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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERSAugust 15, 2006Sam QuerreyCINCINNATI, OHIO THE MODERATOR: Questions, please, for Sam Querrey. Q. You were hitting the ball pretty well. Is that your regular game? SAM QUERREY: Yeah. Over the last couple months I've been hitting it like that, so it's usually how I play. Q. When you're up a set against the No. 2 player in the world, what's going through your head at that point? SAM QUERREY: I don't know. I mean, I don't know. It doesn't feel like it's right at first 'cause, you know, he's supposed to beat me. Then I won that first set and then kind of started to build a little bit of confidence. Each point of the set, in the first set, each point I won, I just kept building more and more confidence. And, you know, just kept building on that. Q. Is it almost like you're like shellshocked or something? SAM QUERREY: Little bit. Little bit. That happened earlier to me - or earlier this year. I played James Blake in the Pacific Life Open and I won the first set there. That was kind of like the same thing. You're a little bit shocked at what just happened. Q. Are you happy? Do you find some consolation in the fact that you played so well, or are you bummed out that you lost? SAM QUERREY: Well, bummed that I lost. But, I mean, I was happy with the way I played. It was fun playing on center court with all the fans out there. Q. How do you approach what was probably the biggest match of your career? I mean, are you nervous going in? Are you excited? SAM QUERREY: I thought I was gonna be really nervous, but then I think the first point was key 'cause we had like a 10- or 12-shot rally and I ended up winning that. After that, I wasn't nervous at all. Q. You know people are looking at you as the next great American. Is that too much, or is that something that you like? SAM QUERREY: No. I mean, I hear that every day and I read about it every day, but I don't even really think about it. I just kind of go out and play and have fun and just kind of the winning comes with that. Q. If the winning doesn't come in the next year, people are still kind of going on about the top young American, do you think you see pressure building up at that point? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I'll be pretty bummed if I'm not up in the rankings within a year. Q. Like how far up do you think you should be? SAM QUERREY: I don't know. Hopefully I'll be like top 50 this time next year. Q. How much of your game is your serve? SAM QUERREY: Uhm, I mean, it's a big part of it. Like, you know, if you watch Andy Roddick, his serve definitely helped him win the US Open in 2003 and, you know, climb up the rankings. It's a big part of my game and, you know, it definitely helps. Q. When you crank it up, do you make a conscious effort to bang it super-hard every once in a while? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, if you go up like 40-Love in a game, sometimes you want to just step up and hit it as hard as you can just to see what you can get on the radar clock. Q. What's the hardest you've ever served? SAM QUERREY: 140. Q. You've been practicing with Andy Roddick? SAM QUERREY: I have, yeah. I was down at his house last week for four or five days practicing, and then we flew up here on Saturday. Q. What do you take away from practicing with some of the American guys? SAM QUERREY: I mean, it's great practice for the week playing with one of the top players in the world. It's a focus like two or three hours every day. Jimmy Connors was down there. Just, you know, I can't practice like that in California where I live. Q. What is it like being a pro? Now you're kind of traveling around the country. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, it's pretty cool. I mean, all my high school friends, like when they think someone's going pro, they kind of relate that to like Reggie Bush signing a $60 million Reebok contract. Like when we go out, they like expect me to, like, take care of everything. It's not like that (laughing). But it's pretty cool so far. Especially like I'm getting wildcards in all these big tournaments. These are definitely fun. Q. Is there a cool way to say, Hey, I'm not picking up the check? SAM QUERREY: No, I usually end up doing it anyway. Q. We ask all these questions about being an American. Do American players think in those terms, or do they just think in terms of themselves? Like, you know, how I'm playing rather than, Geez, there should be another ten guys. SAM QUERREY: Right, it's a little of both. You know, it's a one-man sport so you want your -- you know, you're rooting for yourself to do well. At the same time, you want other Americans, or I want other Americans to do well. Just make the game more popular here. Q. Is there any reason why there aren't more Americans right now in the top 10? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I guess other people are better than the Americans - I guess (smiling). Q. Talking about wildcards in the big events, obviously the big one in a couple of weeks. I'm sure you'll be there. You've made second round at a bunch of ATP events this summer. Tough match today. You said you expect to be in the top 50 next year at this time. What are you expecting short term? US Open, you've got some experience. What are you expecting in New York? SAM QUERREY: Definitely hoping to go at least two or three rounds, you know. I'll be bummed if I lose first round. There's nothing I can do if I play Federer first round. Maybe I could beat him, I don't know (smiling). But, yeah, no, it would be fun to go three or four rounds in it, maybe take out Agassi in a five-setter, night match.
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