adidas International

January 8, 2003

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy, please.

ANDY RODDICK: No. This is... it was humorous out there. I mean, it wasn't ... I mean, I don't even know how to explain it. If you toss the ball, it's flying one way, much less trying to hit it. So I mean, it was tough.

ANDY RODDICK: It was, I mean, matchpoint. I was down 40-love. He was playing with the wind, I was playing against it. I literally took a grip and took full heaves at it, like normally it would have gone out of the stadium, and it actually went in. I made like four in a row, it was unbelievable. I mean, I was like laughing by the fifth one. I couldn't even stand up.

ANDY RODDICK: Not really. I mean, it's -- as far as losing that match, I'm not gonna beat myself up over it. It was unbelievable conditions. It wasn't really a tennis match. It's just disappointing because I would have liked another match or two preparation going into the Aussie Open. For it to, you know -- lack of preparation because of something like this, it's a little disappointing.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, that's what I say. It's just disappointing. I don't know about cheated. I mean, he played better in the wind today than I did. We both had to deal with the elements. I was feeling pretty good. I played him five times before and hadn't lost so in normal conditions I think I would have done a little bit better.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I felt great last night. Even though I lost the first set today, I served for it, and he played a great tiebreaker. Before the wind started in the second set, I had won three straight games. I was feeling good. So, you know, we'll see if I can just get -- it's tough, because you can play great, but you have to be match tough. That's something I'm going to have to do, is try to really get past the first couple rounds of the Aussie Open.

ANDY RODDICK: No, I didn't get into doubles.

ANDY RODDICK: Don't know. I haven't talked to my coach yet.

ANDY RODDICK: No, I was home in Florida for the last month and a half or so.

ANDY RODDICK: Not much. I was done by the last week of October. I took two weeks and then I started training again mid November, all out.

ANDY RODDICK: Just to step it up again. I mean, last year I made kind of baby steps from the year before. This year it would be great to get in there and do well in some of the bigger tournaments.

ANDY RODDICK: It's not my call. I'd rather play in extreme heat than something like this, though.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I said, "You know, this is ...this really isn't tennis. I don't think it's fair to either one of us as far as, you know, having the outcome decided by actual play." His answer to me was, "They're playing on every other court." I said, "Well, maybe they shouldn't be." I guess right before it started raining, he then decided that it was too severe to play when, you know, it's pretty much been going on for the last hour or so.