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DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP QUARTERFINALS: SPAIN v U.S.A.

July 8, 2011

Feliciano Lopez

AUSTIN, TEXAS

F. LOPEZ/M. Fish
6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Describe your emotions winning the first match.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Well, I'm so happy. To win this match today is a very important win for me and for the team. I think we have much better chances now, looking on the tie, how we see it now, rather than losing the first point.

Q. A lot has been written about the surface, how fast it was. You seemed to adjust very well. Did you make any special adjustments to your game to fit the surface?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: No, not really. I do like fast surfaces because of my game, no? I like playing on grass. I like playing on indoor courts. I like playing on fast courts because the way I play, it's the best court I can play right now in the tour.
We don't really play on that kind of court during the year because they slow a little bit the courts in general, the tournaments. But we didn't make anything special. We just came earlier than normal, and that's it.

Q. It was obviously a close match today. Why do you think in the end it turned in your favor? What did you have that maybe Mardy didn't?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't know. There's nothing that made the difference when you are fighting after four hours or so. I was maybe a little bit more aggressive at the end. I don't know.
But when you are 6-All in the fifth, anything can happen. Anybody can win, to be honest.

Q. Can you talk about the atmosphere and the crowd at the match today.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Great. Very fair. But great atmosphere. They were screaming like crazy when the match was close at the end, which is normal when you are in Davis Cup. But they were very fair. It was definitely a great atmosphere out there to play here in Austin in front of 16,000 people.

Q. How gratifying is it to win a match like that when you don't have many people in the stands cheering for you?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I have the teammates supporting in the bench, cheering every point I win. That's more than enough to be satisfied now.

Q. In the fifth set you get broken in the opening game. Seemed like Mardy had the momentum. He goes up to 40-15. How do you regroup to bring it back on serve?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: He made a couple mistakes the game after to broke him back and then I went back in the match. I don't know what happened. Easy forehand, another backhand, I don't know. To be honest, one break down, it's very difficult for me to win. Two lets in the third game of the fifth set, he was playing unbelievable. Probably the best tennis he played during the match. But then he make couple mistakes and I went back in the match and it was very close again.

Q. Do you expect to play doubles tomorrow?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Yeah, I hope so. I hope to be ready. I will do some recovery now with the physio. I hope to be ready tomorrow to be in the doubles.

Q. At 29 you seem to be playing some of the best tennis of your career. Why is that? How does this rank with your recent performance at Wimbledon?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Well, I've been playing great last four or five months, also on clay where I normally don't play that good.
But I was playing against the best players in the world, no? I play Roger Federer twice, I play Rafa in Rome, I play Novak. I knew sooner or later it's going to come. So finally Wimbledon I have this result which give me a little bit of confidence. Now I keep going with the same level of tennis.

Q. How important is winning that first match? Obviously it sets the tone for the whole tie. You were able to do that.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Very important. I think we look at the tie a different way winning the first game. They have the best doubles team in the world. We knew it was going to be very difficult. We knew the first point is very important. It's more important for us than them I think, winning the first point.

Q. Are you surprised you won?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: No, no, not surprised that I won. I knew it was going to be a very close match and anybody can win.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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