DAVIS CUP - SLOVAK REPUBLIC vs USA

February 8, 2002

Andy Roddick

Q. You have hit with this guy before. You knew a little bit about his game. Did you expect him to come out playing that well?

ANDY RODDICK: I hit with him maybe a couple of years ago at Washington which was one of my first pro tournaments, but I knew he could play. I wasn't expecting him to serve 75% first serves and be hitting-- be serving -- I mean, he served great. That caught me a little bit by surprise.

ANDY RODDICK: I wasn't actually too anxious. I was kind of hanging out with some of the guys in the locker room, you know, just watching the match. I wasn't stirring around. Last year in Switzerland when I thought I might play the fifth match I was kind of a little more up and down, but surprise, surprise I am learning a little bit, so.. (Laughs).

ANDY RODDICK: I think I lost focus at the task at hand at that point. And before I knew it was 5-All; then he came up with a couple of good shots at 5-All, so, you know, it's all right. I am glad I recovered well and just got through it, Davis Cup, a win is a win.

ANDY RODDICK: Pretty much I think anybody would say is that the set is over, don't try to dwell on it too much. You got another set of tennis play; possibly another two sets, so get your head straight back into the game; don't dwell on it.

ANDY RODDICK: It is great. I mean, Mardy I were talking about it the other day, it is kind of weird growing up. We see Pete's service, the little habits that he has on the court. Then all of a sudden, you know we are looking across the net and our opponent is doing that and it is him. So it is kind of surreal.

ANDY RODDICK: I am -- I might have returned one; then the other one I missed the top of the tape I think it would have gone for a clean winner. I hit it the way I wanted to hit it, just didn't get it. So then he came up with, you know, hit a clean winner off my first serve - I can't do much about that. I thought I might have hit one bad shot there.

ANDY RODDICK: Tiebreak I had no complaints. I probably couldn't have played it much better.

ANDY RODDICK: Yes and no. I knew you know, going into your Davis Cup matches it's a dogfight from the first point and it's never really over. You hear people say it but in Davis Cup especially, no one is going to throw in the towel when they are playing for their country. So it's not a surprise when the momentum is your way; then it swings; that tends to happen a lot in these matches.

ANDY RODDICK: (Laughs) I haven't, you know, stripped down in my underwear this week. But it's not over yet, I guess, but -- maybe I have something to look forward to. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, I think it is normal, you know, they are a little, you know, a lot more mature than we are. (Laughs) you know, we are still battling for 20 bucks a game in ping-pong like it's our livelihood, so, you know, it's a contrast in personalities and stuff like that. But I think it makes for a pretty entertaining mix.

ANDY RODDICK: Me. Stupid question. (Laughs)

ANDY RODDICK: The wiping of the brow. The antic before he serves. Just little shots he hits like, you know, you are on the run; then the forehand; then you are just watching it go by. You know it is coming. Just little things like that. You guys know him as well as I do.

ANDY RODDICK: Exactly. If it was a shadow playing or -- and you saw the little habits you'd pick out Pete like that. Just stuff like that.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, Davis Cup, you know, good point yell as loud as you can, go nuts. And they brought it today. That's a fun atmosphere to play in. That's what Davis Cup is all about. I don't think Davis would be much fun if they were golf clapping after every shot.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know about a bigger, I mean, every match is pretty big. I think maybe a little different than a lot of the Davis Cup matches. For that aspect because it is pretty split up. Captain, Todd and Pete they all played together then. They haven't known our names for more than a year, so. (Laughs) and all of a sudden we come along we have been playing in juniors for a while together, so yeah it's just a little different, but it is fun all the same.

ANDY RODDICK: I want to win every time I step on the court no matter when. I am pretty competitive. I will compete in anything, so but yeah, it's not like us versus you and when we are on the practice court if that's what you are asking.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I am playing with two braces on right now. I think that's the safe play until I feel it's physically feeling good, but it's always in the back of your mind, so the ankle brace definitely is a help and there's no reason not wear them.

ANDY RODDICK: A little bit. But I am getting worn in now and I used to tape, but I would find it kind of the same feeling, but that I found that the tape after three sets of sweating in it would kind of fall apart a little bit. So I find these are the better solution for me.

ANDY RODDICK: Patrick is almost -- every Super 9 or Grand Slam, we are talking, me and him and Tarik are having lunch or doing dinner. He's at our practices, so maybe besides Tarik he knows my game maybe as well as anybody. It's not too different because I definitely have faith that he knows my game and him and Tarik have a lot of the same ideas, so, you know, it is definitely -- it's fine by me.

ANDY RODDICK: A lot. Last year I had to grow up pretty fast. I went from, you know, playing sugar bowl in New Orleans in September to playing center court Ericsson in March which is a pretty short span in handling things like media and responsibilities and appearances, autographs signings and stuff like that. I never had to do that before last year, so I think that helped me grow up on and off the court and, you know, but it was a welcome. It was welcome.