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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 14, 2011

Somdev Devvarman

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

S. DEVVARMAN/X. Malisse
6-1, 3-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So it's been a long couple weeks, I guess.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Yeah. I mean, I was in Serbia before this. Played Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Flew Monday morning; played Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Day off Saturday, day off Monday.
So, yeah, it's been quite a long trip. But, you know, it's one of those things when you're playing with confidence, playing well, you know, you want to keep playing, and it doesn't happen too often.
I mean, for Rafa and Fed it does, but for the majority of the players it's one of those things you want to kind of ride the momentum and keep playing, keep playing with adrenaline, and hope for the best in your next matches.

Q. How is your energy level considering all those matches and the time changes?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: It's pretty good, actually. I traveled with a trainer for quite a while now, you know. He's been with me for three years, and I think we've kind of reached the stage where he knows what I need to do to get up for matches.
You know, I have a day off tomorrow again, so do all the recovery stuff. On the bright side, I haven't been playing three out of five sets. I have been playing two out of three. Once again on the bright side, I didn't lose a set. I was playing pretty well, so I saved some energy, and I think I actually feel pretty good light now.

Q. Can you compare your level of tennis this week to how you were playing in Johanessburg?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I mean, it's completely different tennis obviously, because you're playing -- over here where it's slow courts, when in Johanessburg it's 6,000 feet altitude and fast courts. So it's completely different.
That being said, I think that the way I completed in both places is what is more important. Because over here it's such long points every point, and Johannesburg it's short points every point. So it's kind of hard to compare that level of tennis.
But the level of the way I was competing, I'm very happy with both places so far.

Q. Most of the year you've had good tennis. How do you explain that?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Well, hard work, I guess. You know, you have -- I'm about to complete my third year on tour. You know, I've only been getting better. I have been working really hard in the off-seasons.
You know, even in the past I feel like I have had like, you know, spurts where I do really well in tournaments and I have beaten a few good players. Made a run in Chennai right, you know, a few months off the bat.
And unfortunately for me, I didn't feel I could do that consistently enough to kind of break, you know, into the top 100 or the top 50 or anything like that. I was just doing it one or two times. I won a challenger, played really well, and then nothing for three months.
So hopefully I'm maturing enough that I can change and I can start having better results more consistently.

Q. When you saw Isner break into the top 25, a guy you beat in college, did you say, I should be around there at this point?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Well, yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's completely different with John, because he has -- I mean, you know, he's 6'9" and he serves the way he does. For me I'm not 6'9" and I don't serve like John.
So it's a little different. But when you see other guys from college doing well, you know, Benny Becker, there is Kevin Anderson, who of course is also very tall. But, I mean, Jesse Levine was doing really well at the time, too.
You know, I was still in college. Definitely gives you the kind of belief, you know, feeling where, yeah, sure, you know, these guys are doing it. I can too. So when you come out on tour for the first time you're just a little bit more excited. You're a little more self-confident. When it comes to the close parts of matches, you always believe you can do it.
So I think that's what made the difference for me.

Q. I'm not familiar with your background. Could you talk a little bit about how you ended up coming to U.S. and playing for university?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Well, yeah. It's pretty straightforward, actually. Do you know college tennis?

Q. Yeah.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Yeah, so when I finished high school I played college tennis.

Q. When did you come to U.S.?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: When I was 19. I finished high school when I was 19. I came to college. I didn't really take too many recruitment trips because I wasn't that good as a junior. Academics was great. Virginia, chose it. I got lucky, honestly. Because probably the best decision I made in my life.
I finished up school in 2008, May, got a degree and then started playing on tour right after.

Q. Do you feel like there's another wave of sort of guys coming out of college that are making a statement in the pros, and a few years ago there was sort of an absence of that?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I mean, to be completely honest, like I think it's gone down a little bit, because -- I mean, sure, now there is Kevin Anderson is doing well, you know, I have been doing decently okay, and John is obviously doing very well.
But before that, I feel like there were way more in the 90s and 80s, obviously. In the 80s was huge.

Q. I'm talking more recently than that.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Yeah, but in the 90s there was so many, and then even in early 2000. I feel like the Bryans are doing well. There was Alex O'Brien, I mean, a bunch of guys from Stanford. Everybody coming out was basically breaking the top 100.
And even from Virginia there was Brian Vahaly who broke the top 60. Paul Goldstein. There was a lot more guys, you know, early 2000s, and then it's kind of been a drop, you know, in the last five years or so.

Q. Really none of those guys went past the top 50.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I mean, yeah, but you were talking about top 50 in your profession. It's not the easiest thing to do.

Q. Right.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I think obviously with the money and stuff, that attracted pro tennis players. Obviously the really good ones opted to go pro right away instead of go to college. So I think that's obviously the system there.
But, you know, in the 1980s it wasn't the same thing.

Q. With this win you're going to be ranked at least 65th in the world. Can you talk about what kind of goals you had set for yourself at the beginning of the year?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Well, I mean, I'm not finished yet, hopefully. But, you know, in the beginning of the year I wanted to break the top 50, and more importantly I wanted to end the year in the top 50. I'm still gonna be pretty close to doing that.
Hopefully I can -- you know, like I said, the biggest thing for me for now is to maintain this level of play, and hopefully, you know, keep trying to get better and better and not drop in the challengers.
So, yeah, it's gonna be a challenge for me. It's gonna be a new territory, and I'm looking forward to, you know, playing the next few tournaments, can as well.

Q. How do you feel about facing the No. 1 player in the world?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: It feels great. Just about a month ago I played Roger, and that was a surreal experience, so I'm pretty sure this is gonna be something similar. I think it's gonna be a hell of an experience.
Rafa is obviously No. 1 in the world, won a lot of Grand Slams. I have a lot of respect for the guy. He's one of my favorite tennis players, one of my idols. So yeah, when I'm out there I'm gonna do everything I can to win the match. I'm gonna compete as hard as I can and leave everything on the table.

Q. What did you learn specifically from the Federer match?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Well, you know, that he's beatable. You know, that I had chances to win. I mean, score is 3 and 3, but I had chances to go up in the second set. The first set was one break, and I had break points in the second set.
I think it's important when you play guys like that, I think it's important to believe that you actually have a chance to win. Because if you don't believe, there's no point, you know. You can go out and play a good match and just walk off the court and not believe you can win.
I think it's important just from, just to prove to yourself, too, that, you know, you've put in a lot of the hard work for a reason. When you're out there on the court you should be ready to battle, no matter who you're playing, and give yourself the best chance to win.

Q. Do you still make your home in Virginia or...
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I moved to Austin, Texas, about a year ago.

Q. To get close to Roddick? Why Austin?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: Oh, that was a weird question.

Q. I was just joking.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I'm kidding. Yeah, I mean, Andy was kind enough to invite me to practice with him in 2008, and since then I have -- you know, I made a huge improvement in my game. It wasn't a hard decision.
Now the coach I work with for the past two years is, he also lives in Austin, so, you know, it just makes it a good place to go back to. It's easy in and out of from the States. It's not too far away, and Houston International Airport is close by.
You know, there's always courts to hit on. The college guys from UT to hit with. Actually now there's about five or ten pro tennis players over there, you know, rankings range between 200 and 400, always good practice partners.
So of course I really like the city.

Q. To be honest, you wanted to be close to South By Southwest.
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: It's going on right now. I'm kind of pissed I'm missing out. All my friends are like texting me the whole time. They're like, You're missing out. I'm like, Oh, great.

Q. Do you have a game plan already next match for Nadal?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I'm not sure. He's a right -- lefty? (Laughter.)
Well, I mean, you know, obviously, you know, on the bright side, I've seen him play way more than he's seen me play, that's for sure. But that doesn't mean that it's gonna be an easy match.
It's obviously gonna be incredibly tough for me to find a way to trouble him, but, you know, I'm gonna do my best. Hopefully I serve well. I think that's gonna be a huge key for me in the match, to go out there and serve well. I have been doing that in the last few matches. So if I can continue that, that would be huge for me.
And then just really try and fight my way and stay with him the whole time and make it hard for him to win points. I'm gonna fight my best, and, you know, like I said, leave it all on the court.

Q. How much was Davis Cup sort of a confidence booster for you, as well?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: It always is. I feel like over the past two-and-a-half years I have been a part of the team, and I really enjoyed it, you know. It was the first time I played three out of five sets.
So this time when I went, I think, you know, the first match I played Janko. I had never beaten him in the past and played a very good match and won, so I think that gave me a huge confidence booster as well.
Once again, just adds to the self-belief knowing you can beat all these guys, because Janko has beaten Roddick and he's taken Fed to five. He's a very good player. Just to know you can beat these guys and stay with these guys is a huge confidence booster.
Obviously Davis Cup helped a lot.

Q. Would you be surprised if you pulled an upset over Nadal?
SOMDEV DEVVARMAN: I mean, surprised? Probably. Yeah. But that being said, I'm not going into the match hoping to lose. I'm going into the match hoping to win. I'm not trying to think about the outcome right now.
But like before I go into match, I just try to focus on preparation, do the things right, and give yourself the best chance to win.
Yeah, if I won, obviously no doubt it would be the biggest win of my life.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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