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DAVIS CUP QUARTERFINALS: FRANCE v USA

April 11, 2008

Andy Roddick

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy, please.

Q. How much would you attribute this win to how well you're playing now as opposed to how many years of Davis Cup experience you have? Do you value one over the other?
ANDY RODDICK: Probably Davis Cup experience I think might have more to do with it. I think the wins I've had in the last five or six weeks were a long time coming. I mean, I don't know if I'm playing that much better than I have. I think it's just the confidence to do it on big points which makes a big difference.
But, yeah, I've said repeatedly over the last, you know, year or so that I've become a good Davis Cup player. At the beginning of my career, I don't think I played my best tennis in Davis Cup. It's a different kind of pressure and it's a different kind of match.
I think it's taken a while for me to be comfortable.

Q. It seemed like it was a really good service day for both you and Michael. Can you talk about that. I gather the surface contributed to that, as well.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it's slick. I mean, if you would have told me going into the match to make a prediction, I would have said we're probably going to serve huge, there's not going to be a lot of breaks, it's probably going to come down to a couple points here and there. I like my chances on those, just having been through them before.
I think that's pretty much what took place. You know, I thought I returned a lot better than only having one break to show for it. I feel like the big points that I did win I earned. You know, he didn't really -- I thought he might play a little bit tighter than he did. I think it was his first live singles rubber. So I thought he played well and I had to play really good stuff today to get through.

Q. How much do you pick your spots out there? How much of that Davis Cup experience that you alluded to comes with that?
ANDY RODDICK: 'Pick my spots' in what sense?

Q. Where to attack at certain points.
ANDY RODDICK: You know what, I wish I had enough control to pick where I wanted to attack. Pretty much I kind of want to maintain an aggressive mindset the whole time. If I get my two feet set, then give the ball a ride.
But when you have someone who's serving that well, kind of coming in a lot, it makes it real tough to get a lot of rhythm out there. So it's kind of just being ready for that one return or those two returns or maybe getting a look at a pass and trying to convert.
You know, sometimes you're not getting a lot of action for 15, 20 minutes out there. Then all of a sudden on a big point, you're expected to hit one shot. That's just the kind of match it was out there today.

Q. Your backhand was especially sturdy today. Can you talk about how it really helped you. A couple of big passers when he was charging to net all the time.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, my backhand has probably become a shot that I pass better off of, even though I don't know if I'll ever get the stigma out of my head that I can't hit one. I've been passing well all year off of that side. I'm comfortable doing it.
I probably could have hit it better in the rallies. But on big return points, a couple of passes, I hit it all right.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about the crowd and the atmosphere today.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it was great. I mean, they got loud when they needed to. I was able to play to them a little bit. I thought he handled it pretty well. I don't feel like he got rattled that much by it.
It's always a huge adrenaline boost when you have the crowd on your side and they're as loud as they are.

Q. How many times in the last couple of years have you faced someone who comes in on every first serve, a lot of second serves? It's very rare, isn't it?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. There's a handful of guys that probably do it. And then there's some guys who maybe feel like they have to do it against me.
But also the surface dictates what you're able to do. I mean, even at Wimbledon you're not able to serve and volley any more. And it's not because we don't want to; it's because it's not a viable option a lot of the times, with the heavy balls and the slow courts, the way the guys return nowadays, you know. If the courts were like this, you'd see it a lot more because it's a good option.

Q. In light of the fact that you were able to pass Llodra on several key shots, are you surprised he didn't try to change tactics and maybe go with some more groundstroke rallies?
ANDY RODDICK: He did. I don't know if he stayed back on anything in the first set. And then second and third he mixed it up. He stayed back on a couple first serves, a couple of second serves. But I still was pretty sure on big points that he was gonna kind of push all in and move forward.
But I think he did actually make some good adjustments on not only where he was serving. I was getting in a groove on my returns. Then he switched it up and started hitting a couple more to my forehand, mixing up the second serves. I thought he actually adjusted pretty well throughout the match.

Q. I think the U.S. has won 77-17 when they've won the first match. Can you talk about how important winning that first match is.
ANDY RODDICK: Well, you know, those stats are deceiving just because a lot of them took place before the Titanic. So I don't know how much stock I put in those.
I do know one thing, and I can simplify it: it's a lot better to be up 1-0 than down 1-0.

Q. Are you getting used to that dynamic of a guy on paper who maybe is not supposed to be at your level playing his first Davis Cup match, live rubber, playing that well? Is there something to this chemistry that really pumps these guys up?
ANDY RODDICK: Maybe. You know, let's not sell Llodra short. I think everybody on our team, including James and Mardy, were saying, on this surface he's probably their best guy, you know, their best option. I got it wrong out there, but I think he won Rotterdam, not Marseille. And that was a ridiculous field that he went through.
You know, I think he won a tournament in Australia also, maybe Adelaide or something like that. He's been playing well. You give him conditions that he's gonna like. You know, I wasn't expecting the guy to come out and play like he was 40 in the world. If that court's like that all year long, he's a lot higher, that's for sure.

Q. Describe the feeling of getting your championship ring and then also how hard was it to focus on the match right after the ceremony.
ANDY RODDICK: It was weird because I was trying to -- it was great to get it and see it. But if I'm being honest, I was trying to kind of almost blank out during it because I knew I had to play a match. Seeing all those highlights, seeing the guys with the rings, you know, I didn't know if I wanted to get too emotional and too caught up. Lord knows, I don't need to be more nervous before Davis Cup matches.
I thought it was a great gesture by the USTA to give us that opportunity, to give us the rings, first of all, and then to kind of publicly appreciate what we were able to do last year. I thought it was a classy move. You know, it was nice of them.

Q. You seemed to be chatting it up a bit apparently to yourself. Could you share with us what you were saying and why?
ANDY RODDICK: I have no idea. I probably can't share what I'm saying. And why? Because there's no one else out there for me to talk to (laughter).

Q. Your volleys looked pretty solid. Did you feel pretty comfortable at the net?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, felt pretty good. I hit a couple of 'em where I just had to walk it off, like that's just what I always do, you know. But I think I was hitting good approach shots. I think that's the thing that gets overlooked a lot when people talk about volleys. Because if you put yourself in good positions where they're not hitting passing shots with two feet set, you're going to look a lot better sometimes. Even your average volleys will look good because they're out of position.
So I thought my approaches were pretty strong today.

Q. I think some people would be surprised to know you're still nervous. I know you've talked about trying not to be too nervous. But are nerves part of getting ready, too? Are they necessary in a way?
ANDY RODDICK: Sure. If I'm not nervous, then I have stuff to worry about. I think if you're not nervous about something, then you're not really that concerned about it. And that goes with anything, you know. If you're expecting big news, you're going to be nervous, too.
I don't know. If you want something, you're going to be a little bit nervous. 'Nervous' has its negative connotation a lot of times, but it's something that it's gonna be there. It's just a matter of how you kind of handle it.
You know, if I was feeling nothing before I went on court, I'd probably start worrying. If I was feeling nothing, I'd probably start getting nervous (laughter).
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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