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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPENAugust 14, 2014Tommy RobredoCINCINNATI, OHIO T. ROBREDO/N. Djokovic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You had lost six straight to Novak. What was the difference today from the previous matches for you? TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, I don't know. I think that today I did a very good match. Very aggressive. When I had my chances I get it, no? Obviously Novak, he didn't play his best match, but anyway, if I wanted to beat him I had to be there. I think that I did a great job. I'm very happy. Q. You said Novak didn't play his best. He had a couple of tough matches that were not at his best in Canada, and then first round, first match here. Did you get a sense that maybe you would have an opportunity to play him when he wasn't at 100% with his game? TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, maybe he didn't play very good the last two matches that he played, but anyway, he's the world No. 1. He won in Wimbledon. He's a great player. If you don't play your best you're gonna lose for sure. Even if you play your best, sometimes if he's playing great, you're gonna lose also. So before the match I knew it, and I knew that if I wanted to win I had to go for it and try to hope that he will not play his best match. Both things happen and then I could win, you know. But anyway, is Novak, and he is going to keep playing as well as in the past. Q. You got a 3‑0 lead and 6‑3 lead in the tiebreaker. He climbed back. Could you take us through how that went for you in that tiebreaker? TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, I think I started very good playing, making him the break. Then he broke me. I think that I did couple of mistakes, but anyway, he put me a lot of pressure. Then in the breaker, I know it was 6‑3. First point he touched the net and put the ball very far and I lost it. The second one he did a great passing shot. The third one, I went for it with a great backhand that it leaves for that much. (Indicating small distance with fingers.) I know if you want to beat these guys you have to play aggressive and you have to go for it. Maybe now I would say don't go for his backhand and just try to put it in. But I think that that mistakes made me win the match, no? Because at the end when you miss a couple of balls like this, also you put a lot of balls inside. At the end, it was the same. I was 5‑4, 15‑40, and an easy forehand didn't even touch it. I was nervous and I missed it. But anyway, then I was lucky and I had another chance and I could do it. Q. What did you think when you won the challenge on the serve for set point in the first set? That was like the slimmest of margins that that ball was in. TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, I knew it was very close. I don't know. You are used to that. It can be in; it can be out. But the important thing was I was very focused on every point to try my best, to do everything I could. If at the end it would be good for me to win, perfect. If not, I was enjoying very much inside the court playing a great level and hitting the ball as hard as I could. And when that happens, I don't know, that's the brilliant of that a sport. That's why I'm here, no, to try to play great matches like this and go for it. Q. Second time beating world No. 1. Personally for you where does this rank? Where does this rank for you and kind of how special is it? This is the second time you've beaten a world No. 1. TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, obviously only two times in 13, 14 years of career, so I think that I have to be very, very happy. Obviously right now I'm still on the tournament and I'm focused. I just try to keep winning. I don't care if I win No. 20, No. 3, No. 4, or No. 50. The important thing is try to keep winning. But I always say the same: When I finish my career and when I will be sitting at home and talking with friends, I will remember days like this. I think that, yeah, I beat Hewitt in Paris like long time ago. Now I beat him. Last year I beat Roger in US Open in a great match. There is couple of matches that will keep being in my memory for years. As I said, I'm playing for that. I'm playing for enjoying these moments. Tennis career is very hard. You know, we are traveling. A lot of times we're alone on the plane, on the autos. Also, we are lucky to be inside a tennis court with 5,000 fans supporting us and enjoying what we do. When things like this happen is when you'll feel more aware, no? That's why I'm here, and I have to enjoy these matches as well as I can. Q. Are you feeling any different the second time than the first time after all that time that has passed? Can you remember the feeling the first time? TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, obviously I remember it, but sometimes the most important thing is not to win the No. 1. It's the way you win the match or how you win one match, no? I always say the same: For me, one of the best matches I enjoyed, it was French Open last year beating Monfils in five sets and all of the 10,000 people just screaming my name and stand up and clapping and enjoying. When you are there, you really ‑‑I had like this chicken skin. I don't know how you call it. Q. Goosebumps. TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah. It was unbelievable. And two days later I did the same against Almagro. The people was just screaming also my name and being there. Normally the French crowd is strict, and if they do it, it's because they enjoy it so much. I think that moments, even if they were not the world No. 1, it was amazing. It's something that I will remember forever. To beat Federer in the US Open was something great, something I will never forget. Beating Novak here in the only Masters 1000 that he didn't win is also important. I don't know. Every victory, every moment has special moment, special memory. Q. You're one of the few guys outside of the Big 4 who has won a Masters event before. Why do you think it's been so hard for some of the other guys to get through in the last few years? Do you think that's going to change? TOMMY ROBREDO: I think because we have the best four guys on tour by far the last years, the last 10, 20 years. Before, Sampras, Agassi, the guys that I played when I was starting, they were amazing, but they were winning on their surface. I think that when the ATP changed the rules and they give us the chance to ‑‑ well, not give us. They tell us we have to play all of the Masters 1000. If not, we're gonna have 0 points. Then everyone had to go play all the surface and that improve the level so much. Those guys, it was five, six years that they were winning every single match and every single tournament they were playing. So for us, that was very, very difficult. I think that was the key. If Sampras, he would be playing right now, I'm sure he will be playing much, much better on clay because he will have to get used to. It's like Agassi or these guys, because these guys are so, so good. But right now, all of these four, they are playing every week in all surface and they are pretty solid. They are not losing to players nearly never. It happens, but normally they didn't lose it. It makes it stronger for us to win. Q. Not too many top 20 players play doubles so much. You have played a lot of doubles in your career. I was wondering what that has helped you with with respect to your game in singles playing so much doubles? TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, not lately. Here is the first tournament I have played in many weeks. If I have to be honest, I play because sometimes if I lose singles I can still play doubles. If I'm playing in U.S. and I have to play a week after here in U.S., if I lose I prefer to be playing and not boring in hotel just watching TV. Then if it's the last week of the tour I'm not playing, because if I lose I want to go home straightaway. And also, before, couple of years ago I wanted to really play with doubles and really try to win tournaments. But right now I just want to be focused on singles. It's a lot of energy that is going away when you have to be on the cloud, wait for the match, and to play. So O prefer to be focused. But here next week I have to play Winston‑Salem. Starting Sunday I say, Well, if I lose first or second, I prefer to play doubles like this. I'm going to be more days on the tournament and I'm not going to get bored. So that's why I play it. Also, it's good. You can return, you can serve, practice, and be more focused than on the practice season, no? But also it's tiring, so you have to balance it and see how it goes. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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