Press Conference: Marat Safin (RUS)

　　Date: Oct. 6, 2009               Time: 12:30 PM

　　Scores: Safin defeated Acasuso (6-4/6-2) and advanced to the second round.

　　Q: How do you get your focus and get well prepared and motivated to win every match knowing you are close to retirement?

　　A: I’ll give you an example: the other guy couldn’t move around the court, which I figured out pretty quickly. So when I made that first break, I felt much more confident. I just have to stay focused and know that things will be okay. This rest of the tournament is pretty tough to motivate yourself knowing you’ll retire in a few months. But I want to win every match, it’s a natural feeling.

　　Q: For the first match in the morning, there were a lot of fans cheering for you. It’s not your first time to play in China, so when did you realize you are so popular in China? Are the fans in China different from the other part of the world?

　　A: I was surprised when I arrived at the airport. I was surprised; I didn’t realize until now. But it’s a nice feeling. It’s nice to see people coming so early with flags and cheering for you. Of course, they look very excited to see me, Nadal and a lot of other players. They are waiting at the hotel for us. I didn’t know I would be such a huge success. They are very loyal fans. They came with flags and signs, so it’s very nice.

　　Q: In today’s match, there were a lot of fans cheering for you. Was that annoying or encouraging?

　　A: It’s not annoying. It’s a nice feeling to know they care about you and support you. They brought flags and signs, like I said, so it’s not annoying, definitely not.

　　Q: There are some rumors you are going to retire after this tournament. Can you confirm that?

　　A: No, I’m not retiring. I still have 4 more tournaments to go, which are Shanghai, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Paris. I will retire after Paris.

　　Q: Most people retire when they are in their 50s or 60s. Do you find it a little odd that someone is retiring at 29?

　　A: Well, I was 4 when I started, so it was still 25 years. So, it’s the same thing as other people when they retire at 50. They started when they’re 25 and retire when they’re 50. So basically, we do the same thing. It’s more than enough to just take a rest.

　　Q: The organizers said you’re holding a retirement ceremony in Beijing. Can you confirm that?

　　A: No, no. It’s going to be in Paris. I don’t like this whole thing about my retirement and there’s going to be a big party and everybody saying bye-bye and thank you is not really for me. I will have a personal party.