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No. 1, Safin may have to grow up to stay there |
November
14, 2000
By Sergei Sviridov SportsTicker Contributing Writer
MOSCOW (TICKER) -- Two weeks ago, Marat Safin lost in the semifinals
of the Kremlin Cup, disappointing Russian fans and foes alike.
"(I) felt sorry for Marat because, indeed, he could have taken
the lead in the ATP rankings the next week," said countrymate
Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who went on to win the tournament. "I am
really upset that he couldn't lead the ATP race. It would be
a great way to raise his psychological confidence for the next
4-5 tournaments left for the rest of the year."
Apparently, Safin did not need to win at Moscow to gain the
top spot or any psychological confidence. On Sunday, he won
the St. Petersburg Open and overtook Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten
as the leader in the ATP Champions Race 2000.
During the Kremlin Cup, Safin said he had serious plans to be
No. 1 in the world. Now that he has gotten there, the dedication
involved in staying there may conflict with his desire to enjoy
life to its fullest.
For example, the night before his semifinal loss in the Kremlin
Cup, Safin, 20, played doubles late into the night with Denis
Golovanov, a long-time friend whom he has committed to sponsor
and support in every way. The next day, however, Safin looked
winded and less than himself in a loss to David Prinosil.
Last month, The Moscow Times published a wire service report
in which Alexander Volkov, the director of the tournament and
Safin's friend and former coach, said his former pupil has an
affinity for the nightlife here.
"If he goes out to a nightclub, even if he stays there until
four in the morning, that does not mean he drinks like a horse,"
Volkov said. "He has one or two beers, which is enough. It doesn't
bother him. He gets enough sleep, then goes out on the court
and trains."
Safin later clarified that description of his behavior off the
court.
"(I) am not hiding!" he declared. "The thing is, I like to socialize
with friends, listen to the music, sometimes have some good
wine. The main thing is to control oneself".
In fact, Safin knows perfectly well he must focus solely on
tennis. When a very pushy female journalist from local TV tried
to pin him down by asking for an interview in the cloak room
of the Swiss Diamond Hotel in Moscow, where Marat had to attend
a meeting with Russian dignitaries, Safin implored, "Why do
they have to accost me like this?"
Even though Safin made a narrow escape from the pushy TV reporter,
he had a plate full of other unrelated activities. He attended
two official meetings -- one with Georgy Poltavchenko, the head
of the Central Federal District and Vadim Kozhin, the head of
the Presidential Staff, and another with mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
Last month, Safin also joined a large Russian internet company
that will require him to answer fans' queries via e-mail. Throw
in the nightclubs -- of which he is an aficionado -- and perhaps
you understand why he resumed his old habit of breaking rackets
in his loss to Prinosil.
However, Safin said his behavior comes from putting pressure
on himself to achieve the sustained greatness of a Pete Sampras.
"Sometimes I get scared I won't have such a good chance again,"
he said. "I am trying hard, but I will never be Sampras. I am
still developing." After losing the Kremlin Cup, Safin did not
beat himself up. Instead, he was out at Most -- a very new,
very chic nightclub.
After all, he is young, handsome and rich, and that he enjoys
life makes him even more attractive to the tennis public.
Safin knows he is young but also is aware he will not be young
forever. He sounds like he knows the top spot in tennis is not
reached by hanging out in nightclubs.
"There are 1,000 players out there who also want to become No.
1," he said. "To become No. 1 is possible, but to hang in there
is a different story altogether."
courtesy
Yahoo.com
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