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NASDAQ-100 OPENMarch 24, 2005Olivier RochusMIAMI, FLORIDA THE MODERATOR: Questions in English first, please. Q. I suppose you'd have to say that's your "biggest" win, right? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, with the size, yeah, for sure. But, yeah, you know, was a very tough match. He was serving very good, so it was very close. I won in two tiebreaks. It was little bit of luck, you know, but that's the game. Q. What is it like being in a small place with a giant and those serves coming at you all the time? Does the court feel smaller than playing against anyone else? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, you know, when he's serving, you have the feeling he's just behind the net. So it's a strange feeling. But, you know, it's like this and you have to just try to focus, you know, to catch one side and, you know, that's the game. From the baseline, is not that good. So you know you can hold your serve, try to. Then you know in the tiebreak, you never know. It was on my side today. Q. You think you held your nerve better at the end? You got a double-fault from him in that last tiebreaker, shanked forehand. OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, at 4-3 is like an unbelievable return. Little bit lucky. Just put the racquet and it went crosscourt, you know. Then made a bad shot there, 6-3. Yeah, maybe. Was going so fast, you know. Q. Must be quite tough playing him because you don't get that much rhythm, do you, because he's either serving an ace or a double-fault or maybe you might have the occasional rally. Does that put you off a little bit because you don't get that much rhythm? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, it's tough, you know, some time just serving for aces. Then serve, play, get some points from the baseline. Yeah, you have really no rhythm, so it's really not easy to hold your serve. But today I think I serve pretty well in the big points, and some games I was really serving good. I think that help me, you know, to start at 15-Love, 30-Love on my serve and to feel better. I think my serve also help me a lot today, too. Q. I noticed yesterday on the practice courts you were working very hard on that serve to the ad courts. Was that something that you used today? OLIVIER ROCHUS: I knew I had to play a lot in his backhand, you know. His forehand can be huge, you know. When he's hitting the ball well with his forehand, he can really hit very good shots. His backhand is weaker. So I knew I had to play a lot on his backhand. Yeah, yesterday I was working a little bit on my serve, and today I was pretty happy with it, so that was good. Q. How do you feel about the opportunity in the next round to play an exciting match with Roger? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, I mean, that was great. You know, I saw the draw before and I knew that there was, you know, very tough match today, but there was a very good opportunity to play the world No. 1. So, you know, it never happen to me. I know pretty well Roger, so I was pretty happy today, you know, first to win and then now to play Roger. It will be a great experience and, you know, I have nothing to lose. It's just fantastic. Q. Do you feel like you're sort of an inspiration to all the shorter athletes out there and the kids who think that they can't do it if they're not a certain size? Do you think you show them, do you get maybe mail from athletes who are shorter in stature? OLIVIER ROCHUS: I hope so, you know. Me, I'm not thinking of this. I'm just trying to do my best to work out, and like today I beat a guy who's much taller than me - almost twice as big (smiling). So, you know, the size is not really important. Even if you're small, you have all the quality and you can for sure be in the Top 10 or, you know, Top 5 in the world. You know, you can still play at a very high level, you know, so... Q. In the second-set tiebreaker, he's ahead 4-3, you're at the net and you're dead at the net; no way you can win the point. He lobs but it is just barely out. Do you remember that? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah (smiling). Q. What were you thinking when you saw that ball go over your head? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Nothing, you know. Just run and see the ball going out. But, you know, in tennis it's so close at this level, you know. Balls like this, in, out, can change the match. If this ball would have been in, I would have lost in two sets close. That's the game, you know. Q. You, yourself, get a couple of superb topspin lobs over Karlovic's head. One landed on the baseline; another landed three inches inside the baseline. I mean, that's almost impossible to do against a guy who's 6'10", but you made it. OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, but that's working a lot on my lob - no, just kidding (laughing). My lob, I think I'm feeling it pretty good. It was very close to the net - even if he's very tall and he was going forward like this, you know; even if he's tall, you know, if the lob is right on the line, even if it's great return. I like to do it, you know, practicing a lot. Q. Your backhand topspin lob is better than your forehand topspin lob, would you say? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Normally I'm doing more with my forehand, but today I hit twice with my backhand. Q. Since you've been a professional, have you ever played against anybody shorter than you? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Shorter, no (laughing). Q. Your brother is taller, too? OLIVIER ROCHUS: He is taller. Q. Couple of inches, is he? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Inches, I don't know. Five centimeters - two inches. Q. Can you talk about your big service return in the final tiebreak. OLIVIER ROCHUS: At 4-3? Q. I think it was early in the final set tiebreak. You had a big winner off the service return. Can you talk about the importance of that, eighth point. OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, I mean 4-3, you know, so close. Made those two points on his serve, you know. Against a guy like this, I knew the match was over. You know, I just put the racquet like this and went in, you know. Sometimes, yeah, that's the game, you know. I never work on this return, you know. But the serve was going so fast and I just put the racquet, and it went right down the feet, you know. Was a great return. Little bit lucky also, but... Q. You played Federer in juniors, right, several times? OLIVIER ROCHUS: Yeah, a lot of times, yes. Once in Australia we played three tournaments in a row; I lost to him. Q. Did you ever win against him? I saw the record, 4-love. OLIVIER ROCHUS: When I was 14 years old, I was winning very easy (smiling). 16, starting to be tight. 17, losing. And now he's No. 1, so you see (smiling). Q. You beat him when you were 14? OLIVIER ROCHUS: I never played him, but he was not very good and I was No. 1. And now it's... But, yeah, no, after I've always lost. When I was 17, 18, he always beat me. End of FastScripts…. |
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