Myskina Finds Nothing Wrong With Emotions

Jens Gerlach was getting an earful during the fourth-round match between his emotionally charged protege, Anastasia Myskina of Russia, and Chanda Rubin today at the Australian Open.

He received the verbal lashing during the first set for not being demonstrative. Usually, players want their coaches to be men of stone. But not Myskina.

“He’s kind of like a wall there, that he has to show me something, show some emotions to me,” said Myskina, who won in three sets. “He has to give me something back.” This revelation led to a long line of questioning about her personality.

“You know, I am the way I am,” Myskina said. “If nobody likes me the way I am, I’m sorry. But I think, you know, I’m really nice -- too nice.” That drew a few laughs in the interview room. Myskina, who was once coached by Marat Safin’s mother, then had a theory about herself.

“I was really quiet when I was little, you know. Maybe that’s why right now everything comes from me,” she said.

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Everyone was calling it a freak shot, and James Blake questioned whether it was within the rules, calling the odds of pulling it off about “1%.”

The talk was all about Safin’s desperate lunge in the fourth set on break point against Blake in the fourth round Sunday. Safin said the racket was out of his hand when he went to his left but, incredibly, it connected with the ball and there was still enough power to send the shot over Blake’s head, landing just inside the baseline.

“I’d love to see a replay. I’m not sure if it was actually even a legal shot,” said Blake, who lost in four sets after Safin held serve in the next game.

“I’ve never seen an umpire make that call. It’s probably way too tough to make. It’s disappointing, but I told him after the match now we’re even, because I got him on a set point in the Hopman Cup on a shot that I had no business making when I dove for one.... He got me back.” The ever-candid Safin gave it up about the racket toss.

“I just throw it. I thought that I will not get the ball ... maybe at the moment when I just throw the racket, just touch [the ball],” Safin said. “But doesn’t matter. But normally it doesn’t work this way.”