|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERSAugust 19, 2010Andy RoddickCINCINNATI, OHIO A. RODDICK/R. Soderling THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You had a couple of animated discussions with the chair umpire tonight. Was that about him not overruling when he should've? ANDY RODDICK: It had nothing to do with that specific instance. First and foremost, let me say that Robin didn't hear the call because it was a very meek call; therefore you didn't challenge quickly. Completely understandable. So my only thing is he thought he won the point, went back to his towel, came back, and then we heard the score, and then there was a challenge. So my simple question was, how long -- I've seen umpires go, No, you took too long before, and they won't let 'em challenge. So all I wanted was a number on what's too long to challenge. They said, Timely manner. I said, What's a timely manner? Just it's at my judgment. Just give me a number. That's all I want is a number. You know, I ended up badgering him to where he said ten seconds, and then I just had another discussion with some other people from the ATP, and they said, Well, until the other guy serves. I said, Well that's like 22 seconds. So we're talking about a 12-second differential between know one knows. That's it. I mean, I'm not asking for like a miracle. I'm just asking for -- and someone else suggested that why don't the hawk eye people just start a thing and have a buzzer go off when you can't challenge anymore if someone is thinking about it. I don't think you should be able to look at marks and do the whole thing. We all do it; we're all guilty of it because we can, but I don't think we should be able to. That was my only thing, was that I couldn't get a flippin' answer on what's a timely manner. Just give me a definition of that. So we just talked each other in circles for an entire switchover. Q. Yesterday was solid; today was -- fill-in the blank. ANDY RODDICK: Sorry? Q. Yesterday was solid; today was? ANDY RODDICK: It was pretty good. Um, you know, most of it, the first set and a half was really, really good. Played a loose game there and then didn't play a great tiebreaker. Again, kept it together in the third and was able to get through. I thought I served pretty well and returned pretty well. I think each match is getting a little better. Q. When was the last time you would have felt as well about how you played as you did today? ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I played pretty well yesterday. But I don't know. It's been a little while. I mean, it's been a struggle, so... To put three good matches together here was extremely necessary fore going into the US Open. If I had gone out first, second round here, that would not have been very good. Q. With respect to being on the sidelines for a little bit of an extended period of time, you had a night match tonight, and obviously a day match tomorrow. Any concerns about the quick turnaround time? ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, well, they gave a not before 2:00. With the match at 7:00, not before 4:00 would have been super. Two hours doesn't make much sense, but it does in the grand scheme of it. So, yeah, especially with what I've been going through, I'm a little concern about it. You know, probably not thrilled. I certainly understand their position, though. They have to announce the lineup to the world, the global media, by a certain time. They can't wait on a result to dictate that. It's unfortunate, but I certainly understand their predicament as well. Q. What does a match like this do for your confidence, not only for the rest of this tournament, but going into the US Open? ANDY RODDICK: It's good. Any time you beat a guy that's 5 in the world -- you know, beat a couple guys top 40 and then a guy 5 back-to-back-to-back, it's good thing. Especially a couple of tight ones. All three of them were pretty tight. That's what you're looking for. I came here with not a whole a lot of expectation. This probably exceeds what my confidence level was coming in. So I'm gonna leave this tournament, regardless of what happens, a lot more confident than I came. That's the first time I've been able to say that for a little bit. Q. Talk about Robin's serve. Obviously he serves as hard as you do. It didn't look like he was mixing it up maybe as much as you; is that a true assessment? ANDY RODDICK: Well he probably hits it harder. You know, he consistently probably hits it harder. It's a flatter serve, you know, therefore I think I have a little bit more movement on mine. Slice tailing away may be the other thing. But he serves big. There were a couple times there I think when I had match points I guessed the right way, you know, and still didn't get it. If he hits a spot at 137 going the other way, you know, he's dictating to you a lot of the time. Q. Sounds like a silly question, but you have a one-two combo with your first and second serve, maybe the best on tour, why do you and other guys take something off the second serve simply to get it in knowing that you've then reduced your chance of winning the point? We've actually crunched the numbers, and it actually comes out the other way sometimes. ANDY RODDICK: Well, because it's normally a 50/50 proposition. The average first serve percentage on tour is what, 55? You know, that's basically -- here is the difference, okay. Q. But you're winning 75% of those points. ANDY RODDICK: I understand that. I'm gonna explain it to you. Blackjack is what, about a 50/50 game? But you normally play until you go caput, correct? So all it takes is all of a sudden you're -- two double faults in a row and you're Love-30. If sports were played on a stat sheet, you know, the look of it would probably be a lot different. One thing you're not putting into consideration with the numbers is nervous tension. You know, it's a lot easier on a black and white piece of paper with a number to -- most people don't serve a ton better under pressure. So if you're digging yourself a hole, Love-15, Love-30, it's a totally different ballgame. That can't be explained numbers, I don't think. Q. Talk about your next match tomorrow against Djokovic. I think you're up in career head-to-heads. He's got some physical issues, respiratory, that might affect the match. ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, we'll see. That's probably not -- I don't -- no disrespect, but I don't think I'm too concerned about. What I am concerned about is playing a guy who's been top 3 in the world for the past four years or so. That's what I'm concerned with. You know, he brings a lot to the table. He returns great and he's great off the ground and he's pretty solid and he toughs out a lot matches. It didn't get easier from here. Q. I was thinking though that he'll be about as depleted as you are, so it might be more of an even match. ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, I would be guessing. Q. Third set, Soderling serving at 3-4; he got into a Love-40 hole; he bounced back, got it to deuce, and then he had another breakpoint at that point, so four chances gone by the wayside. Didn't convert. But what was your thought process going into your service game at that point? ANDY RODDICK: I was disappointed that I didn't get a look at one second serve on those points. I think I put three out of four first serve returns in, you know. In the second set I feel like I didn't put returns in when I could have, in the tiebreaker especially. There I felt like I played a pretty good game through it all. He hit two aces and the first one he cracked a forehand winner at the first Love-40 point. What you want to do when someone makes a first serve is put the return in play and kind of see how it develops from there. I did that. So I was disappointed, but it was definitely a better-played game. Q. So in this the end, such a small difference in the entire match. That third set tiebreak, is it really just luck, or is it you just taking the right points at the right time? ANDY RODDICK: It is taking the right points at the right time. You know what it is? It's putting yourself in good positions more often. In the second set breaker I played probably two or three loose points. There's your two points to the bad. I missed rally backhand. I don't think I put a first serve return in play. In the third set breaker I think I played pretty solid. Even the points I lost he was having to - what was it, at 4-5 or something like that we had an decent rally, and he crushed a forehand up the line for a winner. If he hits that, that's too good. But I played the right kind of point, and I think I did that more consistently in the third set breaker. Q. Is there anything that you're not happy about with the match tonight that you want to improve on you're your next match? ANDY RODDICK: Well, there's always stuff that I need to improve on. Probably not gonna advertise it. Q. Even in general? ANDY RODDICK: Even in general I'm not gonna advertise it. Q. Do you have a recommendation on the challenge rule? ANDY RODDICK: Just put a number on it. I don't care what they do. Let's just put a number on it. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|