Round 2 Roland Garros 2007

Pics from yesterdays match..:(
























Marat lost to Tipsarevic 46 46 57:(. Marat, keep going! Don't ever give up!

For an interview after the match: http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/interviews/2007-05-30/200705301180536554875.html there is also a video-interview of this. Click on "Video Interview" and the video will start.

For some highlights and stuff from this match and round 1, go to: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=1929371&ch=1929371&src=ukeurosport and click on tennis. Scroll down for more!

Upcoming tourny is Queen's on a tough (especially for Marat) surface: grass. More coming soon.

Pics of Round 1

Round 1 Roland Garros 2007

Marat won! Against Fernando Vincente with 61 63 61. He played a wonderful match, full of confidence! Hopefully he can pull this also to the next round.

For match-statistics: http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/stats/day6/1012ms.html

He will now face either Tipsarevic or Vemic. This will be played in a few days. I'll let you know!

I have found stuff from before and after the match:

Before:
- (Video Interview) http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/ in the right.. scroll down a little bit.
- (Interview) http://maratsafin.com/content.php?did=10&aid=6b9fcd1757ceec63b46d83ff29b70fd7

After:
- (Article) http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/27052007/58/french-open-safin-happy-quick-win.html
- (Interview) http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/interviews/2007-05-27/200705271180293434765.html

I was away for 2 days... sorry for the late updates!

Go Marat!!!

Draw

The draw is announced!!! For the full draw check this: http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/draws/ms/index.html or (enlarge by clicking on it) the pic above.

ROUND 1: Marat will play a qualifier! So no names yet.. coming soon!

For some previews and articles made about this tourny, check links below in the 'Article-post'.

There are made 2 different pics of Marat practising at RG. I could only copy one of them on to this site for some strange reason, but have a look yourself! http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/photos/gallery.html?xmlPage=/en_FR/players/photos/xml/atps741.xml

Go there Marat:)!

Articles

For full articles and sort of previews, check the following link (copy and past if it doesn't work):

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6653797,00.html

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2007-05-04/200705041178294638430.html

Find some more interesting stuff on the official website of RG: www.rolandgarros.com

Roland Garros

Marat will arive on Thursday, accompanied by his coach Alexander Volkov and his Doctor. Marat will be seeded and is seeded 22th because of withdrawals from Murray and Haas (both injured).

Roland Garros

Place: Paris, France
Date: May 28-June 10, 2007
Draw Size: 128
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €6,711,040
Tournament Director: Tournament Committee, Federation Francaise de Tennis, Jean-Claude Blanc

The History

Roland-Garros, a never-ending storyHow did Roland-Garros come to be? Why is it named after an aviator? In what year was the tournament first held? Who are the legends of the game to have inscribed their name on the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy? We take a fond look back at the long and glorious history of the world's greatest clay-court championship.

Way back when...
The stadium that stages one of the world's four major tennis tournaments was built in 1928, but the French men's singles championship goes back much further than that. Originally reserved for members of French clubs, it was first held on the courts of Stade Français club in Paris in 1891. The women's singles were added six years later, it was not until 1925 that the French Tennis Federation decided to open the event to the best foreign players. Thus, the French Internationals were born, and staged alternately at Stade Français and Racing Club de France until the Roland-Garros stadium came into being in 1928.

These Musketeers need a stadium!
1927 was a milestone for French tennis, the year the celebrated French Musketeers (Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste) pulled off one of the biggest shocks in 20th century sport. The famous foursome upset all the odds by winning the Davis Cup on American soil, and in doing so set up a rematch in 1928, in Paris. Obviously, such a major sporting occasion required a stadium worthy of its stature, and so it was that the Stade Français handed over three hectares of land near Porte d'Auteuil to the French Tennis Federation. The only condition to the offer of land was that the new stadium should bear the name of one of Stade Français' most renowned former members, Roland-Garros, who had died some ten years earlier. Roland-Garros was an aviation pioneer who, on 23 September 1913, had become the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean. The 1928 French Internationals were the first event to be held in the new stadium, just before the Musketeers took centre-stage to beat the Americans in their long-awaited rematch.

The post-war period: a golden era beckons
The Musketeers held on to the Davis Cup for another five years, only giving up the famous silver salad bowl in 1933, by which time the French Internationals at Roland-Garros had well and truly established themselves as a major international tournament. Cancelled from 1940 to 1945 due to the Second World War, Roland-Garros went from strength to strength in the post-war period, reflecting tennis' growth into a hugely popular sport-for-all. Another significant turning point came in 1968 when the French Internationals became the first Grand Slam tournament to join the "Open" era. Professionalism brought with it yet more expansion and excitement.

Borg and Evert take up residence at "Roland"
The late 1970s and early 1980s were a magical era for tennis in general, and Roland-Garros in particular. Centre court delighted in a succession of breathtaking displays by the peerless Björn Borg (who won the title a record six times). Other greats of the men's game to have graced the courts of Roland-Garros have included Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and more recently Gustavo Kuerten, all of whom have contributed to the legendary reputation of the French Open Championships. The women's singles has had its great champions too: Chris Evert, who had the upper hand in a series of magnificent battles with Martina Navratilova over the years, Steffi Graf, who captured the hearts of the French fans in the twelve years between her first and sixth (and last) title in 1999 and Monica Seles, who was unstoppable in 1990, 91, and 92.

Who will be the next Noah?
Today, the tournament is fully deserving of its reputation as the world's premier clay court event. It is furiously competitive each year, to such an extent that French successes have been few and far between. Since the war, only Nelly Landry (1948), Françoise Durr (1967) and Mary Pierce (2000) among the women, together with Marcel Bernard (1946) and Yannick Noah (1983) in the men's event, have lifted the supreme title. Will a Frenchman be able to re-write the history books? To win at Roland Garros, it almost seems to be a prerequisite for a player to speak Spanish. Most of the current clay court specialists are either Argentinean or Spanish, including of course the current holder, Majorcan left-hander Rafael Nadal, who is the only man in the history of the French Open to win both times he has entered the tournament.

Prize Money (round/points/money)

W 1000 €940,000
F 700 €470,000
SF 450 €235,000
QF 250 €117,500
R16 150 €66,250
R32 75 €38,600
R64 35 €23,280
R128 5 €14,000

Past winner is (ofcourse) Rafael Nadal (2006/2005) and from 2004 it was Gaston Gaudio

For full results of Marat on this Grand Slam: http://www.atptennis.com/5/en/players/playerprofiles/playeractivity.asp?prevtrnnum=0&year=2007&query=Singles&selTournament=520&player=S741&x=1&y=9

Marat once reached the Semi's in 2002 and the Quarters in 2000 (the best results).

The draw will be made on Friday the 25th. Good luck Marat!

Ranking 21th of May

Marat improved his ranking with 1+, so this means he is now the number 25 of the world. Behind him (26) is Carlos Moya and above him (24) Tursunov. The point difference is pretty small, so just one good result and he will move up many places!

For the full Ranking List: http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/rankings/entrysystem/

Round 2 Hamburg AMS

Pictures from yesterdays match! Check: he cut his hair!















Marat lost to Ferrero in straight sets: 36 67(15). Marat had 5 setpoints in the tiebreak and did not converted one of them as you can see;). Ferrero needed 5 matchpoints to win this game. It was a very close match and in my opinion he played a terrific match. He was just a bit unlucky. He really fought till the last point, but couldn't finish it in the end. I think we've good our old Marat almost back. Just a few things which can always be better and ofcourse the confidence, but yesterday he showed as again he so no done here yet! He's the best!

Marat will go to Moscow this week, for some more practising and will then to Paris for Rolland Garros on Friday the 25th of May. Come on Marat:)

Round 1 Hamburg AMS

I found some stuff;) Have a look!

This is a video from an interview:
http://www.atpmastersseries.tv/page/TournamentInterview/0,,11444~1025274,00.html
This is a video from the press-conference: http://dtb-tennis.rent-a-cluster.net/rm/m-safin_14-05-07.rm

Interview in words:
Q: Well done. Good to get that win, but it was an up and down match. First the long lead… What was the reason for these changes?
SAFIN: I started pretty well. I guess he was a little cold. He was pretty nervous, so he could not play his game. He took advantage at 4:0. He just had nothing to lose. I made a couple of mistakes. I did nothing wrong but he just went for it. And it went his way. He just came up to 5:4. The second break was tough for me because I was getting a bit nervous. I did not want to lose this opportunity. I wanted to close the set. Basically in all the games I had deuce or advantage. It was very close and I could not make it. In the tiebreak I was very disappointed because I had my chances an was playing the right game. Finally it went my way. Unfortunately sometimes the luck is not on my side. Sometimes I miss by a little bit.
Q: It is nice to win a match that had so many challenges in it for you, isn't it?
SAFIN: Very nice. Also for the confidence. I am not really in a great position right now. These kind of matches give me a lot of opportunity and confidence. Eventually my game has to come back because I am playing well, moving around really well, my fitness is great, doing the right things. Sometimes I just make some mistakes and everything goes the other way round. Especially now against Ferrero. I just have to take it match by match and make sure I take it point by point. Work, work, work and wait for opportunities.
Q: You brought your ranking right back from somewhere outside the Top 100 to somewhere in the 20ies. Does that mean your confidence is going up with it?
SAFIN: I finished the year 24. From middle of August until end of the season, I lost a lot of matches 7:6 in the third, 7:6 in the fifth against Haas in the US Open, Nalbandian, Madrid, then 7:6 in the semifinal to Blake in Bankog. Then 7:6, 7:6 to Clement in semi finals in Washington. If I would win 2 of these matches I would be Top 20. This year I was also very close to beating Davydenko. I had four match points against Vliegen in Monte Carlo. I was close to beat Roddick in Australia. So it's just something that did not go my way. I am also disappointed because I am stuck between 30 and 20 and don't move up. I need to defend the points in the second part of the season. So luck better starts to be on my side. Hopefully it will come my way.
Q: The tennis is there so is it a mental breakthrough you have to make?
SAFIN: It's just one, two points. I never lost one easy match. I'm running around, I want to play, I'm fighting. Just the last chance slips away.
Q: Is the knee 100%?
SAFIN: Yes, I'm moving around okay. I'm not getting tired. I'm perfect. I work a lot on the physical condition which is very important for me. Now it's a different part that is missing.
Q: The conditions can be slow and heavy here, but you've done well here before. Do you mind the conditions here?
SAFIN: Sometimes it's a bit slow. It depends on the weather. The balls can get heavy. But for the past few years, the balls have changed. Dunlop is a bit heavier than Head. It's okay. It's a little slower than Rome, but it's definitely not too slow. Today I had some bad bounces and mishits. I was a bit tough for me today.
Q: The ATP have been planning a lot of changes to the Tour. Do you have an opinion on that?SAFIN: I think the people, who are in the positions to make the choices, I hope they know what they are doing. I don't want to get involved. We have to let it be and let the people at the top make their choices. We can play tennis but we can't change and make everybody happy. I'm sure that whoever is taking care of it knows what he is doing. Once we have him, let's give him a chance for 4, 5 years to see how it goes. It can't be worse than it used to be. When Mark Miles left, we had no chances. It was going bankrupt, no money. At least we have a lot of sponsors. It is getting better. It's picking up, but we have to believe in our people and make sure to support them, even though they make mistakes. Unfortunately, you want progress without any mistakes. People or tennis players should understand this, not to criticize if somebody makes a small mistake. They should not be shouting. We just have to let it be.

Pictures from the match Safin-Massu:





















Marat won 76(7) 64!! Well done Marat!!! He'll next play Juan Carlos Ferrero!
For the whole draw: http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/1/posting/2007/414/mds.pdf

OOP: http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/1/posting/2007/414/op.pdf

Hamburg AMS

Hamburg Masters Am Rothenbaum Germany
Date: 14 - 20 May 2007
Draw Size: 56
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €1,870,000
Main draw: Saturday, May 12, 2:30 p.m

Champions Tour format
The Champions Tour tournaments run over a minimum of 4 days. The players are split into two groups of four. During the first three days of competition, each player faces off the other three players in his group in a round robin format. The top player from each group contest in the final, while the two players who finish second in each group play off for third and fourth places respectively. Matches are contested over the best of three sets, with the deciding set taking the form of a Champions tie-break. The Champions tie-break is an expanded version of the conventional professional tennis tie-break, whereby the winner is the first player to reach 10 points by a margin of 2. To be eligible to compete on the ATP Champions Tour, players must have been either a World No. 1 during their competitive playing careers, a Grand Slam singles finalist, or a singles player in a victorious Davis Cup team; and they should have retired from the ATP circuit. Each event can also invite two players of its choice to take wild cards. Players compete for points throughout the year to qualify for The Champions Masters. The Masters takes place at the Royal Albert Hall in London at the end of the year; the player field is comprised of the top ten players in the Champions Tour Rankings after all events, plus two wild cards.

Champions Tour point distribution
Winner: 400
Runner-up: 250
3rd place: 200
4th place: 125
No. 5-6: 80
No. 7-8: 60 points

The ATP Tour of Champions Story
1997 saw the debut of the unified worldwide senior tennis circuit. It was an alliance combining the resources of Net Assets, IMG, and the ATP Tour. This unified worldwide circuit was comprised of the ATP Senior Tour of Champions in Europe (which was the successor of the ATP Senior Tour launched in 1992); the Nuveen Tour in North America (which began in 1993); and the Champions Tour on other continents, all sanctioned by the ATP Tour. A total of up to 20 events, featuring great players such as Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Jose Luis Clerc, Yannick Noah, and Guillermo Vilas, but also John McEnroe, Henri Leconte, Guy Forget, or Mats Wilander, who are still competing on the Champions Tour today. In 1998, Delta Airlines became the title sponsor of the European tour, which became the Delta Air Lines ATP Senior Tour of Champions. The Nuveen Tour stopped in 1999; and the Success Magazine Tour took over in North America for the 2000-2001 season. That was the time when the Tour format was standardized: as opposed to the 8- or 12-man singles elimination format previously used in the U.S.-based tournaments, the round-robin format used in Europe became and still is the format for the whole Champions Tour. In 2002, only the Delta Tour of Champions remained in Europe, with a number of events varying from 7 to 11. In 2004, Stanford Financial became the sponsor of the Champions Tour Rankings, a race leading to the London end-of-year event that became the Champions Masters. The end of 2005 was marked by the termination of the sponsorships of Delta Air Lines and Stanford Financial, opening up the way to a new sponsor and a new title for the ATP Champions Tour in 2006: the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions.

SITE INFORMATION
Official website: http://www.dtb-tennis.de/AmRothenbaum/
Draws and schedules: http://www.dtb-tennis.de/AmRothenbaum_en/9713.php?selected=8453&selectedsub=9709&selsubsub=9712
Live-scoring: http://www.protennislive.com/frameset.asp?year=2007&wkno=20&lang=en&tabno=2&eventid=0414&ref=www.atptennis.com

Past Winners (only a few of them):
2006
Tommy Robredo
Paul Hanley/Kevin Ullyett
2005
Roger Federer
Jonas Bjorkman/Max Mirnyi
2004
Roger Federer
Wayne Black/Kevin Ullyett
2003
Guillermo Coria
Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor
2002
Roger Federer
Mahesh Bhupathi/Jan-Michael Gambill
2001
Albert Portas
Jonas Bjorkman/Todd Woodbridge
2000
Gustavo Kuerten
Mark Woodforde/Todd Woodbridge
1999
Marcelo Rios
Wayne Arthurs/Andrew Kratzmann
1998
Albert Costa
Donald Johnson/Francisco Montana

Marat's Results on this tournament:
Marat had some pretty good results.. have a look:

ATP Masters Series, 15-May-06, O, Clay , Draw: 64
R64 R=Round
Saretta, Flavio (BRA) Name
101 Ranking of the opponent
7-5 0-6 4-6 Score
Stats Statistics of that match

This Event Points: 1, ATP Ranking: 51, Prize Money: US $7,500
ATP Masters Series Hamburg, Germany
ATP Masters Series, 9-May-05, O, Clay , Draw: 64
R64
Martin, Alberto (ESP)
53
6-1 6-0
Stats
R32
Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP)
39
6-4 4-6 2-6
Stats
This Event Points: 7, ATP Ranking: 4, Prize Money: US $15,000
Hamburg AMS, Germany
ATP Masters Series, 10-May-04, O, Clay , Draw: 64
R64
Grosjean, Sebastien (FRA)
10
7-6(6) 7-5
Stats
R32
Sargsian, Sargis (ARM)
46
4-6 6-3 6-3
Stats
R16
Melzer, Jurgen (AUT)
68
4-6 4-6
Stats
This Event Points: 15, ATP Ranking: 21, Prize Money: US $27,000
Hamburg TMS, Germany
ATP Masters Series, 13-May-02, O, Clay , Draw: 64
R64
Sanguinetti, Davide (ITA)
52
6-3 6-4
Stats
R32
Martin, Alberto (ESP)
48
6-4 6-2
Stats
R16
Chela, Juan Ignacio (ARG)
25
7-6(6) 7-5
Stats
Q
Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS)
1
6-3 6-1
Stats
S
Robredo, Tommy (ESP)
35
6-4 4-2 RET
Stats
F
Federer, Roger (SUI)
14
1-6 3-6 4-6
Stats
This Event Points: 70, ATP Ranking: 5, Prize Money: US $196,000
Hamburg TMS, Germany
ATP Masters Series, 14-May-01, O, Clay , Draw: 64
R64
Knippschild, Jens (GER)
93
6-2 6-4
Stats
R32
Gaudio, Gaston (ARG)
40
0-6 6-7
Stats
This Event Points: 7, ATP Ranking: 2, Prize Money: US $16,250
Hamburg, Germany
ATP Masters Series, 15-May-00, O, Clay , Draw: 64
R64
Costa, Albert (ESP)
18
7-6(3) 7-6(1)
Stats
R32
Mantilla, Felix (ESP)
64
6-3 6-0
Stats
R16
Rosset, Marc (SUI)
41
6-4 7-5
Stats
Q
Pioline, Cedric (FRA)
5
7-6(4) 4-6 6-3
Stats
S
Rios, Marcelo (CHI)
20
7-6(10) 6-2
Stats
F
Kuerten, Gustavo (BRA)
7
4-6 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7(3)
Stats
This Event Points: 70, ATP Ranking: 14, Prize Money: US $211,000
Hamburg, Germany
ATP Masters Series, 3-May-99, O, Clay , Draw: 56
R64
Vacek, Daniel (CZE)
65
6-3 7-6(3)
Stats
R32
Voinea, Adrian (ROU)
75
6-4 3-6 3-6
Stats
This Event Points: 26, ATP Ranking: 29, Prize Money: US $14,500

News

Marat was happy with the level he played against Davydenko yesterday. He will fly to Hamburg tomorrow (Fryday 11 May).

Pics and stuff from round 2/Hamburg info will come tomorrow! Didn't have much time today...

Round 2 Rome AMS

Marat lost.. I feel so sorry for him:(. I totally can imagine how he must be feeling right now. But eeh, it was Davydenko and he made great match out of it, didn't he? I thought it really had something! He lost 67(4) 57. He also had 1 setpoint in the second set.. was a break ahead in the 1st and the second set but still.. it's Marat. Remember the match against Vliegen?? 4 Matchpoints.. lost. But the next tournament is already starting next week in Hamburg. More news about that coming soon and I'll give you pics and stuff soon here in this post!

For comparing YTD Stats: http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/players/headtohead/popYTDMatchStats.asp?plyr1=S741&plyr2=D402

Good luck!

Round 1 Rome AMS & Stuff from Round 1

For the order of play: http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/1/posting/2007/416/op.pdf

Marat won!!!! 26 63 64! Well done Marat! Up next is Davydenko.. Could be interesting! Go Marat

Live-scoring: http://www.protennislive.com/frameset.asp?year=2007&wkno=19&lang=en&tabno=1&eventid=0416&ref=www.atptennis.com

Well done Marat:) Good luck for your next match!

Attention!!!
If your not able to watch (just like me) on your own tv, you can watch it live and free on the internet! There are 2 different ways so listen carefully! You can choose! I have both cause sometimes the signal isn't that good on the other one and the other way around.

1. Bet and Win. It's a bet site but you don't have to bet if you don't want to (like me) but you can still register and watch the matches. It's for free (totally). Check: https://www.bwin.com/registration.aspx to register. This website does not always broadcast Marat's matches but it does today:)!
2. TVU-Player. It's a media player with free tv. The whole system is free to download as well! Check: http://pages.tvunetworks.com/downloads/download.html?id=rdb_us !!! I already clicked on downloading so you only have to follow the instructions! Btw.. if you're done with installing/downloading you have to go down a bit with the 'below' button in your player! The channel is just called 'Tennis (sports). Click on that and it starts itself.
   Good luck I hope it works for you!

Stuff....

I found some stuff about today's match.. Have a look;)!

Articles
In the first round, former No. 1 Marat Safin overcame a shaky start before beating American qualifier Amer Delic 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. Against Delic, Safin lost 12 straight points to lose the first set. The Russian regained his composure in the second set, converting his first break of the match to lead 5-3 then serving out to love.
Safin broke in the opening game of the third set and maintained the advantage the rest of the way.
"He started pretty well and was hitting unbelievable winners on the lines — I couldn't get into the game," Safin said. "But then I tried to make him run and play more. It was just a matter of time."
Safin has never advanced past the third round in his seven previous appearances in Rome. He'll next face Davis Cup teammate and fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko.
"Next round, I'm going to have to play better," Safin said.

From ATP WEBSITE:

Safin (on playing Davydenko next): "It's a tough match because he's been a long time in the Top 10 already for two years in a row. Played some great matches, great tournaments, a lot of confidence, fast guy, not many mistakes. The only chance I have is that he didn't play well the past couple months, so I have a chance down there. But I have be solid; I have to play my best game and make him move, go for the shots. Make sure that I have my serve and stay with him."

Little interview from tournament website:


Despite pulling back to the top 30 Marat Safin, the former world number one and winner of two Grand Slam championships, is not on top of his game, his said after his three-set win on Tuesday.
QUESTION: We all know that when you play your best game you can beat anybody in the world. How have you been feeling lately? Do you feel you're coming into form?
SAFIN: Well I've just had difficult months. A lot of difficult matches that slipped away from just in front of me. It was difficult to play without the confidence, because every person makes you play and every guy wants to beat you. They see you are not playing 100% and you're not feeling well on the courts, so there's a good chance for them to beat me. Every time I lose the confidence is not there.
QUESTION: When did you last have it?
SAFIN: Right after the final in Vegas I played terrible. In Miami I had chances there, and then I also had four matchpoints in Monte Carlo in the second round against Vliegen.So it has kind of put me in a difficult position because especially on clay its very tough to play without confidence because you have to run a lot and make sure you play all the balls. It's tough, because the courts start to look small and the ball very small. They're not falling down on the court sometimes.

Pics: