PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 13, 2003

Robby Ginepri

ROBBY GINEPRI: I was like, "I got to play Lleyton again." Hopefully I can get a game this time. Last time I struggled with him. In Cincinnati I lost 0-0.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I practiced with him last year in San Jose. That was the last time we hit.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, getting through the quallies was good for me because I lost here last year in the quallies, then had a tough first round against Hyung-Taik Lee, down in the first set. Sticking that match out to get here where I am now is really tremendous for me. Yesterday, I had a bad break for Novak to pull out, but wasn't too bummed. I would have liked to have played him again.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I'm probably going to go hit with my coach for about 20 minutes later today, then do some fitness later on, as well.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, the first set I got off to a great start. Marat wasn't on top of his game at the beginning. I didn't think it would last all the way throughout the match. I hung in there, and he didn't turn it around. The results is what it is.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I don't know if he was sick or what was going on with him. I made him play a lot of balls. Today was one of my best matches I've played in my career.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, right. I wouldn't really believe them. I think it's a really good one for me because I haven't beat a top player like this before. I've been close. I've never been able to get the job done. Today I did, and I think it will help out maybe tomorrow even or the next time I play a Top 10 or 20 guy in the world.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Brian had a great win yesterday, then today he got by. James Blake.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Andy. The guys are doing really well for themselves.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I think right now everybody's pushing each other. Everybody sees -- I mean, Mardy just got to the finals of a tour event last week. That was a really good result for him. Just everybody's pushing each other. I think it's making everybody train harder, work harder and want it even more.

ROBBY GINEPRI: At tournaments we go out to eat. After tournaments we'll maybe say, "Come down to Tampa, come out to California, we'll hang out." We try to hang out as much as we can.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Right.

ROBBY GINEPRI: For me I love it to death, because I love that. I don't want it to be strictly tennis or else it wouldn't be the same for me. I focus about four or five hours a day on tennis, then I just let my mind wander, don't want any more of tennis for the day.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I've been working a lot on my conditioning and fitness, and also I'm trying to get my serve a little more accurate. But the speed's picked up on it. I mean, playing big matches, getting the experience is what I needed. It's finally coming all together.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I'm looking forward to it. He got me pretty good last time we played. Hopefully I can do a little better this time. I'm just going to go out there, I don't have anything to lose. I'm just going to give it my best shot.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I haven't really spoken to Vince except, "Hey, how you doing?" But Brian, I mean, we talk all the time. We're good friends. He's from Atlanta, as well. We practice at home. We're rooting for each other. It's really good to see how far he's come along, how far I'm coming along, as well.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I don't think anybody's going to replace Pete and Andre. Those two guys, they set very high standards for the tennis game itself. For all the other young Americans, guys that are coming up, I think we're going to get to the top eventually hopefully. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get 13 Grand Slams. I'll give it my best shot.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Lleyton and I, we're not too good of friends. Playing him tomorrow, I'm going to go after that. If I were to play Andy, I'd play the same. Playing your friends is harder, you have to leave all that aside for a while. After the match, it just clicks right back together.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I mean, just being in the atmosphere, seeing the Croatian crowd, how Mardy and James handled everything, Pat Mac, Jim Courier helped all the guys out that come to Davis Cup.

ROBBY GINEPRI: He brings a lot of energy to all the guys. He gets us ready for every hit, every practice, every match. He's very positive and outgoing. I think the guys, everybody gets along with Pat very well. He's just a great guy to hang around with because he's so positive all the time.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I really don't. I can't speak for the other guys that travel and play. I listen to my coach. He says, "We're going here." I'm like, "Okay, let's go." That's the end of it.

ROBBY GINEPRI: The weather. It was snowing there. We have beautiful mountains here. It was indoors. The crowd was a little hostile, whistling on second serves. I think more people are rooting for the Americans than over there.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I've loved it. I think the weather's perfect. It hasn't been too hot yet. A couple rough days, but not overly bad. It's not humid like next week will be in Miami. It's dry heat. Hasn't been too windy at all, so the balls have been coming off like how it should be, real clean matches. I'm liking it a lot.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, definitely. I don't know how the lights are.

ROBBY GINEPRI: He did? I played Agassi night match, so the lights were good there. Hopefully it will be the same.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Well, at the beginning of the year I wanted to be Top 75 before the French. I've completed that task. But I don't know. I set standards and goals, but I really try not to focus too much on that. I just try to improve day to day, just get stronger as a person, and athlete as well.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Lately I've been trying to do like one good deed a day or something. It just kind of makes me feel good. Just opening the door for somebody, helping somebody pick something up that I don't know. Just one good thing a day kind of makes me feel a little better and it goes a long way.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Either/or.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Just signing autographs for kids. I love doing that. Just making a little kid feel special. In their eyes it goes a long way. Even though it doesn't seem much to other people, it really does. I know when I was little, I would come out here, I'd be bummed if I didn't get somebody's autograph I wanted.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Michael Chang. I liked watching him. He was quick, fast, small. That's how I was when I was growing up. I liked watching him, trying to model the game after his.

ROBBY GINEPRI: I like to relax, watch movies, hang out with friends, hang out with girls, just anything that is relaxing for me.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Sure. Let's go. I can't buy it, though. I'm only 20. I'll give you the money, how about that?