An interview with Dinara Safina - Day 7

Q. You had just a bit of a lapse in the second set, but otherwise were you happy with your play today?
DINARA SAFINA: Yes and no. I mean, it's good that I could close it up in two sets. Second set, it looked from ?? the way I was feeling inside was one thing and then when I was talking with my coach it was completely different.
So he said that I was just way too passive. That's why I started like complicated everything. And he said, like, just for the next rounds have to be much more aggressive.
 
Q. Well, certainly in the next round if you face Maria, that's a must.
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, because Maria, I mean, once you give her a chance, she won't give you, like, more chances. So with her really have to be aggressive every time.
 
Q. You haven't played her in two years, I think. Since Los Angeles, '06.
DINARA SAFINA: Oh, yeah.
 
Q. So how do you think you've progressed as a player since then?
DINARA SAFINA: We will see. I don't know. (laughter.)
 
Q. Can you elaborate a little bit? Just in terms of your technique and your mentality, do you think you're a different player than you were then?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, I'm two years older. I mean, I'm still the same, so still ? of course, everybody is working, everybody's practicing and trying to get fitness better, so we'll see.
 
Q. Do you feel the same shape that you were in Berlin?
DINARA SAFINA: Oh, I feel okay. I still continue, so...
Berlin, it was more surprise, you know. Like I was really surprised with everything. So now it's like kind of ?? I know that I have this game, so now ?? it's one day it's a little bit better; one day it's a little bit worse.
But I know I have a pretty good base. Just showed me the base of the game.
 
Q. This is sort of maybe a strange question, but the players, they switch back and forth from different surfaces, clay, hard, indoor, and grass. The grass court season is so short. Do you think it should be elongated, made longer, or maybe even just eliminated?
DINARA SAFINA: My opinion?
 
Q. Your opinion, not mine.
DINARA SAFINA: It's like in the middle of nowhere. Like it's three tournaments just on grass. No time. Nowhere else you can just prepare for the grass. There is nowhere else than England and in Holland there is grass courts.
Courts that you ?? I know here we have Racing Club. They have actually grass court courts. But, no. In my opinion, I don't like, so they can take it away. (laughter.)
 
Q. Could you just tell few words about your cooperation with the Croatia coach, Krajan?
DINARA SAFINA: I don't know. What you want to know?
 
Q. I'm from Croatia.
DINARA SAFINA: I know. I could hear.
 
Q. So how are you satisfied?
DINARA SAFINA: I'm happy with him. It's already more than half year working together, and I'm really happy. I think he knows what he's doing, and looks like ?? everybody is, Yeah, but he's young. He's young, but he knows exactly what is tennis and what he has to do and how to get me better, and at the moment I'm really happy with him.
 
Q. He was playing until very recently. Is that an advantage to have someone who's been actually in the pro game so recently?
DINARA SAFINA: Of course he understands what I can have. Maybe to somebody else who didn't play or didn't compete in high level. I mean, he was playing on men's tour, and he knows this. Maybe you play on center courts. He knows what you can feel.
Sometimes you can, yeah, I'm feeling really tight, and maybe somebody else will tell you, Oh, so what? But he knows. Like, Okay, just try to do. He knows how to kind of get you out of there.
So I think this is actually describes the coach who can help you to get out of the certain situations.
 
Q. I know your mother was a big influence on you as a coach. Do you still sometimes hear her voice in your ear?
DINARA SAFINA: No, less and less. (laughter.)
 
Q. Is that good? Is that part of maturing as a player, and a woman, for that matter?
DINARA SAFINA: I think just that I'm getting older, and I have ?? starting to have more and more my opinions. So I'm ?? and, of course, I have a coach there; why I need the second opinion?
It's the same. Like you go to doctor, and you always two different opinions. So if I'm with my coach, I have to listen to his opinion and stick with him. Right or wrong, but I trust him and I'm with him.