A. RODDICK/D. Tursunov
7-6, 7-6



Q. I couldn't quite make out what was being said out there between you and about three or four other people. What was being said?
ANDY RODDICK: Ah, you're just talking about with...

Q. The umpire.
ANDY RODDICK: Probably stuff that doesn't need to be repeated. I went about it the wrong way. I think my argument was fine, but my choice of words probably wasn't.
You know, I felt like -- first of all, he got screwed a little bit the first time I broke because we were playing on a wet court. It's tough to make that first reaction after a serve.
Same thing happened to me, so I basically was wondering how many more times we were going to play on a slippery court. He said, Well, no one has fallen yet. I said, well, if that's a barometer, then we have a problem.
So I feel like my argument was just, but the way I went about it probably wasn't the best.

Q. You were angry because of the whole Wade thing, though, right?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I wish that would have worked out.

Q. Seemed like in the first set you were a little bit more defensive than you have been lately. Was that him, or you kind of weren't really feeling your forehand at that moment?
ANDY RODDICK: No, I think a lot of it had to do with conditions. The wind was gusting, but it wasn't consistent. So it was tough to really commit to any shot.
And from one end, you know, it was basically like playing downhill. You know, he was -- and I was just to fight off shots. And you know, with the other one -- against him, if you play straight with him he's a good ball striker, so I was trying to mixup paces a little bit.
I had some success with it, and some not so much. But on the bigger points, it helped me out a little bit.

Q. In the 12th game, is it the case where you're encouraged because you're getting so many cracks at him, or frustration because you're not able to get that last point, all the break points?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I'd rather have not a lot of looks and convert the one that I do get. But I guess it's a good thing. Sitting down after the first set and looking at what was a very close set and looking at the stats, it was pretty one-sided.
So that made me feel better going into the second set. But obviously you want to take your chances a little bit better than I did in the first.


Q. You couldn't just give us a sense of what you were debating with the referee at the end there, could you?
ANDY RODDICK: With?

Q. With Mr. Mills.
ANDY RODDICK: With Alan? I was basically -- I apologized to the umpire for what I said to him during the match. And then with Alan, he basically said, If you feel like it's too slippery, you know, you should speak up. I guess I asked him if my standing there looking confused for 20 seconds didn't give the point away.
I guess I had to get more vocal than try to go with the confuse and conquer method.

Q. The second set you just kind of felt in good rhythm? You felt like the tiebreak broke his spirit?
ANDY RODDICK: I felt like maybe he might have been struggling a little bit physically. It's like a swamp out there today. You're sweating a ton. I mean, you can wring out your shorts, you know, afterwards. You know, so I wanted to be sure to take advantage of that and make the points tough.
You know, it just got away from him a little bit in that second.

Q. I think you got Monfils or Safin, I believe, next. History with both?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it's a completely different matchup. Gael is a little bit more defensive and tries to suck you in a little bit more. Marat kind of goes after it and probably plays a little bit more similar to the guy I played today.
It's going to -- you know, kind of how I go about that matchup is going to be very dependent upon who gets through that.

Q. It's a year of kind of contrasting weather patterns and what have you. How tough is this in comparison to other places to play on a day like today, for instance?
ANDY RODDICK: Sure. The humidity is not like anything you're going to get anywhere else. Australia is very hot. You know, it feels like a hair dryer some days. But, you know, here it's a matter of keeping your fluids in you and keeping stuff in you.
Because obviously the more you sweat it just takes it out of you. So it's a little bit different. But, you know, the muggy conditions like today, and especially kind of going off, going on, making sure you have something in your body as far as food and during the breaks, you know, it's a little bit tricky.

Q. Did it happen to you to have been working very hard on the practice courts and not being able to translate that into matches? And if yes, what did you have to do to make it happen?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, the thing with sports is you can work as hard as you want and there are no guarantees. It doesn't, you know, translate.
I think the off-season of '05 I worked very hard and had a terrible start to the start of the year in '06. I don't think there's a secret. I don't think there is a magic fix.
That whole beginning of the year I just said I need to get a tournament where I play a bunch of matches in a row to feel comfortable. Right now I've played so many matches I go out there and I feel comfortable in most situations.
But, you know, it's tough when you play one match, wait eight, ten days, and then you're anxious for the next one. You're automatically going to be tight. It's just a matter of getting into a tournament and going deep.
Later on that year and that summer I was able to get some matches under my belt and started playing a little bit better.

Q. Is it a question of state of mind if you work too much it's worse?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know if you can work too much. If you work to the point where you're injured or rundown physically it's a different story. I don't think there's anything wrong with hard work.

Q. Seeing the way Dmitry can hit the ball as hard as anybody, it seems, what separates him from the top 10 level at the moment?
ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I think he's very good at plan A, and then after that it's a little bit more of a question mark. I think movement is a huge key. You know, he certainly hits the ball a ton. That's what made it tough today. He was hitting through the wind when he was against it, and then when he was with it, like I said, I felt like he was playing downhill.
But who knows? That's a tough question.

Q. Just so we're clear, the Heat was saying last night there was still a chance the Horse thing was going to happen. At what point did you decide you definitely weren't going to do it?
ANDY RODDICK: I didn't. I actually asked my trainer after the fact, like just now.
They said, well, they had to make a call this morning. Obviously Dwyane, he wasn't waiting around all day, and so my agent erred on the side of not making Mr. Wade wait, which is disappointing.
All the crappy stuff they make us do for Stars activities, that was actually a fun one.

Q. Well, you're still going to be here another week.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I know. But I think he plays a game tomorrow night. I don't know exactly if I'm providing the necessary warmup for the Mavericks tomorrow night, I think it is.
So, you know, it's disappointing, and it's something I really look forward to. You know, he can have his Horse title for another year.

Q. Give us one of the crappy things you had to do offcourt.
ANDY RODDICK: Do what? Ever been asked a question and too many answers spring to your mind so you have trouble deciphering one for you?

Q. Yes.


(via ASAP Sports, photo/Reuters Pictures)

Andy Roddick - Miami 29. March Interview