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September 04, 2006

Highlights from the U.S. Open Interview Room - Week One

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Andre Agassi on his emotions and the crowd at the end of his first-round match:

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, I don't know. I'm not sure what it is. I certainly feel a lot of things. To hear the crowd, you know, pull for me so emphatically. I don't think I've ever played a match point where 20,000 people were just standing. You know, that was really cool….Yeah. It just hit me. I could have hit that second serve anywhere, that's for sure. But, yeah, it felt pretty amazing. They're all just standing. It was awesome.

Andre Agassi on the end of his career and looking forward:

ANDRE AGASSI: I've spent a lot of time over the last few months knowing that this would be the end, this tournament. I've had a lot of time to think about it from many perspectives. I look at young guys who are talented who make us aware of life's endless cycle. I look at the life ahead of them, the journey ahead of them. It's so evenly balanced between me seeing how many great things they have to look forward to, at the same time how much I wouldn't do it again. It feels like a balance that leaves me very clear and at peace.

Andre Agassi on life lessons learned from tennis:

ANDRE AGASSI: You're out there alone. You're playing a sport that requires you to problem solve. It requires you to do it in a somewhat emotional state. It's a bit of life there. You learn to trust yourself and you learn to push yourself. 

Andre Agassi  on the response from his peers when he walked into the lockerroom after losing to Benjamin Becker:

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, when I went into the locker room afterwards, they all were standing, applauding me. I tell you, you know, the greatest applause that any person will ever receive in their life is that which comes from their peers. It's not like we're a company who's working together to accomplish something. We're people that succeed, in some cases, at the demise of the other. To have them applaud you is the ultimate compliment.

Andy Roddick on the influence of Jimmy Connors:

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, Jimmy can't go out there and play for me. That's what his career was for, you know. That being said, he can bring a lot to the table as far as preparation and different ideas and maybe seeing the game through his eyes a little bit more. You know, he knows a lot more about tennis than I did, and probably ever will. You know, you can only get better from something like that.

Roger Federer on the pressure of being Number One:

ROGER FEDERER: It depends how you look at it, you know. I say I always prefer to be the favorite than the underdog. That's definitely worked out for me since I became No. 1. I never lost that spot and never looked back. That gave me more confidence than pressure really…. I always have the feeling the underdog has to adapt and try and change his game, try to figure out the way to beat the favorite, whereas the favorite, he can kind of wait and see how things go. That's just, anyway, how I look at it, you know.


Maria Sharapova on her nighttime U.S. Open dress:

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, yeah, I was. The whole inspiration for the night dress was Audrey Hepburn. I'm really inspired by her. I'm in a phase where I'm like watching all her movies. I haven't seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's" since like three weeks ago, then I saw "Roman Holiday," then I read some books about her. That's where the inspiration came off. It's classy, it's elegant. I love the neck of it. That was kind of my input towards the design. Yeah, all the crystals and everything. But, yeah, I'm very excited. It's one of my favorite dresses that I've ever worn. It's pretty cool.

Marcos Baghdatis on the fifth set against Agassi:

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know, I just wanted to fight, you know? Playing Andre in the center court of Arthur Ashe, the last thing I want to just die on the court. I will do anything to win. That's all. That's what I did.

James Blake on why he wore one of Agassi's old Nike outfits from the early 90s:

JAMES BLAKE: It was an idea I came up with at Wimbledon when I saw actually what happened. I was sitting and watching his last match against Nadal, realized the emotion that was welling up it seemed like in everyone. I was sitting there with my brother, my coach, just watching what was going on on TV. Just thinking about how emotional I'm sure it was, how emotional it was for everyone. Man, I wish there was something we could do, a way to show our support.

Serena Williams on training at Nick Bollettieri's academy during the summer:

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I went to Bollettieri's for a week with Nick and my dad. Nick and my dad work great together. They feed off each other. It's a great team. They make a really good team. I kind of wanted to go and just get some extra practice with some extra guys. It worked well. I love Nick. He's a great guy. You know, he always knows what to say to get me motivated.

Amelie Mauresmo on whether she feels pressure anymore:

AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I don't feel more pressure at all. I think really what I've achieved since US Open last year has really gave me the right to, you know, to lose actually, and to be more relaxed and to have less pressure on me, when before I was probably inside of me telling me, Am I gonna be able to win one? Am I gonna do it? Am I gonna end my career without a Grand Slam title? All these things probably were in my mind. Now it's a big relief to think that it's not there anymore. That's something that's been going on for a few months now.

Related Post:  Highlights from the U.S Open Interview Room - Week Two


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