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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 18, 2006

Tommy Robredo

CINCINNATI, OHIO

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tommy, please.

Q. You seem to be more and more aggressive with each match you're playing. Is that coming from confidence, or is it a conscious decision?
TOMMY ROBREDO: Well, it could be both, no? It could be that when you get a lot more confidence, then you can play a lot more aggressive, no?
But also today it was a match that even I knew that there was two games, no, when he was serving and when I was serving. I really knew that when I was serving, I had to be a little bit aggressive, no, because he was always back so far and trying to just put the ball inside and waiting for your mistakes, no? That's why I was a little bit more aggressive.

Q. Am I right in thinking you haven't lost your serve yet this week?
TOMMY ROBREDO: No?

Q. So they say upstairs. That's what the statistics show.
TOMMY ROBREDO: Whoa, that's strange (smiling).

Q. Can you remember going that far through a tournament without losing your serve before?
TOMMY ROBREDO: I don't know.

Q. How come your serve's been so good?
TOMMY ROBREDO: I don't know. I am not serving a lot better than last week, it's just a matter of that maybe I have more good luck because when you have 15-40 in one game, you can win or you can lose the serve. I had a few, no, and I save a lot of breakpoints.
Then, I don't know, I think I'm just playing better from the baseline, and then I have a lot more chances to don't lose the serve. But it's not a matter of putting three aces every game, it's a matter of putting a lot of first serve percentage and then trying to play the point from the baseline. I'm happy that I don't lose serve.

Q. You were 6-3 down in the tiebreak. That was absolutely crucial, wasn't it, that you save those points?
TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah, sure, but I was also 6-5 down, 15-40, no? There was a few parts of the game today that there was close for him, close for me. The first game of the match I could broke him, then in the second, he could broke me. Then he had 15-40 on the 6-5, I think I had the 15-40 as well. Then in the tiebreak it was 2-1 for him with a mini-break, 3-2 for me with mini-break, then two mistakes in a row, then 5-3 for him. One call that I didn't challenge, that the ball was good. And then it was 6-3 for him and then few mistakes.
I don't know, it happens sometimes, no, that if you don't get the special point, the point that you really need to win the set, then you can lose it. It happened a few times to me and a few times to him. I don't know. That's the beauty of tennis.

Q. Are you doing anything differently in practice, in training that you weren't doing last year and your results are so good this year?
TOMMY ROBREDO: No, I am practicing a lot less. I'm enjoying a lot more. I don't know. I think tennis, it's a matter of confidence. It's a matter of being funny and happy on the court. It's a matter of a lot of different things, no? You have to get good draws or good matches in a few tournaments, and then if you win that matches you get the confidence to play better in other places. I think it's a lot of things, no?
I've been working a lot in the last two years or three years so hard with my last coach, and I broke up with him in May - no, in April, May. Then after that, I was practicing a lot less, trying to enjoy a lot more, going to the tournaments with friends because I had no coach for three months.
I don't know. In that time I had the really nice experiences, really nice wins, and then I just get a moment of my life really quiet, really emotions, a lot of emotions. I don't know. I think that I can get the emotions and keep doing the same thing - that just practice and being concentrate during the matches. I don't know. It's helping me.
I think I find the way to manage that.

Q. It's like a balance?
TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah. I think that I find the balance, no, the management of these things. And all the practice I've been doing, now I can put it on to the matches, no? Because before I was practicing so hard, practicing so well, and then I was getting on to the court and every time one thing was not going on the right thing, I was just going down, no?
And now I'm practicing less and I'm arriving to the match and if something goes wrong, then I'm just keep going, trying, no? I'm trying, trying. Finally, I think that I get that balance, no, and that's it.

Q. How much were you practicing before? How much are you practicing now?
TOMMY ROBREDO: But that's tough to say, no, because when you are in preseason you can practice for hours. When you are in one tournament, if I have one day off tomorrow, I will practice 45 minutes, no? It's not -- it depends of during the season.
But the thing is, before I was practicing mornings and afternoons. Right now maybe I'm just practicing mornings. I'm getting the afternoon for free or, I don't know, to make physically. But when I'm at home, I enjoy it more. I practice in the morning and I have all the day free. It's summer, no, and it helps because then I can go to the swimming or I can go with friends. I don't know. It's different, no, timing.
But I just practicing a little bit less. Not 80% less, no? If I was practicing three hours, now I am practicing two. I keep practicing hard and working hard, no, but just a little more patience and relax.

Q. What's it like when you play Juan Carlos?
TOMMY ROBREDO: It's like if you play another guy. I don't care who I have in front, it's just try to play my best, and then we will see if I can win or not. Tonight maybe we're gonna go dinner together, no? But it's not a matter of friendship or if you hate the opponent, no? I am just going on site and just trying to do my best. I want to finish the match and go to the locker room and say, Well, that's what I did, I did my best and I won, I'm so proud of me. Or, I lost, Well, next time we should maybe change this or make another things. But it's not a matter of the opponent; it's just me, I think.

Q. Were you surprised that he beat Rafa today?
TOMMY ROBREDO: Yes and not. Yes, because normally Rafa is losing four matches a year. Then it's surprising, no? But not because I was watching Juan Carlos playing all the week, and I saw him playing pretty good, no?
I don't know. It's always -- it can happen, no? But normally not supposed to happen. It's like Federer, you think he's gonna win for sure the Masters Series, but then he lost. Tennis is like this. If you have one day that you play maybe 5% less and the other guy plays good, then it's for him, the match.

Q. It's a very good tournament for Spain this week so far.
TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah. Hopefully David now is gonna win and we can be three guys in semifinals.

Q. How do the courts play? Are they fast?
TOMMY ROBREDO: If I have to be honest, every player when we arrive here would say, Oh, Jesus, that's so fast. That was our first impression.
Then we get used and we practice and then it's okay. It's the same for everyone. But the first days in the locker room the people were saying, Oh, the courts are so fast compared to Toronto.

Q. Are they faster than Flushing Meadows, as well?
TOMMY ROBREDO: Oh, that's one year ago. I don't know.
I think in US Open it's fast, as well. But I don't know. They can change every year, no, because they paint it and you never know. But in US Open, the center is different than the others. I don't know why, but maybe there is a lot more Rebound Ace. I don't know. It's different.

Q. You made a challenge in the tiebreak. What do you think of the whole HawkEye challenge system?
TOMMY ROBREDO: What did I think? Well, I think it's a good thing and also it's a bad thing. It's a good thing because when you have important point, maybe you can lose serve or you can lose a point, and it can give you lot for a mistake of the umpire, no?
But, as well, it's not fair to have the challenge court here and when you play on Court 3 you don't have it, no? We have to be fair for everyone, no, not only for the great players, not only for the Federers, Nadals and top 10 players, no? You have to be the same for everyone. Same rules for everyone.
If in first round on Court 4 they want to challenge, they have to do it. I was playing here on Center once and then I was going to play on Grandstand. One said, Hey, I want challenge. I say, No, there is no TV here. And then it's not fair.
But I think it's a good thing if it goes quick because sometimes between first and second serve you want to challenge it, then the ball is out, then you have to serve after 30 seconds, no?

Q. There was one today that took quite a long time.
TOMMY ROBREDO: Yeah. Then it's -- I don't know. I think everyone has to get used to this and go faster, no? But I think it's pretty good thing if you use it in all courts.

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