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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

March 23, 2007

Robert Kendrick

KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

Q. When did you get this call, Hey, you're playing?
ROBERT KENDRICK: 10:45 this morning.

Q. Were you ready to leave town or anything like that?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, I was packing my stuff. I was actually going to hit in the park over there in Coconut Grove just for a half hour to loosen up.

Q. Were you still in the hotel room?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, I was still in the hotel room. Well, I came over and signed in at like 9:00 this morning and then went back thinking I had no shot.
I was getting my things together and I was going to go up to Lauderdale tonight. My fiancé's flight was tonight so I was going to take her up there.

Q. What compels you to come back every morning and sign in?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Well, the first couple mornings, you know, I thought it was kind of worthless. I didn't think I was going to get in. A lot of guys, nobody had heard of anything, anybody going to pull out.
So I might have had a little fun last night, and then I woke up -- I'd like to thank Mr. Grey Goose.

Q. So you learned a new training method?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, I won't do that again. I just thought I had zero percent, no shot of getting in.

Q. Does that almost help you, that you're loose, not worried about anything, just lucky to be here?
ROBERT KENDRICK: In the long-run I know that's not an answer, but the old Aussie way, I guess, last night, and play today. And it worked. I won't be doing it again, but it was fun.
You know, I was out there serving all right and just being real loose. The crowd helped me out when I started to double a lot in the second set and get down on myself a little bit, and they got me back up and I think that helped me.

Q. What did you do well today?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Actually just went for my serve pretty much first and second. I was going for a little more, and I thought I hit my backhand real well today. He hits a real flat ball and usually I struggle with that type of shot, but I hit it well today.

Q. Got to change the reservations now?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, I don't know what's going on. I don't even know who I play next. I didn't know where I was going to be in the draw.

Q. Can you talk about the concept, the lucky loser concept?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Well, yeah, it's an interesting one. I was definitely lucky to get in. You know, Korolev got in and then Alejandro Falla, he got in, also, so we were kind of laughing and joking around.
He can't want me to come and sign in because then he'd be first and we didn't think either one of us were going to get in. He ended up winning his match, also, so all lucky loser got in.

Q. Lucky loser party tonight?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Maybe on South Beach.

Q. Is that unusual?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I know lucky losers get in. There's usually about three to four, and I thought there's only going to be one this year. I wasn't too happy with it.

Q. How many times have you been a lucky loser?
ROBERT KENDRICK: This is my second time that I've gotten in. Wimbledon it happened to me.

Q. What year?
ROBERT KENDRICK: In 2003 or 2004.

Q. Did you win that match?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I lost to Lopez.

Q. Pete said this is your second biggest payday, 18,500.
ROBERT KENDRICK: Wow, good job. I didn't look at any of that. I don't know points, money, I don't know.

Q. If you played one match you got $18,500. That's pretty good for one day's pay for you?
ROBERT KENDRICK: It's kind of tough because I've been playing so well in practice and then in the matches, in the final round quallies, I was up a break in both sets and didn't close out either set and then lost and it was just disappointing.

Q. What was your other big payday that we don't know of?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Wimbledon was my biggest, yeah, last year.

Q. What do you do while you're waiting? Lucky losers have to just sit around and hope?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I'm not a morning person, so getting up at 8:00 to come over here and sign in and then go back to bed.

Q. Is there a deadline?
ROBERT KENDRICK: 9:30, half hour before play starts.

Q. So what you're doing basically is hoping that somebody gets hurt?
ROBERT KENDRICK: You don't wish someone gets hurt, but one guy had a little stomach flu. I really don't know what happened to Lleyton, and it's an unfortunate thing to happen. You don't wish that to happen to anybody, but it does happen.

Q. How much extra money would that cost somebody, a lucky loser? At what point is it, Oh, you can only play for the first matches, right? So at a certain point you just leave?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I've been paying the hotel all week hoping I get in. But now it's taken care of since I got in the whole week. It's different. You take chances. I was actually going to stay up in Lauderdale tonight and drive back in the morning and sign in again tomorrow real early.

Q. What do you mean, now it's taken care of?
ROBERT KENDRICK: The tournament.
THE MODERATOR: The tournament provides five nights' complimentary accommodation and then every night until you lose the tournament.
ROBERT KENDRICK: So that's nice.

Q. So it's more than $18,500?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, a little bit.

Q. Can you talk about your career and how it's going now? It looks like this year hasn't been very successful.
ROBERT KENDRICK: This year I kind of played really well at the end of last year and I got into the Top 100 for the first time. Then go down to Australia, or go to New Zealand first. Ran into Mardy first round and then played Nadal in Australia. Kind of the first round losses there, get your confidence down a little bit.
And then in Memphis, I had Benjamin Becker on the ropes and couldn't finish him off. I've just been down a little bit because I've been losing so many close matches. It takes its toll. I'm getting married in a month and that's got me a little nervous, too. Maybe I should have a little Grey Goose.

Q. What's her name?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Elizabeth Proctor.

Q. What does she do?
ROBERT KENDRICK: She actually worked for the Tennis Channel. I think she's going to keep -- she stopped to plan the wedding, and I think she's going to start back again.

Q. Was she a player at one point?
ROBERT KENDRICK: She played at Wake Forest. She was a top junior and played at Wake Forest.

Q. This could help pay for the wedding?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, I'll help her dad out.

Q. What does she do?
ROBERT KENDRICK: She works in advertising for them. She lived in New York and actually moved back home to Myrtle Beach to plan the wedding and we're going to be living in Naples.

Q. Are you still tight with Robby?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Ginepri? I was with him last night.

Q. Here he is having a difficult time and he sees his buddy get in as a lucky loser.
ROBERT KENDRICK: Oh, he's happy for me. I just told him not to pour me a Heineken tonight.

Q. You partied with Robby. He was drowning his sorrows last night.
ROBERT KENDRICK: No, we just watched the games. He shut it down early, pretty early. We watched the Ohio State game and he went back.

Q. Are you still a big UM fan?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, big 'Canes fan. Both my parents went there, both of them.

Q. What do they do?
ROBERT KENDRICK: My dad is a real estate appraiser back in Fresno, and my mom just takes care of the brats.

Q. Did you live with Robby, or still do?
ROBERT KENDRICK: No, I never lived with him.

Q. Do you follow the games? Or talk to me about UM a little bit.
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, big time. The football. The basketball has been a little depressing of late, but I love going to the football games.

Q. What do you think about -- I'm the beat writer for the Miami Herald. What o you think of the new coach?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I don't know, somebody has got to get the players under control a little bit. I think it's a good hire. Coker was a good guy, though. He got kind of a bad deal.

Q. You're a Dolphins fan, also?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Huge fan, more Dolphins, yeah.

Q. Do you ever go to UM games or Dolphins' games?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, I go every chance I can get. To be on this side with tournaments and all that is pretty tough.

Q. You said you live --
ROBERT KENDRICK: I'm moving into a place in Naples.

Q. Now you live?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Sanibel Island. My parents have a condo in Sanibel, so I've been pretty much there.

Q. Do your parents visit this area a lot?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, they're always here. About half the year they're down here.

Q. You play the winner of Goldstein/Murray. Much history?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I played Andy a couple times. Played in Newport and then played him first round of the US Open.

Q. How did you do?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Lost in four sets. Had my chances, but he's playing good tennis, so it'll be tough. Maybe Paul can give him a beating tonight for the U.S. guys.

Q. He always looks like he's moping on the court, Murray.
ROBERT KENDRICK: Oh, yeah. I'm not going to get into that. He's always saying good things to Brad, I think.

Q. I guess it was Cañas who beat Federer?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Same thing last week, lucky loser.

Q. I mean, you can -- in a match like that you can kind of make a name for yourself almost.
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, absolutely. Well, he's made his name. He's a great player. He's back in the Top 50, so it's a great accomplishment what he's done this past year.

Q. Just the concept?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, the concept. It's a little strange. It doesn't happen too much with lucky losers getting through like this, but it's interesting.

Q. How far do you think you can go this week?
ROBERT KENDRICK: I'm not going to worry about it, just keep playing.

Q. Isn't that tag kind of unappealing, lucky loser?
ROBERT KENDRICK: Yeah, we've got to change the name, I think.

Q. Got an idea?
ROBERT KENDRICK: No, I will, though, in a little bit.

End of FastScripts

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