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THE ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 14, 2007

Alex Bogdanovic

LONDON, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Alex.

Q. Are you disappointed about losing or happy you played so well?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: It's always disappointing. I did play a great match today, but obviously every match you lose, you're kind of a little bit down. That's what tennis is about really.
I played one loose game in the third set and it was over. When someone serves as big as Andy, it's really difficult. Every time he hit a first serve in, I struggled to return that. I think the key was, yeah, he served a lot better than me.
But, you know, I can take a lot of positives out of that match.

Q. Despite the result, is it fair to say that was the best performance of your career?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, definitely. I played a great match today. Obviously after playing yesterday, playing Jamie yesterday, I knew I had to play a lot better. I had nothing to lose today. It was kind of a different kind of pressure, just going out there and trying to do my best and win.
I think when we got into a tiebreaker, it was kind of unlucky, you know, that it just came down to one or two points that decided the tiebreak. If I played that one point -- if that ball would have been out, you never know.
That's how it goes, I guess.

Q. A lot of people have always known you have that great variety of shots. He did play a lot to your backhand. Does that reiterate to you that you can really get up there and do things in this game?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, I believe so. It's matches like this you can learn a lot from.
Talking to my coach and stuff, Paul said it's always easy to play someone when you've got nothing to lose. You step out there, swing away. It doesn't really matter. It all comes down to the big occasions, you know, big points, big matches. That's where you have to play your best tennis. I'm working towards that.
I think yesterday after beating Jamie, you know, that was a great win for me. Even though I played not a great match, you know, but I got through it somehow. A set and a break down, I was out of it, but I managed to find a way. Matches like that is really going to help me get up to the top.

Q. What did he say to you when you walked back into the locker room?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: He said, You played a great match today. Obviously we haven't sat down yet to talk about what happened. But he was just positive, you know, good. I know you're kind of a little bit down, but that's kind of the way it goes.

Q. What did Roddick say to you?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: He said, you know, Great stuff. If you keep going like this, you're going to get up there pretty soon.

Q. What did he shout at you at the end of the second set? Did you pick that up?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: No, I didn't. He was just -- I think he was just pumping himself up. I don't know what he said. Whether he was talking to me or to himself, I'm not sure.

Q. For all that you played well in the match, do you curse Hawk-Eye for that call at 5-5?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: No. I mean, that's what makes it really fun. To be honest with you, I thought the ball was out at first. But then obviously often the machine has been more accurate. He hit a great shot, caught the line. That's the way it goes. Some days it would have been out. Today just, you know, a great shot by him. That's all you can do about that.

Q. What is your plan from here?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I got a walk-on into Nottingham. Heading for Nottingham next week, preparing for that.

Q. What sort of areas do you feel you still need to work on to make a further push?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: You know, I think there's a lot in my game, for example, moving forward, coming to the net. I'm building the point well from the back and trying to finish the point at the net. Like today I had a lot of chances when I had him side to side, but I'm not so comfortable up front. Me and Peter are working on that because I believe if I can get that into my game, also mixing my serve up with serve-volleying. Sometimes I'm not serving over 140 like Andy, but my serve is kind of accurate. I'm mixing it up a lot. I've got to kind of come forward after that serve. It's a left-handed serve. There's a lot of spin on it. It's tough for the opponents to hit a big shot from it.

Q. Were you surprised how much he did play to your backhand?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, I was I think kind of -- I guess that's a big serve for him. Every time he kept hitting down the T, you know, he would have missed it. But he felt like every time he got me good from the deuce court, he was in control, he can use his forehand. That was the key.
You know, he's hitting that serve like at 125, 130 as well. It was pretty difficult to kind of cover that side, he hits an ace down the middle.

Q. As an occasion, how does that compare to Federer at Wimbledon, Nadal at Wimbledon, and the two Davis Cups?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I think a lot better. I feel like I'm getting better every time. I feel like I'm more comfortable out there. Doesn't matter who I'm playing. It's just as many more matches I can have like that, the better it's going to get.

Q. How would you assess your pre-Wimbledon form? You've had two matches at Surbiton, three here. In a nutshell, how do you assess it?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I feel like I can take a lot of positives from this match. As many more matches I can get before Wimbledon, the better. I played two matches in Surbiton. I played here three matches. The more matches you get, the more match-fit you are, obviously ready for the big one.

Q. What is your situation with Peter? He's got a contract to a certain number of weeks in British tennis.
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: They're trying to take care of me. There's Paul Annacone. When Peter can't make it, Paul is around. Also with Brad and Andy. The sooner I get up there, maybe top hundred, the more I can travel with those guys and be around guys like that.

Q. Was that Aubrey out there?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah.

Q. What does he do?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Just watching. Came to support really.

Q. Not coaching you?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: No.

Q. Is there a certain ranking you want to be by next year? Are you setting yourself certain targets?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: I want to break the top hundred first. That's been my goal. I want to do that. I feel like in the next couple of weeks, if I play as well as I did today, try to take it one match at a time, I feel like it's possible because I'm pretty close.

Q. Will becoming British No. 2 at some point in the future change how you approach your career?
ALEX BOGDANOVIC: Yeah, it will be nice. But I'm more focused on breaking the top hundred. Whether I'm 3, 2, it's just trying to build my game, get out there and beat these guys, like Andy today, that's kind of what you're aiming for.

End of FastScripts

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