Kooyong
Lawn Tennis Club
Saturday, 13 January 2007
ANDY RODDICK
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Q. How important was that win today over Roger?
A. I don't know. Like I said yesterday, I'm not going to come in here -- I think it needs to be done on a big stage before you put too much emphasis on it. That being said, it's nice -- it's nice to get some good preparation and feel like you're playing well going into the Aussie Open. I'm going to kind of repeat myself from early this week, but that's the reason we came here.
Q. Are you happy with your game?
A. Yes, I feel good. I feel like I'm returning pretty well, which is getting me looking at some breaks. If I can do that, I can hold serve enough to put myself in a position to win some matches, hopefully.
Q. Is it a heck of a lot different playing against his ball than playing against other guys' balls?
A. I don't know if it's so much -- the ball is different just because you can do -- a lot of the times, if you put certain people in certain situations, they're not going to be able to hit a slice off it or they're not going to be able to come over it, and he can kind of do all that stuff from most positions. And he plays offence and defence equally well, so that's a little bit different. I think, just his variety is -- his completeness is what makes him the champion that he is.
Q. Was there anything in particular that you were working on against Roger that came off well today?
A. If I did, I would not tell you. I promise you that.
Q. Andy, I was just over at Melbourne Park and I asked Serena a question. I don't know if you realise, there is not a single American woman seeded at the Australian Open this year. What would your reaction to that be?
A. I think that would be a lot more relevant if Venus and Serena had played 16 or 17 events and weren't seeded. If you're going to sit here and tell me they are not one of the top 32 players in the world, I would have to question that.
Q. How important are endorsements to the growth of a player these days on the international circuit?
A. The growth of a player?
Q. Yes, as they go through the ranks, how much do they rely on endorsements and sponsorship to get them through?
A. To get them through, you mean like endorsements with a company or having a sponsor?
Q. No, endorsements.
A. I don't know. I don't know what that -- I don't know if that helps them progress on the tennis court. I feel like you have to produce results before you get them. I don't feel like you get them and all of a sudden it helps you on your way up. I feel like you might have to establish yourself a bit before that becomes an opportunity.
Q. Do you know whether Jimmy will be here for the Australian Open?
A. I still don't know, we are still discussing -- the funeral was actually today, so I'm not sure yet.
Q. Despite feeling pretty good today, are there any particular things you reckon you need to be doing a lot better to progress to the end of the Australian Open?
A. I think I can actually serve a little bit better than I have this week. I've been holding serve, but I don't know if my first serve percentage has been that high. But if I'm looking at my game, that's a good problem to have for me. I feel like that's something that can be fixed pretty quickly.
Q. If you look at last year, realistically, there are only a couple of people who could beat Roger. How many people have a chance at all?
A. You know, the good thing about it is only one person needs to. You know, we don't need to have eight or 10 people in there. But there's probably a few. To be able to put it together for an entire tournament is one thing. But, I mean, I can't sit here and come up with a number of players that could hypothetically beat him on a given day, you know. But only one needs to.
Q. One of your fellow players has been rather dismissive of the Sydney tournament. How important would you say warm-up tournaments are?
A. I think that kind of depends on the person, you know. Personally, I like to be playing well and I like to be getting matches in the lead-up to an event. That was coming from the same guy who I think won a tournament before Roland Garros last year and the tournament the week before the US Open last year, if I'm not mistaken. So, I don't know -- you can take that for what it's worth.
