adidas International

January 7, 2003

Andy Roddick

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy, please.

ANDY RODDICK: I feel good. I had a good two-month break, and I took two or three weeks to really, you know, put down the racquets and get healthy before I started training pretty hard again. I think we should have a longer off-season, you know. Compared to every other sport, it's pretty minuscule. But I feel good. It was good to get out there and get a win. You never know how you're playing after not playing a tournament match for two months, so it's nice to get out there and play well.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, but it's the same for both players. I didn't have to do anything, you know, out of the ordinary that Tommy didn't have to do also. I play a lot of night matches throughout the year, and, you know, I like the atmosphere of the night time.

ANDY RODDICK: Somewhere in the middle. A lot of guys that break out really quick and go up a lot, you know, kind of end up maybe even worse the second year and they really struggle. But I went somewhere -- I played well throughout the year, just not at the big tournaments, you know. There were a couple unfortunate -- an injury here, and, this, that and the other. But throughout the year, I played well, just not at the Slams.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I was talking to my coach. I saw the draw, and I said, "Every tournament I'm either playing Malisse, Blake, Lee or Tommy," and sometimes in both I've played those guys four, five and six times each. So it will be fun. There are going to be no secrets between us. We've played each other a lot of times.

ANDY RODDICK: Hopefully not. No, it's going to be different, a much different match than it was tonight. My coach and I say he plays a little bit of ping-pong on the court, he just bats the ball around. He goes for his shots. But, you know, you have to keep your cool. He can go three- and four-game streaks playing really well, and then, you know, you got to take your chances when you get them.

ANDY RODDICK: I didn't know what to expect. I mean, practice is practice. You don't know. You can be playing great in practice and get out there and not play so well, then not play so well in practice. Especially two months, you're always a little , "I think I'm playing well, but I haven't been up against the top-level competition for two months." So I really didn't know what to expect. Then, you know, I was pleased.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I hope so. I feel fine. I mean, that's it. You know, I can understand their complaint, but, you know, at this present time I feel very healthy.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I'd say -- since the beginning of, you know, after the clay court season I've been pretty healthy since then. Before that, I was getting nagging injuries on and off. But, you know, knock on wood, I've been pretty healthy. You know, couple little knickknack things, but nothing too big since then. So hopefully it will stay that way.

ANDY RODDICK: I think I just -- I don't get too nervous. I think it was just unfortunate last year. I went into the tournaments playing well, then I, you know, here I thought I was playing pretty well going in, and didn't happen. And then I played a pretty big server at the French, didn't have my best day. Then I ran into a pure grass courter when it's not my best surface yet. No one was going to deny Pete at the Open. But that being said, I need to step it up and definitely -- I think I just need to do it. There's no, I think, reason. I think I just need to do it.