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SHANGHAI ROLEX MASTERS

October 13, 2011

Andy Roddick

SHANGHAI, CHINA

A. RODDICK/N. Almagro
6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I assume you're pretty happy with how you served today.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I made a bit of an adjustment in warmup this morning. It seemed to work. I felt like I was not serving great for the first couple rounds. Even last week, I feel like I was having to break two, three times to win a set. That's not the way I normally try to do it.
Serve felt really good today.

Q. It's a fairly impressive statement of intent, a win like that against a very fine player. Does the roof being closed change things at all?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I think it changes it a little bit. I don't think it's super drastic. You know, it's normally pretty humid here anyway. When you close the roof, it becomes humid as well.
I didn't notice, beyond acoustics, a whole lot of difference. I feel like it's normally a bit more drastic with a roof.

Q. Did you just feel more comfortable out there generally today compared to the first two rounds in? Your net play was pretty good overall.
ANDY RODDICK: Net play become as lot better when you're serving good. I've always said my best volley is a very good serve or approach shot to set it up.
First match I broke twice in two of the sets, and then second match I broke two or three times in the last set. I've been breaking serve. I've also been dropping serve.
So I think, you know, as far as the way I've been hitting the ball and playing, it's been okay. But the serve's been up and down. My percentages weren't where I wanted them to be. And I was going like in spots where I'd make three serves in a row, but then miss four or five. It's those gaps where you're hitting second serves where guys get a look.
I cleaned that up a little bit today. I think that makes everything look a little bit better. Then you go 2-2 on breakpoints, it makes it look pretty straightforward.

Q. This hasn't been a particularly happy hunting ground for you. Getting that first one under your belt, the first win here this week, the incentive from that do you think perhaps has raised you to the next two performances?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, it's been unfortunate. I feel like I've been hurt every time I've been here. I finish about half my tournaments. But I've always enjoyed playing here. The surface suits me. I've played some decent matches in the round robin before, the Masters. I enjoy the playing conditions. So it's certainly not something that I don't feel good about when I come here.
I think, you know, the big thing is just giving yourself a chance to play another day, then all of a sudden you take a big step forward. I feel like today was significantly better than the first two rounds as far as putting it all together.

Q. Andy and Rafa have been saying how difficult it has been adjusting to a different ball from tournament to tournament, Bangkok to Tokyo to here. How have you found it?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, we used the same ball in Beijing, so I found it very easy (smiling).
Been in that case before. The US Open Series comes to mind where you use the US Open ball then don't use it then use it again. It's another one of those ones where decisions get made on what ball we use with no input from us, even though we're the ones using it because, you know, deals are signed, this, that and the other, and we're left to kind of pick up the pieces. You know, you guys deal with it.

Q. You said the other day about the divide and rule, how the players appear to be divided. I think that's how I interpreted what you said. How do you then see or what would you bring to any discussions, should you attend? How would you try to unify all the players as you try to make some changes?
ANDY RODDICK: I think it starts at the top. You know, I think it's a sport where you don't have a home team, you don't have a built-in guaranteed fan base that are going to attend so many games. It's always been a star-driven sport. So I think that's where it has to start.
I think if you get the top guys united, maybe some of the lower guys are going to be a little more dependent upon that decision, almost have to fall in line, and they'll benefit from anything that happens, as well.
For me, I think it starts with the stars of the game.

Q. Of course the day after we spoke, the NBA delayed their season by two weeks. Has that given you extra incentive, seeing what's happening in that sport, to pursue your argument?
ANDY RODDICK: No. Right now if I had a Players Union, I would take the 48% or 50% that the NBA is on strike for, 100%. Don't even need to negotiate. I'll take the deal they just said no to. I'll take the deal the NFL said no to. I'll take the deal the MLB said no to. I'll take over all their left-over deals. That would be great.

Q. Can you tell me some differences between the back-to-back competitions, Beijing and Shanghai?
ANDY RODDICK: You want differences?

Q. What are your feelings about them?
ANDY RODDICK: The events? I don't know too much. Kind of an awkward question.
Unfortunately, I wasn't really in Beijing very long. I can give you a synopsis of my three days there. It involved a bad tennis match and seeing the Great Wall, which was very fun (laughter). Here has been three better tennis matches, and I haven't seen the Wall since I've been here yet.

Q. So you have a good holiday here?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, exactly, it's been a great holiday/work.

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