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U.S. OPENAugust 27, 2007Scoville JenkinsNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. How significant is it to you to be playing center court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, on a day Althea Gibson is going to be honored? SCOVILLE JENKINS: Actually, never thought about that, the way that she's going to be honored today and I'm playing it. It's pretty nice. I mean, I didn't think about that till right now. Q. A lot of luck with your first-round opponent. Thoughts on having to face Roger? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I mean, he's the best, you know. I mean, this sport, everybody wants to shoot for the No. 1 spot. In order to be the best or be around it you have to be or play. I mean, I felt like this is another step for me to get up to the next step. Q. Developmentally you couldn't ask for a more demanding environment. What was that experience like? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I mean, this is my third time playing on Ashe. I mean, the experience, it was great. You always, growing up, want to play in a packed stadium, especially like Ashe, one of the biggest tennis stadiums in the world. To play with your home fans, play the No. 1 player in the world, you really can't ask for much else. Q. Did you feel like the crowd was kind of behind you? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I definitely felt like that. Definitely did. Q. How did that make you feel in such an environment, so many people? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I mean, it makes you feel like they're pulling for you, like people want you to do something, be really positive for you. Q. You're playing a match before a ceremony to honor Althea Gibson. Do you have any thoughts on her, what she did for the sport, you playing in the wake of that? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I mean, anybody who's remarkable like her, come up, probably changed the sport for African Americans, it's unbelievable. For what you have to face going into this world. For me to play on this day, it's very special for me. I'm very lucky to be playing today. Q. Roger has been described as the best ever. Is there something about what he does out there that's unlike anything you personally have ever encountered in tennis? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I think it's more just mentally with him. You mentally know that he's not going to be a step down sharper. He just plays you, trying to make you play your worst and he plays his best. He matches up his strength to your weakness unbelievably. It's totally struggling mentally to know that he can do that, that he can do so well. Q. Did you get a feeling when you're out there that there's a period where he's evaluating you, feeling you out, then comes a point where he exploits? SCOVILLE JENKINS: Definitely. I mean, I feel the first couple points he was doing that. Even the first couple points, he's doing it and then he hits a shot here and there, see what you can have. Then he'll go back to see, how does he like this and all that. It's tough. It's very mentally frustrating a little bit. Q. Where is your game from last year at this time to this match? SCOVILLE JENKINS: I felt my game was better. You know, last year end of the year I had a bad injury where I had my wrist in a cast. So I took that time takeoff, just looking back, just trying to get better on everything in the game. It made me realize, I mean, how fortunate it is I'm playing this game. End of FastScripts |
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