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DAVIS CUP QUARTERFINALS: SPAIN v USA


April 7, 2007


Bob Bryan

Mike Bryan

Patrick McEnroe

Andy Roddick


WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CARLOLINA

TIM CURRY: Questions, please.

Q. Bob and Mike, would you consider this the biggest win of your Davis Cup careers?
MIKE BRYAN: I mean definitely it's the best atmosphere we've ever played in front of. We've had a lot of good Davis Cup wins. Charleston was huge, it was the semifinals. This was a scary match. They were coming. We could feel the heat. They were playing with no pressure after we got up two sets to love, serving huge. Couldn't read their serves. So, I mean, it felt so good to finish off that last tiebreaker because anything can happen in the fifth.
BOB BRYAN: Yeah, I mean, this feels damn good.

Q. Patrick, could you talk about having the Bryans as a doubles team. So many other nations have to mix and match.
CAPTAIN McENROE: It's obviously huge for us. They're so prepared, they're so professional in the way they go about the week, getting ready for the match. They put a lot of pressure on themselves, but they enjoy that. They sort of revel in the pressure of going out there for that one match.
It's been awesome for me to watch them, really to learn from them, to see how well they prepare for everything that could happen out there. I've been impressed with that since we first had them on the team. Their enthusiasm and energy is obvious.
James and Andy and other guys that have played singles for us know that come Saturday, we're totally ready to go. We're totally prepared. Doesn't mean it's a guarantee you're going to win every time, but obviously they've had an incredible record. I think it gives us all a sense of sort of calm knowing that they're going to be so well-prepared and give everything they have on that day.

Q. Andy, I know you came in with a lot of confidence. Were you surprised how this weekend played out? Basically 3-0 seems easy, but may not be as easy as it appears.
ANDY RODDICK: Well, it's definitely not as easy as it appears. But, you know, I can't speak for everybody else, but personally I expected to come in here and for us to get out of here with a win. It's nice that kind of we have a stress-free day on Sunday (laughter). That's nice.
But this week was great. Every aspect of our team came out. James came in probably not having as many matches as he would have wanted. Just completely stepped up and took a top 10 player down. A lot of questions about me coming in, I played. The boys kind of clinched and played their role perfectly. Patrick was super, as well (laughter). He sat well.
CAPTAIN McENROE: I gave you your towel really well, didn't I?
ANDY RODDICK: No, you dropped it (laughter).
But also Mardy Fish came. He was ready to play. He was the team guy this week.
Personally I enjoyed this week about as much as any Davis Cup tie so far. I don't know if you actually asked that question.

Q. You were asked on the court about maybe this is the year it comes together. Can you address that whole issue, that maybe things are falling into place?
CAPTAIN McENROE: Who is this for?

Q. Any of you.
CAPTAIN McENROE: I mean, we feel good. Obviously, I think going to Sweden is a tough match. I think they've got some tough decisions to make about what surface to play us on. They're probably more comfortable on a fast court. Obviously we showed this weekend that we're pretty comfortable there, too.
Every match in Davis Cup has its own challenges and can be tricky in different ways. These guys are dedicated and really into it. I think we've got a great chance. We got to go over there and hope after the Open we're all good and the guys come off a great US Open and we're ready to take it to them in Sweden.
There's still that match to win and hopefully one more.

Q. Andy, you said there was something special about this whole week here in Winston-Salem. What is it with the city? Seems like it's really becoming a special place for the team.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, for sure. I thought it was just great how our team came even more together and everybody played their role perfectly this week. It was a dream to play here, a home tie, in front of 14 and a half thousand people. Just the excitement I thought was contagious. We could feel it. We haven't had a home tie like that maybe since Charleston a couple years ago is the only one comparable. Those two were probably the best by far.
It's a great place. I'm sure hopefully we'll be here again sometime. It's just a great atmosphere.

Q. Patrick, do you think to win the Davis Cup you need great players like you have but also a little luck? It's difficult. I'm talking from the Spanish point of view. It's difficult to win outside home.
CAPTAIN McENROE: I would like to say this, from the Spanish point of view, because a couple years ago we went to Spain and played them in the final. We played in very tough conditions, on a very tough surface for us, but we battled our hearts out. We went down. I've always been really proud of our guys, the way they handled themselves in tough situations with class and professionalism.
I want to take my hat off to the Spanish team. They obviously were up against it in how well we played, the conditions were difficult for them. I give them a lot of credit for playing hard and playing with class and professionalism. I want to thank the Spanish team for that and for showing sportsmanship, which is what Davis Cup is all about. Obviously, you try to do everything to make it in your favor. We did that this weekend. They did that when we played the last time. I'm sure the next time we go to Spain we'll be up against it again.
That's the way it is. That's the beauty of Davis Cup. That's the challenge of it. Certainly we won one match away on clay already, which for us was a huge win, in the Czech Republic. We have to win one more. If things break right and we win that, I think if we could play the final at home, that would be pretty darn big and a great chance for us.

Q. At 4-All in the fourth set, the crowd was into it, the whole match, but there was a pivotal point where you asked the crowd to get up even more. It carried out through the rest of the set. You feed off the energy, but could you talk about how you were playing to the crowd, how that carried you through.
MIKE BRYAN: Yeah, I felt with the holes in the rhythm of the match, felt like they were starting to bring the energy a little more than we were. We got a little flat. Up two sets to love, they started going for their shots.
BOB BRYAN: Really, like Mike said, playing with no pressure. I felt that was the turning point of the match, the 4-All game, when we were down breakpoints. I really wanted to get the crowd fired up. I thought that would make us alive. It did. Even though we didn't get the breaks, we were in a couple of those games, started feeling it. The energy was just running through it. I think that's what carried us through that match at the end.

Q. Patrick, how have you decided to play tomorrow out? What went into your thought process of after you made your decision?
CAPTAIN McENROE: Well, I can tell you that Andy is not going to be playing tomorrow because of his leg. He was a real sort of I guess we use "warrior" sometimes a little too much in sports, but he was struggling this week. He put it on the line for us, played when he wasn't a hundred percent. So that was huge for us. He's not going to play for sure tomorrow.
James will play. Probably while we're out celebrating tonight, we'll figure out who is going to play that other match (laughter).

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