Q. How do you feel about how you played?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, tough conditions yesterday and today. It was raining yesterday, courts were heavy, and there was too much wind. Way too much to play the normal tennis, and so it was pretty tough to make anything special on the court and get ready for the next match.

So you could save some balls and try to be solid, but a lot of bad bounces. The way I played under such conditions, not bad.

Q. Dinara, after she won her match yesterday, spoke about you and said that you're often talking about retiring from the game, that you want to quit. She said she has to tell you, No, come on. You still have it in you.

MARAT SAFIN: She's not right. I'm still playing, still enjoying, even though I'm in a tough position. Couple months ago I was almost out of the top 100. I'm still playing, still trying, playing the quallies, and now it looks like it's getting better.

So why to retire when everything is functioning? So I don't see any of it, and I don't think I will be retiring pretty soon. So I'm still here.

Q. Was it disappointing you lost? It was a very close first set yesterday. Was it disappointing you lost that set? You could have made it a little bit easier.

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but also it was tough. There is no time for practice. You run to the court, hit balls for 15 minutes, come back, and then they're calling, they're not calling, they're calling, they're canceling, not canceling.

So basically like all day it was like that, you know. Every half hour you didn't know if you going to play or not.

So it was cold, it was dark, and tough conditions. So we couldn't get used to the court. Was nervous also in our first match in a Grand Slam you want to do well.

It was pretty tight in the first set, so I didn't have a lot of chances to break him. I wasn't lucky in the tiebreak, but it was getting easier and easier.

Q. What's the difference between you as a player now and the beginning of the clay court season?

MARAT SAFIN: Oh, just pretty much the same. For myself, playing pretty good tennis actually, and I also have been working hard, play quallies.

I have a lot of matches behind my back, even though nothing special. I have only one quarterfinal, but for me it was coming out of terrible tour in the States. You know, coming and playing and winning some matches was a great thing for me.

Now I'm pretty solid, confident, and looking forward. Now I can compete against the big players.

Q. Nikolay in the next round. How do you feel about playing him?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, he's playing his best tennis probably right now. He won Miami. He beat Nadal and some other great players, so...

And I think a final of Estoril, and long one last week. So he's pretty solid. Has to be a very good day for me and not really good day for him, and then we have a chance to be even.

Actually, I'm looking forward to it. It would be a great match. If the conditions would be the same as today but a little bit less wind, then I can be tough.

Q. What's the story of the matchup? What has to happen for you to win?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I have to be aggressive, that's for sure. I just need to be the one who is dictating the points even though I will be missing a lot and going for it. But this is my tennis. This is how it should be. He will be solid.

He will be play his best tennis, making me run around the court and try to displace me all the time, you know, so I don't hit twice from the same spot.

But it's going to be an interesting match. We going to be nervous. We don't want to lose to each other. Let's see who will be stronger.

Q. What about clay compared to playing him, say, on grass or hardcourt?

MARAT SAFIN: Doesn't really matter. He plays well on any surface. He's fast. His game doesn't depend on the surface or anything like that, just the way he's moving. He's a fast player.

You need to be pretty fit and pretty smart and see the ball a little bit earlier than usual.

Q. And last question is, who has more chance to win the tournament, Marat or Dinara? (laughter.)

MARAT SAFIN: Good question. I think my sister. (laughter.) Away, with a big difference.

Q. I have a question. It's a crazy question. Sorry. What could be the worst thing could happen to a player before final?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, that you forget how to serve. I don't know, forget the racquets. I don't know, something like that.

Q. All player, can you tell me that?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, it can happen.

Q. Something happen to you?

MARAT SAFIN: Before the final?

Q. Yeah.

MARAT SAFIN: No, not really. Hopefully nothing will ever happen.