WIMBLEDON

June 24, 2004

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, Andy Roddick.

ANDY RODDICK: It was probably me again (laughter).

ANDY RODDICK: I had no idea, man. But you know what, I knew going in that my ignorance was going to shine through. I was just happy it happened later rather than sooner.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, I was nervous. I was very nervous. You know, you would be shocked at the stuff I don't know (laughter). But it was interesting.

ANDY RODDICK: I couldn't understand her accent half the time. She talks fast, and I'm thinking -- I'm thinking she's going to like make fun of me or something. But you're right, there's not much excuse.

ANDY RODDICK: We did it last Friday.

ANDY RODDICK: No, the Saturday Night Live writers, for sure. The stuff that went on behind the scenes in the rooms, they stuff they came up with kind of off the top of their head, I was pretty amazed.

ANDY RODDICK: Just hilarious. I basically just sat in a room and laughed for an entire week. It was pretty fun.

ANDY RODDICK: No, probably not, because worst-case scenario on that show is, you know, I miss questions and I leave, which really won't affect me the next day too much. Whereas, this might.

ANDY RODDICK: I felt -- it was tough out there. The conditions, you know, the wind was swirling in there. I was not feeling comfortable out there. I got through it. You know, I feel like there's a lot of room for improvement from today. But, you know, I had a lot of, you know, built-up, you know, kind of energy. You know, I mean, I had to play on it, too. I got through. That's the thing I was looking for.

ANDY RODDICK: I got here about 10 and left at about 7:30.

ANDY RODDICK: New image? What was my old image?

ANDY RODDICK: No, it was for fun. The winner had a chance to get a lot of money for charity. You know, I'm always willing to do it. I have a foundation, so that was probably the goal. I probably should have known that I didn't have much chance, but...

ANDY RODDICK: You guys think you're clever with your livestock questions. I've heard it six times already (laughter). Anything you guys are coming up with, yeah.

ANDY RODDICK: Maybe.

ANDY RODDICK: He's the only person that ever says "come on" on a tennis court?

ANDY RODDICK: Trademarking? That would be like trying to trademark taking a sip of Coke in the tennis world. I didn't realize you weren't allowed to fist pump and say "come on." I don't know if I kind of got the thing right, but I kind of tried to do it my way. I didn't really realize I did it.

ANDY RODDICK: That doesn't happen often, no. But, you know, it's Wimbledon. I think you kind of have to expect it sometimes, and just do your best to roll with the punches.

ANDY RODDICK: I struggle. I mean, I'm not good for sitting around with nothing to do. My boredom was killing me. But got through it, I guess.

ANDY RODDICK: That's the cartoon?

ANDY RODDICK: I really didn't know much about it, obviously being from the States. But my PR people came and said they wanted to do a cartoon. I really didn't have much to do with it, to be honest. You know, it sounded like a cool thing. It was for kids. You know, so, it sounded like a good idea.

ANDY RODDICK: That's what I was called when I was younger. It's fitting.

ANDY RODDICK: No. I was equally nuts. I always have to be doing something. So yesterday was a struggle. I was walking around the players lounge, you know, wear out my shoes.

ANDY RODDICK: Don't know. It really doesn't matter, to be honest. You know, it's early on. You know, there's a lot of tennis to be played before, you know, that becomes relevant.

ANDY RODDICK: I remember I think the one year she beat Garrison in the final. I think that was one of the first times I had watched her play and sat through a whole match. But she's amazing. You know, I mean, there's not much more you can say. It's pretty incredible what she did. And she's probably the only one who thought it was a good idea, and she kind of proved a lot of people wrong.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, sure. It will create interest. You know, anything that brings interest to this game and gives people something to talk about is healthy. I'm cheering for her.

ANDY RODDICK: She's a -- not every 47-year-old can do that, huh? I mean, she's a pretty special woman.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, hands down Tim.

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, I think I can relate to it but on a much, much smaller stage. I was kind of the favorite going into the US Open last year, so it was at an all-time high for me. But at the same time they're talking about me a little bit, and other sports a lot. Whereas I think this year's a little bit different with the Euro2004 going on. It's not as bad as I've seen the other years. I mean, it's pretty intense. You know, I don't think I've ever been through something, you know, quite as large as that.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I think there is. I mean, anytime you share an experience that's pretty traumatic, with someone, there's always something there. I've been asked that question this week. I don't know what that bond is, but there's something a little different there. That's kind of neat.

ANDY RODDICK: It rattled me for about a week. Rome was probably the first time in my life, I was out on the court and could care less if I won or lost. I wanted to go home and I wanted to see my family. After about a week of that, you know, my boredom set in and I was ready to go again.

ANDY RODDICK: It was huge. Now I bought myself some time so you guys can't get on me for another, what, Slam or two at least.

ANDY RODDICK: It was amazing. It was my ultimate dream in tennis. You know, I wanted to win the US Open. To be able to achieve that, you know, I really proved something to myself. Going in as a favorite, then backing it up, you know, it was a big confidence builder for me.

ANDY RODDICK: Fluke would imply that we had been doing well on the clay leading up to it and then bombed out there. I don't think so. We don't have this kind of thing going against Paris. We just didn't play well this year. You know, it's as simple as that. I haven't talked about it with any of the other young guys or Andre or anybody. I mean, it's not brought up. You know, there's no reason to dwell on it for us. It's new tournament. Wimbledon has nothing to do with a month ago.

ANDY RODDICK: There were a lot of questions in there.

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, people try to make a big deal of it, I sit here and cry, talk about how hard it is, but it's not. You know, it's all right. It's just something you deal with. Whether it means stopping, taking a couple more pictures, that's about it. That's the way I see it. When I am home, I kind of live a -- I try to live a quiet life. You know, I don't try to bait the media into a, you know, frenzy or anything like that. You know, that's just the way it is. Obviously, it's a learning experience. But for me it hasn't been a really difficult one.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I mean, I think it has something to do with the fact that we've had a couple of guys named Agassi and Sampras come along. You know, in any country, they were a couple of the best players in the world. You know, I think it has a lot more to do with players, you know, the depth of players. I mean, we've had -- we've been lucky enough to have tons of guys who have been No. 1 in the world or are contending consistently. I think it's just a battle of odds. I mean, if you have eight guys throughout a span of 20 years who are contending every year, some are going to win.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't think so. I think, just judging from my experience, I think there's pressure to uphold the tradition of it.

ANDY RODDICK: I'm not going to speak for anybody else. I think as players and as, you know, the stars of the sport, personally I live this amazing life because of what tennis has given to me. You know, it's as simple as that. I feel like it is one of my responsibilities to give back and help where I can. You know, I'm still learning what that is and how to go about it. But, you know, if I can do anything to kind of help promote the game and make it bigger, then I will.

ANDY RODDICK: Maybe. I don't know. I'm not sure. It's tough from the inside looking out. So I guess you guys would know better than me.

ANDY RODDICK: My guy was only 5'9" today.

ANDY RODDICK: First rounds at Slams, they're always a bit jittery. I don't ever feel totally comfortable. There's a lot of buildup. There's a lot of hype around obviously the Grand Slams. You can't wait to get out there. You're anxious. So there's a lot that goes into it. You know, if someone comes out and they have no pressure and they're just trying to knock off a big name, you know, it can create for some interesting things sometimes.