Marat did that exhibition this week. It probably didn't turned out Marat hoped to, but he got some experience at least. After all, he changed his way of playing.
Marat lost to Dudi Sela with: 16 46.
Marat lost to Stefan Koubek with: 26 67(5)
Koubek told the press that Marat probably was still tired of snowboarding. He was seen on the slopes for a long time! Pictures aren't there yet... maybe soon?!
Yes guys, it has been a while. Sorry for that. There wasn't really much to tell Let's just begin with the news: A WONDERFUL REPORT FROM VALENCIA From: http://www.maratsafin.com/content.php?did=10&aid=39e2105607dde3a05c9faf1a5d553acd Marat in Valencia, preparing the 2008 season Valencia, November the 26th, 2007. By Alexandra Cardoso for www.maratsafin.com The Tenisval Academy, where Marat grew up as a player and where other names such as Igor Andreev, David Ferrer, Anabel Medina-Garrigues and Dinara Safina also train, is situated in an area surrounded by fields of oranges trees and near marsh lands. It's a quiet place where the only sounds to be heard come from the birds, or the occasional dog barking in one of the farms close by. The grounds are large with 12 outdoor clay courts, 2 greenset ones, a football camp, a handball court and a basketball court, and even a playground for children. In the main building you can find the offices, the restaurant/bar, the gym, and the player's lounge. Closer to the courts is the smaller building of the locker room. All around the facilities there are gardens and shaded areas with trees and grass, giving it a soothing atmosphere. Everywhere you can only see kids in tennis gear, teenagers doing fitness exercises, and hear the soft 'thwock' of balls being hit on the courts. It's the perfect place to focus on tennis and getting fit. The practice I arrived there just in time to watch Marat's first tennis practice and during the whole time it lasted Marat and his coach Hernán Gumy practiced only forehand and backhand ground strokes. From the start it was clear that Gumy's objective was not so much to get winners but to perfect Marat's general movement on court, his footwork and his body posture. With every ball that Marat hit, Gumy kept talking non stop: "On tip toes, hit it on tip toes; now dance, dance! Turn around it, yes, good! Breathe, breathe! Do little steps, little steps!" He kept constantly insisting on the technical gestures, correcting the body posture, and insisting on the finalization of each stroke as a way to prepare for the next: "Finish like this, ok? With the arms extended straight out. And don't lean back when you hit it, finish forward". He exemplified a forehand with the follow through ending over the head whilst jumping back as a gesture to avoid: "You jump back when you hit it and you'll end up taking one step backwards, and then you're at a disadvantage. No. Try to finish leaning forward, ok?" They hit rounds of 8, 10, 12, 15 balls at a time for each sequence. Those sequences made Marat move constantly over the backline: from one side to other of the court, than back again, surrounding the ball to hit it from the other side, and then moving forward again for the next stroke. He sometimes made a remark here and there to clarify something but mainly stayed focused the whole time, repeating each sequence of strokes over and over again. And Gumy was constantly encouraging: "Look how nice that forehand was! Perfect, it's just like that! Good! Great, that's it!" At intervals between rounds Gumy would ask Marat "How much?" and Marat would answer looking at a meter on his wrist: 30,... 36,… 40,… 45… Miguel Maeso was around almost the whole time, attentive to his pupil's physical condition and he too was interested in those numbers. Even though he was totally focused, whacking every ball with intention and power, Marat seemed to be enjoying himself. At every pause to rest and drink water, he exchanged jokes with Gumy, with Maeso and with his friend Daní (who was acting as a ballboy), and with other coaches and fitness trainers that happened to walk by. He cursed once or twice with jokes directed at Daní, to which the other one responded by pretending to hit a clownish forehand back at Marat. Everybody was working hard (Gumy and Maeso were already discussing Marat's schedule for the rest of the day), but they all kept a good mood. For example, at one point, when Gumy and Daní were picking up all the balls that were scattered around, Marat grabbed one ball and gave a wicked look at Daní, who was approaching him with a stack of balls pilled high on a racket. He made no gesture, only looked, but Daní read his mind: "Oh, come on! You're not going to hit me with that! At least let me drop the balls in the basket first!" A little while later, it was Maeso who decided to sit on the double bench where Marat had been sitting, but he sat on the other side and almost fell flat on his back. "What the heck! This thing is dangerous!" "Yeah, I noticed there's something wrong with that side of the bench. Take care, if you sit there you could get hurt." said Gumy. "Marat, sit here!" was Maeso's immediate command, said jokingly! But Marat, wisely, pretended not to listen. We are real persons 2 hours later, when the training session ended, Marat was drenched in sweat but the spirit was positive. He confirmed the schedule for the afternoon with Miguel Maeso and Hernán Gumy and then started packing his things. As soon as he was ready to leave the court he called out to me, saying we could talk now (I had asked earlier if he could spare a few minutes and he had agreed). We sat on the bleachers, side by side, and I started by asking him how it had been in the two weeks of fitness that he had just done: MS: "They were ok." AC: "What did you do exactly?" MS: "We did 3 sessions every day of fitness and physical training. Fitness exercises, gym work, beach…" AC: "Beach?" MS: "Running on the beach." AC: "And now? What will be the schedule from now on?" MS: "Now we will be doing 4 sessions everyday, 2 of fitness and 2 of tennis/physical." AC: "How will a typical day be, today for example?" MS: "Well, today it was first breakfast, then leaving the hotel at 9h45, then getting here and doing fitness training, then tennis, then rest and then more fitness/physical in the afternoon." AC: "How long will you be here for?" MS: "Until the 27th"[of December]. AC: "So, you're not going to the Davis Cup…" MS: "No. I'm not ready. I'm not fit right now to face Roddick or Blake." AC: "…and the Bryan brothers…" MS: "…or the Bryan brothers." At this point Marat's expression turned a bit sad when he spoke about DC. I imagine he wished he could be there to help his team as he always had before, but he didn't feel he could be a valuable asset for them at this point. Changing subject I then asked what was that thing on his wrist that he was constantly checking during practice, and what was it measuring. MS: "It measures the heart rate. It's important to be aware of your body. It's not a machine, so you have to pay attention to the effort because you don't want to overload your heart or your muscles." As he was explaining this he suddenly took off his t-shirt, quite naturally, and wiped himself with it before putting on a new one, and I could see strapped across his chest a Velcro band where the heartbeat reading device was attached to. AC: "How were your vacations?" MS: "They were good. I had time to sort out a lot of things I usually don't have time to do because we are on the road the whole year." AC: "And did you have time to forget about tennis? Make a 'reset' to the mind?" He gave me a half smile: "Mainly I had time to organise everything that has to be organised. Sometimes people think it's easy for us, that all we have to do is play but we are real persons, with things we have to take care of outside of the court." AC: "I sometimes think you guys are portrayed almost as cartoon characters, stereotypes, and not real persons." Marat smiled: "We are real persons, with normal lives. Tennis is just our job, just like other people have their jobs. The only difference is that we are lucky to appear on TV." I don't like to read about myself We had gotten up and were walking towards the locker room when the conversation turned to articles and the things people write about him. MS: "I don't like to read about myself. People have their own ideas, and that's ok. Sometimes they write good things and sometimes they write bad things, and then it doesn't matter how much you try to do to make them see how things really are because it doesn't work. You can't change how others think." AC: "I always thought everybody has preconceived ideas about everything, so maybe that's it; they just end up writing about what they think is the truth." MS: "Yes, but if you start paying too much attention to what people say about you, you risk getting too much involved in that, on how others see you, and that's not good for you." We had reached the locker room and I thanked him for his time and wished him all the best with his preparation for the new season. He thanked me as well, gave me a nod and a kind smile and went inside. I then came away and as I was leaving the premises I passed by 2 or 3 teenagers from the academy who were jogging along the road. I couldn't help think of all the times Marat must have done that same thing, jogging along the road that passes between the orange tree fields. Maybe he had done it already that day or was going to do it later. After all, this was just the first day of training, back at the academy! OFFICIAL UPDATE, WWW.MARATSAFIN.COM From: http://www.maratsafin.com/content.php?did=10&aid=8a15fea0edc158b540e5a283ff767686 3rd December 2007 Marat's fitness training went well and he has lost 5 Kgs. He is slimmer, trimmer and raring to go. He and Hernan are so pleased with the way practice has gone that they have decided that Marat needs some competitive matches before going to Australia to begin the new season. Marat will be at the Tennis Trophy at St Anton am Arlberg from 10 - 15 December. The actual exhibition runs from 12 - 15 December. It is called the "The greatest Tennis Party of the World" and there are both male and female participants. St Anton is a well know winter sports area particularly for skiing and they have for 20 years combined this with a tennis exhibition for men and women at this time of the year. Last year Novak Djokovic was there. As there has also been a lot of snow lately in the area, Marat is looking forward to trying snowboarding - now that he is lighter he feels he can do it! He is already a very good skier so this is something else he would like to try in wintersports. Apart from the tennis that is. This tournament is held indoors and will be a good preparation towards starting the year in Australia. Link to the Tournament Website is www.tennistrophy.net The site is only available in German. Marat will travel to Melbourne Australia on 3rd January 2008.
Basketball Court
Football Camp
Playground
Main Building
The Courts
Always positive and enthusiastic, after every round of balls Gumy would draw lines on the ground to show the position he wanted Marat to hit from, and then he would give a new sequence of strokes: "Now: two crosscourt forehands followed by one backhand down the line" or "One forehand inside out, one forehand crosscourt and one backhand down the line", "Ok, now one forehand crosscourt, one down the line and one backhand crosscourt".
The Locker Room
The Grounds
Practice has been going very well in Valencia and Marat and Hernan Gumy are pleased with the progress. The relationship of coach and player is progressing well.
As was seen in the photos that Alexandra Kindly provided from Valencia,(see her article Marat in Valencia preparing for 2008) Marat has changed racquets and is using the new Microgel Prestige which should be on general sale from January 2008. Marat is very very happy with this new racquet as it has a very similar feeling to the Prestige Finesse he used in 2000 and had so many good results with. It feels good to use.
Marat descided to stop for this season. He'll have a few weeks and will practise hard afterwards. Look below for an explaination and other important stuff!
From OS: Marat was not very happy with his standard of play at the Madrid Masters and has decided after discussion with his coach Hernan Gumy and his management that it would be better to finish his 2007 season now. His mountain adventure which he thoroughly enjoyed, took him out of his rythm and also left him with no energy. He thought he was ready coming back in Moscow but found that the stress of playing back to back tournaments was too much and his body just was not ready to cope with it. He thought he could play at a good level but it didn't happen.
He will take some time off to get his energy levels back and then in 3 weeks time will meet with his coach and they will spend a long period of practice time in Valencia - cleaning up his game and working hard on his approach, his work ethic and his general attitude to the year ahead. The intention is to be ready for the Australian season. Marat knows his ranking will drop but feels it is better to get himself ready for the new season rather than push at this stage.
He will not play in the Davis Cup Final in the US. Basically the Davis Cup team left it up to him to make the decision and Marat decided that right now there are 4 better players than him who are in form and can make sure they play to the best of their ability for Russia. Recently Davydenko won Moscow again and Tursunov won in Bangkok - both on hardcourts which is the surface that the Final will be played on. Marat was proud to be involved in the run up to the Final and has every faith in his fellow players that they will perform to their very best ability for Russia and make it a hard contest against the US.
Marat would like to say thank you to all his fans for their love and support this year through the difficult times and hopes they will continue to support him as he strives to find the level he needs to play well again.
After this message from Marat on the OS some cruel guy wrote an horrible article. Read below the article and the reactions from Marat on that.
Article from www.tennis.com
Dear Marat:
What’s up? Hope all is well. You must be in a good mood today after Russia¹s upset win over England in the UEFA game, huh? Big surprise, but then it¹s never easy for a visiting team to win in Moscow.
I saw you on TV this week, at the Madrid Masters. Looking good. You’ll be rocking the ’fro in no time.
After yet another early loss in Madrid this week, is it time for Marat Safin to think about packing his bags for good?© Jasper Juinen/Getty ImagesBut listen, I’m writing on a more serious note. Let me be blunt: You’re a mess, man. You haven’t won more than two matches in a row since mid-July, and your best result this season was in February when you reached the semifinals of Las Vegas. Fitting, since you’ve been coming up craps ever since.
It’s the same story with you: another week, another miserable loss. In Madrid you, big guy, lost to an even bigger guy, Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, in 59 minutes. What, were you double-parked?
I could cut you some slack, since the 6-foot-10 Karlovic is a nightmare to play on an indoor court, but you obviously didn’t go into the match with much hope. What was it that you said? Oh, right, “I [didn’t] expect anything from this one. Just finish the year and that’s it.”
Ah, the power of positive thinking.
You’re killing me, Marat. Lately, you’ve been as committed to tennis as Hugh Hefner is to monogamy. And when you do play, it’s been painful to watch. Please, explain your flameouts this season to Feliciano Lopez, Kristof Vliegen, Janko Tipsarevic, Hyung-Taik Lee, and Nicolas Kiefer. Journeymen, each and every one of them, and you barely put up a fight. Which is more than I can say for your performance against Nicolas Mahut in Indian Wells, Calif., where you posted a bagel in the third set. That’s actually quite impressive. On some level, it’s harder to find a way to lose a set at love than it is to scratch out a game or two, especially with your firepower.
It’s all leading me to believe that you should quit tennis. I don’t mean temporarily hang up your racquet so you can go on a farcical journey in the Himalayans to regroup, reenergize, and refocus—clearly, you’re incapable of that. You should pack up and never return.
Marat, this isn’t an easy thing to say for me. Ever since you crashed the scene in 2000, blowing Pete Sampras off the court in the U.S. Open final—a victory that was at once brutal and artistic—I’ve been a big fan. No one hits a cleaner, heavier ball than you, and it’s been refreshing to have a top player with a fiery, melodramatic personality. You’ve got soul, unlike your compatriots Nikolay Davydenko and, before him, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who treat the game with a stone-cold business-like efficiency.
But your “why-me” theatrics have grown tired. Boris Becker played the role of Hamlet, too, pitching his head to the sky after a mistake as if some otherworldly power was torturing him for kicks. The difference was that Becker was a winner throughout his career.
What's with the ’tude, dude? You’re like a teenager who’s way too self-absorbed for his own good. When you were recently asked about the gambling investigation in men’s tennis, which strikes at the very core of the sport’s integrity and deserves an informed response from all of the top players, your response was weaker than an Elena Dementieva second serve. “To be honest,” you said, “I don’t really care. Whatever people do and whatever they want to do, I don’t care. If the world collapses, I don’t really care. I have enough problems myself. I can’t worry about other people’s problems.”
Never mind that this is the kind of thinking that gets us all into trouble in every facet of life – like, say, a war in Iraq – it shows a lack of respect for the sport that made you a millionaire in the first place. Even John McEnroe, Mr. Ego himself, cares (or at least pretends to care) about tennis.
Look, Marat, I know you’re hard on yourself—self-criticism is in your blood, ingrained over many formative childhood years by your mother and the severe Soviet system. Positive reinforcement? It didn’t exist in your universe. You’ve even said, “I didn’t care to play tennis, didn’t really like it.”
And I know you’ve always struggled with the high expectations that came from beating Sampras. You should be No. 1 if only you apply yourself, or so goes the conventional wisdom. It seems to me that you’ve chosen to diffuse this talk by playing so horrendously that no one can even entertain the thought of you challenging for majors anymore.
That’s a sad commentary on your career. Didn’t you get any perspective when you ditched your Davis Cup mates in September to trek up Nepal’s Cho Oyu mountain, only to quit at the base camp. I can only imagine how miserable you were, and how miserable you made your fellow hikers on that journey, when you discovered that climbing a mountain is, like, real work.
Tennis is hard work, too. You can’t keep playing meathead tennis, rallying without many changes in pace and placement, and expect to win. You’re good, but not that good.
I came across a quote yesterday from Paul Annacone that was apropos of your career. “My old boss said to me once,” Annacone says, “the definition of how good you are is in three areas: your head, your heart, and your talent level.”
What’s the average of a D, F, and A? We’re talking only slightly better than Marcelo Rios here.
Don’t laugh. He won 18 career titles; you’re at 15. Granted, you’ve got 2 majors, while Rios never won a Slam. But you both share that absurd, petulant attitude, which undermines everything you do on court.
Hey, man, it’s your career. But you’re 27, and if you can get healthy you might want to dig in for a year or two before your body, or mind, or both, totally conk out. No regrets, right? Otherwise, spare your fans the heartache and join Yevgeny at the poker table.
Later,
James
From OS:
Dear Fans
A lot of things have happened lately and with the season finishing early for Marat after some difficult times, we would like to share Marat's thoughts and vision for the upcoming year with his fans. And also to give our response to an insulting article recently published on a well known site which some of you have seen and commented on.
Marat has decided with Madrid to end his season mainly because of the following facts.First of all to give a complete rest to his wrist. It is still niggling and he does not want to further aggravate it at this stage because he does not want to go into next year with the niggle and does not want the wrist to bother him next year.Secondly he felt with all that has happened in the last year, it would be wiser to start his "off" time earlier than usual and also to be able to start his preparation much earlier to ensure than he is of maximum fitness for challenging 2008.
As we wrote in the article before he truly feels that the Davis Cup team has four players better than him and his absence will not be felt that much as there are the people willing and able to take Russia successfully through the final.
For this reason he made his decision and will stick to it. He will be supporting the team in spirit and willing them on.
Recently an article was published on the Internet by the editor of tennis.com under his "Viewpoint" which was trying to put a smear on Marat's situation plus making recommendations re things he should do for the future.This "article" was written by someone who pretends to be a fan of Marat Safin.
Neither Marat nor his website has ever in the past made a point of commenting on things that appear in the media because throughout his career Marat has always maintained a great relationship with all channels of the media - be it written, TV or radio - always been available when asked for interviews etc, respected their work and treated them with dignity.
Now for the first time an article is written on a "respected" website and this article was full of hate - really patronizing and vicious in its comments and aimed at hurting Marat, his reputation, his past contribution and achievements in the field of tennis.
Marat himself was very insulted by this article that was brought to his attention for the very reasons stated above.
To try and attempt to under estimate Marat's past achievements in tennis and for his country and to try and present him as someone who doesn't respect the game of tennis or what tennis has done for him, is totally misleading and a deliberate attempt at muck raking.
Marat loves the game of tennis ( the reason why he came back to play this year even though he had decided after the US Open to write the rest of the season off). On every occasion during interviews he has always said how much tennis has done for him and how grateful he is for the life it has given him. To imply that he doesn't care is a total misrepresentation. There aren't too many players around the world today that can proudly present two Grand Slam Titles, Five Masters Series Titles and Two Davis Cup Titles for his country.
One of the reasons why Marat's popularity has always exceeded his ranking was not only because of his cheerful smile (and he really does have one!!) but also his kindness, honesty and most of all his sensitivity which all make up the personality which so many people want around on the tour these days.
We his team, friends and fans have all been insulted by the inferences made by the writer in his "Viewpoint". As the editor - what right does he have to make such damming innuendos about Marat? And to say he should give up and go play poker is such that the man who "wrote" this has no idea as to the actual man Marat Safin is.
We are all open to criticism and opposition from others but not when it comes in a wrong and unjustified manner.
Many fans of Marat have expressed their disgust at the manner of the writing of this article and while certain points are the truth - the innuendos made are not.
Marat is the first to be aware of his situation, his obligation to tennis and the challenges still lying ahead of him. If he wasn't committed to tennis he wouldn't be even thinking of them. He looks forward that together with hard work and your (the fans) support, 2008 will be a successful year for him. More than once in his career - mainly after his injuries - there were people who slated him and said he should retire. But Marat has no need to prove anything to anyone and as it happens he enjoys and is committed to the sport of tennis he loves.
He will do his utmost to bring a smile back to the faces of his fans once again. And lets all keep holding on to that thought that the man who has brought us so much joy will do so again.
As so many people keep pointing out - tennis needs him and one insincere "fan" is not going to stop Marat's commitment to bring joy to those who love tennis.
Marat would like to say once again to his fans with deep sincerity -
"Thank you for all your support and for being there for me during this time."
Webby and his team
From: http://sport.independent.co.uk/tennis/article3067175.ece
Karlovic's peak proves beyond limited climbing skills of Safin
By Paul Newman in Madrid
Published: 17 October 2007
When you have been scaling Himalayan peaks, confronting a 6ft 10in man mountain might not seem too daunting a challenge. Ivo Karlovic, however, is in a rich vein of form and the tallest player on the men's tour needed less than an hour at the Madrid Masters here yesterday to dispose of Marat Safin, who returned recently from an expedition to climb the world's sixth highest mountain.
Not even the thin air of Europe's highest capital – Madrid is 646 metres above sea level – could help the 27-year-old Russian as he lost 6-3, 6-4 under a barrage of aces from Karlovic, who claimed his third title of the year in Stockholm on Sunday. It continued an indifferent season for Safin, who reached the third round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon but has failed to win more than one match at any other Grand Slam or Masters series event in 2007.
The former world No 1 has always been one of the tour's more unpredictable characters and when a wrist injury put him out of action after the US Open he took the opportunity to join some friends setting out to climb Cho-Oyu, an 8,201m mountain on the border between Nepal and Tibet. At the time he said he hoped the experience would "renew my resolve and my powers for tennis".
Safin scaled a 4,100m peak as part of the acclimatisation process, but when the expedition moved to base camp to begin their assault on Cho-Oyu, which would have taken a month to climb, he decided to return home. It took him five days to climb back down the mountain and return to Moscow.
"I was there for less than two weeks," Safin said. "It was a good time to decide to come back. The conditions are really tough for someone who is doing it for the first time. The second time it will be easier."
He added: "I thought it was a good time to go. It was a great experience. Next time I decide to go I will be better prepared. Maybe next year."
When asked what he had gained from the experience, Safin replied: "It's hard to explain with words. You have to be there to understand how it feels." He said he felt "rejuvenated as a person as well as a player" and quoted a Russian proverb: "It's better to see one time than to hear 100 times."
Safin won the US Open in 2000 and went to the top the world rankings the following year, but his career has been punctuated by injuries and he has not won a tournament since beating Lleyton Hewitt in the Australian Open final in 2005. His best performance this year was a run to the semi-finals in Las Vegas in February.
This was his second tournament back after returning from Kathmandu. He played in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow last week, beating Denis Matsukevitch, the world No 422, before losing to Igor Andreev in the second round.
"My aim for this season is just to finish the year, that's it," he said after his latest defeat. "I don't know where I will play next as I need to ask for a wild card. I just want to finish the year and start slowly preparing for 2008."
Karlovic, who now meets another Russian in Nikolay Davydenko, is one year older than Safin, but his career is heading in the opposite direction. This was the Croat's ninth win in his last 10 matches and he has climbed to a career-high No 24 in the world rankings. Roger Federer is the only other player who has won on three different surfaces this year.
Yesterday's tally of 17 aces took Karlovic's total for the year to 1,152. Only one player has ever hit more in a single season, Karlovic's fellow countryman Goran Ivanisevic having done so in 1996 and 1994, with 1,477 and 1,169 respectively. No wonder Britain were grateful that Karlovic did not play in last month's Davis Cup tie at Wimbledon because of a dispute with the Croatian federation.
Marat had a tough first round: Ivo Karlovic, who won his 3rd title last week in Stockholm, Sweden. Marat did his best, but is just not fit enough for these players. And with 17 aces and 72% as first serve in, it's hard to beat someone like that if you feel low yourself. The match took less than an hour and Marat lost with: 36 46. Better next time Marat! Keep your chin up! But unfortunatley this loss is really bad (worser than other losses) because he had to defend a lot of points here (last year he reached the quarters) so this is pretty bad for his ranking. He's now nr. 36 of the world, but because of his loss yesterday... it won't get any better!
Now a bit optimistic news: Marat asked for a Wild Card (WC) for St. Petersburg, which is from 22 October till the 28th. Hopefully he can get that one! More coming soon.
Place: Madrid, Spain
Date: October 15-21, 2007
Draw Size: 48
Surface: Greenset
Prize Money: €2,082,500
Tournament Director: Manolo Santana
Ticket Hotline:+34-91-526-5776
Website: http://secure-us.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/b?ci=us-atpclick&cg=tp&tu=http://www.mutuamad-mastersmadrid.com
Round/Points/Money
W 500 €340,000
F 350 €170,000
SF 225 €85,000
QF 125 €42,000
R16 75 €21,250
R32 35 €11,800
R48 5 €5,930
Past Winners:
SINGLES/DOUBLES
2006
Roger Federer
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan
2005
Rafael Nadal
Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor
2004
Marat Safin (!)
Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor
2003
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Mahesh Bhupathi/Max Mirnyi
2002
Andre Agassi
Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor
As you know, Marat joined the draws in the Kremlin Cup. He already played four matches: round 1 singles: beated Denis Matsukevitch with 76(2) 75, round 2 singles: lost to Igor Andreev (this was today) with 46 46. He also played doubles with Dimtry Tursunov; round 1: beated Evgueni Korolev and Igor Kunitsyn with 75 63, round 2: beated Oliver Marach and Michal Mertinak (seeded 4th) with 63 64. They'll now face Grosjean en Tsonga in the semi-final. Shamil Tarpischev, captain of the Russian Davis Cup team, wanted a good double team for the Bryans (nr. 1 of the world) in the Russia-USA final in November. In the beginning, Tursunov was planning to play doubles with a whole other partner then Marat! So this could be meaning, and especially because they're doing well in this tournament, that they have a place in the team at least for the doubles!
Marat is playing the Kremlin Cup 2007!
He plays singles against a qualifier in the first round!
He plays doubles with Dima and they play Evgueni Korolev and Igor Kunitsyn in the first round!
For the whole draw: http://kremlincup.ru/on-court/draws/te-m-m-doubles-z-maindraw-z-z-z-z-draw-lat.shtml
For official website: http://kremlincup.ru/index-eng.html
Enjoy this tourny everyone!
On this link is a great report of the DC: http://www.guyfromrussia.proboards48.com/index.cgi?board=fanreports&action=display&thread=1190711937&page=1
Don't copy words/photo's without asking the owner!!! It is allowed to put the link (just like here) on your own website or other forums. ENJOY!
http://www.daviscup.com/ties/tie.asp?tie=100008938
SCORE: 1 - 1
Andreev def. Haas with 62 62 62
Davydenko lst. to Kohlschreiber with 76(5) 26 26 64 47
For all the interviews: http://www.daviscup.com/news/newsaudio.asp?articleid=14313
Dear fans
I am writing this letter on behalf of Marat who has been in touch with me in the last 48 hours and asked me to pass on this message to you all.
As you know Marat has taken an interesting step because of various reasons which he explained in his letter to you last week. And it has been an adventure - doing his acclimatisation climb and getting used to all that is part of climbing mountains.
The delegation has reached the next height of moving to the base camp for Cho-Oyu and at this stage Marat has realised several points.
First of all Marat realised that this climb is a very serious challenging issue and not just an adventure. He loves the experience and is fully into it but realises that it has to be treated with great caution and respect. And the next step is a very big one indeed.
Talking to me and to the people he is closest to in the delegation and his coach via satellite phone - he has decided that the smartest and bravest decision for him is to step down and to start a very long 5 day trip back to travel down the mountains and back to Moscow.
In Moscow he will meet next week with Hernan Gumy and after a week recovering from the altitude, he is meant to start practising again in about 2 weeks time. The wrist is well rested and all being well he will hopefully play again in Madrid.
Marat doesn't believe he will be ready in time for the Kremlin Cup although he would like very much to play there. He needs time to recover from what has been an exhausting experience. From my conversations with him I was happy to discover that he has had a tremendous time and it was a fascinating experience.
Now it would be Marat's main concern to be healthy and play professional tennis again soon as he misses it very much. We can soon expect to see Marat back on the circuit hungry for success and with a new fresh look at tennis.
I know it is very important for Marat to pass this message on to his fans and to say they will now be able to see him in the last part of the Indoor season and I can do this with delight.
Marat wants to thank all the great and amazing people in the delegation and his wishes that they will complete the challenge to the end.
While Marat is starting his long trip back - his fellow Russians will be playing in the DC semi finals against Germany and he sends wishes to them from the bottom of his heart for great success.
Best Regards
Amit
Yes my dears, it has started. Here a little report and photo's from the first day! You can also have a look on the websites below. That's where the reports are placed! Kisses
THE FIRST CLIMB OF MARAT SAFIN
September, 16.
Today at night, the team has moved from Zhangmu to a small town of Nialam (3600м), situated in gorge among high mountains. The way passes by a bad road heavy loaded by lorries. Now the road is under repair for Olympiad. After breakfast we have gone on an acclimatization climb on the nearest summit (under the name Murat) 4100 м high.The strong wind blew all the way up and at the top the rain has started.Having gone down to Nialam, all members of team have intimately congratulated Marat. It was the first climbed summit in his life. Tomorrow we will go to Shigar, which is located at height 4200 м.Today in the morning we have said goodbye to ours Sherpas which have gone by two lorries forward to establish Base camp at height 5100м.
http://www.7summits.ru/
http://www.7summits-club.com/
Best regards from NialamAlex Abramov
^^GO MARAT!^^
From the OS-website: 
<< this is the mountain I'll climb
To all my fans out there - I am writing to you from Katmandu.Yes a lot of you have heard already that I was on my way to my exciting adventure to climb Cho-Oyu, a mountain in the Himalayas in the Tibet.I feel it is important for me to fully describe to you what has been going on with me in the last few weeks as well as what are my future plans.
It is you guys who have always been an important role in my career and always been there to support me through difficult times and the oh so sweet victories. We have shared lots of times.
As you will remember I started the US Hardcourt season in Los Angeles where I also began my association with my new coach Hernan Gumy.
I would personally like to say that the co-operation with Hernan is an excellent one. I think he's a great coach and I'm delighted with the work we do together. It is only thanks to the confidence I have in him that has allowed me to go ahead with this step that I have taken and to be where I am now.
Through out the 8 weeks in the US we really tried to work on my game again. To change my game tactics to where I will be playing again my old tennis style meaning playing faster tennis, shorter points, hard hitting and playing more on the baseline rather than playing two metres away from it as I felt I was playing the last 1 and 1/2 years. I really did feel that things were improving but unfortunately through the 1st round match at the US Open - I felt again the pain in my left wrist - the same one that first started bothering me in 2003. At first I wasn't too bothered with that but during my 2nd round match, the pain got me out of focus and I felt that instead of concentrating on the match, I was solely thinking of the implications of going through all the pain and problems again.
My orthopeadic surgeon Dr. Feder from Los Angeles - flew into New York and examined me after the match. His diagnosis was a relief for me. He said I will only need 4-6 weeks rest. Luckily no extra damage had been made and I should be completely fine after that.
Talking with my coach we have realised that this season is over for me and we have made plans which I would love to share with you with regard to the preparations for coming back to next year a better player and stronger and in overall better shape.
When I got back to Moscow and my doctors in Moscow confirmed the same as Dr. Feder, the opportunity occurred to me to join the mountaineering delegation which includes some of my closest friends and I felt for the first time that this is something I really want to do outside of my tennis career.
This is not some simple vacation on the beach. I know that the physical challenge of climbing is huge. With the unique atmosphere and being away from civilisation - hopefully this will renew my resolve and my powers for tennis.
I want this to be a special experience and it is something which deep down inside I wanted to do for a long time.
Before leaving on this expedition, I ensured to close a deal with Gumy until the end of 2008 and only after he agreed and supported me in taking this step did I feel happy to carry on with my plans.
I have planned to be away for 4-6 weeks. I am truly very sorry that I will be missing the Davis Cup semi final tie which I am sure my fellow countrymen will be able to overcome even without me. At least I can say I have contributed a bit to the efforts with my trip to Chile in the beginning of the year and in the 1/4's against France I played a small role in beating Mathieu.
Gumy and I are meant to get together in Moscow at the end of October to start practising and in early November we will fly to Valencia and possibly to South America to get properly ready for the new challenge in 2008.
I can assure you all my friends and supporters that I still have in me the desire to try and make it again to the top of this game and I hope that all of you guys will be there to support me in my efforts to this.
I will definitely miss you all in the next few weeks and I ask you to support and cross your fingers for the success of my fellow Russians in the team in the Davis Cup semi final.
I will see you all again real soon.
From me somewhere above the roof of the world.
Peace to you all
Marat
It is still not confirmed yet, but as the news and pictures are spread everywhere, it's for sure Marat is in Nepal at the moment. He will miss the Davis Cup. Instead of going to Moscow he is now in Nepal climbing a mountain called Cho-Oyu. His expedition started today (Friday). How long this will take, why he did this and how many tourny's he will miss are all mysteries. Here some pics of last week. Buying some equipment etc. Enjoy and Marat: be carefull and have lots of fun! (CLICK TO ENLARGE!)
Team is announced. And Marat is not in it.. oh ooh..! More news will come as soon as there is some!
RUSSIA v GERMANY Venue: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia (clay – indoors)
RUSSIA
Nikolay Davydenko
Mikhail Youzhny
Dmitry Tursunov
Igor Andreev
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev
GERMANYTommy Haas
Philipp Kohschreiber
Alexander Waske
Philipp Petzschner
Captain: Patrik Kuhnen
After the US Open it's time to move on. Tonight the final will be played (men's singles) and of course Federer is in it. But we shouldn't care who's in the final. Just hope for the best next time:)! Move on like we're used to! As there isn't much news lately (there isn't really something going on, so it's not that weird) I would like to cheer you up and encourage you to be Marat's biggest fan with some pics I found these days. I hope you enjoy them and think of the good times:) they will come again as long as we all keep faith. "Prepare for the worst and prepare for the best."
Davis Cup is coming soon and I'll bring you all the latest news as soon as possible. The teams will be announced soon as well. Let's hope and see!
This one was taken in spring at Palm Spring (click to enlarge):
These were taken while shopping:
MARAT WON!!!!!!!!!!! WITH 75 76(5) 76(7)! What a wonder full job! Marat will play either Wawrinka or Korolev, who are having a tough battle right now (five-setter)!
Interview:
For the same interview on video click on: http://www.usopen.org/en_US/interactive/console/mflash.html?targetLink=/media/video/INT_Marat_Safin_082907_480x360_001.flv&lang=undefined&localisIE=true&ref=www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2007-08-29/200708291188426999046.html&ts=1188503457375
For another interview from eurosport go to: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/ukeurosport/index.php?rn=1929371&ch=1929371&ds=cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com and scroll down to tennis > click on Marat Safin.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Enough going on in that match for you to lose your cool, but you didn't. Are you pleased with the way you kept your poise today?MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, pretty much. I was a little bit nervous coming into the match 'cause the guy was playing pretty well the last two months. He did a great result. Here in the States he made the final in Indianapolis, beating Roddick in semifinal, and quarterfinals in Montréal. So he was pretty solid and confident coming here. I never play against him. He's serving well, returning well, playing great from the baseline, full of confidence. Especially it's a first round, so he has nothing to lose. Anything can happen. It was pretty good.
Q. Did you ever have anything like that happen to you on match point, the sound system going off?MARAT SAFIN: No. Hopefully it will never happen again (smiling).
Q. A lot of times in the last couple years at Grand Slams you've had tough first and second round matches, paid the price later in the tournament. Was it important to get it over and done with in three sets today?MARAT SAFIN: Well, yeah. I mean, I was counting it was going to be a tough match, four sets. Didn't know want to go five sets, but it was definitely pretty close to get there. But, like I said, it's tough opponent and I'm pleased that I am going through the first match in three sets. Hopefully the next match, pretty tough also, two pretty good players. Hopefully I can continue this way and keep it short.
Q. How important is it to know you can keep your cool? Maybe proved something to yourself mentally. MARAT SAFIN: Well, my station is not really the most pleasant right now because I'm trying to defend a lot of points. I didn't really do anything special here in the States. Some bad results, bad losses. Kind of I am trying the new coach. The only thing I have in mind is to fight and hope for the best days. Since I'm practicing already for one week and a half since I finished Cincinnati, been improving a lot. So just try to keep focus, try not to get upset and just work your way, because otherwise, it's tough for me to play and play well, especially when the confidence is not there. So you need to help yourself a little bit more. So that's why I try to be a little bit more calm. But unfortunately sometimes the balls doesn't go my way. Serving at 6-4 in the tiebreak. In the third set, he was a break up on both sets. So it's kind of tough, but you have to deal with it.
Q. Your debut was 10 years ago. You won it a couple years later. You solved the Open. Why do you think you haven't been able to solve it since then?MARAT SAFIN: Well, good question. I did the semifinal the year after. I lost to Sampras; another bad loss. But, then, I don't know, I was injured a couple of times. I didn't play. And then last year was a good year for me, but I lost 7-6 in the fifth. But of course, losing match (indiscernible) final. For some reason I was not ready for it or I was not playing really well, I was just struggling or something. Something was happening to me.
Q. Do you still look back on the 2000 final as the best match of your career?MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but who cares? It's so far in the past. It's already history. It's a long time ago. It's time to move on (smiling). I hate the people when they still live in the past and saying how great they were in, I don't know, in the past century. Who cares? I'm not this type of person. I try to move on. I try to improve and forget it. Whatever happened, happened. It was good memories, great. But you don't focus on that because there's so much going on, so many things coming to you.
Q. Do you ever think back about that tray of vodka that was rolled into the press conference after you won? Do you remember that?MARAT SAFIN: No. I was underage (smiling).
Q. Your colleagues rolled in a tray. MARAT SAFIN: They were drinking. I was just looking.
Q. You weren't drinking?MARAT SAFIN: No. Under 21. I couldn't (smiling).
Q. If you don't want to look back on it, do you look forward, see yourself doing that again? Do you see yourself winning this tournament?MARAT SAFIN: We prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It's kind of this way I'm looking forward.
Q. What is "preparing for the worst"? MARAT SAFIN: Because the worst is I will never win. Hoping for the best that there is a chance to win. So I guess whenever I have the opportunity I will take it, but unfortunately they're not coming. I'm not getting any further than the third round.For me to make quarterfinal, it's a huge, huge deal lately. So kind of not expecting anything from this tournament and nothing from this year. But, if I -- well, at least I started to play better. I think Hernan is doing a great job. He explain to me what happened. Everything what happened I think is due to my knee injury I had to deal with for two years. But basically I hope that I will have a chance to win another Grand Slam. It's tougher and tougher, but why not? There is a chance. If Federer will lose to somebody, somebody will withdraw, Nadal will have something happen to him, the door is open (smiling).
Q. You mentioned people who sort of live in the past. Do you think that happens a lot in tennis?MARAT SAFIN: Well, why you asking me this question? Because I said something before?
Q. Yes. MARAT SAFIN: No, no, I didn't really find. Thank God I didn't meet these kind of people, and I hope there is none of them in tennis because otherwise it would be pretty disappointing to explain the people of our age how beautiful was tennis like 30 years ago, for example.Every part of life, it's a new era. We are living in 2007. Who cares about -- with all due respect, we respect the explayers that have been great for tennis. But that's it. They're good. Great history. They won. Good for them. But to explain that it was better, was more interesting, it's nonsense. I guess people are moving on. They really appreciate that and respect that, I hope. I never met such a person, and I hope I will never meet.
Q. Will it matter to you 30 years from now when somebody says, Marat Safin won the US Open and somebody says, I don't care? MARAT SAFIN: Who cares? I will not care. I had been doing something else in my life and hopefully I will be happy. Also Henman is retiring. He has been great for tennis. Even though the English press was not very nice to him, I think he did very well for the English people and English tennis, because there is none of the players. Investing so many millions and they have only Henman and Murray. That's it. So I think he did pretty decent career. But, still, who will care about him in three years?
Q. His children. MARAT SAFIN: Exactly. That's the only people that care: Family.
Q. What is your motivation level right now to be the best player you can be?MARAT SAFIN: At maximum, because otherwise I won't be here. It's not like I'm struggling with the money. It's not like I need it. I'm here just because I want to play and I'm enjoying playing. I'm enjoying fighting. I'm enjoying what I'm doing.
Q. Are you motivated to play?MARAT SAFIN: Because I like to travel, you think (smiling)? Even though I'm travelling first class and business. But, still, to be on the court, to run around, to have this feeling well after you win a match, is think is the most beautiful feeling in the world you're going to get. Afterwards, when someone is retiring, I think you are going to miss this feeling. So I think it kind of attracts you. It's what is moving you. And you still want to win matches and matches, so I think the motivation is there.
Q. Short of an injury to Nadal or Federer, how do you break into that rivalry? How does another player crack in?MARAT SAFIN: Djokovic is there. Well, you have to be consistent. You have to have the opportunities. You have to be ready. You have to be motivated. You have to be hungry. You have to be really well guided with the coach and the people around, and then take your opportunities. It's pretty simple, but at the same time it's pretty tough because it's tough to be consistent during the year. It's only two people that can manage to do that: Nadal and Federer. To be in the same train with them you have to be really focused and you have to sacrifice a lot of things and you have to be doing semifinals and finals every week.And, of course, you have to choose the right calendar to play. That's the work of the coach. I think the coach, he plays a big part in it to guide the player, especially when he's young. It's a tough job.
Q. Many people have always felt that you could possibly have achieved more. Is that sacrifice too much for some people?MARAT SAFIN: Well, Agassi could have won 20 Grand Slams, for example. Sampras should have won a little bit more. There's always going to be -- Rios, for example. He should have won 10 Grand Slams, but it didn't happen. If I will tell you the situation I was in when I was 17 and I had no money, I wouldn't be here sitting. So I think I did pretty well from where I'm coming from. I'm not disappointed with my career. Of course, would be greater if I would win the two finals that I lost in the Australian Open. And, of course, it would be great to win at Roland Garros. But the circumstances that was a desperate of time, I think I did pretty well. So I don't have any regrets.
Q. What advice did you give Gumy when he decided to be your coach? MARAT SAFIN: Well, he called me, because I had nobody to travel with, to come here, because Alexander, he couldn't come. I was pretty disappointed because my tennis wasn't at my peak. So give it a shot. Why not?I think he understands. He understood actually, and he explained to me what happened because I was kind of lost and I couldn't really understand why it was happening to me. I felt like tennis has improved so much that the players are much faster, but it's not. It's just because some things I would have to change on the court, small things, just the movement because of my knee injury that I was suffering and was getting worse and worse and worse because I was trying to protect my leg. Anyway, it's details. But he understood and he explained. So I think it's on the right direction and hopefully we'll continue this way.
Q. What has been the biggest enemy in your career: Your mind or your body?MARAT SAFIN: Well, I think my body. The two injuries, because I was playing great tennis coming into Australian Open 2003 when I had problems with my wrist and 2005 when I went in Australian Open and got injured. Was getting worse, worse and worse, and I didn't know why it was happening to me till I couldn't play anymore. At that time I was playing great tennis. It kind of broke the rhythm of my career. I could have achieved more, but I didn't.
Q. What was your reaction to the investigation of Davydenko? Have you spoken with him? MARAT SAFIN: I don't care about what the people. It's their business. I don't want to be involved with that. I want to be outside of that. I don't want to hear the stories. I don't want to know anything. I'm not really interested.If Davydenko, he has to answer some questions into his life, the life of ATP, I'm going to stay out of it.
Q. This is the only major with a breaker in the fifth set. Do you think that should change? MARAT SAFIN: Of course, it should change. Of course. They should've changed last year. If I win a couple of them I would be not 25, I would be 15. This was a huge change. But unfortunately I lost all of them. Hopefully it will not happen again. Half of it is a lottery. Of course, when you don't have a confidence it's tough to win then because it's just a matter of one, two points, and the nerves of course are jumping a little bit more than a usual set.
Q. You won a challenge today. Do you still disbelieve the camera thing?MARAT SAFIN: Hawk Eye?
Q. Yes. MARAT SAFIN: What happened with it?
Q. You have never really agreed it was accurate before. MARAT SAFIN: No, well, it's much better than not to have it for sure because the serves are going pretty fast. It's pretty difficult for the chair umpire to make a good decision. You're taking such responsibility. Imagine it happens 6-All in a tiebreak in the fifth set, you want to kill the guy. If he makes a mistake and you know he is making mistake, but at least you have a chance to see it and a chance to prove it, be more relieved.
Q. So when you see it now, you're believing it more than you used to?MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, much more. Of course, I think they've been improving. It's getting better and better, more accurate. FastScripts by ASAP Sports
Pictures: Chance98 made terrific photo's of the US Open 2007 so have a look.. great really GREAT pictures of Marat there as well! Enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61096912@N00
