Safin injured, out of Davis Cup. San Jose in doubt.

[Fee]

From tennisreporters.net

Safin to Pull out of Davis Cup Tie v. Serbia
Marat Safin will pull out of the Russia’s Davis Cup tie against Serbia, Feb. 8-10 in Russia. Safin just informed officials at San Joe’s SAP Open that he will pull out of the tournament and his exo against Pete Sampras with an injury, and will also have to pull out of his country’s Davis Cup tie v. Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic et all. Russia’s three other team members are Nikolay Davydenko, Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov.

From tennis.com http://www.tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx

Last updated on 2/6/2008 4:27:14 PM
----------------------------

Safin is pulling out of this week's Davis Cup tie against Serbia and is in doubt for San Jose in two weeks' time, according to San Jose tournament director Bill Rapp."Yesterday, while practicing for the Davis Cup tie against Serbia, Marat tweaked his toe and has had an MRI. In a few hours, the Russian team will announce that he will pull out of that Davis Cup tie," said Rapp.

Safin had been scheduled to play an exhibition against Pete Sampras in San Jose as well as the event itself."we're going to daily monitor that situation," said Rapp.

 

[BreakPoint]

Man, that blows!!

How are they going to find someone else to play Sampras at the SAP Open on such short notice? :-?

 

[iradical18]

BUMMER!!

 

[MichaelChang]

this man is finished...

 

[Chauvalito]

Man, that blows!!

How are they going to find someone else to play Sampras at the SAP Open on such short notice? :-?

Robby Ginepri

 

[BreakPoint]

Robby Ginepri

Or if they're willing to pay me enough, I'll agree to play Sampras. :lol: LOL

 

[0range]

Safin WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fee]

Oh please not Ginepri. I bet they'll have a backup player in place by the end of the day. There are still some that aren't playing that week, and a few of the younger Americans that would be happy to take the chance, even if they don't sell tickets. Pete's name alone should be enough for that, it's almost irrelevant who he's playing.

 

[sureshs]

So there goes the Safin-Sampras exo then?

 

[sureshs]

This is an official memo to whom it may concern that I will be in the Bay Area in April, not before that, so I will be unable to oblige any request to play Sampras.

 

[BreakPoint]

Oh please not Ginepri. I bet they'll have a backup player in place by the end of the day. There are still some that aren't playing that week, and a few of the younger Americans that would be happy to take the chance, even if they don't sell tickets. Pete's name alone should be enough for that, it's almost irrelevant who he's playing.

Just as long as it's not Sam Warburg. We don't want Pete to be embarassed in front of his fans again.

 

[Fee]

That's actually one of the people I was thinking of, but Sam might turn it down in order to 'focus on the tournament'.

Perhaps Amer Delic?

 

[BreakPoint]

Actually, Federer may still be in the U.S. (he was at the Super Bowl), and as far as I know, is not doing anything for the next few weeks until Dubai starts in March, so he should be available. If I were him, why not? Imagine the tickets he would sell. :shock:

 

[Moose Malloy]

If I were him, why not? Imagine the tickets he would sell

You do realize he was payed 1 mill to play those exos in Asia, right? I doubt San Jose could just drum up that much cash at the last minute.
And ticket sales have no bearing on players' fees, its not like they are gonna give him the gate(which would be a lot less than one mill anyway) or something.
Maybe if Pete went to Dubai something could be set up, since apparently everyone on tour gets at least 6 figures just to play there.

Judging by Sampras' recent interviews, he's only interested in playing name players(Blake, Roddick, etc) in exos, not scrubs that no one has heard of, so this will be a bit of a letdown, since those are the only players available at the last minute. And I'm sure it will be a letdown for the fans as well.

I wouldn't mind if he played Donald Young though.

 

[saram]

You do realize he was payed 1 mill to play those exos in Asia, right? I doubt San Jose could just drum up that much cash at the last minute.
And ticket sales have no bearing on players' fees, its not like they are gonna give him the gate(which would be a lot less than one mill anyway) or something.
Maybe if Pete went to Dubai something could be set up, since apparently everyone on tour gets at least 6 figures just to play there.

Judging by Sampras' recent interviews, he's only interested in playing name players(Blake, Roddick, etc) in exos, not scrubs that no one has heard of, so this will be a bit of a letdown, since those are the only players available at the last minute. And I'm sure it will be a letdown for the fans as well.

I wouldn't mind if he played Donald Young though.

I'd love to see A Rod get his butt handed to him by Pete!!!!!

 

[BreakPoint]

And ticket sales have no bearing on players' fees,

I disagree. The reason why they can pay the big names the big bucks for appearance fees is that the event can generate much more in ticket sales than if they didn't play the event. So of course, some of that appearance fee comes from the higher ticket sales. If the big names did not increase ticket sales whatsoever, they would not be able to pay them the same big appearance fees.

I realize that the SAP Open cannot afford to pay Federer $1 million to show up since it's too late to sign any additional TV deals to help cover that fee and the venue is only so big so there's only so many more tickets they can sell and it's also getting pretty late in the game and many people have already sent in their ticket orders. My point is that since Federer is not doing anything (as far as playing tennis tournaments) this month anyway, and if he's still in the U.S., why not just play Sampras as sort of a warm-up for the big showdown in Madison Square Garden in March? Since both Djokovic and Safin had to pull out of this exo with Sampras, perhaps Federer would be willing to do it for a lot less than $1 million? How many more times is he going to get a chance to play Sampras before Sampras' game really starts going downhill? Federer has also never played at the SAP Open before so this would be a good chance for him to visit the Bay Area and to endear himself to Bay Area fans, most of whom would never have a chance to see him live otherwise.

 

[Mike Bulgakov]

I disagree. The reason why they can pay the big names the big bucks for appearance fees is that the event can generate much more in ticket sales than if they didn't play the event. So of course, some of that appearance fee comes from the higher ticket sales. If the big names did not increase ticket sales whatsoever, they would not be able to pay them the same big appearance fees.

I realize that the SAP Open cannot afford to pay Federer $1 million to show up since it's too late to sign any additional TV deals to help cover that fee and the venue is only so big so there's only so many more tickets they can sell and it's also getting pretty late in the game and many people have already sent in their ticket orders. My point is that since Federer is not doing anything (as far as playing tennis tournaments) this month anyway, and if he's still in the U.S., why not just play Sampras as sort of a warm-up for the big showdown in Madison Square Garden in March? Since both Djokovic and Safin had to pull out of this exo with Sampras, perhaps Federer would be willing to do it for a lot less than $1 million? How many more times is he going to get a chance to play Sampras before Sampras' game really starts going downhill? Federer has also never played at the SAP Open before so this would be a good chance for him to visit the Bay Area and to endear himself to Bay Area fans, most of whom would never have a chance to see him live otherwise.

The promoters and backers of the Madison Square Garden exhibition would not tolerate Sampras playing Federer at the SAP. A lot of money has been invested in the MSG event and it would take the air out of their hyperbole balloon. Sampras would probably only want to play a top player. Roddick and Blake are entered in the SAP Open; my guess is that Sampras will play Roddick if Safin cancels.

I feel bad for Safin as he was really working hard. Here is an article from the SAP Open site.

Marat Safin's Life & Tennis
February 5, 2008

Joel Drucker

It’s fitting that 28-year-old Marat Safin has entered the 2008 SAP Open as a wild card.  He is, after all, the walking, talking, ball-striking definition of that very term, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion who over the course of his career has been capable of beating and losing to anyone – and quite often in grand style. 

Aware of all the good tennis has brought to him – including more than $13 million in prize money – Safin is also thoughtful when addressing his psychic anguish.  “Satisfaction, results and money go together as a whole,” says Safin.  “That is why the times of uncertainty, I cannot call them good times.” 

This year marks a decade since the Russian burst on the tennis scene.  “When I was 17 I had one pair of trousers and one pair of shoes for every occasion,” Safin once said. “I remember coming to Davis Cup for the first time - no suit, no white shirt. I look at the photos and feel ashamed.”

But the teenaged Safin had nothing to be ashamed of once he picked his racket.  Back in 1998, Safin signaled his arrival with a trio of remarkable matches.  In April, in the fifth and decisive match of America’s first-round tie versus Russia, Safin took a 6-0, 4-1 lead against Jim Courier – and was only undone when the crafty Courier abandoned his baseball-like backhand swing in favor of a one-handed slice that disrupted Safin just enough to give the American a bit of breathing room.  Even then, Courier barely won that match, 6-4 in the fifth.

http://www.sapopentennis.com/news/news.asp?story_id=218

 

[AM28143]

Man, that blows!!

How are they going to find someone else to play Sampras at the SAP Open on such short notice? :-?

I'm ready BP! I think I can take a set off Sampras---maybe even two. I am half his age; I'll tire him out with my extreme top-spin forehand.

-Adam

 

[BreakPoint]

The promoters and backers of the Madison Square Garden exhibition would not tolerate Sampras playing Federer at the SAP. A lot of money has been invested in the MSG event and it would take the air out of their hyperbole balloon.

But did viewership for the Super Bowl drop any because the Patriots just played and beat the Giants just a few weeks prior to the Super Bowl?

I believe the Madison Square Garden exo is already sold-out anyway so the promoters have already made their money regardless of if Federer plays Sampras at the SAP Open or not. Besides, the fact that Federer and Sampras already just played twice within the four days leading up to their 3rd exo match in Macau sure didn't take any interest away from that 3rd match and the promoters still made as much money, if not more, from that 3rd match, as the first two matches stirred up even more interest in the 3rd match.

Besides, it's not fair to all the Sampras and Federer fans that their only exo in North America is in New York so that only people on the East Coast have a chance to see it live. How about one exo on the East Coast and another on the West Coast in two heavily populated areas so that more American fans have a chance to see it? There are a lot of tennis fans and players in California, more than in New York.

 

[str33t]

Aww cmon! I was looking forward to going to that Safin - Sampras match!

 

[BreakPoint]

I'm ready BP! I think I can take a set off Sampras---maybe even two. I am half his age; I'll tire him out with my extreme top-spin forehand.

-Adam

Why not give Bill Rapp, the tournament director, a call and offer him your services?

 

[0range]

Who's going to replace Safin? I mean Davis Cup match against Serbia? Andreev?

 

[gocard]

Can't any of the players that are currently entered in the tournament fill the slot vs Sampras? I wouldn't mind seeing Haas vs Sampras, although I was definitely excited about seeing Safin play!

 

[BreakPoint]

Can't any of the players that are currently entered in the tournament fill the slot vs Sampras? I wouldn't mind seeing Haas vs Sampras, although I was definitely excited about seeing Safin play!

I would also love to see him play Haas but I'm not sure if Haas won't withdraw from the tournament at the last minute or not since he's been out with an injury and hasn't played a match in many months. Does anyone know if Haas is ready to come back yet?

 

[Leublu tennis]

What is the injury, anyone know? Sounds serious if he cancels San Jose.

 

[pound cat]

What is the injury, anyone know? Sounds serious if he cancels San Jose.

It's a partial tear to the fibual ligament accdg. to the Official site.

He will be watching Davis Cup from the sidelines.

Safin must be so disppointed and frustrated with yet another injury.

 

[my_forehand]

Aww cmon! I was looking forward to going to that Safin - Sampras match!

Don't worry, I'm nearly as good as Safin.

 

[Deleted member 3771]

safin's knee buckled at the thought of playing sampras. who's taking his place?

 

[Leublu tennis]

It's a partial tear to the fibual ligament accdg. to the Official site.

He will be watching Davis Cup from the sidelines.

Safin must be so disppointed and frustrated with yet another injury.

Thanks. His many fans are also disappointed. We keep hoping he will pull himself up.

 

[Leublu tennis]

Who's going to replace Safin? I mean Davis Cup match against Serbia? Andreev?

I know, this is way out but I just saw Kafelnikov being interviewed at courtside on Russian TV. I didn't catch what he was saying, but Youzhny was practicing in the background and Kafelnikov did not look bad. I mean he was not gross in size. I don''t suppose?? Well, if it happens, you heard it here first. Remember McEnroe in San Jose? And Kafelnikov was a terrific doubles player.

 

[grif]

According to this (dated 7 Feb), Marat's pencilled in for the doubles:
http://www.daviscup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?articleid=14477

 

[0range]

I know, this is way out but I just saw Kafelnikov being interviewed at courtside on Russian TV. I didn't catch what he was saying, but Youzhny was practicing in the background and Kafelnikov did not look bad. I mean he was not gross in size. I don''t suppose?? Well, if it happens, you heard it here first. Remember McEnroe in San Jose? And Kafelnikov was a terrific doubles player.

Can a retired player sub in?? If so, it'll be SOOOO COOOOOL if Kafelnikov can play doubles...

he lost weight?

 

[Cyan]

Too bad ...

 

[Fee]

Well, it's strange that he's been put into the doubles, this is the full bit from his website, www.maratsafin.com

07 February 2008
Marat News: Marat has had to withdraw from the Davis Cup Team and the SAP Open in San Jose with an injury. He will definitely be back to play Memphis on 25th February.
Back in Australia Marat felt some pain in his leg but it went away and he didn't worry about it. Then earlier this week whilst practicing Marat again felt a sharp pain in his calf muscle and it didn't go away so he went for an MRI. The doctor advised that he has a partial tear in the fibula ligament and he has to have 2 weeks complete rest to allow it to heal. This meant withdrawing from the Davis Cup Tie against Serbia and from the SAP Open in San Jose. Marat will definitely be back for the tournament in Memphis. Marat is otherwise fine and will be there to support his fellow team members at the Small Sports Arena "Luzhniki", Moscow this weekend.

So, it seems contradictory that he is still in the draw for doubles.

As for Tommy Haas, we'll know tomorrow by lunchtime when the withdrawal deadline for Delray Beach comes. There is conflicting information about him, but I have to wonder if he's not ready to play just yet.

I wonder if Agassi would be willing to play Pete in that Exo, Vegas isn't too far from San Jose.

 

[tennissavy]

Or if they're willing to pay me enough, I'll agree to play Sampras. :lol: LOL

Why not? Even Sam Warburg beat Sampras and Warburg would struggle against many of the junior girls. Federer totally gave Sampras games by not running for balls and deliberately missing shots that are quite easy for him so I don't want to hear anyone say that Sampras' win was legitimate or any of the matches against Federer were legitimate.

 

[IanRichardson]

I'd love to see A Rod get his butt handed to him by Pete!!!!!

you realize roddick has a winning record (2-1) against pete right?

 

[quest01]

Or if they're willing to pay me enough, I'll agree to play Sampras. :lol: LOL

Do you think you could take Sampras?

Also I would rather see a Roddick vs Sampras match then a Safin vs Sampras match.

 

[pow]

I would like to see Sampras returning Roddick while Roddick plays seriously. That'd be interesting. Perhaps bring Agassi back!

Sampras lost to Sam Warburg but could beat Federer? Maybe we have to see a Warburg vs. Federer match huh? See if Federer will let off the gas there too. Silly Roger.

 

[Deleted member 3771]

those posts go here:

THE Official Federer fan excuse thread

Why not? Even Sam Warburg beat Sampras and Warburg would struggle against many of the junior girls. Federer totally gave Sampras games by not running for balls and deliberately missing shots that are quite easy for him so I don't want to hear anyone say that Sampras' win was legitimate or any of the matches against Federer were legitimate.

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Well, the Russia vs. Serbia tie is already decided. Janko Tipsarevic got a stomach-flu and he is not playing. Zimonjic has the same problem and his appearance is questionable and Novak is also very exhausted.

It seems like an easy victory for the Russians. The first tie is Youzhny vs. Djokovic. If Youzhny wins it will be all over. After that both Davydenko and Youzhny will easily beat Troicki. And without Ziky Serbia hardly has any chances in doubles.

 

[BreakPoint]

Do you think you could take Sampras?

Yes, I do............


I can take his picture before the match. :lol: LOL

 

[Fee]

Yeah, it's true, Janko is sick but is expected to be okay for Sunday. They did not name a replacement to the team for him. Haven't heard about Nenad yet, but I haven't really looked around much.

 

[BreakPoint]

It is true. Janko was dropped from the draw.

I do remember Haas issue last year. And it was suspicious, although later was claimed as a false accusation.
But this happening once again is too much.

Although, Hewitt had the same problem after the doubles match vs. Serbia last year ...


We will never know ...

Hmmm.....First Haas, then Federer, now Tipsarevic - all with "stomach virus" illnesses right before a major event.

Something definitely smells rotten in the state of Denmark!!! (Or should I say Russia?)

 

[Doc Hollidae]

Somone call Andre!!!!!!

 

[psamp14]

I disagree. The reason why they can pay the big names the big bucks for appearance fees is that the event can generate much more in ticket sales than if they didn't play the event. So of course, some of that appearance fee comes from the higher ticket sales. If the big names did not increase ticket sales whatsoever, they would not be able to pay them the same big appearance fees.

I realize that the SAP Open cannot afford to pay Federer $1 million to show up since it's too late to sign any additional TV deals to help cover that fee and the venue is only so big so there's only so many more tickets they can sell and it's also getting pretty late in the game and many people have already sent in their ticket orders. My point is that since Federer is not doing anything (as far as playing tennis tournaments) this month anyway, and if he's still in the U.S., why not just play Sampras as sort of a warm-up for the big showdown in Madison Square Garden in March? Since both Djokovic and Safin had to pull out of this exo with Sampras, perhaps Federer would be willing to do it for a lot less than $1 million? How many more times is he going to get a chance to play Sampras before Sampras' game really starts going downhill? Federer has also never played at the SAP Open before so this would be a good chance for him to visit the Bay Area and to endear himself to Bay Area fans, most of whom would never have a chance to see him live otherwise.

you better be right BP! do it roger! play sampras in that exhibition! i am just about on my way to buying tickets!!!!!

 

[Leublu tennis]

Can a retired player sub in?? If so, it'll be SOOOO COOOOOL if Kafelnikov can play doubles...

he lost weight?

Yah, he looked good. Face wasn't blubbery and he was wearing a jersey and didn't look at all fat.

 

[begbie86]

Zimonjic playing against Jouzny today, Viktor Troicki against Davidenko...

 

[my_forehand]

Somone call Andre!!!!!!

I'd watch that. If I was in San Jose.

 

[Mike Bulgakov]

Hmmm.....First Haas, then Federer, now Tipsarevic - all with "stomach virus" illnesses right before a major event.

Something definitely smells rotten in the state of Denmark!!! (Or should I say Russia?)

It is February in Moscow and a lot of people get sick this time of year. I tend to take the Occam's razor view and look for the simplest explanation to any situation. In this case, tennis players got sick like many other people this time of year.

It should be noted, though, that you do not need exotic poisons to make people sick. It is more likely a criminal group would use naturally occurring bacteria or viruses. This way it would not look suspicious if tested.

There is absolutely no way the Russian Davis Cup team or Russian government would ever be involved in this sort of nefarious action. It is possible that criminal groups involved in betting, or fringe nationalist groups would consider such things, but it would be very difficult to get the necessary access without great risks.

The tests on Haas only proved that he wasn't poisoned with a traceable non-biological element. Nevertheless, I am 99% sure these guys just got sick. They are not the first to get sick from eating Russian food!

http://www.faqs.org/health/Sick-V3/Influenza.htm
The disease known as stomach flu is not really a form of influenza. The influenza virus normally does not attack the stomach or intestines. Stomach flu is instead caused by other organisms, such as the salmonella or E. coli bacteria.

 

[saram]

Watching Davis Cup live and they are saying that Marat is back in doubles in Davis Cup...is this true?