DAVIS CUP - SWEDEN Vs. USA

April 11, 2004

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it was tough, you know. It was very similar to my first match. Jonas came out hitting the ball great, you know, and he was putting a lot of pressure on me. He was going for his shots. He was hitting his spots. He was making me think a lot out there. Luckily, I was able to get off to a very good start in the breaker, and that kind of propelled me forward.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I'd like to say that was a great approach shot, but the truth is, he's making that passing shot seven out of ten times. At least I thought I might surprise him, maybe throw something different that he wouldn't think I would do in a breaker. And, you know, it ended up paying off.

ANDY RODDICK: What did I say?

ANDY RODDICK: (Laughing). No, that wasn't the serve; that was the whole set, yeah. But, it's true. I felt great out there in the third set. I wasn't even thinking. It was just kind of like my instincts took over. You know, it just felt amazing. I mean, that's as clean as I've felt on the tennis court, you know, in a long time - and maybe ever. I mean, it's only a handful of times where you feel like whatever shot you're trying is working. Patrick said, when I kind of held the backhand a long time, then I kind of flipped a dink cross-court, "I don't know if you have that shot." I said, "I don't either, but don't tell anybody else."

ANDY RODDICK: Obviously, a little frustrated because, you know, I don't like losing my serve twice in a set, much less two matches in a row. But, you know, at the same time I just wanted to keep making him play. I didn't want to start panicking. I just wanted to kind of stay the course and see what happened. I knew I had two more chances to maybe break, and I felt like I was hitting my returns really well. So, you know, I try not to think too far ahead, just put each return in and try to get a pass.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, you know, the other night when I, you know, was cranking them out there and they were coming up large, you know, I felt like I had it in me. But, you know, for most of the day I didn't get a chance because my off-speed stuff was a lot more effective than my big serves. But then I felt I'd take a crack at it the last game.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, that's amazing. It's definitely better than my other memories from Delray Beach here, that's for sure (smiling). But, you know, I was already kind of preparing to go to Australia after Miami, and I probably would have gotten there Wednesday and had to play Hewitt on Friday. So, you know, 10 minutes away from home, it's a better alternative.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it is. You get to share it with someone, you know. You have teammates that are all fired up. You have the crowd that was just amazing. I mean, sometimes after a point you could yell as loud as you wanted to, and no one could hear what you had to say anyways because they would just drown it out. The atmosphere was great. You know, even better when I'm playing for my friends and for my country as well, you know. It's a lot deeper than just a regular tournament.

ANDY RODDICK: Nothing really goes through your mind. It's just a bunch of chaos going on between my ears for a little while. I felt my teammates were up in the stands. Turns out they had sent them down to the court.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I was looking for them in the stands, and they were waiting for me when I got down. We just kind of started laughing. But, you know, I definitely wanted to share that with them, and I guess they were a little smarter than I was.

ANDY RODDICK: No, no, no, that's our staff, that's our trainer, that's our masseuse, our equipment managers. You know, there are a lot more parts to this team than just the players. So there were still a lot of familiar faces there.

ANDY RODDICK: You know, we've gotten to know how to act around each other on the court, on the bench. I think he's definitely learned kind of when to step in, when to step out. He knows if I'm feeling good, just to kind of just let it go, kind of be a silent partner. And when I really need it, he's definitely there. We've definitely grown as a team on the court.

ANDY RODDICK: No. Well, in the third set, yeah, I was feeling okay then. But, you know, he was definitely giving me encouragement in the first set saying, "You know what, he's playing great right now. Just weather the storm." That constant reassurance is definitely a big help.

ANDY RODDICK: You know, probably more as a fan right now. I mean, obviously, it's nice having him here. He hangs out with the team. It's nice having that option to go to if you need to. But it's amazing how great he is, you know. He's a four-time Grand Slam Champion, No. 1 in the world, and he doesn't miss a Davis Cup tie - even if it's just to come to watch, support us, that's definitely pretty cool.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, considering my clay court season starts Tuesday, I better start thinking about it pretty soon.

ANDY RODDICK: I'm not sure. You know, I've played a lot of tennis this year so far. So, you know, first and foremost I got to take care of my body then, you know, we'll see what happens after that.

ANDY RODDICK: Little bit. It's one thing to heckle; it's another thing to heckle when you're down two-sets-to-love and 4-0. So, you know, I just wanted to kind of reiterate that that wasn't the best time to get on someone (smiling).

ANDY RODDICK: From this? No, it's a new tie. Obviously, we feel our chemistry just goes stronger and stronger. We feel like we have a great group together. So that definitely carries over. And almost as important, that carries over to the rest of the year for us. It just brings us closer and closer during the weeks where we aren't participating as a team and playing for each other. But there's a lot of tennis to be played. So maybe Davis Cup goes on the back burner for the next couple of months, then I'm sure once we get close to that tie, the juices will start flowing again.

ANDY RODDICK: I've definitely been there. This is probably the first tie where I've stepped up and played to my ability consistently. You know, I had kind of a gaudy record. But, you know, a lot of that was just kind of getting through. So this was definitely a huge stepping stone for my Davis Cup career - to go up against two, you know, really good veterans and win six sets on the trot. I mean, that's a big step for me, and hopefully I can keep building on it.

ANDY RODDICK: No, no. I was just hoping that we would get to three matches. I wasn't thinking about sets or anything like that. You know, especially considering I had lost to Thomas and Jonas both this year, you know, already. So I was very wary. I was very, very wary of them, that's for sure.

ANDY RODDICK: You know, I definitely wouldn't be surprised if he was a little bit tired. But knowing Jonas and the shape he's in, he's gonna tell you he felt great. But, you know, I still felt like I played -- still felt like I played really good tennis. So maybe a little bit of both.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, I'm excited. You know, we're playing a semifinal on home soil. And, you know, I couldn't be happier about that. It's a chance to, you know, take this dream one step further. So, you know, I'm sure we're all gonna be kind of anxious for the next couple months. But, luckily, we'll have some other pretty big tournaments to occupy our minds for a little bit.

ANDY RODDICK: It's comparable to last summer. It's no secret that, you know, I'm always about playing lots of matches. I feel when I play lots of matches, you don't have to think about your footwork anymore; it just kind of happens for you. That goes with a lot of other parts of the game, too. So, you know, now I'm at the point where I feel like I am match tough, and I get out there from the first ball and I'm ready to go. There's not a whole lot of questioning myself out there right now. I definitely think that contributes to movement as well.

ANDY RODDICK: I'm not sure. Obviously, Mirnyi enjoys fast courts. Voltchkov hits flat and has done well at Wimbledon, likes the ball low. He enjoys fast courts. So, you know, you do process of elimination, I think, on that one.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know (laughing). I've had a pretty intense couple of weekends.

ANDY RODDICK: Maybe. But at the same time, you know, maybe it's not such an equalizer. Maybe it's a true testament to the consistency of a team over a year as opposed to just a team getting hot for two or three weeks. So, you know, I'm sure there are pros and cons both ways.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, a lot of people would still question outside the court, that's for sure (smiling). But I just feel - I don't know about more mature - I'm still playing with a lot of emotion, I'm still really excited. But I'm more confident. You know, I don't go into matches and when things don't go my way start panicking, you know, as the first sets of both of these matches are kind of evidence of that. I kind of just try to stay the course and play my game. And, you know, I think that just comes from experience. You know, as kind of stupid as that is to say from a 21-year-old, that's the way I feel right now.

ANDY RODDICK: That was huge, you know, because he was going all-out in the first set. He was taking it to me. He was playing very smart. When he was going for his shots, he was hitting them. But, you know, it's a long road back, you know, to play four sets and then, obviously, to play five sets. So, you know, probably wears on someone mentally a little bit.

ANDY RODDICK: Team celebration? Yeah, like I said, we got to go tomorrow. This ride never stops, so...

ANDY RODDICK: I didn't notice it too much, to be honest. I mean, I think it was much worse in the earlier rounds of Miami last week. But, you know, it's something I'm kind of used to, being from this area. So, you know, little bit on the serve, but not -- I don't think it was horrible, you know, by any means.

ANDY RODDICK: I have fun lots, but... I always have fun (smiling). I don't know. I was excited. You know, I just -- it's hard to explain. I just felt really good, really comfortable. But at the same time, I had my guard up still. So, you know, once I got the third break, I was just excited to kind of try to finish it, be with my teammates and kind of share it with them.