WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2004

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, Andy Roddick. Please.

ANDY RODDICK: It's going to be pretty cool. You know, I'm probably not going to think about that too much while I'm out there. It's a pretty cool coincidence, though.

ANDY RODDICK: Ooh, you're telling me. It definitely was. I think it added to the tension a little bit being on, being off. You know, it was a tough match mentally to get through, that's for sure.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, that's a rough position to be in. You know, you could either be down a set or up a set. I mean, it's just tough. To his credit, I thought he came out of the gates playing really well today. With the exception of a couple double-faults, I don't think I was playing that badly. But I was able to kind of regroup and kind of try to get my feet into the match. You know, I got through it.

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, everything about the match was kind of strange. You know, from playing chunks of it at sometimes, chunks of it in perfect weather, chunks of it in, you know, felt like a hurricane. I mean, chunks of it while it was raining. I mean, just every -- we almost had like every different scenario in one match. So, you know, the crowd was the least of my worries.

ANDY RODDICK: Not all in one match, you know, over the span of two days. You know, I've experienced them all at different times during a match, but not in the same one.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, yeah, I'm happy to be through. It was an extremely tough match, you know, in a lot of ways. You know, I'm just excited that I get the chance to play for it tomorrow.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, it's disappointing sometimes. You know, sometimes you wish you could just, "Okay, let's just play already." But that's part of the game. That's what makes it fun, the different scenarios. You know, if every match was the same, then, you know, wouldn't be as much fun.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. We'll see soon enough, right? I think we've both become better players. We've both been through a lot more. We've both played a lot of big matches. You know, whatever I've been through, he's been through as well. We've kind of shadowed each other. You know, we'll see what happens.

ANDY RODDICK: No. Last night I was okay. You know, it's just you put -- I was putting so much emphasis on what I was going to do with my first serve, what I was going to do with this. I tossed the ball up, the band started playing, I mean, literally started playing as soon as I tossed the ball up and I just Jonesed the serve because I had no idea what was going on. Felt like they started the 4th of July a little early (laughter). All of a sudden we play a point, and I made him play six or seven shots, and it's all of a sudden we're back on serve. So, you know, it's so unpredictable. It was definitely a tough situation to be in. But, you know, last night it really didn't affect me much.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I didn't like the -- I didn't like the situation I was in to start the match, you know, down breakpoint. Even just to come in, if it would have been Love-15 or 15-30 or something. Last night, you could see the rain coming. It was already starting to, you know, do what it was doing today a little bit. You could see it a little bit. I'm like, "I'm not going to play again, come back in a compromising situation again. That happened yesterday; I don't want it to happen again today." It was as simple as that.

ANDY RODDICK: That's a year ago, you know. I don't think it will have too much. It's a different match. You know, what's done is done.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it's obviously not an advantage for me. But, you know, I'll wake up tomorrow and I'll be in a Wimbledon final, so I don't think I'll have too much trouble getting up for it mentally.

ANDY RODDICK: It was actually kind of similar because I played Saturday and had to play Sunday, so there wasn't much time for turnaround. You know, I'd be really antsy if I had a day off in between. But I don't know, it's tough to compare I guess.

ANDY RODDICK: No. I just go back, probably get a massage, get some dinner, maybe watch a movie, catch some Z's, come out tomorrow.

ANDY RODDICK: It's not the most different, if you give me my choice of anybody on tour. We do play different types of games. I mean, he's more flash, feel, artistry. The one advantage I have over him is just hitting the crap out of the ball. I mean, that's pretty much what I'm going to have to do. I'm going to have to try to play to my strengths.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, it's obviously not an advantage for me. You know, I figured I'd get on there maybe more than once before the final. But, you know, I'm going to get out there and I'm going to give it a go. I'm not going to waste time worrying about it, that's for sure.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, it's -- you know, if you look at the last year, I think we're maybe a little bit above everybody else as far as results go. So to be able to play on the biggest stage in tennis, you know, I think it will create a lot of interest, and that's definitely a plus for the game.

ANDY RODDICK: I do. I mean, it's a great chance. I mean, you know, the whole thing about pro sports is you want to measure yourself up against the best and try to be the best. So, you know, there's not much of a better opportunity than, you know, a match like tomorrow.

ANDY RODDICK: I hope Plan A works (smiling).

ANDY RODDICK: Okay, well, there's two scenarios: you're either brave or you're really stupid. I was one each back to back. Luckily the brave one came on a pretty big point. There's not much to it. I went with what I had. I felt it, so I pulled the trigger. I would have lived with it if I would have doubled again. But, you know, lucky for me I didn't.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I don't know if I served well last year. I think my percentages were down. I think my second serve is a lot better than it was last year. But to be honest, I wasn't playing bad tennis last year. You know, he played great on the day.

ANDY RODDICK: No. We're cordial. I respect him and he respects me. He kind of has his groups of friends and I do also. We're not hanging out watching basketball together, but we're fine with each other. You know, there's no ill will. I think he's a great champion and a great player.

ANDY RODDICK: You noticed those, too.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, well, you know, there's definitely been a lot kind of thrown my way in the last -- I think I've woken up one morning of these Championships not thinking I was going to play a match. You know, it's been pretty stressful, but I can see the finish line now, so that's where my focus is.

ANDY RODDICK: Ask me that in a week. No, it's part of it. I think it's, you know, part of the charm. It obviously can be frustrating at times, but, you know, that's what makes Wimbledon Wimbledon, you know. It's a special place, that's for sure.

ANDY RODDICK: It was an amazing effort. I mean, I watched probably close to the whole second set. I mean, the way -- it's impressive to see how she steps up and hits her shot every time. No matter what the situation, she's going to live and die with her strokes, not letting someone take it to her. At 17 to already have that ability, it's pretty amazing. But it's almost like she expects it. There's something inside her, that's pretty impressive.