A. RODDICK/J. Nieminen
6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3

Q. Same old clay courts, but maybe a different Roddick out there.
ANDY RODDICK: Oh, I don't know. You know, there was a lot of ugliness out there today. But, you know, at the end of it, I get to play again.
So that's that's all you you go into a day hoping to get through a day, and I got through today.

Q. You never played him before. Was he kind of a mystery out there with all his spin? He's very fast.
ANDY RODDICK: No, no, no. I think anybody you've been on tour with he's been 13 in the world, so obviously I've seen him play a bunch. We played here in juniors 11 years ago, I think, and that didn't go so well.
Yeah, he does a great job because he makes up for his weaknesses. Obviously his second serve is probably his weakest part. But if you take a crack at it down the middle, he's so good down the middle of the court just redistributing the ball.
So I was getting a little frustrated with that. He's tough.

Q. Obviously that's one way to get some clay court matches under your belt, but maybe not how you wanted. What's it like when you've had that long of a break without a match to come out, you know, at a slam and play?
ANDY RODDICK: It's not easy. I mean, definitely, you know, spending three days in bed in Madrid wasn't the way we wrote it up, you know. That was bad. That was not, you know, the preparation we wanted. We did the best we could. We scrambled last week and got two matches out at an XO. You know, XO is never the same.
You know, so as far as preparation physically and in practice, it was good. But, you know, like you mentioned, it's or like I mentioned, it's not the same.
It definitely was less than perfect, but I put some time in today.


Q. Were the courts pretty quick?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I can never really tell. I don't know. They're still slippery.

Q. When Murray finished after four hours yesterday, he was absolutely dead on his feet. How do you feel after five sets out there?
ANDY RODDICK: I feel better now than I did 45 minutes ago. But it's tough for me, because I also feel I don't have a lot of rhythm in my movement out here. I feel like I fought against myself a lot and get stuck.
So clay is probably tougher for me physically than any other surface. I was definitely feeling it more than I normally do in that fifth set. But one thing I've always been able to do well is recover well. You know, a day of rest, I feel like I can get back to neutral most times.

Q. As a player who always puts everything out on the court in every match you played, were you a little bit disappointed to read Sam Querrey's comments today? He basically said he didn't want to be on the court and pretty much wanted to get off the court and get on the plane and go home. Was that a bit surprising for you?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I probably would hold back from commenting until I actually this is news to me. You know, I just finished off the court, so probably want to hear it from Sam himself before I jump on that one.

Q. Mardy said you guys have been here for 12 days, right, you were here for a good week when there were no other players? Didn't it help just to be out on this surface at a locale movement wise, or was it just the match is so much different once you get out on center?
ANDY RODDICK: It's always different. You know, like I said, like I commented to Doug, I did everything I can to kind of it's kind of like when you miss an assignment in school and they give you a chance to get extra credit. I've been trying real hard to get extra credit. It's never really the same.
After Madrid, I did pretty much everything I could to be prepared here. But, you know, I didn't play my best today, and I definitely wasn't match tough.
I've been saying all week if I can get through the first one or the second one, then maybe I will start hitting my stride and playing a little bit better. But it's just a matter of surviving and advance. Today I guess I found a way to get through it.

Q. You're playing Blaz Kavcic next round. Do you know anything about him?
ANDY RODDICK: I found a person who knew him.

Q. Who was that?
ANDY RODDICK: Who was the person? A guy who he had played in quallies in Australia. So, you know, I got a little bit of a scouting report, and I'm sure I'll do some more Googling when I get back to my room tonight and try and figure something out and maybe try to get a tape of his match today or something so I have you know, but I've never played him and I don't know him.

Q. Just after Miami, you made the decision clearly you needed some time off. You wanted to rest the body. But now thinking back, would it have been a good idea to play Rome, or is it basically you didn't know you were going to get sick in Madrid?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I didn't know I was going to get sick in Madrid. That was my preparation last year and I had my best ever French Open.
Also I have responsibilities elsewhere, you know. It was my first anniversary and I hadn't seen Brook in a while. I think at that point in the year, that was always gonna take precedence for me. That was a time that we had blocked out for us, and you know, that's necessary.

Q. How different a player are you than you were two, three years ago? Is this maybe a match you wouldn't have pulled out a couple years back?
ANDY RODDICK: Oh, I don't know. I've been pretty good at sticking around. The majority of the matches I win aren't pretty.
But I've made a career out of that. I think I'm in, you know, in better shape now than I was three years ago. I don't think the difference is as big as everyone talks about. I think it's just a matter of between the ears, you know, I didn't get I was very frustrated at times, and was audible with it at times, but, you know, I have, I don't know, a sense of calm a lot even when things aren't going my way. I realize it is possible to a match can turn quick, and it did there in the fourth set breaker on three points and then all of a sudden, you know, a lot of times it's just about momentum shift.

Q. Not to repeat what Sam said, but in a sense he was saying that he's been in Europe a long time, he played I think four events in a row, including last week, and that maybe wasn't such a great decision to come over so early. Match practice wise or match toughness wise it was good but a player can run the risk of getting a little bit fried before a Major.
ANDY RODDICK: Well, yeah, you live and learn. You know, like I said, I think before I comment on, you know, hearsay and whatever else is being interpreted, I'll probably, you know, address it with Sam if I talk to him.
You know, it's a tough it's tough for him because when he's in the States he plays really well when he plays a lot. He can play a lot.
You know, you learn. I mean, I feel like I have a better grasp on my schedule now than I did when I was 21 or 22, and it seems like I played everything.
He'll learn.

Q. I know you all have obligations and commitments, but on a purely personal level, would you like to just each year just fast forward from Miami and go straight to practicing on grass?
ANDY RODDICK: No, no, I mean, I know the press, it seems that way to you guys. But this is also part of the year, part of leadup. Having to battle against, you know, my own style on a surface, and, you know, it is all a learning experience, so I don't think I would fast forward anything.

Q. No doubt when you go to a hardcourt or grass, you expect to win. When you come here, is it just sort of let's kind of get the rhythm, let's see how well I do, every win is gravy? What's the difference in your mind?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know that I ever expect to win. I don't know if I've ever been that presumptuous going into a match. If anything, I err on the other way. I do everything I can to find as much information about this guy that I play next even though I haven't heard of him before.
You know, I'll err on the side of being overstudied. You know, it is different, though. I mean, I know I think the ceiling is a little bit different on clay for me, but the mindset of going into a day doesn't change. You go in and you try and battle and do the best you can. You see what happens.
You know, I think the option of how you go about it is pretty simple. I'm aware that it's probably on a worse surface. I'm aware of the challenges that it brings. Doesn't change going into a day what I want to accomplish.


(via Roland Garros)

Roland Garros 2010: Andy Roddick's 25. May Interview