The butt match of the Federation Cup of Russia - Croatia, which will be held next week, was pushed into the background by the battles at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, the outcome of this meeting is very important for us: in case of failure, the winners of the last two draws will fly out of the elite division. Before flying to Umag, where the meeting will take place, Izvestia columnist Vladimir Raush met with Russian team captain Shamil Tarpishchev.
Have you already decided on the composition for the match?
We were very confused by the injuries of Dinara Safina, who had problems with her back. In addition to her, it was originally planned to invite Elena Dementieva, Anna Chakvetadze and Vera Dushevina. Now we are in a difficult situation: there is practically no one to replace Safina. Petrova and Kirilenko are also injured, but I agreed with Kuznetsova, Myskina and Likhovtseva that I will not involve them in the national team this year. They have already signed contracts for participation in tournaments at this time ... Now we are still trying to solve this issue with Myskina.
After losing to the Belgians, you sharply criticized Petrov for refusing to enter the match with Clijsters. Now for the national team is she a cut piece?
Here I do not see a problem. Players just need to understand that coaches make decisions in the national team. In my opinion, Nadia did not have the right to come and say: they say, I decided not to play. Such a verdict should be issued collectively, taking into account the opinions of the athlete himself, coaches, doctors ... I remember that Davydenko, after one of the matches for the Davis Cup, was taken off the court with cramps. The next day, he could not walk. He sits and says: “If you put me down tomorrow, I will certainly play. But I don’t know how.”
How now can Petrova regain team confidence?
We have no conflict as such: I talked with Nadia, talked with her mother for a long time. It’s only a pity that the situation got into the press. We seem to have figured out everything, and then a scandalous article appeared in one of the newspapers. One gear hooked on another, again everything spun. And not on business, but because of words.
A similar situation arose with Svetlana Kuznetsova ...
Tarpishchev: Sveta has a very vulnerable psyche. She may suddenly be offended, react inappropriately, say, to a cry from the stands. She needs to ignore the conflict with her parents, coach and just plunge into the atmosphere of competition. Feel this life itself, without the help of various support groups.
That is, a conflict with parents still exists?
I usually do not speak out on such topics, but here everything is obvious. Svetina’s parents oppose her work with Spanish coaches. I spoke several times with her dad ... There, each of the mentors wants to be in work with Sveta as a monopolist, this affects the preparation. Naturally, from the point of view of psychology, all this does not improve the situation.
What is happening with Myskina now? She asked not to involve her in the national team, changed her coach ...
Nastia had a difficult period that lasted almost a year: an injury, a psychological blow after losing to Henin at the Olympics, and her mother’s illness. But now she is starting to straighten. She did not disagree with Jens Gerlach, he continues to act as her sparring partner. Just now Nastya is also helping Larisa Savchenko-Neyland. They are friends, Myskina recently baptized her daughter. This is a good option - Nastya can cry to her waistcoat, discuss something. Say, Marat Safin, such a trainer-friend - with whom you can work and relax, is clearly not enough.
Do you know the Croatian team well ?
They have Carolina Shprem, who can beat both of our singles. When we played with the Croats in Moscow, she defeated Likhovtseva and forced Myskin to suffer. Shprem can really give two points ... This bothers me very much, but we have practically no time and opportunities to find the second number: it all depends on the goodwill of the players.
What will be your strategy?
The main strategy now is to find a second player ( laughs ). But seriously, the singles are likely to play Dementieva and Chakvetadze, and a couple - Chakvetadze with Vesnina. But this will depend on the development of the match and on Ani's physical readiness. With Myskina or Kuznetsova, of course, it would be easier for us.
Vladimir RAUSH, Izvestia