Quotes from the 2007 U.S. Open Interview Room - Week Two
Explaining whether she feels that her 2004 U.S. Open title is “in the past” as Marat Safin had said in discussing his past U.S. Open title…
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, Marat is special person. I have so much respect for him. I think he's such an unbelievable athlete. His personality is very special. In some point I agree what he says, but then in some point I will never forget. It's not a thing to forget, winning a Grand Slam. It's not like nobody cares. At some point, I agree, it's in the past. But still I been honored to win here. It's only one Grand Slam I won so far. Definitely always good memories. Definitely I come here I think about it because it's not possible without it. I feel proud for what I've done. But it's in the past. I'm consistent, I have to do better in the future.
Describing how he’ll look back on the 2007 U.S. Open including his first victory in a five set match…
JAMES BLAKE: I'm not going to make as big a deal out of it as a lot of other people will. Like I said, physically I felt fine at the end of that five setter. I felt that way in a few of the five setters. A couple of them it's been my body breaking down. That, to me, seems likes ancient history, when I was a little younger, my body was breaking down. Now it's just a matter of a point here or there. If it's not physically, I know it's not really that big of an issue because I've won a whole lot of third sets in two out of three set matches. It's not like I get too nervous or anything. I won a third set tiebreaker in New Haven against a great player in Mathieu. I know it's not that. It just happens to be I've had a couple very obvious ones, very much at the forefront of the media's attention. You know, in reflecting right now, I will say that years ago when I was so bummed I lost the USTA National 18 and Under, my coach and I talked about how as you get better and better the matches sting more and more when you lose. Because it hurts right now to lose in the fourth round of the US Open. It hurts so badly to lose in the quarterfinals of the US Open. We just talk about the fact that that shows how well you're playing, that these hurt so much, because maybe it wouldn't hurt as much if I kept losing first rounds of New Haven, of here, of other places. When the stakes are higher, that means you've done something that you should be proud of when you reflect on it. I hope in days to come, weeks to come, years to come, I am proud of the efforts I put in. I'm not going to hang my head too low about losing to some great players.Describing the experience of writing his book, “Breaking Back”…
JAMES BLAKE: …I never would have believed at 27 years old I'd be telling an inspirational story. But I'm really proud of it. I'm exceptionally proud that people are able to relate to me more so than just on the tennis court. I really don't think many people in this room or in any room can relate to playing in front of 20,000 people on national TV, hearing the crowd go crazy. But they can relate to family tragedy. They can relate to cancer. They can relate to injuries and illnesses, things that go on in life where everyone's life is a bit of a bumpy ride. I've never met one person yet that's had a smooth sailing from birth to old age. So it's a way of those people seeing that just because I'm living a charmed life for two or three hours a day on TV, it doesn't mean it's always that way. And to relate to someone as a human being more so than just a tennis player is something I've cherished in a lot of these book signings. A lot of people have written in to my website, written letters to me, told me it makes a difference. I've gotten a new fan out of them just from people that didn't know much about tennis. That's something I'm really proud of. I'm just happy I had the opportunity, Harper Collins gave me that chance, that people really do appreciate it. It's something that was a very therapeutic experience for me to write, to go over the ups and downs of my life at such a young age. It really was good for me to get it out and put it down on paper.
Describing how he reacts now compared to the past when he loses a set or has his serve broken…
ROGER FEDERER: I guess back in the day today I would have started to serve and volley. I would have felt like my service games, I was doing something wrong that he broke me. So I would be scared maybe to get into the baseline rallies with him for some reason because he would chip and come in. So I wouldn't want him to come in I would have wanted them to come in and the whole thing would have changed. I would put really everything on the line early on in the match, and if he could he would break my second tactic I would probably be done. I don't do that anymore. I'm patient like you said. I wait and I hope it turns around. There's never a guarantee.Responding to questions about his injured knees after his upset loss to David Ferrer…
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I speak a lot about, well, my physically all the week. So I don't want to -- I prefer don't speak about my body right now because always if I speak something about my body, later someone thinks about is an excuse. So I don't want to put any excuse. He play very good and he beat me. Maybe another day we can speak about the injuries.
Discussing feeling nervous in big matches such as when she played Serena Williams…
JUSTINE HENIN: Well, you can get nervous. Even maybe today you feel it a little bit more because it's against Serena and she's pushing myself a lot. So, no, you know, I can get nervous. All the players can get nervous. I mean, even the best champions. It's okay if you get nervous, but you just have to find the solutions and look after the solutions. And that's what I did. My attitude changed completely.
Discussing her confidence level prior to playing Serena Williams in the quarters…
JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, I woke up this morning, I was very excited. I was feeling it was going to be a big day for me. And I was just -- I was in confidence actually 'cause in Miami I was so close, I should have won that match. But she's been stronger mentally. Maybe I didn't believe enough in myself before the match at the time and I didn't want to do that mistake again. Then especially my win on clay, I knew I could beat her, but on grass it was much harder. And I feel better on hard court than on grass, that's for sure. I have more confidence here than on grass. We could feel it tonight. Every match against Serena is very special. A lot of pressure, a lot of tension. But it was good. I really enjoyed it.
Discussing whether he’s ready to challenge Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the very top of men’s tennis…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I can say I'm ready. But, you know, it's still a long way till there. I had some amazing runs, especially on the hard court season this year, and on the biggest tournaments I play my best tennis, made some impressive results. But now, of course, it's understandably all about Federer, Nadal because they're very dominant, two best players of the world. And the tennis needs this rivalry. But in the other hand, the people are not paying attention to the other players. So I can say that I'm one of those players in that smaller group behind, which is trying to, you know, break that -- break it through and make this group of two a little bit bigger.
Responding to a question about why she lost to Justine Henin in the quarters…
SERENA WILLIAMS: I just said I can't explain that right now. I just don't know, so I can't help you there. You guys I think watched it. Maybe you can analyze it better. I haven't been able to watch it yet.
Discussing whether her level of play dropped in the second set of her match against Justine Henin…
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I just think she played better. I just think she made a lot of lucky shots, and I made a lot of errors. I don't think my level dropped…
Responding to whether she made a lot of errors, i.e. her level “dropped”…
SERENA WILLIAMS: I guess it is in a way, maybe my level did drop. I definitely made a lot of errors. I think she just played a little bit more aggressive and started hitting really, really hard balls.
Describing how she will review her loss to Justine Henin…
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I got to go back and study and figure out how to beat her. That's it. Bottom line.Responding to a question regarding whether he feels sorry for himself that he is playing in the "Federer era"…
ANDY RODDICK: No. If I feel sorry for myself I'm a real asshole. Honestly, I get to play in atmospheres like that. You know, I get a lot of opportunities. I'm very lucky. If I start feeling sorry for myself I need a serious sense of perspective.
Discussing playing in the atmosphere of a night match at the U.S. Open…
ANDY RODDICK: You know, you can just feed off the energy. It's a show. You know, you're just pushing each other. It's a competitive environment. When you feel like both people are playing up to their abilities. Obviously the crowd. You walk out there, you're part of a very small percentage of people who can go out there and hear someone cheer for them, compete on that stage with that amount of hype. So I think, like I said, I'd have to be totally out of touch not to realize that and appreciate it.Commenting on sister, Serena Williams’ loss to Justine Henin…
VENUS WILLIAMS: I felt like Serena was just a step slow yesterday, and I don't think she quite -- there are some days where you don't quite get your racquet on it. I think she got a little frustrated in the second set and it went quicker because she really wanted it to go her way and it wasn't and she kind of didn't settle down. I think that hurt her a lot. I think she had Justine in a position where Justine was thinking about it like, Wow, I might lose this first set. Unfortunately, Serena didn't get it. But she'll be back.
Discussing whether she felt she could get back to the top of the women’s game after the tough times she’d had the past couple years…
VENUS WILLIAMS: I always think that I'll be on top. I never not think that I'm not the one. I believe always I'm the one, and when I'm not the one it really bothers me. So I always work very hard to be on the top. I'm continuing to work hard.
Discussing her positive attitude on the court…
JELENA JANKOVIC: I really don't know. I think it's nice to be fair, to give credit to the opponent. When she hits a great shot, why not? You can say, Well done. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with smiling also on the court. I cannot do anything when she hits an unbelievable serve. I cannot return it. So why not give her credit and say, Well done, Venus. But I was fighting there. I tried to do my best. I tried to win. I had a positive score against her. But today, tonight, it didn't go my way. A few points in the tiebreaker I made some unforced errors. But you have to take the loss and have to go on and have to learn from it and keep going.
Describing the multiple strengths in his game…
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I feel I can, yes, count on many things in my game to work. If my serve doesn't work, I know my baseline game helps me out. So if one thing breaks down I'm still okay. For that to happen there's a lot for me that needs to happen because I do always usually feel good physically. Mentally I'm always aware of my opponent. I never underestimate. I think that's one very important aspect. And usually I can play the moment very well, you know. So I think that's also one very important part of my game, is to understand the moment. Yeah, you put all of them together, I know that I have a beg repertoire of shots and things I can choose from.
Discussing Rafael Nadal’s late-night loss to David Ferrer…
ROGER FEDERER: Well, honestly it was sad to see the way he was fighting with his body last night. I mean, I felt for the guy. I never saw him go down like this physically. I mean, he sat down. I don't know what happened. I mean, I played him in Miami in the finals when I beat him 6‑1 in the fifth, and he was really struggling there physically. So it was kind of the second time for me to see him really struggling out there. But you've got to give credit to Ferrer. He played unbelievable. I know he can play well. He's the best returner in the game at the moment, together with Nadal I think. I mean, it was still entertaining. I have to give also great credit to Rafa the way he swallowed it all, tried extremely hard. I was very impressed. I really liked to see that.
Describing his on-court impressions on live TV of Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal after his quarterfinal win…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I enjoy it. I'm really happy that the people accept it in a positive way. I'm not trying to make fun of Maria or Rafa or anybody else. Just trying to make the people laugh and have a good time, you know, trying to enjoy the tennis on the court and off the court as well. Hopefully it's going to be my life for next ten, fifteen years. So you're gonna do all the same things, you know, get to the same cities, same tournaments and, you know, you got to look at the positive side of everything. This is just some of the things, you know, I usually do to make the people laugh.
Discussing his childhood idols…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, a little bit. Because I was maybe ten years old. My probably lifetime idol was Sampras, so I was trying to -- I started with the one handed backhand. I was playing it for a year. I tried to play like him, but then I changed to two hands because I was really nervous at practice because I doesn't have strength. I was very skinny and small, little player, and I didn't have any strength for playing one hand. So that's why I decided to play with two hands. I tried to take all the best things from every player. From Pete I took, I was saying that I want to have a serve like him and, you know, a kind of focus like he does on the court. From Agassi I wanted to have the return. Up, from Edberg I wanted to have the volleys. So I was always trying to make the perfect situation. But, you know, Sampras has been my idol.
Describing what Serena said to her before her semifinal match and whether Serena knew she hadn’t been feeling well at times during the U.S. Open…
VENUS WILLIAMS: She just told me I could do it. I mean, Serena was my opponent in the draw, too. I didn't tell her how I was feeling (laughter). I never tell. I mean, I think she was having something and she didn't tell me, and I found out like through someone else that she was having problems. We love each other, but we're competing. We don't tell each other what's happening. So she never knew all these problems that I'm having (laughter). But, yeah, she told me I could do it.
Describing how she played in her semifinal win against Anna Chakvetadze…
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I guess when you put the ball in court, you win. When you hit it out, you lose. This is basically it. I was so nervous in the first set. I knew it was my opportunity. You know, I was so stuck there. I was just not doing anything at all. Every ball I hit, I hit it with the frame, the handle, somewhere out. Forehand. Didn't serve well. This was it. I was down one set, 1-Love, Love-40. I still was fighting. I would never give up. It was semifinal. It was not the best match I've played, but it was also great challenge to me. You know, I was talking to myself, say, Look, it's your challenge. You're losing, but you know you can do it, you know you can play better. You know if you do good basically you have to win. It's your challenge. You take it or you don't. So I did, and I'm really proud of my effort today.
Discussing her strategy against Venus Williams…
JUSTINE HENIN: …It was very clear in my head. Venus likes to play when she has angles. She loves to move. She doesn't like that much that we play in the middle, then open the court a little bit more. I think the key was just my return also, and I've been so aggressive on the return. And that was really important. She was serving very fast, but I could hit back and very strong. And I served very well, too. The one who was taking the opportunities was winning, that's for sure. It was just battle of who was going to take the chances.
Talking about her coach, Carlos Rodriguez, after winning the U.S. Open title…
JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, I mean, I can tell you today it's a big day for Carlos and I because just the two of us really know how hard it's been, and I can tell you we been in the year pretty ‑‑ I mean, it was tough. He gave me an unbelievable support. Never judge anything. He was just there for me, he and his family. We just kept fighting together. He knew I really needed it at that time, and he never stopped pushing me a lot this year. He's been hard with me also, but he had a big role for sure. He's been so happy that I have my brother and sister back in my life. He was really proud also at the French Open, I could dedicate my victory to them. It's been just a great year for both of us. That's why I wanted to go see him in the stands today.
Explaining how he prepares for opponents…
ROGER FEDERER: It's all in the mind for me. You tell me a name, and I have so many things going through my head about this just one player. Basically I don't need to sit down and talk about an opponent for an hour. Takes me basically 15 seconds. I know everything I need to know and I'm ready to go. I've kind of changed my approach a little bit about how I prepare mentally for an opponent. Because back in the day, maybe four, five, ten years ago I would be so specific what my opponents would do best and not so good. Now I know right away, so it's changed quite a bit.Discussing if he ever doesn’t feel like practicing…
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it happened two days ago. Went to bed at 4:30 after the Roddick match. I said, You know what, I'm not in the mood to practice, so I stayed home. I stayed in the city. I only came back yesterday to hit. Tried to avoid everything, rather take it easy. Had a good practice yesterday. That was one of those moments, you know, where I was just walking around town, you know, just like so tired, just in the mood not to do anything. Yeah, I mean, sometimes it happens during majors because they're really long. At one stage all of a sudden you wake up in the morning, you're like, Oh, God, I don't feel good, but I have a five-setter to play. Tough sometimes. But once you get to the courts, you warm up, take your shower, get kinda ready to go, it's much easier. But I do have, yeah, quite a few days where just like I'm exhausted, yeah.
Explaining his attitude going into the U.S. Open Finals against Roger Federer…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think I'm ready, and I need to be ready. I need to think like this. I need to believe in myself, because otherwise I wouldn't get the positive outcome. I don't want to go out tomorrow and try to do my best or try to perform well. No, I'll go tomorrow to try to win.Discussing being nervous in the U.S. Open Women’s Final…
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, it's very tough. I think the match was much closer than the score, for sure. And, you know, like I always say that -- and I'm gonna say it once more. To beat Justine, she's No. 1. When she plays her best game I have to play my best game. I didn't play my best game so that's why I lost. And I had so many opportunities -- not so many, but with these players like her, so high level, you just have few opportunities, not many. If you don't use them, there's no way I gonna win. I had so many of them. I felt I just didn't move to the ball well enough because I was pretty tight. So I think I got to learn a lot out of this final and just see ‑‑ take many times and improve it. There is something about my game I have to work.
Discussing his play in the U.S. Open Men’s Finals…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I think it was. And I think on the important moments, especially that first set when I served 40-Love. I had wind behind me, so I was in a good position, everything was good, and then suddenly I just started making these unforced errors, which are really not understandable. And then I was quite nervous, a lot of pressure, and I knew that I had to make some shots. You know, obviously that was mistake because I just needed to calm down and wait for my chances, which I didn't. I made a lot of first‑shot unforced errors in that game. I think that was pretty crucial. I think I was mentally weaker today on that important points than he is mentally stronger. So I think it was my mistake and my weakness today. But, you know, it's normal. You know, it's a bad day about that. I mean, in general, looking at the whole US Open, I have been performing really well. Today, as well, I played a nice tennis. I had a lot of chances. I didn't use them. But looking at the situation, you know, it was a first Grand Slam final for me, 23,000 people, and everybody expected a nice match. So I had quite a lot of pressure. But I enjoyed it. In the other hand, it was an amazing experience for me.
Comparing Wimbledon and the U.S. Open…
ROGER FEDERER: Well, for me, I mean, Wimbledon obviously is always going to be No. 1. But New York has definitely grown on me the last few years. I think especially since that famous final against Agassi here a few years ago I started to really love this tournament. I realize actually what kind of a big‑time event this is, you know, with 24,000 people in the stadium, the city. Just the difficulty to win here. I wasn't aware of it in the very beginning when I came on tour really. For me, US Open is the second biggest one we have on tour. To have won those two, you know, the most times, it's just incredible for me.
Discussing whether there is the potential for a rivalry with Novak Djokovic…
ROGER FEDERER: Very possible, you know. Honestly I've enjoyed the challenge of young guys challenging me. This is probably my biggest motivation out there. You know, seeing them challenge me, beating them in the final, it's really for me the best feeling, to be honest (smiling). If a rivalry comes along, great. So far we haven't played many times in finals of tournaments. It's always been quarterfinals, last 16. Now we've had two finals back to back. That always helps the rivalry. But I still obviously consider the one I have with Nadal much more serious at the moment.
Discussing how much he thinks about breaking Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles…
ROGER FEDERER: I think about it a lot now, honestly. In the beginning I was -- I felt pushed a little bit in the corner, put under pressure about the situation because you don't win slams like that, it's just too tough. I feel these two and a half weeks, it's so draining. I'm exhausted in the end. It's a great relief, you know, just to finally maybe have a good night's sleep without thinking about the upcoming five-setter I have to play. So I know how tough it is. So to come so close already at my age is fantastic, and I really hope to break it.
Describing getting nervous before the U.S. Open Men’s Finals…
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. I mean, I can't recall. But I get nervous quite often in big occasions, you know, just because ‑‑ I guess especially at Grand Slams because, you know, you wait around so long and you hope to be in the driver's seat on the final day and everything. It's just hard. It really works you. So you're like, I hope I didn't come all this way to lose. You start asking yourself questions. Of course, the more I win the more I ask myself questions almost. In the end to win, it's relief, happiness, just all together. It's the best feeling.
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