	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

September 5, 2010

Feliciano Lopez

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

F. LOPEZ/S. Stakhovsky
6-3, 4-0 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I know it wasn't applicable today, but do you have any feelings on the best of five versus best of three in a Grand Slam? Do you like the best of five format?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Best of five is very tough, I know, but we been playing best of five many years already. It's only a few tournaments that we play best-of-five sets.
So if they consider to change, they will have to change in all of the Grand Slams and Davis Cup, as well. This is what I think.
What I really think is that they do have to put tiebreak on the fifth in all of the Grand Slams. Here they do have, I guess.
Wimbledon, they don't have, which is -- I don't really understand why. French Open they do have.

Q. Wimbledon is the last.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: The only one, yeah.

Q. Why do you not like that? Because it can go...
FELICIANO LOPEZ: If you play best of five without a tiebreak in the fifth, it can be as Mahut-Isner match (Laughter.)
I think it's very, very tough to play best of five.

Q. You have a very good record in fifth sets. Why do you think that is?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Because I play short points and I don't get tired. (Laughter.)
And I work hard physically.

Q. You beat Rafa at Queen's, and you can play him next round. Can you just discuss that match and how you think it would...
FELICIANO LOPEZ: It will be a nice match for me to play. Like we are playing tennis for being on that courts, on Arthur Ashe, playing against No. 1 player in the world, and that's a very nice opportunity for me.
I know Rafa is a great player, but if I play good and if I stay all the match there trying to play aggressive, I will have my chances. Of course it's gonna be very difficult, anyway.

Q. How do you like this surface? I mean, you're a very aggressive player, you're a very good server. How do you like this surface?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I think it's a very faster than normal. Like compared to hardcourt events, this one is probably a little bit faster. Not much, but a little bit.

Q. Talk a little bit about the success of the Spanish players. Obviously they can play on all surfaces, but it's a very, very good week for everyone.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Yeah, yeah, it's kind of surprising to have so many players in the fourth round. I think if Rafa wins, we will have one Spanish at least in the semis, because it's David and Fernando in the other half of the draw.
So, yeah. What can I say about Spanish tennis? It's always there. And since 1520 years ago, we are winning almost everything, no? Before we were the best on clay. Now we win on grass, on everywhere, no?
So it's gonna be one time that this is gonna be over and the people, they will have to accept.

Q. Did you practice with any of those guys the week of Open? I know you played LA last month, but were you practicing with any of the Spanish guys?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I practice with all of the guys. Like I don't care to practice -- of course, we practice more with the Spanish players. Because they are friends and it's easier for us, no, to get in touch with them and to call them for practice or whatever, because we are almost together every day, and we go for dinner.
We say, Okay, we play tomorrow or we play on Monday. We spend a lot of time together, so we practice more together. But I like practicing also with the other guys. You have to check how the other guys also play, no?
I think it's good for the game.

Q. Do you think you are pushing one another to get better, that you are better because you have this competition within your country?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: You never know. Of course when you have people, more people to compete, you have to improve your game to get better. That's true.
I don't know if this is one of the reasons that make Spanish tennis to be very strong. Probably.

Q. I know this happened a few years ago, but when you went into Argentina and beat Del Potro in the Davis Cup final, that was a huge win. Did that do anything for you as a player or for your confidence?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Oh, of course when you play Davis Cup finals and you playing against one player like Del Potro and you beat him and you win the Davis Cup, you feel so proud, no? You win like a World Cup for your country.
I don't find anything better than representing your country and winning the Davis Cup, especially on that away, when you play away, which is even more difficult. So of course that match gave me confidence, but like all of the matches that we play on Davis Cup.

Q. Do you think Nadal is gonna be able to figure out how to win this tournament here in New York eventually?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't think it's gonna be an obsession for him at all. He just come here to play his best tennis, and as he normally does. It's not gonna be an obsession.
Of course if he wins here he will have the whole Grand Slam because he won already three of them, but I don't think he has to, you know, be focused only on that goal.

Q. You're a friend. Do you think he will figure it out? Do you think he will do it eventually?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: He will probably do it. I mean, he's still 24. A lot of years to play, so he will have the chance. I think so.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297