TENNIS MASTERS SERIES - ROMA

May 6, 2002

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy, please.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, you know, we played second round in Houston. I played very well that day, and I think that helped me because I had seen him before. And, you know, there weren't many surprises out there.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, the Houston surface is actually, you know, as close as you're going to get in America. They ship it over from Europe. So, you know, it's actually very similar. This court's actually playing more like a hard court. It's very thin and gritty, which makes it a bit quicker, which is nice for me. But, you know, most American red clay is pretty fake. But the Houston tournament actually does a really good job of making it similar.

ANDY RODDICK: I think --.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, a list?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. Take your pick. Any which way is fine. I honestly don't know. I know my favorite surface is probably an outdoor hardcourt. And after that, it's pretty much up for grabs, you know. Anything goes.

ANDY RODDICK: I love it. I actually got to go out and see some of Rome yesterday, and it's amazing. It's, you know, probably one of my favorite European cities so far. You know, we don't have things that are 2,000 years old in the States. So it was nice to see.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I don't think you're ever surprised to see Pete in a final. I mean, anybody who, you know, doubts his ability as a tennis player, you know, is, you know, about as sharp as a marble. So... And to actually -- you know, it was fun to kind of live out a boyhood dream of playing against Pete in a final. I mean, I never thought that was going to happen when I was growing up. To actually get a win was good momentum coming in to the European swing of things.

ANDY RODDICK: You know, it was close. I thought I played a great first set today. You know, there weren't many mistakes. Then, you know, I was kind of in and out of the second, but I held on and won the points when I needed to. But, you know, it's definitely good to get past the first round. And we'll see how the rest of the tournament goes.

ANDY RODDICK: I haven't played either one. This is my first time here, and I've never been to Hamburg. So I don't have much basis for comparison. Obviously, they're Masters Series and you want to play well and compete in the bigger tournaments.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, you know, last year I think I, you know, was just coming up and I think I was still, you know, in the junior body trying to play professional tennis. You know, that's what came out of it. But I think, you know, I'm in much better shape this year. You know, besides little knickknack things that have kind of been unfortunate, I haven't really gotten tired at many matches, you know, for a long time. So, you know, I feel much better about my physical fitness than I did last year.

ANDY RODDICK: It's really tough to choose. Obviously, probably the biggest thrill I get, you know, is playing for my country and playing Davis Cup. I mean, that means a lot to me. And it's, you know, sport's biggest honor to be asked to represent your country. So, you know, I take that very seriously.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, for sure. You know, hopefully they'll pick me for the team, and then I'll go over and, you know, we'll dance a little bit, you know. You know, it's going to be fun. Their team is very strong. You know, they're on their surface at Roland Garros. It's going to be very tough for us. But, you know, our team feels good. We feel good with each other as a team right now. We're together. So it will be fun either way.

ANDY RODDICK: I -- I think that's a pretty obvious question. You know, I don't think there's a person in the United States that doesn't want Andre to play Davis Cup. I mean, we would welcome him back with open arms. You know, he's been a special part of Davis Cup for the better part of, you know, 13, 14 years now, and, you know, we'd welcome him back any time.

ANDY RODDICK: It's not an individual competition; it's a team competition.