The ATP’s calendar was the hot topic in the Shanghai Masters press room last week, but there were plenty of other interesting exchanges, covering everything from sex, sports cars and when the heck a Frenchman will ever win a major. Before it’s old news, I thought I’d post some of my favorites:
Novak Djokovic on sex vs. Wimbledon (from an interesting interview in the Times U.K.)
So what was better, winning a grand-slam tournament or sex? “Nothing, nothing, nothing is better than sex, it is what God created us to do,” (Djokovic) replied. But what if he were to win Wimbledon? “Ask me the question again on that day,” he said.
Rafael Nadal thinks tennis players are like high-performance sports cars:
But, you know, when you played a lot of matches during all the season is tough, no? And the body, when you put the body all the time at the limit, so is difficult, no? Anyway, if you work hard on your physical with your physio, it’s the same like Formula 1. (laughter.) Yeah, that’s true, the best cars of the world, but at the same time the cars brokes more than your car. That’s the reason, because the car is always at the limit. So we are the same.
Gael Monfils predicts that a Frenchman will win a major “soon,” but I sense he has some reservations:
I mean, we close. And I think certainly in front of us we have like top guy. We have a legend, we can say, Roger. We have another semi-legend, Rafa. And then after we, let’s say with four, also, Djoko, Murray. So, I mean, it’s tough for us, Del Potro. So, I mean, we fight and we will not give up. I think we will have one soon. We will have one soon. Don’t know when, but for sure we work hard. We have guys, even with me, also, to win one, but not forget like in front of us we have like top guy also, so I mean, we would love to, but actually it’s tough. I mean, let’s say on clay this year what Rafa win like four in a row and then on grass, and Roger can win everywhere. Then we have Del Potro, Murray. So I think it will be time, but I think maybe next year we will have maybe one.
Marat Safin on his eternal competitive fire:
Q. You seem very disappointed. For me it’s a sign of motivation. I was wondering, why would you want to stop if you’re disappointed after almost beating Tomas Berdych? Don’t you think you have it in here?
MARAT SAFIN: Because I’m a absolute player. I’ll be dying, still being a player, so it doesn’t matter really. Tennis is something else. It’s still — the competition is still in me, and there will be disappointments no matter what I do. It’s not like — it’s not lack of — not motivation. Yeah, motivation. I just don’t feel like doing this thing anymore. It’s nothing emotional about it, but still, of course, you get frustrated if it’s something you don’t achieve no matter what you do. So it doesn’t really — is not especially in tennis
And Safin on giving back to the fans:
Q. You are a very private person. How hard for you to, like — in one week you say good-bye to China fans twice in farewell ceremony.
MARAT SAFIN: Well, it’s a little bit — soon I will be used to it. Yeah, well, it’s nice. I have to give the credit to the people that have been supporting me for so many years. So I have to give it back, something. I need to say it loud and say thank you very much. Once again, it doesn’t hurt. That’s really — it’s only a smart part I can do for the fans, so just — if I have to say it 10,000 times, I will say thanks 10,000 times. It will still not be enough for them to stand with the flags and with the small boards, all the things they do with the pictures, with the signs. It’s so much — they give so much to you. So it’s really — it will never be enough to give it back. So just two times, it’s not a big deal, eh?
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