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CONNECTICUT OPENAugust 26, 2016Andy RoddickMark PhilippoussisNew Haven, Connecticut THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy and Mark. Q. Andy, you were here last year. Must have had so much fun you wanted to come back. ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, last two years. James hasn't kicked me out yet (smiling). It's always a pleasure to come back here. I'm thankful. I know some of the guys got hurt and I'm a fill-in, but I'm thankful that Anne had me back. It a place I've enjoyed coming to the last couple years. Hopefully will be able to do much of the same tonight again. Q. You and Mardy go way back. How would you describe your friendship or rivalry with Mark over the years? ANDY RODDICK: I hate him. He's the worst (laughter). It's a little different because we probably got to know each other a little bit later on in our professional careers. Mardy is different. He lived in my house in high school. We'll always be friends, but we fight, too. Mark and I haven't got to the part where we fight yet. Maybe tonight. Actually Mark put it pretty eloquently last week. We played an event in Winston-Salem. He said this is a great opportunity for all of us post-career to kind of get to know each other a lot better without the stresses and obligations of the normal tour. On top of us still being able to come out here and play and compete and kind of have fun that way, it's been a lot of fun to kind of get to know the guys that participate in the PowerShares Series. Q. It's a great opportunity for you guys. Do you think it's also really good for events like this that can add another component to entice fans here to enjoy tennis? ANDY RODDICK: Well, I hope so. That's the idea. We feel lucky that we're kind of benefitting from the infrastructure and successful event that's already here. We definitely realize we're a complementary piece here this week in New Haven, but we're happy to play that role. If we can come in and provide a different look for a couple nights a week, that's a great look for us. I think we're happy to do it. It's more tennis. It's another option. Hopefully it benefits the tournament here, as well. Q. Mark, when Anne called you after Mardy had to bow out. Pretty quick for you to accept? Were you happy to get the invitation? ANNE WORCESTER: Three hours. MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Absolutely. You never want to play an event because someone hurt themselves. It's not a nice situation, of course. I'm incredibly thankful and excited to be here. I haven't played here at this venue. But my first memory of New Haven, I actually had my very first top 100 win when I was 17 or 18 years old. I qualified and won my first round here years ago. So I'm just very excited to be back. Q. Are you looking forward to playing against James in the final if you can go ahead and win? He seems to get embraced here. Do one of you guys want to play the villain? ANDY RODDICK: I don't get how the Harvard guy gets embraced at Yale. I know he drove here a lot of years, but c'mon. ANNE WORCESTER: He's participating in a Yale clinic and party right now. ANDY RODDICK: I don't understand it. I guess I don't need to understand it (smiling). I think either one of us will look forward to that matchup with James. Mark has been pretty tough on this tour, though. He's been Michael and the rest of us are Tito. He's been pretty tough. He's kind of cut a good run of health and form. He probably would be more prone to looking ahead to that matchup than I should at this point. But it would be a great match either way hopefully. MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: Fatherhood has softened Andy a little bit. He was definitely a lot tougher before he was a father. Now, as you can see, he's a lot nicer on the court. ANDY RODDICK: Truth hurts. Benefit from low expectations there (laughter). Q. With Mark being undefeated, what are you going to do? ANDY RODDICK: Confuse and conquer is the method I'm going to go for tonight. You're at the mercy of his serve a lot of the times. If he's hitting on all cylinders, it's a couple points here and there. He's played those points better this year. Q. Do you think it adds a little bit when you can interact with each other and the crowd? It isn't that intense, you have to win or go home, not get a paycheck or bigger paycheck, but great to have the fans interact with you guys as well. ANDY RODDICK: I think we understand our value is different than when we were the actual show, when we were the actual tour event. For us, you're hardwired from seven or eight years old to kind of compete a certain way. When there's an option to win or lose, you always want to win. That doesn't change. I think the difference now is it probably doesn't ruin our night afterwards. I think perspective is important. The things that kind of come after you leave the tour bubble, it's easier to recognize. Q. Do you think the sport needs to do more of this, utilize some of the former players on both sides? ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, absolutely. Utilize us. No, I think you look at golf and how good they are about utilizing their past champions, whether it's the first tee shot of Augusta, having the TOUR events in places where the legends are from. There probably is some value there. How to perfect that and apply that to the tennis tour, which is global, non-stop... Ideas are easy, execution is tougher. I would certainly hope there's a place for kind of past players. Q. Has it been a lot of fun for you, Mark? We've seen Andy here a few years, James loves it. Are you enjoying this part of your career? MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: I'm enjoying it so much. I've said this before. I'm so thankful for a tour like the PowerShares Series. Honestly, I fell in love with the game all over again. For me, missed out on years because of injuries, then playing being hurt. Number one, getting on the court and playing a sport that I love, purely for the reason of loving it and playing it, with no other things involved, whether it's the pressure or politics or commitment that comes with it, just getting on and enjoying yourself, playing with friends. As soon as it's over, having a bite to eat together and a drink, not even thinking about it, it's a beautiful thing. I'm just very fortunate and very thankful for an opportunity to keep playing, to be healthy and keep playing a sport that I love. Yeah, still very much enjoy it. We're still competitive. Being athletes, we're always going to be competitive, whether playing cards or golf. No matter what we're doing, we're competitive. As Andy said before, as soon as it's done, we're shaking hands, we don't think about it. Whereas before we'd lose some night's sleep over it. Q. What makes you better than Andy these days, other than his kids? MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS: You know what, it's exactly what Andy said. The way Andy serves, when I serve, when it's happening, it's just a point here and there. Whether playing a good point or on unforced errors, that's where the whole set is decided. I've just been fortunate the last few times it's gone my way, and that can very easily flip tonight. ANDY RODDICK: Did you see how he put his nickname in that answer, Flip. A little narcissistic (laughter). THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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