DAVIS CUP - AUSTRIA Vs. USA

February 5, 2004

Andy Roddick

Q. How do you feel about leading off and playing Melzer whom you played in the final at Newport last summer?

ROBBY GINEPRI: That's going to be great. Hopefully I will get my team up 1-0 before anything happens with Andy and the Bryan Brothers. Tough match in Newport, but it was on grass. It's going to be a different story tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the job done.

ROBBY GINEPRI: There's not too many lefties out there, but --

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, the serve is a little different to read. Obviously the strokes are flip-flopped on each side when you are matching up against the baseline, but it's not too much trouble.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Pretty much he has got a great serve. Hopefully I am going to return it very well and be on it, and get off to a good start tomorrow.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Not really. Whatever it is. I won't be waiting around. I am ready to go at 3 o'clock and I think that's good for me and I will be ready.

ROBBY GINEPRI: It's good. The ball stays fairly low and it's pretty close to most hard courts, there's, you know, it's the same for them as it is for us. So it's going to be a good match.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Definitely. I think everybody's serve is a little better on the grass because it stays low and it slices more, but he's going to be serving well, I am going to have to be ready for it.

ANDY RODDICK: We have had a good week. I think everybody came here ready to play. I think we all had a little bit of time off after the Australian Open to kind of get mentally prepared for this and kind of -- you know, we've just been having good practices. Everybody is hitting the ball pretty well. It's been a pretty high level during our practices this week, so I think we are all pretty excited and I think we are overpracticing so we are ready to get it started.

ANDY RODDICK: Absolutely. It's totally different. It's a team event. It's not so individualized. But as far as matches, you are going into the Australian Open, you are trying to win it. You are going into matches this weekend, you are trying to win them. In that aspect, I guess it's the same.

COACH McENROE: I wasn't really concerned either way. I think it will be nice to get Robby to start quickly. Andy has got obviously a lot of experience doing both, so from that standpoint, I think it works out well. Both guys are playing well, and both played a lot of matches already this year, so I feel pretty confident about how they are going to play well.

ANDY RODDICK: I prefer to take their money in ping-pong.

COACH McENROE: We only do it at ping-pong games, basically comes down to that.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Same. I am losing it to Andy for winning ping-pong.

ANDY RODDICK: Actually lost in the 20-cent last night - five dollars.

ANDY RODDICK: I have matched up well in the past. I have played him three times. I have come through pretty well each time. But it's a different -- Davis Cup is such a totally different beast than a normal tournament. It's very equalizing if someone gets kind of the, you know, the passion their teammates going and whatnot. So you definitely have to guard against it. I got to try to set the tone early, try to take him out of his rhythm, and maybe make him try to press a little bit.

ANDY RODDICK: I think I have to dictate pretty big against the baseline when he gets a chance to. Obviously my goal, I have got to try take my game to him as opposed to the other way around.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it's great. You walk down to your from your room and you are already at the dinner table, so it's been good so far. I know how to pronounce all the dishes on the menu unlike some of the road trips, so it's -- there are positives all-around.

BOB BRYAN: Yeah.

BOB BRYAN: We are going to hit probably an hour and a half doing what we normally do and then get out there and watch, you know, maybe one of the singles, I don't think Pat wants us to watch both. It can maybe a little bit draining.

ANDY RODDICK: Are you going to watch mine or Robby's?

BOB BRYAN: Robby's. Yeah, it can suck it out of you if you are getting too emotionally attached to the singles match, we can watch it on TV in the room.

MIKE BRYAN: Same.

ANDY RODDICK: Listen to that great commentary.

MIKE BRYAN: I hear Cliff is awesome. (Laughter).

ANDY RODDICK: I didn't see you there, I wouldn't have given you one.

COACH McENROE: Nothing would surprise me, so I am hoping it to us to get three wins, whenever that happens, that's when it will happen, hopefully. But I think we are pretty confident, but at the same time, we know these guys can play well and they can play real well in Davis Cup. We are excited. Our goal is to get three wins.