Marat still wants to play his tennis and he will be back the statement added
Posted in General on 07. Sep, 2010
Marat still wants to play his tennis and he will be back,” the statement added.Serena Williams, who, in common with Safin, discovered that winning at the Australian Open in January was less a bright beginning than a prelude to a season of injuries and frustration, opened the proceedings yesterday with a 6-1, 6-3 win against the 16-year-old Jung-Jan Chan, of Chinese Taipei. He is not depressed because he realises this is the right thing to do.” The statement said that the Australian Open champion would return for treatment in Italy where he previously had keyhole surgery on the knee It was not clear how long he would be out of action. At least I know that it’s still possible for me to do well, even if my time on the practice court needs to be limited. It’s not the best way to prepare, but hopefully it will be a bit better and I’ll be able to focus solely on winning.”Safin’s left knee has been a problem all year, and his prospects of competing here began to diminish after he lost to Robby Ginepri, an American wild card, in straight sets in the quarter-finals at the Cincinnati Masters on 19 August.It was in the second round in Cincinnati that Safin was taken to three sets by the 18-year-old Andy Murray, of Scotland, the British No 3, who went on to qualify for the main draw here at Flushing Meadows.Safin, who was projected to meet Henman in the fourth round, has been replaced in the draw by Bjorn Phau, of Germany, who will play his compatriot, Alexander Popp, in the first round.”Although Marat wanted more than anything to play and has tried whatever he could to be ready, as a professional tennis player he has had to admit his body is saying it is too soon,” said a Safin statement.”He has made the decision after discussions with all those around him. I haven’t been able to practise as much as I would have wanted, but at least I know what the problem is and how to go about treating it.”I’ve been lucky to be able to see the same lady that treated me so well last year when I was suffering much worse than I am now, so I’m confident I’m in good hands. “Having had a problem with my stomach in Cincinnati, I think my body ended up compensating for it and my back has stiffened up as a result.
It is surprising that Marat Safin and Tim Henman were not invited to join in the chorus. Safin, the fifth seed, withdrew from the tournament because of a knee injury, and Henman, the 12th seed, has been struck by a recurrence of the lower back injury that afflicted him here a year ago.
On that occasion, the British No 1, aided by an American chiropractor, Debbie Kleinman, was able to nurse the back problem (two degenerative discs) well enough to advance to the semi-finals, where he was defeated by Roger Federer, the eventual champion.Kleinman’s healing hands are again treating Henman’s injury, and the Englishman has requested a late start for his first-round match against Fernando Verdasco, of Spain.”It’s frustrating, to say the least,” Henman said yesterday. Blue is the colour at this year’s US Open, though, given the weather forecast, only an optimist would anticipate a run of blue skies during the opening week. We have been treated to the innovation of blue courts, and last evening Bo Diddley was booked to sing the blues at the opening ceremony ahead of the night session in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s unrealistic to play at the optimum in every match, of course, but all the same…”Unusually, Corry did not complete his sentence There again, there was no need for him to do so On this subject, at least, there was no confusion..
We go into games knowing that if we play well, we can beat any side we come up against That, therefore, is our target. When it came to the Heineken [Cup] semi-final against Toulouse and the Premiership final against Wasps, we finished second.”Was that down to the quality of the opposition, or to the way we played? At Leicester, we take the view that it was 100 per cent down to us underperforming. All those victories do is put you in a position to go on and win something, and that last bit is what we failed to do. If that last statement seems just a trifle odd, given the Midlanders’ record over the first decade of professional union, the captain very definitely sees things in those stark terms.”We judge ourselves on titles,” he confirmed, “and while we turned in some terrific performances last season – against Wasps in the two Heineken Cup pool games, against Newcastle in the Premiership – we’re not the sort of club to hang our coats on those kinds of matches. Austin has a big contribution to make this season.”Like the mighty Johnson before him, Corry will measure Leicester’s season in trophies won, and as they won precisely none last time out, despite playing the rugby of the gods for much of the campaign, the only way is up. Graham Rowntree, Ben Kay, Daryl Gibson – these are people prepared to take responsibility, to put their heads above the parapet.