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NASDAQ-100 OPEN


March 25, 2003


Robby Ginepri


KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling? Do you feel like you can reach the final in this tournament?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I'm not concentrating on that right now, but hopefully I can make it.

Q. I'll ask a fashion question. The sleeveless shirts, good idea, bad idea? Do tournaments care or not, what players wear?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I like the whole idea. I think James and Carlos look good in it, you know. But I haven't worn them, so I don't know how it feels or whatever. But I'd wear them if Nike would want me to.

Q. How does this feel, two tournaments in a row? Tremendous results. Where is your head at right now?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, I was sitting next to Bob and Mike Bryan in the locker room, telling them how it felt a little weird, not the whole winning thing, but just being here with everybody and competing at a high level and getting these matches under my belt. I'm on cloud nine right now. But to come out here maybe tomorrow again, I just got to keep my head focused and get ready for my next match.

Q. Did you know which Bryan you were talking to?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I was talking to both, but I didn't know them apart (smiling).

Q. What is working now? Everything? Is it all coming together?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, I've been playing well. Last week gave me a lot of confidence coming off of Indian Wells and coming here. I've been playing well the past two, three weeks. Just I've been serving really well at big times. So it's helped out a lot.

Q. When you have dinner with Roddick and Fish, I guess you're buying now?

ROBBY GINEPRI: No, we usually play the credit card game, where we all throw in the credit cards and shuffle them up. Whoever one's left is buying dinner.

Q. You feel your game has kind of taken a leap? If so, has it really been more of a mental thing, or is it a physiological, technical thing?

ROBBY GINEPRI: It's a little of everything. It's all coming together right now. I've been working hard, conditioning, getting stronger, faster. I've been working on the serve a little. I think just more the experience has kind of sunk in now, and I know what to expect. I think just being out here with all the top players, day after day, that I'm finally getting used to it.

Q. Where does your game stand forehand versus backhand, in your own mind?

ROBBY GINEPRI: My backhand is a little more solid than my forehand, but I can hit more winners, I think, off my forehand and kind of dictate the point a little more.

Q. Good day for the backhand today, especially, wasn't it?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Yeah, Hyung-Taik's got a great backhand. We were just matching up backhands. I would try to step around and hit a forehand.

Q. Mardy has a couple good wins over Moya, your next opponent. Will you pick his brain?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I'll probably talk to him later today about it.

Q. You've never played him?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I haven't played him; practice, one time.

Q. How did you do?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I don't remember.

Q. How long ago was that?

ROBBY GINEPRI: It was at the US Open.

Q. You said after the doubles about how you relax, both you and Andy enjoyed it out there. Did that help at all today? Were you a bit more relaxed?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I don't think last night really had an effect on today's match, but playing with Andy last night was a lot of fun. The crowd was into it. I was just enjoying every moment last night, as well as today.

Q. Was your grandma here today?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Uh-hmm. She's been here every match.

Q. What's her name again?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Erma.

Q. Last name?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Ginepri.

Q. Where does she live?

ROBBY GINEPRI: She's living in Fort Lauderdale.

Q. Any other relatives today?

ROBBY GINEPRI: No, my dad. I mean, he came down.

Q. What did you expect coming into this tournament? What were you thinking?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I never really expect anything going into a tournament. I just try to focus on the first match and take each match at a time and just worry about what I can control. So I don't know who I'm going to play or any of that, going into the tournament, so it's kind of hard to expect how I'm going to do in it.

Q. When you got switched onto Stadium Court, was that like a shock, were you looking forward to it?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I actually just finished lunch, so I had to kind of hustle up a little; they gave us about 30, 40 minutes to get ready. I was happy. I've played one match out there already. I like it out there. It's a big court, and it plays really well, so I was happy that we got there. But if we didn't switch, you know, it wouldn't have -- I wouldn't have cared either way.

Q. Two Masters Series quarterfinals in a row. Do you feel like you sort of belong now? Can you imagine winning this tournament?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I haven't really thought about winning the tournament, like I said before. I'm just trying to concentrate on each match at a time and, you know, when I play Carlos, we'll see how it goes out there.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about you, personally, what other interests you have? Do you have any hobbies or anything you do besides tennis when you have free time?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I like golfing a little and just hanging out with friends, relaxing, listening to music. Nothing special.

Q. What's your group of choice these days?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I like a little hip-hop.

Q. How did you get into tennis?

ROBBY GINEPRI: My parents played, and when I was about five, I would follow them down to the courts. I'd watch them play. Then after they were done, then I'd hit some with my dad after.

Q. Was that Fort Lauderdale or in Georgia?

ROBBY GINEPRI: It was in Georgia, yeah.

Q. Just going on into the year a little bit, I know you had a couple of good wins at Queens Club in London last year.

ROBBY GINEPRI: Uh-hmm.

Q. Now are you looking forward to the grass court?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Well, I'm kind of ready for the clay, to tell you the truth. I haven't had much experience on the grass or on clay, but I'm kind of fired up for the clay court season to begin.

Q. How well do you think your game translates?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I think within a week or two, just getting used to the sliding and the pace of the ball, a little slower, I think it should only take a couple weeks to get used to switching.

Q. Do you think American Juniors train enough on clay?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I don't think so. I think that the Europeans, they're out there all the time and they get a little more practice and they're used to it because they grow up playing on it more than we do. But, I mean, we play on the hard court more, so it kind of balances out.

Q. Do you think more attention should be paid to that, in the Juniors players being developed in the States?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I think playing on clay at a younger age kind of helps the hard court game out because it allows you to make more balls and put more balls into play. I think that's good starting off for younger Juniors growing up to, you know, make a lot more balls and just stay out there a little longer and not miss. But on hard courts, the points are a lot shorter.

Q. The game on clay has changed a lot, too. Who do you see as being like the ideal clay court player out there?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I mean, Gustavo Kuerten, he's been around, of course. Juan Carlos. All those guys, they've been out on the clay a lot and they know what to expect. So they're going to be the ones to beat.

Q. Is there one particular part of your game that's really come together for you these last few weeks?

ROBBY GINEPRI: I just think my whole game's just kind of clicked together these past few weeks, but nothing really stands out in my mind.

Q. Is that the way you see yourself, you see yourself evolving into that type of player, just solid in every phase?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Uh-hmm. I'm trying to cut down a little more on unforced errors and just, hopefully, good things will happen.

Q. Who is your coach?

ROBBY GINEPRI: Steve DeVries.

End of FastScripts….

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