OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT

August 15, 2004

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, absolutely. I thought he rose to the occasion of playing the Olympics. He really started to feel it a little bit. You know, it was tough, but that's what you expect. You got the best players here, so there are no easy matches.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it did, because, you know, the fans that were there were pretty loud. They were waving flags and stuff. But I think you have to understand, you know, people see tennis a lot. If it's a choice between that or swimming, especially at the Olympics, possibly go to swimming. I don't know. You know, I wasn't too concerned with that. I was just trying to win a match.

ANDY RODDICK: He's been great. You know, we've been working together for about a year. He's really become kind of a calming influence over me. We're great. We work together as a team. That's kind of our groove.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, there's definitely something different. I was a little more nervous today than I would be normally for a first-round match. I don't think it can be the same because, you know, a lot's different. Seeing other athletes in the village, there's so much stuff going on, so much excitement in the air. It's definitely a different dynamic than I've been a part of before.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, was it the same court as their opponent was playing on?

ANDY RODDICK: It's fast. You know, the balls are flying. But last I checked, everybody was playing on the same thing, so... You know, it's the way it is. We change conditions on a weekly basis, so I don't see why this should be too much different.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. It was.

ANDY RODDICK: It was surprising because I guess during Venus' match it wasn't windy at all. Then we walked out there, and all of a sudden right before the coin flip, it started swirling everywhere. You know, I couldn't really get a read on which way it wanted to blow. It was a little weird. I felt like I couldn't get my best hit on the ball because I was constantly adjusting. But, you know, that's part of it. That's something that's very possible. You know, it can happen on any given day.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, but it's fun. I mean, I think there's a common respect that we're all peers, we're all here trying to do the same thing. I'm having a blast with it. Mardy and I have been staying in the village. It's been a really fun experience. It's been cool.

ANDY RODDICK: It's weird because you'll see someone walk by, you'll check the name on the back of their jacket, "Oh, I don't have that one." You run across, try to trade. Some people don't want what you have. It's fun. Everybody's doing it. It's a good time. We all get competitive with each other, see who can get the most. It's fun, it's a good time.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. There's a lot of them. I think, who was it, Bob Bryan got one from a country that only has five participants.

ANDY RODDICK: Mozambique. I didn't appreciate him getting that one.

ANDY RODDICK: Really? Where are they? I'm going to go sit outside their room (smiling).

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah.

ANDY RODDICK: I'm not sure. I guess it's different 'cause, you know, when you're a kid, you think everything is amazing, grand, you don't see the athletes in the training room getting their ankles taped. So I guess it's a little more real than you would imagine as a kid, but it's awesome nonetheless.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, well, it's tough, you know. It's definitely not easy, especially this summer, you know, finishing in Cincinnati. I've played deep I think three weeks in a row, then come over here. It hasn't been easy. But at the same time I'm okay when I know what I have to do. You know, it's not like it was a surprise or they threw us a curve ball. I knew it was going to be a tough summer. You just deal with it. You do as best you can.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, but almost everybody's here doing the same thing. Who am I to come up with an excuse when there's 64 other players here doing the same thing? 63 others, sorry.

ANDY RODDICK: It would look good in my hallway, I tell you that. It would definitely be special. But there's a long way to go before that becomes -- before that becomes possible.

ANDY RODDICK: It was one of the things I was looking forward to most. But on that day, I wasn't feeling as well as I would have wanted. I was still jet lagged a little bit. I felt like I needed some sleep. So basically it came down to the decision, "Okay, are you here for the experience or are you here to try to win?" You know, my answer was, "Both." But it was a tough decision. I decided professionally it was a better decision not to go, kind of wait. A lot of people didn't get back till 2, 2:30 in the morning. In retrospect, it was the right decision. It was disappointing and it hurt, but, you know, for my tennis it was the right decision.

ANDY RODDICK: I tried not to.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I tried not to. I knew I was going to have to hear the stories about how great it was, all that stuff. I tried to keep away from it as much as possible.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, man. That's tough. I mean...

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, that happens on a daily basis. You know, you meet someone new. But, yeah, I don't know if you can just pick one. Like you said, when the whole American contingent was all out in the street, in our little American block of the village, all at once, all looking the same, all wearing those really fun hats (laughter), it was cool because everybody was there, everybody was meeting. It was just really cool because you really felt like you were part of something.

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, man. I met like kayakers, you know, the shooting team, all types of different sports. It's fun to kind of ask them about what's going on, hear about how they view it, the intricacies of their sport, as well. As a sportsman, you really don't know too much about some of these sports, so it's cool to kind of learn about them.

ANDY RODDICK: That's another chance to get a medal. I mean, you know, it's just one more opportunity. I think playing with Mardy had something to do with it, as well. Growing up together, living together, we thought it would be a really cool experience to actually participate in the Olympics as a team, as well. You know, that will be pretty special for us, I think.

ANDY RODDICK: It would be on par in my eyes. It would be right there. I think, you know, especially with tennis players, not too many of them have gold medals. So it would be pretty special. I guess I'd have to experience it first.

ANDY RODDICK: Yes and no. I mean, I've heard about it. You know, basically what he kind of -- now that I've been in the village for close to five, six days, now we can trade stories. When he talked about trading pins, doing this stuff, I didn't really -- it sounded cool, but I didn't really have a grasp for what it was all about. You know, he was rooting with this guy, he went to watch the sports, he went to watch wrestling. "Oh, that sounds fun." But I didn't really get it. Now it's fun. I get it a little bit more.

ANDY RODDICK: We're not together as much, obviously. I mean, he doesn't even have access to the village. But at the same time that doesn't prevent him from going and scouting matches and discussing opponents, doing all that sort of thing. So it's not as personal as it normally is. But, you know, at the same time we still have the backbone of his coaching. We still get to discuss opponents, which is the most important thing.

ANDY RODDICK: Sorry?

ANDY RODDICK: He said it's worse than Cincinnati?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if Cincy was that hot. Maybe he played on a different day than I did. It's pretty hot here. That being said, we knew that coming in. Everybody was talking about how hot it was. Like I said before, if I feel like I'm prepared for doing something, then I usually am okay with it. I think it's a little bit of an advantage being from Florida and Texas, it gets pretty steamy there also. It's not too bad, just something you have to deal with.

ANDY RODDICK: It's a good way to meet girls (smiling). No, it's cool, because every country has their own pin and every sport from each country has their own pin. I don't know. It's just something fun. If kids do it, they're on to something. I'm doing it. It's kind of fun. It's a cool way to meet people and --

ANDY RODDICK: Break the ice, but do the whole spirit of the Olympics thing. I think this is kind of really an easy way to embrace that and experience it.