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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 16, 2010

Andy Roddick

CINCINNATI, OHIO

A. RODDICK/S. Stakhovsky
6-4, 6-7, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What did Stakhovsky do differently in this match that he didn't do the first time you played him?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, he didn't serve 40% tonight. I think he served 38 or 40% the first time we played, and that makes for an uphill battle most times.
So he served a lot better, and I think that -- I mean, I think that's the main difference.

Q. How were you able to recover so well in the third set after being up 5-4 in the breaker, had the match on your racquet...
ANDY RODDICK: 5-2 in the breaker.

Q. 5-2 even, sure. But having the chances to close it out and then not doing it, but you coming out so strong right after.
ANDY RODDICK: You know, it just happens like that sometimes. I mean, you lose a tough one that you're up, what do you do? You just keep going. I get on the right side of it and was able to -- you know, the third set was almost a blessing in disguise that I got to play it, because that's the best I've played in a couple months.
So, you know, unfortunate that I was there, but I'm glad I played well in it.

Q. Set point first set and 5-All tiebreaker you came to net both times and you didn't get the point. Is that something that you're working on with Larry, to come to net a little bit more or at crucial junctures of the set?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, yeah, I mean, it didn't work then, but it worked a lot to set up the points. I would say overall had to be 65% points won at the net. I'm not sure what the exact stat is.
Also I think just him knowing that he couldn't get away with -- he has a pretty good chip. I wanted to establish that he wasn't gonna be able to play that as just a safety shot to be comfortable.
And so, you know, not only just look at the net approaches, but sometimes he forced a couple there in the third set I guess not wanting me to come in. So it's all -- that doesn't just show up on one point. It's a process of kind of working your way through a match sometimes.

Q. You tee'd off on his second serves. At one point, 60% of your second returns. Did he do anything different on his second serve that he didn't do on his first?
ANDY RODDICK: Um, did he do anything different? Well, yeah, I mean, the first serve is obviously coming in at 128.

Q. Aside from speed.
ANDY RODDICK: Um, you know, I felt like once we got to neutral tonight I was winning the majority of the points. So I've been returning pretty well in practice. I mean, he goes for it pretty good on his first serve, but he also goes tight. You know, he rarely goes for the safety, you know, body serve or he doesn't give himself a lot of margins.
So his first serve points won is normally gonna be pretty high when he does get it in, so it is important to try to establish the upper hand on his second serve points. I did that well tonight.

Q. That 6-1 in the third set suggested that the mono wasn't a problem.
ANDY RODDICK: No. I mean, I don't know that I feel perfect, but good enough. It's just something that at this point you hope it's -- you don't know what percentage of it is there. You just go. If you make the choice to go out there, you try to give it your best.

Q. Third game of the match, first-round match, Come on. You had about a dozen tonight. Was this in your mind a little bit bigger match than maybe expected to get so involved very early on?
ANDY RODDICK: I think so. I wanted to show a little bit of emotion tonight. You know, I wanted to get the crowd involved. I want to compete. More than anything, I just wanted to compete out there and be tough the whole time.
I did. I lost the second set, but I came right back and I was able to get back on top. So I thought I did a good job of that tonight. I was excited to play. I had a good time out there tonight.

Q. Talk about the ridiculous shot at 3-0 in the third set. That was an unbelievable shot to break.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, he barely snuck that lob up over my head, and, you know, it was unfortunate. I went from a dominant position in the point to a very defensive position. The only thing I was trying to do was I thought that he was probably coming in on that. He likes to come in when he can.
So I figured -- all I was trying to do was get direction up the line, and actually edged the up hitting it better than...

Q. Good shot?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I ended up hitting it more solid than I thought. But I think it was because of direction. He was kind of covering the crosscourt, and it was probably the safest shot.
Yeah, definitely not gonna execute that one every time, but I was happy I made it.

Q. Did you lose any weight with mono?
ANDY RODDICK: No.

Q. Is there any danger in exercising heavily when you have it?
ANDY RODDICK: Possibly.

Q. We saw the braces on your ankles tonight. How are they feeling after your first match?
ANDY RODDICK: Those braces have been there since -- how old are you?

Q. 13.
ANDY RODDICK: 13. They've been there since you were about five. So they feel okay. (Laughing.) Thank you, though.

Q. You've had a lot of success on the court in Cincinnati. What are some of the top things you like to do when you have some free time off the court?
ANDY RODDICK: Well yesterday I had a pretty good day. I was out here at 9:30 and practiced about a an hour and a half with Fish, and then caught the Red's game. My friend Homer Bailey from Texas, we train together in the off-season, so I caught him pitch six scoreless, and then went over to the Bengals game last night and then had a nice steak dinner.
You know, it was a pretty good day.

Q. T.O. was here tonight.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah.

Q. Did you get a chance to talk to him at all?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I saw him afterwards. Might go get a bite to eat now. He traveled to Australia, so I figured he would come up to Mason.

Q. Your next opponent is de Bakker. You played him in Indian Wells and you got him 4 and 4. He actually out-aced you that day, and I came away from that match telling people, I just saw Andy Roddick play a version of Andy Roddick. It really looked like you were playing yourself when you played de Bakker. What are you gonna do different against him this time?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, if that's the case, that should make the scouting report easier for me, right? I played him in Australia also first round. He plays big. You know, I think the thing that he's gonna want to probably look to improve on as he gets a little older is just consistency.
He's certainly capable of hitting big serves and shots, it's just a matter of not playing the loose games. It think that's the difference, or it has been the difference the two times we've played.
He's certainly can hit the ball big, and he's certainly a very dangerous opponent.

Q. Has your backhand gotten a little bit better? It looks like he was targeting that a little bit more this match.
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, people talk about how good it's gotten. I don't know that I would consider it like a great shot, but I don't know that it was ever as bad as people made it out to be either.
It seems to be when I win a match, my backhand is so improved; and then when I lose a match, it's the worst shot in tennis. So tonight it was improved.

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