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NEW HAVEN OPEN AT YALE


August 27, 2011


Christina Fusano

David Martin


NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

FUSANO-MARTIN/Roberson-Schnack
2-6, 6-1, 10-5


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How did it go today? How do you feel you played?
DAVID MARTIN: We fought hard. It was a tough start. We were here kind of late last night. It was a quick turnaround. But what are you going to do when a hurricane's coming?
We kind of battled through the first set. I think we got better as the match went on. Definitely the toughest team we had played so far. Yeah, especially Schnack was returning really well. Took us a while to adjust to that.
Thrilled to win the tournament, be in the US Open. Awesome doing it with a good friend.

Q. How did you meet?
DAVID MARTIN: E-Harmony. Just kidding (laughter).
CHRISTINA FUSANO: We've known each other for a while, I guess, since we finished college.
DAVID MARTIN: She played for Cal, I played for Stanford. Not too far away.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Actually, it's kind of a funny story. We were laughing about it. Some other guy asked me, another player, and he ended up backing out at the last minute for this. So I called Dave. I said, Hey, you want to play?
DAVID MARTIN: Yeah. So we're going to give him a call and say, Thank you for asking Christina first. She wouldn't have even known to sign up for it. I wouldn't have signed up for it. Kind of a chain reaction. Serendipity.

Q. Are you in the Open in doubles?
DAVID MARTIN: I just learned I got a wild card in the men's. Bradley Klahn, currently playing for Stanford. Looking forward to playing. Obviously it's exciting.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I asked for a wild card with Yasmin. We don't know. We'll find out today. I'm pretty sure we didn't get it.

Q. But you're there now.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah.

Q. Is it cool to go into the main draw and be able to play?
DAVID MARTIN: For sure. You've played.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah, I've played it before. But I've never played mixed doubles in any of the majors.
DAVID MARTIN: I never played mixed. I played the men's maybe three times. Had close losses every time. So I'm excited to get another shot, hopefully get a victory in some event.

Q. What do you like about mixed doubles?
DAVID MARTIN: Personally I hate it. It's just a necessary evil (laughter).
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I'm outta here (laughter).
DAVID MARTIN: Just kidding.
It's a little more relaxed, the guy/girl dynamic. The points, I think there's a lot of different shots that are hit. Guy's and girl's styles are different. Kind of makes for some creative points. Yeah, it's fun.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I think it's different for women playing. You know, you're kind of trying to prove yourself when you're playing against a guy, even trying to prove that you can hang with your own partner.
DAVID MARTIN: She can hang. She can hang.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: But it's a lot of fun. I think it's probably more exciting for the girl.
DAVID MARTIN: It's exciting for me. I'm excited.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I should say 'tougher' not 'exciting'. That's the wrong word.
DAVID MARTIN: It's tough for me, too (laughter).

Q. Did you play before this?
DAVID MARTIN: We won a regional tournament to make it here.

Q. But not before the regional tournament?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: No.
DAVID MARTIN: Just like peanut butter and jelly, go together.

Q. I read that you're retiring after this?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I am, yes.

Q. You're not going to reconsider?
DAVID MARTIN: What if we take a title? Unfortunately that wouldn't even help her ranking 'cause there's no points in the mixed. You could make some money.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah, you know, I've played a long time. He's played a long time, too. I'm going to coach at UC Davis. I'm excited to finish like this.

Q. A good way to go out?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah. I'm getting old (laughter).

Q. How old?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I'm 30. So, yeah. I was telling him, like practicing, everything, it's time to stop. You know, so...

Q. Are you going to be a head coach there?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: No. I'm going to be an assistant under his name is Bill Mays. He used to coach me when I was younger. It will be fun. I know him well.
DAVID MARTIN: If you could play and practice with me every day, do you think you'd continue?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I could play 10 more years (laughter).

Q. But there's not that much mixed doubles.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Just four times a year.
DAVID MARTIN: And TeamTennis. And the US Open wild card qualifying tournament.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah. We said we're going to play it every year now.
DAVID MARTIN: We'll make it a tradition. For as long as we're on this earth, we'll keep playing every year.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: 90 years old.
DAVID MARTIN: Reunion tour, former champions 30 years ago. Pull some muscles.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Do the worm, but it's not going to look like the worm.

Q. I read about that.
DAVID MARTIN: It's on YouTube.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Two nights ago.
DAVID MARTIN: Got to stay for the late-night matches. It's on YouTube. You can check it out there. It's got like 42 views. I viewed it 37 times (smiling).

Q. Were you embarrassed?
DAVID MARTIN: She got right in there.

Q. You did the worm?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I didn't. I'm not that talented. But I did the running man.
DAVID MARTIN: All the ball kids came out.

Q. Wayne wasn't doing the worm?
DAVID MARTIN: No. He introduced us.

Q. Have you ever played here?
DAVID MARTIN: I played twice the men's. Never had a great result. '07, '08 I think were my years. Or '08, '09.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: No. I was rejected. Came close, but no.

Q. Do you like this tournament?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: I really enjoyed it.
DAVID MARTIN: It's a great week before the US Open. Pretty similar conditions. Great restaurants. Cool to walk around Yale.

Q. Would you guys do this again if you could? Was it a good experience?
DAVID MARTIN: For sure, yeah. The only thing that was tough is we were paying our way the whole way. We're paying our hotel, our food.

Q. Here?
DAVID MARTIN: The whole way. Not in New York. We'll make money from New York. Sort of more the better you did, the more expensive it was, unless you win the tournament, you make a paycheck at the US Open. That was the only thing that was tough.
We made a couple suggestions to the USTA. Maybe if you make the semis or something, maybe getting a couple nights of hotel.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Or even like the final 16.
DAVID MARTIN: We adjust. They don't need to do anything, but maybe for the final 16.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: 'Cause a lot of the people, too, a lot that played singles were also in the doubles. It's not like you had so many different people coming in.

Q. You were going to try to team with Yasmin?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah.
DAVID MARTIN: They're friends. They actually roomed together this week.
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Both of them are from Sacramento. Eric, too. I practiced with Eric all last week, scheming. He played really well. He played well. Yeah, he was actually at my house on Sunday. I had a barbecue with some tennis people and he was there.

Q. So you all know each other?
CHRISTINA FUSANO: Yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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