match.
When did you know that Kafelnikov would not play? Does it change anything in your mind?
MARAT SAFIN: Actually, from yesterday. We decided to put Mikhail because Yevgeny was tired after the doubles. He couldn't play today, so we decided to put the young player. Why not? We'll see if he can manage to win, at least show great tennis.
Did you have a conversation with Yevgeny yesterday after the doubles? Did you help him decide not to play?
MARAT SAFIN: No. We have enough people, smart people, in tennis. Shamil and some other coaches, we have Cherkasov with us, some other players, explayers, that understand tennis. They decided what to do.
Did Yevgeny volunteer not to play?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, because he said himself, "Whatever you decide, guys, I will respect it."
We saw Golanov beside you. How did he help you?
MARAT SAFIN: A lot. A lot of support is what I need. Some stage of the match, he gave me some good advices, not to go back in the third set, to keep advancing to the net, keep looking for the net, not giving up. Of course, there was a lot of support from the Russian team, from Yevgeny, from Dennis and from my captain. It helps me a lot.
You haven't lost that many matches in Bercy. Are you inspired by this place?
MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it seems like I cannot lose a match here (smiling). I like that atmosphere. I like the situation of the court. I don't know. I always played well here. I always did a great job. I played my best tennis here in Bercy.
Could you tell us why you had a verbal abuse?
MARAT SAFIN: I had a verbal abuse?
A warning. What did you say?
MARAT SAFIN: I said what I thought about it. I didn't accuse anybody. I didn't want to offend anybody. I just didn't offend anybody. Just I gave my opinion. That's okay. I was pissed because you know also it was a very important ball for me. I was sure the ball was out. But just it happens. I didn't meant anything to the chair umpire at all.
Was it difficult to come back in the match?
MARAT SAFIN: No, it was disappointing because I needed so badly that point. But it's okay. Everybody's making mistakes. I'm not abusing him. I can't do anything. Just it was my opinion.
Now you are on holidays. What are your plans?
MARAT SAFIN: The year's finished. I was waiting for it so badly. I wanted to finish the year with a good match. I played it. Now I can go for vacations being relaxed for a couple of weeks.
