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ROGERS MASTERS

August 7, 2006

Davide Sanguinetti

TORONTO, ONTARIO

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Davide.

Q. How did you approach this match, going against the No. 3 seed?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, I start thinking the match I play against him last year, the US Open, Round of 16. I was close. I was up a set. I was close to get two sets to love. I started thinking, Maybe I can do it. If I do play well, the way I'm playing, I may can do it.
I was relaxed. I mean, if I lose, it's not a shame to lose to No. 3 in the world. I was relaxed. I play my game. I played I think one of the best matches this year.

Q. Were you surprised by how easy it was in the end? 6-1, 6-2 sounds very one-sided.
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, surprise for the score, but I think I make him play. He was shanking a lot of balls. I start thinking, maybe if I let him play a little bit more balls, he will shank more and more and more. He start doing it.
Technically was great the way I approach the match.

Q. It looked like you were changing the pace on him a lot. Did you find he was having trouble with the pace of the ball?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, it's my game to change the pace. Everybody now loves -- the way we are playing tennis now is full power, boom, boom. Sometimes when you find a player like me, it's completely different to them.
I think it's tough for them to play against me because I change all the time. It never goes one ball in the same speed. I think it help me a lot.

Q. Is this the first time you played him?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: No, I played him in the US Open last year. I lost in four sets. When he was a little bit younger, I'm 10 years older than him, we played in a challenger and I won. I think we also play another time in Monte-Carlo. I don't know. I'm not quite sure.

Q. Did you go to the match with a tactical plan to play him?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, technical plan was to play my game, not just make him play his game. I had to do -- I had to run, I had to change the pace, like I say before. I had to serve well. I mean, he's one of the best returners on tour.
I concentrate on few little things, and they did work.

Q. Did you execute it perfectly or was there something you would change?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, I execute -- I think the serve went perfectly. Every time I need a good serve, it was in. Then returning, usually I do return pretty well, so I wasn't worried about that.

Q. Looked to be having trouble with your serve on the ad side to his backside.
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Because I make a lot of points on that. In the beginning, one side was the sun, so was tough -- I could hit the ball, but I couldn't see anything. Whatever he was hitting, he can make a winner. It was different there.

Q. Was there any problem that as the victory approached, you were getting excited and that might have affected your performance or were you able to control that?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: No, I am able to control. At 34, I mean, some experience, I may have it. I'm able to do it (smiling).

Q. You keep mentioning your age. Are you pretty much a late-bloomer on this circuit?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: What do you mean?

Q. You're facing guys that are 10 years younger than you. Are you hitting your prime now?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: I love it. I love it. I love to see the old man can win to the young guys. It's great.

Q. There was a moment during the second set when David had a word with an official. Do you know what that was about? Was he not feeling well?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: I didn't really hear what he was saying. I wish I could. Usually when a player talks to the umpire, he needs something. I say maybe he will have some problem. I don't know.
But I had to focus on my game. I couldn't just, okay, come on, I'm happy now. I have to stay there and focus.

Q. This is your biggest upset. How does it rank in your career?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: No, I beat Federer. Top 10, I beat so many. I beat Kafelnikov when he was top 10. I beat Federer. I beat Safin. I mean, I won so many matches to the top players. Not I can say is my biggest wins. Is one of the good ones. I will say one of the good ones.

Q. Jonas Bjorkman reached the semifinals of Wimbledon at a similar age. There are some other older players. Do you think there are misconceptions about age, people too quickly write a player off once he gets to 30?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Well, depends. To me Agassi is the hero because to be 36, to be top ten is unbelievable. I mean, maybe not only to me, but it would be to everyone. He had a lot of pressure to stay all the time top 10. He been No. 1, he been everything. I had different pressure because I was 40, 42, 50. It's different, the way I'm approaching the tournaments, the way he's approaching his tournaments.
I think, I don't know, to me is my hero, is my goal, to try to do like Agassi did in his career. I wish to win all the tournament he won, but, I mean, to keep -- with my age to keep playing. I mean, I set my goal to go to the Olympics 2008. I have still two more years ago. I have to keep working for that date.

Q. Generally do you think people think too negatively about age?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: I don't think so. I mean, we're young. We're still young. I'm still like a puppy.

Q. You obviously enjoy the game when you're winning, but do you also find you're enjoying the game now as you get on in years?
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Every time when you win, you enjoy. This is the good thing. When you start losing, you say maybe I should stop a little bit, practice a little bit more, come back. I mean, this is tennis. You cannot win all the time. Even Federer, I mean, this year he lost four times which to him is a huge amount of matches he lost.
I mean, no one likes to lose. If you win, you enjoy so much. If you lose, okay, part of the game. You have to think like that.

Q. How will you approach the next match? Wondering if you'll watch.
DAVIDE SANGUINETTI: Usually I don't like to watch. This week, my coach is not here so I have to go watch a little bit. But I know both players. We play so many tournaments together. I know more or less the way they play.

End of FastScripts...

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