M. SAFIN bt N. Djokovic 6-4, 7-6, 6-2

An interview with: MARAT SAFIN

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Marat.

Q. Did you start to become a grass court player suddenly?

MARAT SAFIN: By winning one match?

Q. An important match.

MARAT SAFIN: For me it was important, but also I took advantage that he was under a lot of pressure because he's fighting for No. 1. So I need to take advantage of that.

Q. How did you play?

MARAT SAFIN: I played well because I think the courts, they has been getting slower and slower throughout the years. So it's not any more like they used to be like eight years ago. It was really fast, and now you can play from the baseline and nobody even getting close to the net.

Q. So you're not surprised by yourself?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I just had to do what I had to do: serve well and try to stay with him. And also he didn't impress me with his game today. I could read his serve. I could return. I could stay with him from the baseline, and that's it.

Q. How would you rate your game today on a scale of 1 to 10?

MARAT SAFIN: I mean, it's tough. I didn't play great for a long time. I don't remember how does it feel.

I would say I played solid.

Q. Is it a 5 or 8?

MARAT SAFIN: I hope I can play better than that.

Q. When was the last time you played that well?

MARAT SAFIN: Long time ago. I don't even remember. Long time ago.

Q. Novak said it was a case of him playing badly rather than you playing well. Would you agree with that?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, well, he's a nice guy, a great answerer and great for you guys. I think he scored some points over there by saying that, yeah, he played well and everything.

But he had small chances. He didn't take them. Whenever I had a chance I went for it, and I just played, like I said, solid, took my chances.

Q. When you walked off, the BBC man asked you about your next opponent. You implied you didn't expect to get past Djokovic, and you didn't know who you were going to play next. Is that right?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, true. But if you have a second round against Djokovic, the guy won the Australian Open, semifinals of French Open, winning the tournaments left and right. You play against him, and the last time I won two matches in a row was I don't remember when. So what do you expect? Of course that you are not really in a position to look anything after the second round.

Q. What do you remember of the things you've said about Wimbledon last year and in the recent past, and how do you feel about Wimbledon now?

MARAT SAFIN: What did I say? The strawberries are too expensive. It's true. They don't have enough for dessert. It's true. Only the coach is allowed to come in the locker room is also true. Because some physios, they cannot come inside the locker room. I'm not complaining about that.

I was right I think in what I said. I didn't make any lies, so I think I was right there.

Q. What do you like the most about Wimbledon, and what do you dislike the most about Wimbledon?

MARAT SAFIN: Thanks for the people to make the courts slower.

Q. Novak said when you played in Australia 2005...

MARAT SAFIN: He still remembers that?

Q. Yes. He said he had great respect for you because he practiced with you as a junior. He said today it might have been a factor in this match that he had too much respect for you.

MARAT SAFIN: That's good to know. Thank you.

Q. Do you think?

MARAT SAFIN: I hope so. I'm still older than him. I hope it will stay the same way and he'll have the same respect to me as he had three years ago. It works for me.

Q. You looked very fit today. Do you think was this the key to play at this level?

MARAT SAFIN: I'm fit since November last year, but it doesn't really help me to make any results earlier in this year. So just I came out actually in the middle of the year, which is surprisingly -- I'm surprisingly happy that finally I came, because I started to get a little bit desperate because I've been working really hard week after week, practicing and putting myself together.

The results are not coming, not coming. You need to be really strong mentally to continue to play this game.

Q. You expected to be back in Russia tonight?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah. There is a flight at 8:30 leaving every evening, so I was almost there.

Q. Have you booked another flight, or not till a week on Monday?

MARAT SAFIN: There is a flight every day. 8:30, arrive at 4:00 in the morning in Moscow. Everything is under control.

Q. You had a ticket for this flight?

MARAT SAFIN: It's one phone call.

Q. We see Russia is doing well in the football at the moment at the European Championships. What does it say for Russia?

MARAT SAFIN: I try to keep up. The guys are surprising me in soccer. I never expect them to play such a great soccer, aggressive, playing unbelievable game. Now we're the favorites to win the European Championship. With the game they're playing right now, they should. They deserve to win.

Q. How have you managed to keep faith in yourself? You're working hard, going out, playing matches, wins aren't coming, month after month. You get on court today against arguably has been the best player of the year and showed some pretty good stuff.

MARAT SAFIN: Well, but just you need to have a little bit of commitment with yourself, you know, try to set some goals. You cannot just drop it in the middle of the year. After three months if the results are not coming, I think you should give yourself a chance, you know, and try more.

Because also it's a little bit sad to see other people winning and working only the half part of the time that I'm doing, that I've been spending on the court lately. I've been working unbelievably hard, unbelievable pre-season. Even though the results are not coming the beginning of the season, I was losing left and right.

Still I'm going to the gym and still doing my things. I think it's time for results to come. And I think just it's -- of course, it's tough. Of course it's tough to push yourself day after day when you are losing and you are losing and you are losing, get back on the court, get back in the gym and do your routine.

Q. I was expecting you to be at Roland Garros for your sister's final.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, she didn't send me the charter. That's why I didn't come.

Q. Is this the kind of result that would keep you on the tour? Is this the sort of victory you need?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, of course, these victories are always welcome because you've been working really hard for that. Results, especially when you are not really in the best shape and this result is coming to you, you need to take advantage of it, take the most of it, enjoy it, and use the advantage that other people, they saw the match and they started to respect you.

You are full of confidence by playing well. It's not like you played terrible tennis. You did your stuff, you're serving well, and you just look forward and just go for it as far as we can and take advantage of the confidence that you got from this match.

Q. If you play on the Centre Court like today, it's like the place you feel you belong to?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but you need to go through the stages. I played on Court 11, which is almost in another club. But still you need to go through these kind of matches to be able to play on the Centre Court. I think my ranking drop, so where you expect me to play? I'm 75 in the world and I'm playing against the Italian guy. Actually, not many people they care about this match. Actually, I was surprised it was a full stadium on Court 11.

So these matches you need to get through. Even though they're tough, everybody's nervous, the other guy is playing well. You don't have any challenges there, the Hawk-Eye. The chair umpire may be half sleeping, but you need to get through these matches to be able to perform well and have a chance on the Centre Court.

Q. Against Seppi, next match, you have to play on a small court. What do you think about your opponent?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I don't mind to play the third round on a smaller court, you know. I don't think we're gonna be playing on Aorangi, I hope. This for me is not the worst case. I think I played all over the places. I played in really terrible places, so it doesn't really matter.

It's the third round. Still playing great tennis. I played really well, and I'm looking forward to get through the third round even though he's winning his matches also.

M. SAFIN bt N. Djokovic 6-4, 7-6, 6-2

An interview with: NOVAK DJOKOVIC

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Novak.

Q. Was it a bad day at the office for you or a very good day for Safin, a bit of both? What surprised you most?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it was certainly a very bad day for me. I didn't do anything that I was supposed to do. He was very solid in all segments of the game. He was serving well, and like that, putting a lot of pressure on me.

I was serving a lot of double-faults, which is unusual. I was just not finding my momentum, that's all. What can I do? I mean, it's a straight-sets win. I didn't expect it, honestly saying. I knew he's a very tough player to play against - even today - on any surfaces. Especially playing him on Centre Court obviously motivates him more to do well. Nobody expect from him too much.

Q. You finally did find your serve a little bit midway through the second set and got into the tiebreak. You lost it again. After the frustration of finding your serve and losing the tiebreak, did you just not feel like you could give everything you had in the third set?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I was trying, you know. I kept on trying, even though after the second set I tried to come back. It's not that I gave up. You know, I knew that I can turn around at any second.

Safin is a player who is known as a big talent, very powerful groundstroke player. But, again, he makes a lot of unforced errors. I had these opportunities, a couple of opportunities, on his service games when it was 30-All, 15-30, deuce. But then I just -- I just -- I made some unforced errors, which were really uncharacteristic, without any sense.

So he was just very consistent with all the strokes and he was mentally there. Every point he was going slowly, and opposite of me. I was having a lot of ups and downs. When I found my momentum, I couldn't keep it.

Q. You talked about the double-faults and the unforced errors. John McEnroe said after the match he thought you looked tired and that maybe you had played too many matches. What do you think?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You know, tired mentally, probably I'd say yes. It's been a long season, even though it's only halfway through. But physically I wasn't tired, and that was not the explanation why I lost today. He was just better than me on the court. I had very bad day, and that's it.

Q. Have you seen him play that well in recent years?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I haven't watched him, you know, a lot in last two years. You know, Safin still has his ups and downs. He's known for his, you know, mental instability in some ways. But he's still a great player. I mean, he's still not too old. He's playing well. He's moving well. He wants to go back. You know, he wants to step it up again and try to get far in a major.

This is a good way to start.

Q. You said you were mentally tired. Is it the travelling, so much matches, dealing with the press every day, day after day?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, it's a part of my life and I have to accept it. You know, obviously everything from all.

Q. There was a sort of warm embrace between the two of you at the end. Do you know each other particularly well, or do you just get on well?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, we know each other off the court as well pretty good. I mean, we've been practicing. When I was a junior I looked at him as one of the, you know, greatest players, one of the idols. So I admired the way he plays.

At the times when I was junior he was, you know, the top of the world. I used to practice with him, because we had then, and still we have, the same manager.

I have a lot of respect for him. Maybe that played a role today in the match.

Q. Considering instability, can we say you were waiting for him to make his usual mistakes, but they were just not coming today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah. This was one of the things that went wrong. I shouldn't just wait for the mistakes. I was supposed to go for the shots and play aggressive style that I always play.

But it wasn't my day.

Q. Which of these two matches against Marat hurts the most: getting completely crushed at the Australian Open or here where you're the No. 3 seed and have established yourself as a top player, losing to a No. 65?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, I don't compare it at all. I mean, this first match we played was three, four years ago. I was still very young and it was my first Grand Slam. It was understandable at the time. He won this tournament. He was playing extremely well.

I cannot compare it. Now, I'm much more matured, better experienced player in general. But, you know, I don't -- I try to look at it as positive as much as I can. It's a loss, but it's a part of the sport.

You know, life goes on. What can we do? There is still a long way through.

Q. Just an observation, but you didn't appear to be wearing your normal brand of shoe today. Do you have an issue with the grass?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I have issue with the grass. I was wearing another brand of the shoe. This was agreement between adidas and myself. I had a lot of difficulties with the movement, especially in Queen's this year, and even in the past years.

I just tried to make -- we just tried to have agreement and the best possible solution. So I thank them for the support, because it was a big step for all of us. A bit risky, but it was the only way that I could imagine myself far in the tournament. This was the difference that I felt that we can improve on.

Q. Because you had the problem last year that forced you to withdraw?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, that was one of the reasons.

Q. Must be a little bit of a strange feeling. It's been a while since you lost this early in a Grand Slam.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: What I'm going to do (smiling)?

Q. What are you going to do to regroup from here? Any lessons you've taken away from it at this point?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm going to probably stay another week and watch matches. No (laughter).

I'm going to go home - home sweet home.

Q. How will you regroup? What will you do?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'll rest a little bit. Without the racquet. I'll leave the racquets at home and I'll go somewhere many miles away.

Q. Safin has been No. 1 in the world. He played very well everywhere, but not that well normally on grass. He lost many matches in his life on grass. Do you think today he was playing extremely well or it was just you?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It was mostly me. You know, I said on the start that he was very solid in all sides. He was playing with not much unforced errors from the back, good return. But I wasn't doing anything to hurt him, you know. My serve, even when I had the high percentage of the first serve, it was going on his racquet. No angles, no precision whatsoever.

Yes, he was playing well today. He didn't play extremely well, but he was playing enough, you know, to win.

Q. How big of a chance do you give Safin at this Wimbledon? How big a chance do you give to the Russians at the Euro Cup, if you're watching?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Safin, if he plays this well, can get far. This is a question of the time and the day, so every match is different. You can't really predict what's going to happen, but I wish him well.

And Euro Cup, I hope Russia wins.

Q. Given the fact that you reached the semifinals here last year and your excellent results since, can you just sort for us how disappointing it is to be going out this early?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's quite disappointing, of course. A lot of expectations from my side and all the people that are following my career, of course, and the tennis lovers here in UK and worldwide.

But what can I do? This is just part of the sport, a loss. I just have to take the best things out of it and use it for the future. You know, certainly I expected to go far, because I know I have enough quality to do so. Last year I've been performing pretty good tennis on grass.

Finals of Queen's came up in the right moment, gave me a lot of confidence, boost up. But, you know, it can change.