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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 20, 2009

Andy Roddick

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

A. RODDICK/N. Djokovic
6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You seem to specialize in dethroning this guy.
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know if we've started yet. Questions, please, Bud. Ha, ha.

Q. We've talked a lot about the weight loss, but do you feel faster on the court?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I think it's something I noticed more at first, but, you know, four months in, you know, from when you kind of started it, I guess it feels a little bit more normal. But there's definitely been a difference.

Q. Is there kind of a different approach to your game? What do you think you did well that helped you beat Novak so well today?
ANDY RODDICK: First off, I don't think he had his best day, by any means. That obviously helps right away.
I mixed up the paces pretty well. I hit my forehand when I had to. The chip was a pretty good neutralizing shot for me today. I was hitting it pretty firm, and I didn't really miss any returns.
I think that's a big thing for me.

Q. Last year before this tournament you were Dubai, and you got both Novak and Nadal back to back in that desert. Now you have them back to back again. Does that ring any kind of bells or anything like that?
ANDY RODDICK: I'm going to go with no, because I hadn't thought of it until you just asked me. (laughter.)
I mean, it's not the same tournament. I mean, you can -- you know, they're both deserts and they're both hard courts, but, you know, the courts play pretty differently.
You know, it's a different tournament.

Q. I know you probably talked about it before. I missed it. Can you talk about your decisions on not defending your title at Dubai?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, what do you want to know?

Q. Just how long it took for you to come up with your decision to not play?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't think -- it wasn't -- it didn't take long. It was pretty quick. I think there were some -- times when you could pull and when you could whatever.
But, you know, I pretty much -- you know, when I kind of heard about it I didn't really -- I couldn't really believe it. I was pretty surprised. Yeah, that was it.

Q. What's the key to you playing well on this kind of slow hard court?
ANDY RODDICK: I think I mixed up my serves pretty well this week. Paces, you know, I'm kind of mixing my game plans in matches. I'm not just kind of playing one way. I'm playing different points different ways.
Obviously if you're moving better it's going to help, because, you know, good points are extended on a slow, high bouncing court like this one.

Q. Are you enjoying playing doubles? You played well yesterday.
ANDY RODDICK: And tonight, Bud.

Q. I didn't see today, but you won.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it's been fun. You know, I've always played pretty well when I have played, you know. It's a good time. Mardy's, you know, super into it, and he said his ranking is getting eerily close to his singles ranking. I'm just glad to be of assistance.

Q. Will you do much of it, you think?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I haven't really thought about it much.

Q. What about the opportunity of winning the doubles title here?
ANDY RODDICK: Oh, it's great. I mean, you know, it's something I didn't really think was probably going to happen. But, you know, we've come this far, and we're playing really well.
We haven't lost a set. We've been playing really good. We've beaten some pretty solid teams, so, you know, one up.

Q. What about the opportunity of playing Bob and Mike in the finals?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I'm normally the one watching them and cheering for them. It will be a little bit weird. We've played before, but not for a long time. Probably not since we've developed our Davis Cup kind of relationship.
Yeah, I look forward to it. You know, why not play the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in the same day? Might as well.

Q. All week long, you look like you're really on top of everything and very energetic and enthusiastic, quick movements. I was watching your turnaround. Is that true? Are you feeling like you're moving better than you've moved in a long time?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I think so. Um, I mean, I'm trying to come up with a creative way of answering that. Yes, I mean, it's pretty straightforward. I feel like I'm moving a little bit better, yeah.

Q. Did you have any sense of what was going on with Djokovic out there? Did you have any feel for what was happening to him? Did you spot anything early in the match? Did he seem listless or anything like that?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. Was there something I was missing?

Q. No, I don't know either.
ANDY RODDICK: I'd be guessing.

Q. So how do you feel about the prospect of facing Nadal? Do you feel you can do some damage in that match?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, sure. It's a difficult matchup for anyone. He seems to like this surface and it probably favors him. But, you know, with the way I serve, I think I'm always in there with a shot.
I'm returning better, and I'm able to mix it up with my returns. We'll see. I'll obviously have to play very well.

Q. When you played Novak in New York and Australia, you attacked a lot more. Today was it a different strategy, or were you just feeling your way throughout the match and thinking, I can play pretty steady?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know that I attacked that much in Australia. I think I mixed that. I don't think I'm doing one thing consistently every point, you know.
You know, I'm -- I think getting in better shape has allowed me to give myself more of a chance playing different ways. I know that I can get to the balls, and I can, you know, possibly do something when I am there so I'm not forced to kind of go for broke on every shot.
So, you know, that helps, and it gives you -- just gives you options.

Q. Can you take us back to your recollections of your semifinal match against Rafa two years ago here?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I don't have many because it was pretty quick. Yeah, I mean, he came out and just was firing. I remember he hadn't been playing his best tennis coming into this event, and I know -- you know, people were talking about it a little bit.
He came out and just beat the crap out of me. It was pretty simple. I don't think I was hitting the ball or moving as well as I am now, but he exposed that pretty good.

End of FastScripts

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