Nasze ciacha

Jastrząb

Hmm... Zdjęcie nie chce mi się wstawić Evil or Very Mad

Ania

W ogóle to proponuję zamieszczać tu każde inne wywiady. Nie będziemy robić na tak bossskim forum od razu śmietnika, nie? Mr. Green

Marcia

wywiad z rosyjskiej Marie Claire

Oh Marat!

Here is the man whom we should thank for winning Davis Cup for Russia and for beautiful women broken hearts. Marie Claire’s correspondent Inna Lokteva did just that.

At first he gave me a fright. To be more precise, he simply didn’t pick up the phone. A lazy voice recorded on the answering machine suggested I left a message “And maybe I would call you back…”. Sure, like we don’t know better. When I had finally managed to get through he very businesslike asked “How long would it take? I have a very tight schedule”. Whatever, we’ll sort it out once there.

We met in a cafeteria next to Tishinskaya Square. He came and stretched his arm out “Marat”. Like I would have never guessed! He is two heads higher than anyone around, as for the rest – pretty democratic: jeans, a dark jacket. They show us to a window table. “Noone will disturb you here”, a waitress smileda nd lit a candle. Romantic.

-What would you like? – Marat asks
-A coffee.
-Well, I’ll have green tea then.

He sits back and stretches. “So what has interested Marie Claire so much in me?”

Marat how is your knee? We couldn’t believe our eyes when we watched the Davis Cup…

Yeah, I had a serious injury. The knee hurt really badly and my future in professional sport was uncertain. I didn’t want to retire but the result were not giving any satisfaction. And people started talking that this was it, his time has finished and this is the most horrible thing when they just write you off like that. But I had a great desire to play and since my whole life evolves around tennis – if everything is well on court, the rest is well too.

Is it true that injured Safin was treated worse right away?

Thank God I cannot say that about people close to me - my family and friends. Independent of how I play, they always support me, don’t turn their backs on me, I must say that I have the best friends in the world. As for the rest – yeah, heroes are easily forgotten here.

Who are your friends?

I have known some of them since childhood. Who? Businessmen, artists.

Well-known?

In a closed circle (smiles). I have a good relationship with some sportsmen, Dima Sladkovskiy for example, Ilya Kovalchuk the famous hockey player, you probably know them…

Oligarchs?

I wouldn’t throw such big words as oligarchs. I’d say: serious businessmen. Same people with a great life experience, some of them play tennis.

What do you think, does big money spoil people?

Money gives you freedom and a possibility of choice. But with time you start to realize how comparative everything is in this life: fame, success. I look at this young boys now who just come into tennis and they are just so cool. “Oh look at me I am so cool, I play better than anyone”. It’s plain funny. This could finish any moment and then what? How many examples are there when people just got lost in life after they had retired from sport? I realized that I have to prepare a backup plan. I am soon 27, 10 out of them I have spent in professional sports…that’s a hell of a lot.

Do you have any particular ideas about the backup plan?

Plans are Napoleonic but it’s not that easy, you have to study and learn. Now I listen to smart people, I think by about 2010 everything should fall into place.

At least tell what area is it gonna be? Business?

Of course.

Sportsmen nowadays are the most popular people, sex symbols…

That’s probably Kournikova?

And Bure*, and you…

For God’s sake! I couldn’t care less. Rumours spread fast, get grown over with new ridiculous details and if you treat everything seriously, you could go insane.

You can earn quite a lot with a sex-symbol image…

I have enough as it is. Everything that I own – the car that I drive, the apartment I live in and even the fact that we are here talking – all of this is thanks to me being a tennis player.

In reality Safin has three cars. One of them, Porsche, is currently in Monte Carlo. Two others – Mercedes CL and a Range Rover jeep are in Moscow. Marat changes them depending on the mood and the weather.

Young women travel around the tournaments after you ready for everything – to just get a bit of your attention…

It’s flattering of course. But I don’t treat them as young women, just as tennis appreciators. And then again, they are way too young, 17-18.

What about the girls from Rublevka**?

What has Rublevka got to do with anything? I don’t live there and I don’t ask the girls where they live. To be honest I never had anyone from there, the first thing which is important for me is for the girl to be someone as an individual.

You mean career success?

Not necessarily. Just for her to have her own identity, and not be afraid to express her opinion and stand by it. In general, to be open, natural. Because as you know some people just get into this role and can never snap out of it. It’s really obvious and pushes me away.

And she needs to be an honest blonde also?

If you date blondes for a long time, you would want a brunette. You have to have variety in life! (laughs). Besides, it really doesn’t matter, it needs to be interesting and not boring.

I noticed you had worn a ring on a chain around your neck…

I still have it, wanna see? (drags a chain from underneath his shirt and leans towards me – so close that I can feel the smell of the soap he used to shower after training, - the ring has runes engraved on it).

What is this?

It’s a ring, a silver one. “Lord of the Rings”, bought it in Spain. I love Tolkien and I respect hobbits, our little brothers.

So no private life?

None (sighs dramatically). I am not with anyone right now, don’t have a girlfriend. I am not seeking a serious relationship because I am not ready yet.

Had some bad experiences?

Everyone gets sick with a disease called love…

Not everyone…

Why? It never happened to you? I think everyone experiences it some time. And those who say they never have – are just cunning. I was madly in love once, almost got married even. It was back in Spain. We had lived together for four years. We started dating when I was an eighteen year old nobody, I didn’t have anything, not even a car. She used to give me lifts, pick me up from training, used to support me in any way she could, provided great moral support. I was renting a room back then… Then money started coming in, we bought a flat, a house. We had been through a lot together, it was a great part of my life.

Was she older than you?

Yes, by two years.

Why did you break up?

Different mentalities, different people… She is Spanish. In addition to that I didn’t want to live in Spain anymore, wanted to go home, to Moscow.

Do you like it here?

I love Moscow, I think it’s the best city in the world. And I have traveled around… People can have fun here in a great beautiful, chic manner…it impresses me.

And how do you spend your spare time?

Differently. You can just hang out with a close circle of friends. If you want a party – please, there are tons of wonderful luxurious clubs in Moscow. We go to First, Dyagilev.

Do you get recognized there?

Well ,they still let me in…

So you basically just hang out in clubs, breaking the sports regime…

Well imagine, I come to Moscow for a month or two a year! I rest here. Surely I want to go meet my friends, go somewhere, hang out and party. Why not? I have every right to.

Tell me, did you have the urge to punch Abramovich in the face?

Why should I?!?

Dasha Zhukova…

Nothing of the sort. We were over way before that. And while we had been together for three years none of us dated other people parallel to that. We used to fight, break up, get back together again, it was all quite hectic. And then…it just all vanished, just by itself. It turned out all of a sudden that we have absolutely different interests, cirles of friends. And I think we did the right thing to break up. She is young, I am young, why should we mess up each other’s lives?

So whose initiative was it to break up?

Mine.

And what do you think about her life right now?

Nothing. I don’t care. Everything is in the past. It’s her private life. However, I will always wish her the very best (his gaze is absolutely calm and sincere).

Tell me Marat, are you always this calm? Are you capable of doing something really crazy? Literally fight for the woman you love for example?

God what is with you all – fight. To fight for a woman is something really idiotic in my opinion (wrinkles his face). We are civilized people. Yes, I did get jealous at times. Everyone who suffers from love disease treats a person next to him as his own property, which is a mistake. A person cannot belong to you, he/she has his/her own thoughts, secrets. A person will never open up completely and he is just with you. For some time. Can leave tomorrow, or can leave in a year. It’s his right. Fight, beat each other up…what for? She has to choose herself.

How do you court ladies?

Women are tough to impress nowadays…Presents… I left the Spanish an apartment, a car and money. On the whole I am not a materialistic person and couldn’t care less about all these toys. Who needs all this? (waves hands with a Rolex shining on one of them). I think the most important thing is attention and a good relationship.

Well do you at least give flowers?

That yes. And without any occasion. Just when I want to do something nice for someone. I give tulips – I think it’s a sign of style. And roses – traditional but very beautiful. I even sent roses to Paris.

To whom?

Doesn’t matter. A Russian girl, worked as a model in Paris… This is my not-so-pleasant past. I made a lot of mistakes, too bad I realized that too late. I wanted to change things one way or another but it didn’t work out. But I sent roses.

What did you do that was so awful?

Maybe nothing special, just acted wrong. Showed no interest, no care, kept “forgetting” to call. She worried. Small things in general that spoilt everything with time. Now I understand that you can’t do that.

Why did you act like that back then?

Wasn’t over “the Spanish affair” yet. Didn’t want to get attached again even though I really liked her. To cut a long story short, couldn’t make up my mind and spoilt everything in the end.

What do you look for in a relationship with a woman? Warmth? Fantastic sex?

I don’t look for anything at all because when you look, you usually never find. It will come when you least expect it. For now I like my life the way it is. I do not report to anyone, I do not have to call several times a day to ask what she had done and where she had been. And I don’t want to be asked these questions.

Freedom is my choice…

Yes, I treasure freedom. And if I meet a person who will understand that and give me that freedom, maybe something could work out of it. We have to be similar in the way we look at the world, I am not saying “identical” – it’s impossible, just similar at least… But I haven’t met a person like that yet.

From what I gathered, you are against marriage as such?

Why? If anyone likes it, they can go ahead and get married. I just don’t understand it: people are together, they love each other, why do you need a document to prove that?

A woman feels more secure like that.

So this means I have to support her all my life? I think this is obscene… I am ready to get married in just one situation: when our kids grow up.

??!

Well, kids would grow up and we would still be together. And we would have feelings for each other. That’s when we’d have the wedding. And celebrate together with the kids. What? I think its beautiful.

He was very courteous. And even offered me a ride. And even held the car door open (Mercedes Benz CL). However, I didn’t really delude myself. He’s got training, tight schedule…

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

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

Marcia

Mi się najbardziej podoba fragment o ślubie z dziećmi.... Czy to nie slodkie? a po prostu urzeka mnie zdanie: "So what has intrested Marie Claire so much in me?" Jest w tym coś magicznego, zjednej strony zawadiackiego i zaczepnego, a z drugiej... po prostu cały Marat tak wiele osobowości, każda inna i każda zasługuje na nasza uwagę :*

Jastrząb

Marcia my twoje zdanie o "ślubie z dziećmi" poznałyśmy już w sobotę Very Happy

Pamiętaj tylko, że jak już przejdziemy na ten islam, to coś takiego nie wchodzi w rachubę!

Jastrząb

Poświęce się i przepiszę ten wywiad, skoro nie mogę wklejać tych cholernych zdjęć:

Marat, Twoja rola w ostatnim pojedynku z Jose Acasuso, decydującym o tym, kto zdobędzie Puchar Davisa nie była do pozazdroszczenia. Miałeś tremę?

-Moje zadanie rzeczywiście nie było łatwe. Rozumiałem to doskonale! Po tym jak Kola Dawidienko przegrał z Nalbandianem było już 2:2 i trzeba było koniecznie wygrać. Najbardziej poważny sprawdzian czekał mnie w tie-breaku czwartego seta, bo gdybym miał grać jeszcze piątego seta…to bardzo trudno byłoby o zwycięstwo. Ja po prostu nie wytrzymałbym decydującego seta! I tak ledwo już chodziłem, bo bolała mnie pięta. Naprawdę nabiegałem się już dosyć. Ale jednak byłem pewny, że fortuna się do mnie uśmiechnie! Po prostu to czułem. Przecież nie pierwszy rok gram w Pucharze Davisa, a doświadczenie znaczy w tych rozgrywkach bardzo wiele- masz wtedy zimną krew i w sumie nic już cię nie obchodzi poza zwycięstwem. Emocje, nerwy w ogóle zostały gdzieś poza kortem. Mam 26 lat- gram po prostu jak zawodowiec, na korcie wykonuję swoją pracę.
Jose Acasuso nie miał takiego doświadczenia w takich meczach. I myślę, że to nie pozwoliło mu zwyciężyć, ale facet grał w sumie bardzo solidnie. W końcu jednak nie poradził sobie z napięciem, pogubił się przy dopingu 10 tysięcy ludzi w hali, którzy namiętnie pragnęli naszego zwycięstwa (po meczu Acasuso rozpłakał się- przyp. red.).

Miałeś ambicje zostania liderem reprezentacji?

-Co do moich ambicji…? Hm… Lidera stuprocentowego nie mamy. Każdy z nas gra zazwyczaj dwa single debla. Czasie rozgrywek Pucharu Davisa przestajemy grać dla siebie- gramy dla zespołu. A zespół- to są nasze wzajemne stosunki, relacje, nasze żarty w czasie gry w piłkę nożną, krótko mówiąc- fajna atmosfera wewnątrz. Doznajemy pozytywnych emocji będąc razem, tak że przygotowanie do każdego następnego meczu to wielka frajda! Im bardziej żartujemy, tym lżej potem się gra.

Dawno nie widziałam Cię tak skoncentrowanego i umotywowanego…

-Jeszcze jestem zmęczony, wciąż to wszystko do mnie nie dotarło. Powiodło się! Zdobyliśmy Puchar i teraz jesteśmy umotywowani na kolejne lata. A to jest szalenie ważne. Kiedy na początku roku nie wiodło mi się zupełnie, byłomi ciężko zmusić siebie do gry. Sezon w ogóle nie był łatwy. Miałem poważną kontuzję kolana, po której ciężko było dojść do siebie. Starałem się wrócić na kort, ale nie było mi łatwo poruszać się po korcie. Przed US Open byłem już 104. w rankingu. Trzeba było też pogodzić się się z myślą, że nie jestem już najmłodszy w tym cyrku. Kiedyś wszystko przychodziło mi łatwiej, ale teraz jest już zupełnie inaczej. Nikt mnie się nie boi ,a każdy chce mojej śmierci na korcie. Jak wróciłem po kontuzji , to wszyscy chcieli zrobić na mnie karierę, więc przegrywałem na początku wielu turniejów. To nie było dla mnie inspirujące, tak przebrnąć przez to wszystko od nowa. Przez ostatnie kilka miesięcy sytuacja zmieniła się na dobre. Pomógł mi Sasza Wołkow. Skończyłem sezon na 26. miejscu w rankingu, grałem w finale Kremlin Cup, Zdobyłem Puchar Davisa. W końcu wszystko ułożyło się pomyślnie.

Zaczynać niemal od zera tonie jest najłatwiejsze zadanie…?

-To był poważny egzamin, ale najważniejsze, co wtedy zrozumiałem to to, że mam przyjaciół! Każdy ma sowje życie, swoje problemy, ale przyjaciele zostali ze mną- pomagali, podtrzymywali na duchu. Nie odwrócili się, jak tylko przestałem być tym Safinem szczęściarzem. W cynicznym świecie ludzi, naprawdę oddanych ludzi nieczęsto można spotkać. A jak już masz swój krąg, to szalenie ważne go utrzymać. Przyjaciele- to najważniejsze, co mam w życiu.

Druga cześć będzie potem Very Happy

Marcia

Jastrząbku mam podobny problem ze zdjęciami i strasznie nad tym ubolewam Sad

A na drugą część z niecierpliwością czekam Smile

Jastrząb

A tu mamy obiecywaną drugą część wywiadu Very Happy

:

Możesz porównać te dwa zwycięstwa w Pucharze Davisa: w 2002 roku we Francji i teraz w Moskwie?

- To są zupełnie dwa różne zwycięstwa. Zdobyć Srebrną Wazę w Paryżu było bardzo przyjemnie, bo to był nasz pierwszy raz. Naszych kibiców nie było tam dużo, poza tym finału nie pokazywała ogólnodostępna telewizja. I nasz wielki sukces mało kto widział na własne oczy. Teraz to było co innego! Dzięki Bogu wszystko ułożyło się pomyślnie i na oczach naszej publiczności, grając dla nich, czując ich oddech, podarowaliśmy im wielką radość i święto. Tak bardzo chciałem, żeby to wszystko tak się ułożyło!

Podziwiałam opanowanie Szamali Tarpiszczewa. Wydawało się, że siedząc na ławce przy korcie był absolutnie spokojny. Możesz sobie wyobrazić siebie na tym miejscu?

-To miejsce może zajmować tylko Tarpiszczew. Mam do niego duży respekt. Możemy się nie zgadzać, ale to męska sprawa. Jeżeli stoję na swoim i mogę powiedzieć coś nieprzyjemnego w trakcie gry, potem jestem gotów przeprosić. Potem spokojnie pracujemy dalej. Myślę, że Tarpiszczew jeszcze długo będzie kapitanem. A ja… Nie wiem czy w ogóle będę wtedy żył (w Rosji mówi się, że bohaterowie umierają młodo-przyp. red.). W każdym bądź razie zadecyduje drużyna.

Masz już jakieś plany zajmiesz się po zakończeniu kariery?

-Przede mną jeszcze 4-5 lat grania. Zobaczymy, co z tego wyjdzie na korcie. Może wygram jeszcze parę turniejów Wielkiego Szlema. Chcę zagrać z Dimą Tursunowem podczas igrzysk w 2008. W każdym bądź razie mam napoleońskie plany na Australia Open- tylko zwycięstwo, bo, po co wtedy jechać? Kiedy zdecyduję się skończyć z tenisem…prawdopodobnie zostanę w sporcie, bo na tym się znam. Tenis dał mi wszystko, co mam. Myślę, że teraz w taki czy inny sposób trzeba oddać swoje długi tenisowi.

Będziesz nadal pracował razem z Aleksandrem Wołkowem?
-Najpierw chcę trochę odpocząć. Potem pogadamy, co chcę osiągnąć w przyszłym roku. Wtedy już będzie można pomyśleć, kogo zaangażować do tej pracy. Wielu trenerów ofiarowuje swoje usługi, ale nie chcę się spieszyć z decyzją.

Mówią, że Safin bardzo się zmienił pod względem mentalnym… Co na to wpłynęło?

-Mogę się tym podzielić. Musisz być pozytywny przez 24 godziny na dobę i tak dzień za dniem przez cały rok. Tylko przy takim spojrzeniu na życie będziecie się cieszyć, znajdując
Się w tym świecie. W takim nastroju stworzycie wokół siebie pozytywny klimat, który wpłynie cudownie na wszystko, co się wokół dzieje. Oczywiście, odrobinę powodzenia też nie zaszkodzi, żeby wszystko się złożyło tak jak my tego chcemy. A skoro problemów w naszym życiu nie ubywa, to trzeba po prostu nie brać wszystkiego aż tak poważnie. Nie nalegać z rozwiązaniami. Czasami trzeba trochę odczekać i wszystko rozwiążę się samo. W końcu chciałbym złożyć dla wszystkich Czytelników Noworoczne Życzenia. By wszystko się Wam udało, by zawitało do Was szczęście. Zostawcie smutki w starym roku!

Dziękujemy Ci Marat Twisted Evil

Jastrząb

We had an interview with Marat before he left Melbourne

Q. Hi how do u feel today after your match yesterday?

M. I am still tired I didnt get much sleep because I was thinking about the match and about the fact that I could have done more to win it.

Q. How will u summarize this tournament? Are u disappointed?

M. Not really, u all know that I hate losing, but I have a goal to get back in the top ten this year, and first of all to be healthy the whole year. This was the first step in this direction. But I still think I could have played better and maybe get in less trouble in the first two rounds.

Q. U are traveling home today its a long flight how do u spend your time in these long flights?

M. It is a very very long flight, I am flying from here to Singapore, staying on the plane for two hours on the ground then flying to Vienna arriving tomorrow morning and after 4 hours I will continue to Moscow and I will arrive in the afternoon so its about thirty hours which is a lot. I am so tired that I will sleep a lot. And try to finish the book I am reading.

Q. may we ask which book it is?

M. Its a Russian history book which is my favorite subject as u may well know.

Q. When are u flying to Chile for Davis cup?

M. I am leaving on Saturday.

Q. On your birthday?

M. yes I will celebrate on the plane with my coach and doctor with a glass of wine, as long as I play I have to do what is right for my career I do not have too many years and I will have enough time for celebrations when I am done.

Q. U only won Davis cup one and a half months ago and all ready a difficult challenge to defend the title.

M. I know Its crazy they dont let u enjoy the victory too long. Its a very hard match against a strong team and we are playing away from home which makes it even harder.

Massu and Gonzales are very strong players and I hope that all our players will play in the tie and that we will have a strong team as well.

Q. It will be a long trip for u.

M. True after Chile I travel to the US, I will play San Jose, Las Vegas, a week off for practice in Los Angeles, Indian Wells, and Miami. So I will be away from home again for more then 2 month, well this is my life I cant complain, its my work, I love this game, it gave me so much and also the life of other players are not easy so we have to do what we have to do to be competitive in this sport.

J. we wish u a great trip home and to Chile, and your fans are looking forward to greeting u for your birthday.

M. I want to thank all my fans for all the support, I love u all and I hope to give u many moments of joy this year. Take care.

Marcia

No to może pare słów z jego bloga? Prosze bardzo... Smile

I now live in Monte Carlo but Moscow is my hometown and in my opinion it is the most incredible and most improved city in the entire world. I have not been to every city in the world, but from what I have seen, Moscow is the best. Of course I have a lot of friends here, I grew up here, so every time I come back here I try to enjoy as much as I can. It is sometimes difficult for me to combine work and pleasure but this is a week of work only for me…I am happy to be in Moscow and play the Kremlin Cup but I need to make a lot of sacrifices because I want to do well this week. So I will not be going out, no late dinners, everything will be around work this week. But I will make up for it once the season is finished after the Davis Cup final again here in Moscow in December…

I got to Moscow after a long and difficult trip. I was here for the Davis Cup semifinals against the United States in September, then I left to play ATP events in Bangkok and Metz. After losing in Metz, I flew back to Moscow but I missed the connection in Frankfurt and I arrived late. Nobody enjoyed that trip. When I got into town, I met with friends for dinner so that they could update me on life in Moscow without me. We went to a Japanese restaurant. I went back to my apartment pretty exhausted and slept for 12 hours.

When I got up I had corn flakes and coffee, I had no energy to cook anything. That’s the sad part of being single; nobody cooks for you, washes the dishes or does the laundry. So I never eat at home. My parents live not too far from me so they kindly do my laundry.

Jastrząb

Czemu on nie prowadzi na stałe jakiegoś bloga!? Wiem, że ma jakiś wstręt do komputera, ale bez przesady. Wiedziałybyśmy chociaż na bierząco, co się z nim dzieje... Sad

Gość

No nie?! Zupełnie jakby nie chciał dzielic sie znami swoim ciekawym życiem.... Marat nie badź taki wstydziocha Twisted Evil

!!! A co do jego wstrętu do komputera: chłop 27 lat, i się myszy boi! Nawet tego bloga to mu jakaś laska pisała, a on tylko dyktował...

Jastrząb

Kurcze, ja też mam wstręt do komputera, ale dla niego jakoś się przełamuje! Wink

Ostatnio to nawet takiego ataku lęku dostałam przed tym dziwnym urządzeniem, że cztery godziny przed nim siedziałam!

Marcia

No jojem to go kurna nie wypada nazwać! Z pewnym zastrzezeniem ale wklejam Smile

Marat Safin's tempestuous career has been plagued by long periods of drought and punctuated with flashes of utter brilliance. Dominic Bliss wonders if the Russian's spirited US Open run heralds another renaissance.
"Sometimes, people try to teach me about tennis and they have no clue. I have to listen because basically, I cannot tell them to f*** off."
Marat Safin is on a major rant. His occasionally chequered career has invited criticism from all manner of unwanted parties and, quite frankly, he's sick to the hind teeth of it.
"So many people come to me and they start to explain to me the forehand, the serve, the backhand, the way I should move. People say, 'If you listen to me, you're going to beat Roger Federer.' You don't know how much bull**** I have received throughout the years. If you did you would probably go nuts."
The thorny Federer question is also something that puts a bee in Safin's bonnet. For ages now tennis observers have been banging on about how--apart from Nadal--
Safin may be the only other player who can beat Federer at his best.
"I don't care about Federer!" he exclaims in exasperation. "I don't care about Nadal. I don't care about Coria. I go on court and I play my match. If I win...I win. If I lose...I lose. I don't make such a big deal out of anything. I don't want to compete with anybody. I just want to be a tennis player and enjoy."
The trouble with this apparently relaxed attitude is that it rarely gives Safin any consistency of form. For years, ever since his first stunning Grand Slam title (the 2000 US Open) at the age of 20, his curriculum vitae has been a roller-coaster of amazing successes and inexplicable failures. His four Grand Slam finals and three separate stints in the world's top five have been interspersed with long injury lay-offs and woefully early tournament exits.
This summer he has typically blown red hot and then ice cold. At Wimbledon he beat Greg Rusedski in straight sets. At Indianapolis he lost inexcusably to a South African ranked 500 and very nearly dropped out of the world top 100 himself. Then in Washington he reached the semi-finals and claimed he had "found the winning spirit which is the key to success."
At Cincinnati he was bruised in a minor car crash outside the players' hotel, which didn't help matters. But at the US Open last month he was back on his game, reaching the fourth round where he battled Tommy Haas all the way before succumbing in a fifth-set tiebreak.
No one, least of all this 26-year-old Muscovite, can explain his inconsistency. When his game produces ecstasy, you know that agony is never far behind. Some say he is a traitor to his own talent. Even he has reluctantly described himself as "the yo-yo form Moscow."
But ask him if he worries about his ups and downs, his erratic mood swings and his infamous racket-destroying tantrums, and he says he's content simply to go with the flow.
"It's important to do something where you know you have the talent and the vision and you really enjoy it and you get paid really well. It's great to do something you love to do and also get paid. This is the perfect set-up, what I'm doing."
So why is he still so erratic? Much ink has been spilt attempting to answer this formidable question. Safin's former coach Mats Wilander has an interesting theory. He believes that during his 2000 US Open straight-sets victory over Pete Sampras, the Russian played such frighteningly perfect tennis (and has been hampered ever since by the knowledge) that he will never be able to repeat it.
"It turned out to be the worst thing," Wilander once said. "Every time he stepped on a court he expected to play that way."
Safin himself is more stoical about his performances. "People should understand that I'm human," he once said. "There are bad days, bad months. Just because you have a great moment doesn't mean you're going to be playing great tennis for the rest of your life. You play very bad, a little bit bad and then you can come back.You know, the stock market, I think it's this way, too."
There's no doubt that Safin has wrestled with some inner demons. He now claims, however, to have discovered a new maturity off the court; one that will hopefully lead to a new maturity on it. "I'm 26 years old and I've passed already eight years of my career. It's not like I'm a newcomer and I'm 20 years old and I'm fresh and I don't know what it's all about. I know exactly what I need to be good on the court. What I should do, how I should come out of the bad times. I don't go crazy any more. I get p***** [off] on the court, but outside, after the match, I don't really get frustrated because I have good people around me and I can disconnect from tennis. I don't have to go to my room and think how bad I am and what shall I do next and with whom should I work."
In the past there have been many he's worked with, both successfully and unsuccessfully. It all started with his mother Rausa Islanova, a professional tennis coach at his father Misha's Moscow tennis club. She used to station the infant Marat in his pram at the side of the court while giving lessons. Then when he reached the age of six she became his coach and guided him through the start of his teenage years. Many of Russia's top female players, including Safin's sister Dinara Safina (now ranked 13 on the WTA Tour) also came under Rausa's tutelage at one time or another.
By the time Safin reached his teens, it became obvious that, if his game was to really blossom, he would need to look outside the Soviet Union. His parents were lucky to secure him a sponsor who paid for the 14-year-old to relocate to and train in the Spanish city of Valencia.
Nor was it any ordinary sponsor. Friends of the family had connections in Switzerland and were able to persuade a high-flying banker to invest the princely (some would say foolhardy) sum of $300 000 in the young player.
"He did it as a favor to his friend," Safin explains. "The friend [of my parents] had helped him in some way and he had to pay him back. I'm sure that no one would ever give a young player $300 000 now. No chance."
Safin's coach in Valencia was Rafael Mensua. Over the next few years he went through several more tutors--former Russian player Alexander Volkov, former Swedish player Mats Wilander, former Swiss player Marc Rosset, former childhood friend Denis Golovanov--before settling with Roger Federer's former adviser Peter Lundgren. Going into the US Open, the couple were on a temporary split. Marat was strongly denying rumours that their partnership was on the rocks, but Lundgren's own comments offer an illuminating insight into the player's real state of mind. He's quoted as saying: "We have taken a break and we'll see what happens...Marat is not quite himself anymore, he doesn't really know where he stands."
The Russian still maintains strong links with Valencia and often spends time training there. Like so many other tax-weary pros, his official residence is in Monaco. He is also in the process of having an apartment built back in Moscow.
While some aspects of his domestic situation may all be fairly hunky-dory, the girlfriend situation is a little more complicated. Safin's last long-term girlfriend was a Russian medical student called Dasha Zhukova with whom he parted company a year ago. Since then he has been seen with various female companions, but none you might call steady. "I'm free and enjoying it," he said when quizzed about his love life. "[Dasha and I] were close but something was missing. So it was best to split up."
With his toned 6ft 4ins physique and smouldering Slavic looks, Safin has never had trouble finding beautiful women to adorn his arm. Even when he grows his hair long and straggly and lets his ever-present stubble sprout into a Rasputin-style beard, as he did last year, he still has the ladies swooning at his adidas-clad feet. He has always been a ladies' man and is proud of it.
But recent comments suggest that he may now be ready to settle down and start a family. "Yes it could happen at any time," he confirms. "You can't really time these things. If it happens then it's got to feel like this really is the right woman. It's not up to the man to have a family or not. It's up to the woman. And if the right woman comes along...then why not?
You get the impression that here is a man keen to put down some roots. "I'm more stable, more relaxed," he says. "I've tried everything there is to try already. I've been through a lot. I think 99 per cent of players haven't been through what I went through at all. They've no clue about some things."
Pressed on what he means by this exactly, he starts to rant again. "How can I describe to you my whole life? " he blurts. "I have travelled everywhere. I have met people all around the world. Relationships. Much more than tennis. That's why I say I enjoy what I'm doing outside of tennis. Then when I'm losing I'm not so p***** off, because I have another life which is interesting."
At least we may be nearer to the true reason for his inconsistency.

Jastrząb

Kurcze, tak jeszcze raz przeczytałam ten wywiad dla Marie Claire i strasznie zakuły mnie w oczy te róże wysyłane do Paryża Evil or Very Mad

Czy można być zazdrosnym o kogoś, kogo się nie zna?