Q. Did you find that a bit easier today, Roger, the conditions?
A. Yes. It's always a bit swirly winds out here at Kooyong. I was warming up on Rod Laver today, no wind, and then I come here and Marat said he onl y practised 15 minutes because he got fed up with the wind. O ut here, it's always so much more windy, which is kind of good m aybe, I guess, more windy here, and for the Australian Open i t's probably easier to play, so the level will be higher there. But I thought the level was pretty good, we had some big hitting from the baseline. With Marat, obviously you're going to get the rhythm because he's such a good ball striker. I definitely serv ed better and just tightened up the game a bit, so I was really h appy.
Q. Is that the match you wanted, to just feel your rhythm, after the two so far?
A. Well, I didn't kn ow exactly what to expect today against Marat, I didn't know how he was playing himself. I was expecting a really tough matc h because yesterday I was struggling with the rhythm and everyt hing. But I came out and played really well, didn't make many unforced errors in the wind and everything, and could hang with h im from the baseline and varied my game well. So I'm really hap py the way I played, and I also think he didn't play too bad, so it was a good level of play.
Q. How much better d id you play tomorrow against yesterday, can you put a percentage on it?
A. It's a totally di fferent opponent. My opponent from yesterday, he's known for ch anging up his game a lot, coming to the net, serve and volleyi ng, chip and charging, not giving you the best of rhythm from th e baseline, because he does miss a lot because he takes many cha nces. He's not famous for his groundstrokes but for his attacking style. It was obvious that we were not going to have great ral lies with Radek, but today that was going to happen, so it did and we both, I thought, played well. Yesterday wa s okay, too, I thought, for a first match, it's just that I had t oo many loose moments. But it was obvious, too, that that was goi ng to happen. It was just a matter of getting my act together f or today, and I did, so I'm feeling good today for the next matc h.
Q. Knowing you've go t a match here on Saturday, what will you do tomorrow?
A. Probably have a l ight hit tomorrow at Melbourne Park at some stage later on in the day.
Q. Do you feel as co mfortable on the Rod Laver as you do, say, on a Wimbledon; I mean that ambience, the court itself? Is it a special place, or can that only be at Wimbledon?
A. I probably feel m ost comfortable at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, because it' s really closed in, you don't get too much wind. US Open and Frenc h Open is much more open, and when it is windy you do also feel it on these courts, whereas Rod Laver and Wimbledon you don 't get to feel it so much because it's so closed in. So you get a great feel on those courts. But there are many courts I like aro und the world. I like those, you know, that are the most secluded , kind of closed up, because outside you can get tough winds, and then it's tough to play, the level of play goes down. But I've rea lly started to enjoy also playing with the challenge of the wind, because I used to hate it. Now I kind of like it sometimes because the rallies are different, it's not always spin and e verything, it makes a difference, it's the right shot at the right time, and I've really been able to do well.
Q. Marat hasn't play ed tennis for the last couple of years. Is he still as good as he was?
A. Yes, he's got one of the best returns in the game. When he really wants to s erve well, he can clock that serve every time on the line, when he 's on. That's what happened two years ago here, so you've always got to expect that. He's got one of the best backhands as well . He's definitely improved his attacking style. His slice is bett er,his volleys have become better. And I definitely thin k he's a better player now than he was at the beginning of his career. He's always been physically very fit, and that's why he 's such a tough player to play against, especially at a s lam.
Q. Do you have a pre ference whether it's Roddick or Andy Murray on Saturday?
A. I guess, for rhyt hm, you would rather play against Murray. In terms of kind of prestige, it's kind of nice to play against Andy in the finals her e. But not really. I practised with both of them already last week, so it's okay.
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