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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2008

Mikhail Youzhny

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Pretty good start of the season. How do you assess your game since the beginning of the year?
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Yeah, it's a good start, but season just started. I have some good matches, but now is tough to say what I'm doing because I'm still in tournament, still in quarterfinal, and we can talk about the start of the season after the Australian Open because you always more what you do.

Q. Nikolay said he was very upset by your slice. Do you think it's one of the keys of the match?
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: I played good today almost everything. That's why I don't want to tell now what I have to do to beat Nikolay, because we are not last time to play against each other. And also I don't like to play -- tell everybody what kind of tactic I prefer against players. That's why -- it's good today. I beat Nikolay, but, you know, if you play tomorrow, it could happen everything. That's why today, it's good match for me.

Q. People talk about this as being the most relaxed Grand Slam, that people are relaxed and confident and happy. Is that the same for you? Do you feel very relaxed here?
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, Grand Slam is Grand Slam for all players. No, I cannot say here is relaxed. No, okay, for me, just four Grand Slams in a year a year. It's main tournaments I think for all players. I didn't think any relax or any difference between French Open, Wimbledon or US Open.

Q. But sometimes at the start of the year, a surprise player does well here. It's had a history of someone... .
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Yeah, it may be true, but it is now tough to say something about the year. It's beginning of the year, and beginning of the year everything could happen. But if you see last tournaments in the year, also everything could happen.
But now it's very tough statistically. But everybody know is first Grand Slam starting in January. That's why everybody try to be ready.

Q. You looked very confident on the court, your style of play and right from the start, you looked very pumped.
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, I really enjoy to play here and I really want to play. That's why I enjoy, like I say, every point in the game.
Now, I like this astrosphere, and that's why maybe looks from outside, it's something happens with me. But when you good shape or if you have some discomfort or injury or something, when you mind not on court, outside on court, it's very tough to show, you know, good game, good... .

Q. Nikolay is your Davis Cup teammate. Has it been difficult to watch what's been happening away from the court with him with the investigation?
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: You know, it's very tough I think for all players, not only because he's from Russia. Because actually I don't have full information about this one. And I know for sure it's really bad for tennis, it's really bad for players. Now we start to talk about all players, like I said, about all players, the investigation affect the matches or something. I think is it not true. And, first of all, it's bad for us, it's bad for tennis.

Q. What do you know about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga?
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: I know him long time already. I remember him when he play like two, three years ago. After I think he had some injury.
But he improve a lot. Last year he play very well in Bercy, I think. He was in fourth round or third round, I don't remember. And here he play really well. He beat good, very good players. You know, first round he beat Murray. Today he beat Gasquet. He played very well, what I saw by TV.

Q. What do you fear in his game?
MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: You know, I have to into court and try to show hundred percent what I can do from my game. And after we'll see if it will be enough to beat Tsonga, as well. If not...

End of FastScripts

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