Thanks Vass for translating!

Interview with L'OPTIMUM magazine

This year began remarkably well for Marat Safin. He became the champion at the Australian Open. Ahead lie the Roland Garros and Wimbledon. A victory there is the dream of every tennis professional. And it�s not only about the money. From an audacious young man Marat Safin turned into a true gentleman, the mark of the success of the Russian sport.

His fans call him �the great Safin�. He himself smiles to that, occasionally jeering himself. 

L'OPTIMUM: You�re out of the country most of the time and yet we constantly find you on the pages of newspapers and magazines here�

Marat: Every person has his own occupation in life. One chooses to become a paparazzi, another a tennis player. It�s simple.

But isn�t it hard to constantly find yourself under the microscope?

Here�s an important principle: don�t take life too seriously.

Well let�s talk a little bit about life then. In previous times you indeed were a common sight in various group gatherings. These days much less. What has changed?

I don�t know how to count my outings. I didn�t think about it much. Instead I think of such things as winning upcoming tournaments. For instance, the last Australian Open �took� me away from Russia for a month. I arrived there two weeks in advance to acclimatize properly. And then two more weeks of the tournament. I wouldn�t say that I�ve changed my usual rhythm all that much�

In fact that�s exactly what constitutes my rhythm: a tournament � then home, training � then a tournament� that will go on until I finally quit tennis. 

You mean that in this chain there�s absolutely no space for social routing?

It is impractical to count them in. These social shambles are either spontaneous occasional visits to some parties with my friends, or some well-planned �evenings� that I�m compelled to attend.  

Seriously compelled? <kinda sarcastic here>

Don�t quibble about words. I do have certain obligations, to the sponsors, if you will. You know how it works. I�m a public figure. And that�s exactly what I�m doing: paying back for this privileging publicity <sarcasm>. I keep on repeating: tennis is what I do, everything else is just a side effect.  

Is there an air of vanity around these �social outings�?

Why hide a vice, of course, there is. On the other hand, my goal is not to show off myself but to look at the others present there. At times a boring evening passes in such observation. And in the end it�s not so boring.  

So who becomes your object of observation? Women?

Them as well. But don�t look for a sin there. I�m a serious young man. I have a girlfriend. Therefore it�s just a simple interest. It�s interesting to look at all kinds of people. In 20 seconds, for example, you can tell if a person�s snob. Therefore, 20 seconds later, finding such an individual I switch to someone else. Those snobs are boring and aren�t too interesting. I�ve always said that me and them part ways.   

So what�s the difference between you and a snob?

I think that snobs are too fixated on the exterior rather than on the actual content. For them the brands of their shirts, pants, jackets, wrist watches that heir wearing is what matters most. It somewhat matters for me as well, but it�s never an acute issue. I can afford a lot but I still prefer to by my jeans when there�s a discount. Discounted stuff in general. It�s not penny-pinching like one might think. It�s the ardour of searching and finding what you want. Inexpensive doesn�t mean bad, while there�s more than enough pricey stuff wherever we look.  

And what is your car�s brand?

To be honest now I have two. One�s a sponsor�s Mercedes, and the other�s my private Rand Rover.  

What�s sponsor�s is clear� But your very Range Rover is a bit pricey too.

Well, yes. So what? A car�s a car. I need a comfortable vehicle. You can save on the jeans but not on the car. And again, this one�s not too expensive when compared to the ones I drove before.  

And what did you drive?

Ferrari and Porsche. That was and then it passed. I grew up and understood that I don�t need it. I understood: being a snob is not like me. That�s why I changed my car. Life has real treasures � spiritual ones. They are the ones to focus on. Fortunately, you can never just buy those.

Indeed it�s for the better. Let�s take advantage of the fact that you yourself have changed the subject. What are you planning to do after you retire from tennis? Become a coach?

No. I might become a lot of things, but not a coach. You need to be a lot more imperturbable for that. I�ll tell you the truth: I'll run out of patience really quickly. I have a different temperament. That would be a difficult challenge. It would be very hard to adjust to.   

�hen what Will you choose?

Probably I�ll get into business. But lets not race the time. I am still planning to �serve� for another 5-6 years. It�s a long time, and yet it�s so little. I have so many goals to achieve, so many major trophies left to conquer.

What sort of business are you planning?

Naturally it will be related to sports. With tennis in the first place. You need to do something what you know something of. Otherwise it will be pointless. You�ll end up artificially killing time. I know what exactly to try. In Russia there are many talented sportsmen, all of whom have played a major role in development of sports. But as soon as they leave the arena, for various reasons, our government forgets them. Some of them can barely make ends meet, which is unfair. It is necessary to create certain foundations that would support retired and active sportsmen. Perhaps this is what I�ll be doing. Of course it would be important to have a helping hand nearby, someone who could give a wise advice.

These days its common to involve various sports and television personas in election campaigns, in political work� Did they invite you for such a thing yet, to become a member of some political party?

Not yet� 

But what if?

I will decline. Quite possibly it will be difficult to do that, perhaps I will be compelled to in the light of some circumstances. But I don�t desire to. In addition and as I�ve said before, you need to practice what you�re experience in dealing with. In politics I�m a goof. In fact it�s foolish to invite me for a job in a political party. Such work, as it is popular to say would be of �unproductive� sort (laughs). Today it�s possible to utilize me only in one way � to fight for titles in tennis. I�d rather not �disperse� my goals for now and concentrate on tennis.  

And have you though about starting a family?

Not quite too profoundly. What family do you expect with my perpetual traveling? It wouldn�t feel right if I marry now. A family needs a �castle� but I live in a rented apartment. Family�s a bit early to talk about. Besides, I� am very use to shifting. I even like it. Staying in one city for a month makes me somewhat uneasy. I feel like packing up and flying off. I guess it�s a disorder.   

And kids?

What about them? You want to raise a kid you need to grow up yourself?  

Didn�t you just say that you did?

Yes, but that�s not enough, apparently. But it would be great if I would have children. On the other hand try picturing me with all the blankets and pampers. I really hope that my wife would help me with those (laughs).  

And what if your children would want to play tennis?

Oh God, why not if they get a kick <bliss/ getting high> out of it. 

Attention! A serious question: if you would have a son what life�s principles would you try teaching him first?

Man, what a question! You need an answer right now? I need to think.

So think.

On the other hand what�s there to think about?! I know what I�ll teach him. Honesty is what matters most in a man. None of those petty lies. Then it would be harder to lie about the serious matters as well.  

Tell me something: does all this mean that you didn�t lie to me about the little things in the interview?

I tried my best! (Laughs)