Marat, Dasha - what a team !
The Age
January 30, 2005

The media may have been banned from Marat Safin's private Oz Open celebrations early yesterday morning, but we can tell you that not only did he celebrate in style but with him was his long-time Russian girlfriend, natural medicine student Dasha Zhukova.

Amid some newspaper speculation that Safin may have had a new girl in his life - Kate Neilson, a Foster's grid girl at last year's Australian Grand Prix - the Russian champ was happy to pose with Zhukova as they headed to The Motel nightclub in South Melbourne.

So, around the same time that the man that Safin had beaten just a couple of hours earlier, Lleyton Hewitt, was proposing to his girlfriend, soapie star Bec Cartwright, the 2005 Open champion was proving that his love life is very much intact as well.

"I'm still on the scene, nobody has replaced me," said a smiling Zhukova who, having arrived in Australia late last week, had waited at least two hours at Melbourne Park while her boyfriend completed his media commitments.

Vodka for the champ
Indeed, the freelance snapper who took our scoop picture also celebrated with the Safin entourage that included Zhukova, Safin's manager, his coach and a surprise guest, former champion Mats Wilander. The group was given a private dining room and treated to complimentary drinks, includ-ing, of course, Russian vodka for the champ. According to our man, at one point, the manager asked if a television crew that was outside could film Safin celebrating, but he was sternly told that if the cameras came in, Safin and his friends would leave immediately.

Oh, my head
The manager, of course, adhered to the request, the group reportedly kicking on until around 5am, when Safin was driven to his hotel, where he snared a few hours' sleep before admirably keeping his 9.45am winner's photo-shoot appointment in Acland Street, St Kilda, and, later, jetting home to Russia.

Let's hope that Safin didn't suffer the same fate as one of his rivals Andy Roddick did in his TV commercial and have his trophy fall out of the luggage compartment and land on his head. From what we gather, this champ's head was thumping enough as it was.