WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2003

Andy Roddick

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Andy Roddick. Who would like to ask the first question?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't think you could because he was hitting his forehand so well to my forehand. You had to guard against that one, as well. But, you know, once I saw he was going to hit it, I just tried to make a break for it. Luckily I got it up the line on. I mean, you know, was kind of able to slam out a point there.

ANDY RODDICK: No. I don't think you have enough time to get there. If you do, then great. If you don't, then too bad.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. The first set he probably deserved to win more than I did today. He played better tennis. It was a little different because the guys that I've been playing, you know, up till now have hit kind of hard and flat. He came out with a little flair today - he was mixing up his slices, he was hitting his forehand pretty big and dictating early on. You know, in the second and third sets, I tried to, you know, hit the ball a little harder and a little flatter.

ANDY RODDICK: Not really, no.

ANDY RODDICK: You know, I'm all for the crowd really getting into it. But, you know, a big thing in tennis is sometimes you hear -- you can hear how hard someone hits a ball. If they hit it hard and flat, it really makes a popping sound. That's maybe one of the first things that tells you rather than actually seeing the ball. Like trying the dropshot, all of a sudden, I hear it not come off the racquet. It's part of the reaction process. I think you need to hear the ball pretty clearly to play at your highest level.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't think it can be natural at any time. It's a very special place. You know, when you first get out there, I don't think it's ever going to lose that aura. Obviously I'm getting more and more used to it. But, you know, there are always some jitters early on in a match, for sure.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I feel okay. I know I'm going to get my points on my serves, then I'm just looking to kind of maybe slam out a point or two on their serves. I don't think I'm an exception. A lot of big servers, you know, have traditionally, you know, done pretty well in tiebreakers, and especially on grass.

ANDY RODDICK: No, because I'd rather have won it 6-3 or 6-4.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, tough. Paradorn's a great guy, you know. He's definitely put in some work this week already, so you know he's feeling comfortable. You know, he hits the ball very hard. He hits the ball big off both wings, really goes for his shoots. He's a super athlete. So it's going to be tough.

ANDY RODDICK: Atlanta, Houston, I think I got broken on my 50th game. That's two years ago. Probably around then. At times I've semifinaled big. I think in Toronto last year I might have got broken once or twice going into the final. It's not every tournament, for sure.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, Brad and I talk a lot about other sports, you know, kid back and forth. But when it comes down to tennis, he's very serious and he's very precise. You know, we'll talk a lot of nonsense about different things. But, you know, when it actually comes to the matches, you know, I don't think he throws a lot of nonsense out there at all.

ANDY RODDICK: I think so. You know, I'm improving a lot of aspects right now. But, you know, if I was to sit here and say I was completely a hundred percent happy with any stroke, I think I'd be lying to you.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. You can always improve. You can always hit a higher percentage. You can always, you know, get something more on your second serve. Obviously, you know, that's my best shot and I definitely appreciate it. I'm not going to sit here and say it's not a good shot. But, you know, you can always try to get better.

ANDY RODDICK: Not really. You know, the only thing that Tarik and I talked about -- I said, I just need something fresh, something new, something exciting. You know, Brad was the person -- his name most excited me. I thought there was, you know, the best potential there.

ANDY RODDICK: As far as like talking points away from the court?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, for sure, we have a lot of the same interests. We're both sports junkies. We're both pretty animated. You know, so it's a good fit.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I've been a little upset, because the schedules, I've always been playing at the same time as Greg. Greg was the exception. You know, played the same time as Paradorn. They have a thing, if you look at the schedules, they put the two people that might play each other at the same time. So a little frustrating. He'll definitely get around and ask a lot of questions. He's not afraid to put the hours in to get a good scouting report.

ANDY RODDICK: Just, you know, simple, definite, you know, game plans. You know, there's no really gray area. He sticks to what he believes in. He lets you know, gives you things to look for, which maybe you wouldn't notice before.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, you're thankful to still be around. First week's always tough. There are a lot of guys, you know, with not a lot to lose just gunning. This is a big stage, this is where they kind of want to leave their mark. To survive it, it's tough. Kind of been hit or miss as far as second weeks so far in my career. Now you know everybody who you're going to play from now on has been playing well, otherwise they wouldn't have won three matches already.

ANDY RODDICK: Obviously, that's his strength. He's a big, strong guy. He's not afraid to go for his shots and he kind of plays, you know, with a little bit of a reckless abandon out there. You just kind of have to applaud his good shots and just try to hit your own sometimes.

ANDY RODDICK: Man, I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. You're talking six years down the line. Are you kidding me? .

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, for sure. You know, like I said earlier, he's definitely, you know, a lot different than the guys that I've played so far - you know, in Queen's and here. I guess the most similar would be Grosjean, but he still fires a lot more than Tommy. I thought he played a smart match tactically - he didn't let me stay in one spot too long, he was pretty spot on with the shots he went for, and that's the best he served against me. He definitely surprised me and I thought he played a pretty good match.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, you know, point of a Grand Slam is every other day try to win three sets. If you can get them all in a row, it's a good relief. But, yeah, I mean, I thought my concentration was pretty good throughout. I don't think I was hitting the ball great in the first set. Like I said before, he probably played better, you know, between the lines in the first set, but I just served a little better. That bailed me out. But, you know, I was able to switch it up a little bit in the last two sets and make some changes.

ANDY RODDICK: Probably hit some balls. But, you know, maybe just -- you have days off at Slams. It's not a rarity that you're going to have a day off where you're not playing a match at a Grand Slam. I'm going to try to take it and treat it normally.

ANDY RODDICK: All right!

ANDY RODDICK: I think it is. You know, I'm starting to have a little bit more confidence in my abilities, you know, on a day-to-day basis. You know, the biggest thing I think, you know, the first one's always the toughest to get. The biggest fear is the fear of the unknown. If you haven't done it before, you don't know yet. But I'm starting to believe in myself and I'm definitely here to try to win this tournament and not just, you know, go round by round. I mean, you have to go round by round. But the ultimate goal is to try to get a win.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, you can always dream. But, you know, I'm just going to take one match at a time. I feel like I'm, you know, playing good tennis at a Grand Slam. So, you know, that's welcome. You don't want to be playing -- you take it when you can get it, but you'd rather be playing your best tennis at a Grand Slam. I had good preparation. I feel good so far. So who knows.