2009 - Articles & Interview

[ROSIE]

Here is a news article about Marat, I think Dinara is right though!

Play well or quit, Dinara tells big brother Safin
Reuters - May 5, 2009, 12:09 am

ROME, May 4 (Reuters) - Marat Safin should put his whole heart into playing tennis or quit, his top-ranked sister Dinara Safina advised on Monday.

Former world number one Safin has failed to win back-to-back matches in nine of his last 10 tournaments, often perishing despite being in a winning position.

The 29-year-old was knocked out of last week's Rome Masters in the first round by Tommy Robredo after throwing away a 6-2 4-1 lead and Safina suggested her brother should hang up his rackets immediately if he is unable to turn around his form.

"He knows he's going to retire (at the end of) this year, so it's tough," Safina told reporters at the Italian Open on Monday.

"I would say that if you want to retire, either you do it or you play. He doesn't. So he should make a decision if he wants to play or if he wants to retire.

"He was supposed to (have) already retired last year and he's still going. He's a little bit unpredictable."

[ELIENE :)]

rosie, thanks for this article. Dina seems to be really concerned with his brother. Dina has her point. Marat should put his heart in playing tennis especially now that he is about to retire.

[lele]

"I would say that if you want to retire, either you do it or you play. He doesn't. So he should make a decision if he wants to play or if he wants to retire.

someone had to say it to him!

[maria]

i'm sure the press will tell him what dinara said ;D

[ELIENE :)]

i think Dina told it already to his brother before this interview.

[maria]

Dinara Safina Criticises Rome Officials

1:22pm UK, Wednesday May 06, 2009
Dinara Safina has launched an attack on tournament officials at the Italian Open in Rome, after being made to play in what she felt were dangerous conditions.

The world number one beat Italian Virginie Razzano in straight sets to progress to the third round but was left fuming after a three-and-a-half hour rain delay left the clay court slippery under foot.

"I was just so angry because you can get injured," said Safina, who fell over twice during the match.

"They tell us go and play because they think the court is fine but they are not playing on that court. Thank God I didn't break anything."

"I mean, they would say: oh, we are sorry. But it's my career, it's three months off court (if you're injured).S o they have to have a little bit of respect for us as players."

Despite the treacherous conditions the Russian came through the match unscathed, winning 7-6, 6-1 to set up a third round encounter with Jie Zeng of China.

[¤º¤ Anik ¤º¤]

ROME, ITALY

D. SAFINA/V. Razzano
7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us what it was like to have to wait around all day long not really knowing what time you would come on, when you would start? How do you keep yourself motivated?
DINARA SAFINA: It's always not easy waiting, you know, especially when you are next on and like they say like at 6:00 you play, and then you see there is still raining.
So you're trying, you don't know what to do, when exactly to go warm up. You just hang in the locker room and not doing anything. It's not easy always waiting, you know, but that's how it goes, you know.
We cannot change the weather.

Q. Would that explain why you had so much more trouble in the first set than the second?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, went on court pretty comfortable. You know, she played already. For me, it was not easy to play. I mean, the court was terribly slow and I mean, two times I fall down on the court. It was not easy to play. You know, it's soft and you're afraid to play.
She was giving my hard time, because I think she was playing pretty good. Especially she beat me in the beginning of the year, so double I wanted to beat her. Just everything what came together, and think I was a little bit tight.
Of course, winning the first set gave me confidence, you know. I just started to play a little bit better in the second set. Just, I mean, I was a little bit more aggressive, and she was already off the court.

Q. Did you hurt yourself when you fell over in the seventh game?
DINARA SAFINA: No, I didn't hurt, but it's just not a nice feeling, you know, to fly -- I was just so angry on the court, because you know that it's not -- I mean, they made to us play on this court because it's not perfect.
I was just so angry, because you can get injured. I mean, it's not funny. They tell us go and play because they think the court is fine, but they are not playing on that court.
Thanks God I didn't broke anything, but if I broke the whatever, I mean, so many players get injured. Then what should I say to the tournament? I say thanks for pushing us to play.
I mean, they would say, Oh, we are sorry. But my career, it's three months out of the court. So they have to have a little bit respect to us as the players.
I mean, they are trying to say that whatever, that we are healthy, and then they made us to play in very, very tough conditions.

Q. What do you think compared to last year, the calendar has been changed and the tournament ends on Saturday here in Rome, so you don't have an extra day to manage rain and something like this? So it's more pressure also for the organizers.
DINARA SAFINA: I think it is, you know. I mean, starting the tournament on Saturday in Madrid, it's way too close. I mean, at least Sunday. At least we can have one more day off. I flew -- I play Stuttgart and flew the same day just at least to get a hit yesterday, and straight to play today.
I mean, it's not easy. Yes, we are making the schedules, but, still, I mean, it's very close sometimes. So I don't know. They maybe have to be -- I mean, it's first year of this calendar, so maybe by the next year they will know and they will realize maybe they will put at least Sunday start that, I mean, we players can have at least one day off.
Because sometimes it's not easy. I don't complain that I played final last week. I mean, it's good for me that I don't day off, but sometimes it helps.

Q. Can you explain what it was that was dangerous about the court? Was it the court itself, or was it the weather?
DINARA SAFINA: Because of the weather, because the court was very soft and it was difficult to slide. Because some, as it was very wet, it just would not slide. So that's what happened when I went to pick up -- I mean, to play the dropshot. I wanted to slide, and then just my leg got stuck and I rolled over.

Q. In the men's circuit, Federer, Nadal, even Djokovic tried to help with the organization, they were talking about the calendar, and they are part, in a way, of the board. What about the women? Do you have any word? I mean, do you control a little bit the situation, or you are completely out? And who should do it, in your opinion?
DINARA SAFINA: No, I mean, we have a word, but it's always difficult because it's the first year. Maybe at the end the year we could speak, sit down and say, Listen, like here...
I mean, the calendar is great, but just like now we maybe realize that one extra day would help us. Maybe Madrid starts not Saturday, maybe Sunday. Maybe we can say for the next year, The same week, but just give us one more day.
But it's always difficult. First we have to test and try. I think after this year it's going to be easier for us also players that I think by the end of year we can say like, Here maybe one extra day would help. Here it's everything fine. Here it's perfect. But it's a test, so it's not a problem.

Q. Speaking about game conditions and the different tournaments, what do you think about the fact of this year you have Madrid, which is played at 700 meters high? The conditions will be dramatically different from Roland Garros, which is mainly the ultimate goal of the clay season.
DINARA SAFINA: Well, I mean, this has nothing to do, you know. If you play high, low, I mean, we have to adapt. Some tournaments are playing even higher. Bogotá you take. Some people say it's impossible to play here.
Doesn't matter where we play. We are players, and for good players we have to play everywhere.

Q. I remember I saw you playing when you were 16 in Florence in a junior tournament, and you were always with Italian girls talking. How is your Italian? Because you speak Spanish fluently, so do you understand everything what she says when she's translating, or not?
DINARA SAFINA: Now I was not paying attention.

Q. In general.
DINARA SAFINA: I do understand. I mean, if they speak, of course, slowly and about what I can guess. But actually, I'm slowly forgetting Spanish because I'm not anymore there. So I think my English is getting better than Spanish, so...
But I still -- I mean, I like Italian. For me it's nice language because it's like emotional. It's not really that I'm trying to learn it, but I try to pick up some things.

Q. Do you remember the first time you came in Italy, how old you were and which tournament you played?
DINARA SAFINA: I guess it was Genova-Aretzzo that I played -14. I think this was my first time in Italy.

[ROSIE]

In respones to the marat article, Dinara seems like a lovely sister, she is always looking out for Marat!

[ELIENE :)]

you are right rosie.

[ROSIE]

I can't believe it but I did not know Dinara spoke spanish!

[ELIENE :)]

her coach before Zeljko Krajan is a Spaniard as far i know.

[lele]

no, he's a Croat

she lived in Spain, that's why
i've never heard her speak it, but Marat speaks it fluently

[ROSIE]

Wow, maybe she could give me a Spanish lesson, I am doing spanish at university!

[ELIENE :)]

really? oh well. try to ask Dina in her new site. maybe she'll help you!

[¤º¤ Anik ¤º¤]

May 8, 2009

Dinara Safina

ROME, ITALY

D. SAFINA/V. Williams
6-7, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations on winning such an epic match. How did you manage to overcome the nerves that you had on Wednesday and Thursday in your previous matches?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, you know, sometimes you need this kind of matches. You know, like the matches before, they help you, you know, even though I was not playing my best.
Still somehow I was managing to win, so this is, I think, a good thing for me that I think I was not able to do this before. But I feel like I was playing maybe 50% and still I was going through, so...
Because I always have next day another chance to win, and I think today it helped me some nerves to pull the match out in the end.

Q. Is the match hardest mentally or physically?
DINARA SAFINA: I think it was more mentally, you know, because it's always -- like I never beat her. It comes the moment I been 3-1 up in the third set, and I had to be a little bit more dominant on the court.
I gave her chance to come back. Then 3-All, 4-3 again with the break. Again, I didn't play good that moment. But still, you know, it helped me that at the end I could close the game.
I think it gives me a lot of confidence to beat such a big player like her, such a champion.

Q. (Through translation.) So you think you deserve the No. 1 ranking?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, I think today's match, I think it was a big match, you know, especially that she's the one like champion, she had so many Grand Slams. I think to beat her, it's not an easy.
I hope this gives me even more proof that I, I mean, deserve to be there, and it helps me maybe in the big stage like Grand Slam to win the Grand Slam.

Q. Do you think you won that match on determination more than anything else at the end?
DINARA SAFINA: I think thank at the end, yeah, I still went for my shots. You know, this was the important thing. You know, even though that I was serving at the tight moment, I haven't served any double faults.
Again, moment came and I started slow. But still, on the breakpoints I was going for my shots, and I think she was a little bit passive. I think she could do more. I think she showed me she was also was maybe nervous, and that I went for the shots and I did the right thing.

Q. That's more than ten hours on court the last three days. Do you have any energy left for tomorrow?
DINARA SAFINA: I mean, to speak like this, when we practice we do the same thing. I mean, practice now, it was only three hours match. When practice, it's two hours in the morning and still it's one and a half in the afternoon and still you are do condition.
I'm still 23 years old. I should have some power.

Q. How is your ankle?
DINARA SAFINA: It's okay. I mean, I had it taped, so of course it helped me to not put so much pressure on this point. I mean, I'm gonna have dinner, and still I'll have treatment to get as fit as I can for tomorrow.

Q. Were you thinking about it at all when you were playing?
DINARA SAFINA: Once I step on the court, really I try to forget about, because there is only ball. If I start to -- then it's gonna be excuse, Oh, there is my ankle. No, there is only ball. I don't find excuses for anything.

Q. Do you consider this your best match on clay court this year, or ever?
DINARA SAFINA: I think she pushed me to play my best, you know. It's tough to say, because last year I think Berlin and the French Open was also so many good matches against such big players. So it just comes one of those best matches.

Q. You can say this is the hardest spot in all your career, or not?
DINARA SAFINA: I wouldn't say, no. Last year against her sister, against Serena in Berlin, it was also 7-6 in the third and not an easy battle.
And also last year in French Open I had very tough matches. I can count them on the hand, but it's one of them.

Q. Is there an extra satisfaction when you beat one of the Williams sisters because they have so many titles between them?
DINARA SAFINA: I mean, that's what I say. As Venus, like she has so many Grand Slams and so many big tournaments, and still in such a tight moment I still could manage to win the match.
So I think it just, for myself, gives me confidence.

Q. Will you think about the last match against Kuznetsova tomorrow?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, it's another match. You know, she's another great player, and she's playing I think one of her best tennis.
So I have to go out there and play like best match like did I today, and let's see tomorrow.

Q. You lost last week to Svetlana. What would you try to do different this time?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, try to beat her this time.