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INTERVIEW WITH MA LIN
November 8, 2000
(Chung's Notes: This interview
took place on October 15, the day Ma Lin won the World Cup. The
sentences inside [ ] are the reporter's comments made after the
interview.)
This afternoon, Ma Lin won the
World Cup title in Yangzhou, beating Kim Taek Soo 3-0. After the
last point, Ma knelt down and was in tears. Not being selected to
represent China at the Olympics was a severe blow to Ma, but the
20-year-old has survived. Tonight, we held an exclusive interview
with Ma.
Reporter: Very few thought that
you would beat Kim so cleanly.
Ma: I did not think so, too. I was
prepared to play the full 5 games. Before this match, I lost three
times in a row to Kim. In the past, by the time we played the 5th
game, Kim would have adjusted to my serves and my attacks. That's
why I don't like playing the 5th game against him, and I tried to
win in 3. I got my wishes today. [R: Looking at the match, we did
not see any worry or anxiety on Ma's face. He played with a great
deal of patience. This level of maturity is very rare in young
players, and that makes Ma so special.]
R: The scores in your semi-final
match against Wang Liqin were also a little surprising.
M: Some people said that Wang
dumped that match to me, because of the scores. How could that be?
Like myself, Wang had never won a world title; this is a great
opportunity to him also. Before the match I thought that it would be
the most difficult for me. But Wang did not play all that well, and
I was able to use all my techniques. I really played quite well. I
added some variations to my serves, and Wang did not handle them
well. [R: You only have to see how Wang stomped his feet in disgust
after his mistakes to know that he did not dump the match.]
R: Although you practiced with the
big ball more than other players did, you are still not fully
adjusted to it yet, right?
M: Realisticaly, I am at about the
60%-70% level (in terms of understand the big ball). Before the
tournament I had the confidence to win, but I did not expect to play
at such a high level: I only lost one game to Persson in the
tournament. About the big ball, I think one has to first get used to
its speed and spin, and consciously remind oneself that one has to
play differently. Based on that foundation, one has to strengthen
one's technical forte. With the big ball, the changes in my game
principally show up on my backhand. Because the ball is slower, I
can be more deliberate in using my backhand loops. With the small
ball, I was a little nervous about using the backhand loop, and if I
missed a few times, I was afraid to use that shot. Now my percentage
is much higher, and I use it two or three times in a game. Not only
am I more confident, my opponent also feels more pressure. When you
play good players, two or three points is the difference. [R: From
Ma's experience, the inverted backhand loop has more applicability
in the big ball era. This is a good opportunity for Liu Guoliang and
Yan Sen, because it strengthens the backhand.]
R: The last couple of days you
have been coughing. Are you feeling well? Did it affect your play?
M: I had a cold before I left
Beijing, and it is not over yet. I have been coughing since I came
to Yangzhou. The big ball is slower, and it requires more energy to
attack. Also, there are more extended rallies, so I felt that
physically I was a little questionable. I sweated a lot in the
matches, and I felt very tired afterwards. [We have not heard Ma
mention his physical condition in the press meetings, but he was
always coughing in those meetings.]
R: You cried after the finals.
Tell us how you really felt.
M: That was a really complex
feeling, and hard to explain. I felt it was very tough for me during
those days when we prepared for the Olympics and I was not on the
team. I don't know how I made it through. Especially on the day the
team left for Sydney, when I saw that they were so happy and
excited, and I had to continue training with those who were not
going. That feeling was very hard to describe. When I won the
tornament today, I felt that life has been fair to me. [R: For
someone prepared to go to the Olympics, not being selected was like
being hit with cold rain that could put the fire out in one's life.
This World Cup title is the lightest one of the grand slam titles,
but Ma still cried. Through this title, he has proved that he passed
the test. After the storm he can now see the rainbow. He is stronger
and more mature.]
Copyright Chung Lau |
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