PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 16, 2005

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. You know, I was expecting a tough match from Fernando. I lost to him last time at the Olympics. You know, definitely a good feeling to get through this time.

ANDY RODDICK: Uhm, yeah. I mean, I think it's definitely something that's -- you know, it's more apparent now than maybe before. You know, it's not super surprising to see a guy 50, 60 in the world in the quarters of a Grand Slam. I think that happens every Grand Slam or every other Grand Slam now. I don't think that's a stretch to say that.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it always will be. Bottom line is you have to put the ball in the court for it to count. I don't see -- that's never going to change. You know, I'm one of the only guys that people consider a pure power player, maybe with Safin, in the Top 10, 15 guys. I think rather than consistency, I'd say speed. I think you have to move well to be one of the top players now. You know, you don't see a lot of guys who are slow up there. I think that's a big key.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, absolutely. I think I've become a better athlete. You know, even like the bigger guys that you see that are at the top of the game like Moya and Safin, you know, they move really well for big guys. You know, I don't think that's coincidental.

ANDY RODDICK: It's a possibility. I mean, there's no question that it's more physically demanding now. But also, I mean, I think the biggest thing that needs to be addressed is the length of season. I mean, last year I played 11 months and change, you know, and expected to come back and do it all over again without sufficient rest. I think that's probably the biggest thing as far as injuries. Obviously, stopping and starting and going, I think that just creates the need to be in better shape.

ANDY RODDICK: If the players are talking about it and they're complaining about it, I'm assuming it's not them. I don't know.

ANDY RODDICK: You know, it's a Catch-22. You threaten to strike, then you risk losing the fans that you have. If you leave it up to -- the thing is in tennis, there's no, you know -- there's not one body that makes all the decisions. You have to go through the individual tournaments, this, then the ATP for the Masters Series, the Slams for this. You know, it's tough to get everyone on the same page because everybody's in it for their own interests.

ANDY RODDICK: In all fairness, you go out and play in an XO, you're playing two a week or something, you're still resting in between there. It's not like tournaments where you have to be in super great shape. You're playing indoors in air conditioned arenas. Obviously, it doesn't take the physical toll that, you know, a real season does.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know how many of us watch a replay, unless it's an extremely pivotal point.

ANDY RODDICK: There's no screen in the stadium.

ANDY RODDICK: Absolutely. If you're in a stadium which has that, I think curiosity gets the better of players more often than not.

ANDY RODDICK: I got lots of thoughts on Carlos (smiling).

ANDY RODDICK: No. I mean, obviously, I had a tough one against him last time in Spain. But we're going to have a battle. I mean, we always have. I've gotten him on hard courts. But I think it's been three sets pretty much every time. You know, I'm sure it will be another one like that. You just kind of have to be ready to go to work.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it ended up being pretty important. But it's the -- the one I gave him was the one up the line because I figured he'd hit it about Mach 10. If he had to slice or hit it up the middle, I feel I could have stabbed at it. Gave it to him, he just missed it just by a little bit, but he went for it.

ANDY RODDICK: I did, yes. You know, I'm a nice guy.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, the bombs are falling in at the rate of about 75% today. That makes it a lot easier. I think, you know, it is satisfying when you try working on things and it kind of helps you through and you see it kind of working in a match-type situation. You know, it's definitely something that I need to do, is to have different serves to go with the heat.

ANDY RODDICK: That's the game plan. If I can serve 75%, you know, you don't need to go for huge, huge serves. If you can take 10, 15 miles an hour off of it, but get some good action on it, then you'll take that any day. But that also requires being in the groove and feeling really good about hitting your spots. It's easier said than done.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't understand. What is he doing?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, obviously, I think players play well at tournaments repeatedly because they like the conditions. I think the ball travels through the air here a little bit, it carries a little bit, which makes his slices a little more effective. He can get in. Sometimes we're as mental as, you know, you like the place you stay, you're comfortable there, you come out and play. There's just so many things that go into it. You know, I think it is -- it's not surprising that you see players like Tim here or players in different places, they'll play well at a certain venue consistently.

ANDY RODDICK: I feel good, yeah. You know, I didn't feel great my first round here. I really feel like I turned the corner the next day. In practice I started hitting the ball a little bit better, kind of doing what I want with it. I wasn't battling it so much. You know, I'm pretty pleased with the last two matches. But, you know, tomorrow's a new day.

ANDY RODDICK: To play? They're on the other half of the draw.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I mean, I really hadn't thought about it much. They both had a lot of work ahead of them. I mean, sentimentally I was pulling for Taylor just because he's a young American. You know, obviously I want him to do well when he can.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, we're about a week late, though.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, obviously the highs I think were just supporting Mardy and seeing him do well, you know, being in the village and kind of just living the whole Olympic experience. Obviously the lows is Gonzalez was responsible for the lows there. You know, he played a good match. Obviously, I would have loved to have done better, especially with, you know, Safin, Roger losing early and Lleyton not going. I mean, I felt like that was a decent chance that slipped away.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I'll always remember. It's the first time I was at the Olympics. Not a lot of people get to participate in the first place. But then to be part of something that is so much bigger than what you go through on a daily basis is really cool.

ANDY RODDICK: Do I see myself differently now?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, it was a little bit of weird dynamic because a lot of people that are Olympians there, they're not people that are known around the world. I think I was viewed a little differently by the other people. But, you know, I viewed myself the same. I was in the village with the rest of them, waiting in line for the preheated food, you know, all that good stuff. It was a fun change. But I was -- it was nice to get back to my spoiled existence afterwards.