WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 6, 2004

Tommy Robredo

THE MODERATOR: Tommy advances to his fourth ATP semifinal this season. It's his second ATP Masters Series semi; he reached the semis in Hamburg two years ago. He's 1-0 lifetime against Hewitt. He defeated him last year at Roland Garros in five sets in the third round. Questions for Tommy.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, well, I think the match was really easy til that moment. I was very comfortable on the court, and then he made me just one break. It's a thing that it can happen, no? But anyway I was keep going with my game, and I knew that I was having a lot of chances to break him a lot and he didn't give me so much trouble, no. I was just keep going on my game because I know it was two breaks up. Well, finally, I could get a second set and the match, no.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, well, I'm really happy because I was a little bit tired because I played singles, doubles yesterday; one day ago also. I was tired, no. And also being in quarterfinals, it's always -- you expected a really tough match, maybe three sets. Well, I think that I played a really great match, and I could advance to the first semifinals of a Masters Series this year. Well, I think that I play really aggressive with my best tennis, with my best shots. That's why I could beat him, no, because he was in great shape, because last week he played really good; also this week. It's nice to win matches like this.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, because...

TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, no, because with my coach, sometimes I'm joking with him. I say, "Oh, today I want to go home. I don't want to play." He say, "Come on, you're in quarterfinals, no?" And I say, "Well, there is just one thing that's gonna make me play good today, and it's let's gonna make a bet, no?" He say, "Okay. Let's gonna bet." We did in Barcelona in the Open. I say, "If I won one clay tournament, you have to cut your hair," and then he did. Not really short because right now he's long hair anyway. And then we say, "If you win another tournament, you are going to cut again, but I am going to say how you're gonna cut, like short like me or longer." Anyway... And today I say, "Well, if I win, you have to go to that mountain, that attraction here that we can see from the stadium, that it goes up, then down." He don't like it really much. I told him, "Well, if I win, you are gonna do this." He say, "Okay." And then I was doing like you have to go there and I go down tomorrow. He gonna do it for sure.

TOMMY ROBREDO: For sure.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, depends when I am playing, but maybe. I think it's -- the flights to Spain, it's in the evenings. If I am winning tomorrow, I have to leave on Monday. If not, I have to leave on Sunday. And I'm leaving in the evenings, no. Then the day I finish the tournament, I will go for sure to have fun there and to show him not having so much fun (smiling).

TOMMY ROBREDO: I will advise him (smiling).

TOMMY ROBREDO: No, no... We have to keep concentrating on my game because tomorrow is gonna be another bet. And if I won again, he's gonna do another thing - I think a little bit harder, no, with more risk or more funny thing.

TOMMY ROBREDO: It's the same? It's attraction also?

TOMMY ROBREDO: That's it. I'm gonna do this.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, I beat -- I play with him one time and I beat him, but it was clay. It was in Paris. I did a great match. Anyway, I think it's gonna be a really tough match, no, because Lleyton, he is coming back really good. I'm sure he want to finish the season maybe not No. 1 because Federer is there and nobody touch him maybe, but maybe he want to finish No. 2 or No. 3. And, no, if he want to finish there, he has to win tournaments like this, no? And he's also in great shape. This tournament he didn't lose not one set, I think. Hewitt is always a great opponent, no. But, well, I just want to try to play my game and enjoy in the court. If I could do this, I hope to beat him or, no, enjoy one of the matches.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, well, that's true. I grew up playing on hard court til when I was 14. But, anyway, if you see all of my games, I win a lot of more matches on clay than on hard. You know, I think that my game is a little bit more easier to won matches on clay than on hard because I am playing baseline player, I play with topspin, I like to play long rallies. When I play in hard court, when a guy serve really good or they make chip and charge or they do things that -- to make the points shorter, it's not really easy for me to play like this, no? But anyway also it's true that I'm playing really good on hard court and I like to play there. And, well, I am winning a lot of matches also in hard court. That's a little bit why I am there, no, Top 20, in the last two or three years, because I win a lot of matches in every surface. Also in grass, no, I did two semis and one -- two quarters in four years in Rosmalen. Then in Wimbledon, I won two rounds each year. I think that's why I am there, no.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, I think part of my game is making a lot of breaks. Also a guy like Santoro is not a guy like Karlovic, no, that he serve like 130 miles-per-hour every time and you have to be really uncomfortable, no. Well, I like to play with guys like Fabrice that you can play, return a lot. Then he give you chances to break, but also he had a lot of chances to break you, no. That's a little bit how the match was going today, no. On the first three, four games, he had chances, I had chances. Then I broke him, and then I went out, no, I went to get the first set and the second. And I think, well, that's a little bit of the part of my game. I really like to make breaks, but I know that sometimes they gonna make me breaks. Tomorrow with Hewitt, I think it's gonna be a thing like this, no, because Hewitt is not a guy like Karlovic or like Safin, that he serve like 130 miles. He make a lot of first serve, but it's not strong enough to make like 20 aces, no. I think that it's gonna be a lot of chances for him and for me to make breaks.

TOMMY ROBREDO: No, when I was young, I was listening music in the car with my father, no, because he was always with that group in the car and I had to listen this. And then he told me once, "You have to buy the CD, the DVD, and watch it, because that's why your name is Tommy." I bought it and have it in my computer, traveling with all of my DVDs, but I never saw it. I tried three or four times, and after five minutes I get boring because it's like a movie from the '60s. It's all white and -- black and white, and it goes really slow. Nothing happen after five minutes, and I always stop the computer, no. I told him once, like, "I couldn't watch, it's really boring. Why you put me that name?" He said, "Well, you have to see all of the film." I never did it. I have a lot of great movies, and I prefer to repeat a lot of movies like not to see this one.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, it's a lot of songs really good, no. But also I prefer a lot more modern groups, no.

TOMMY ROBREDO: I love to play pinball. That's true. I love to play pinball. I'm used to play -- well, with my last coach, with Miguel Margets, every time it was a pinball tournament and we was all day there, no. I really love to play games because, you know, I'm young and I grow up playing a lot of games. Even here, you know, these machines, there is the old one you have to eat things, you know the name? And I am there all day playing, no. And I think it's very nice to, when you are out of the court, to do things like this, to get fun and to be relax.

TOMMY ROBREDO: Mariano Manachessi (phonetic spelling).