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September 09, 2008

Quotes from the 2008 U.S. Open Interview Room - Week Two


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Selected quotes from the players’ post-match press conferences at the 2008 U.S. Open

Commenting on whether it is fair play to hit  directly at an opponent’s body…
VENUS WILLIAMS
: I play the best shot, whatever that shot is. Do I go for the body? I go for whatever shot is the best. If it's body or if it's a lob, a slice, I do that. Whatever it takes to win.  I mean, obviously being a great sportswoman I have no problem with anyone hitting at me, and I don't think anyone really has a problem with being hit at. That's just the sport.

Commenting on her poor serving including 14 double faults in her round of 16 loss…
AMÉLIE MAURESMO
: No, basically it was coming from me, and I think the conditions were pretty windy out there today.  Definitely something that we will try to analyze and work on for the next tournaments. Yeah, and then -- yeah, we will work on it.

Explaining how she feels about having to play Venus in the quarters…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: It sucked that it can't be the final. At least the semis. It's so soon. Actually for me, I've been really working on playing more and getting my ranking together. You know, it's just disappointing to be so soon.

Commenting on whether winning the Gold Medal at the Olympics increased his confidence on hard courts…
RAFAEL NADAL
: Not today. The Olympics maybe didn't help me right now for this tournament, no? The Olympics was one of the most important title in my career. But I was playing good in hard court before the Olympics, no?  I won in Toronto, semifinals in Cincinnati, and semifinal in Indian Wells and Australia, and Miami final, no, so the results was very good, no?

Explaining whether he expects to have a bad match during a Grand Slam…
RAFAEL NADAL
: I don't think too much. I don't think those things before the tournament, no?  I just go and try my best ever match, no? It's not in Grand Slam; in every tournament you have one bad day. That's the normal thing.  Important thing is win. When you are playing not your best, the important thing is win. I did today, so I have a chance for practice tomorrow and for play another time on Wednesday. So that's the important thing. I'm very happy for that.

Commenting on the qualities he thinks are important in the new CEO of the ATP Tour…
RAFAEL NADAL
: For me, most important thing is, first of all, a little bit more communication than the past.  For sure, the second thing is one person who knows a little bit about the tennis, no? And one person who wants to talk about with the persons who knows the tennis well.  Because Etienne, well, had some new ideas, so that's my opinion. Wasn't bad, because, you know, always when you have a change, you can be wrong, but you can be right, no?  So he had the change, so in my opinion, that is fine, but the wrong thing is -- well, never talk for the other people, for -- to consult another people who really knows the tennis, no?  Well, in my opinion a lot of people knows the tennis. Tour managers was here since more than ten years and never talk with these guys who know about how was the problems for the tennis for the last few years.  I think they know better which problems they have then the new CEO that was Etienne, no? So I think the new have to have more communication with the people who knows the tennis good.

Reacting to comments about his chances at the 2008 U.S. Open…
ANDY RODDICK
: I feel good. Yeah, I mean, I guess it pissed me off a little bit when I'm going in against Gulbis, and everyone is predicting an upset to a guy one game over .500 for the year, especially here in New York.  In a strange way, that probably helped a lot. I don't think it was -- considering my form coming in, it probably wasn't the craziest thing, but I used it how I should have used it, I guess.  But you give yourself a chance, and now I'm in line to make something really good happen, you know. If you get through the next one, then you got a shot at it.  I'm just happy that I'm playing good tennis again. Win or lose, you know, tonight it's been a long time since I've played consecutive matches pretty well. I was just real happy at the end of it.

Commenting after his five set win over Igor Andreev…
ROGER FEDERER
: Yes, I think it was -- it was really entertaining, not only for the fans, but for both of us. I don't remember if I ever played an entire five-set match on center court. I remember playing Andre in five sets, but that was over two days. Other than that, I don't quite remember that many, you know. I don't give myself the opportunity that much, you know, because I always win easily, and then five-setters don't happen, you know. (laughter.)  Like this, it's different. It's fun for a change. Same as the Australian Open when I beat Tipsarevic 9-7 in the fifth. Being part of some dogfights, it's fun for me.  I was really happy because in five sets you go through different stages of feelings, of playing well, playing bad. And in the fifth set you try not to make that many errors, and hopefully, you know, you'll get off on a good start. That's exactly what happened.  I was just really pleased with my fighting spirit.

Commenting on whether his emotional outbursts during his match against Andreev were because he was releasing frustration from the rest of the year…
ROGER FEDERER
: It hasn't been that frustrating, you know, to be quite honest. It's just fun to play on center court, you know. I mean, it's why you practice hard, that you play, you know, good when, you know, when it's crunch time. I'm happy with the way I played today when the pressure was the highest, and the crowd gives you that, you know, that feeling of going crazy a little bit.  So that's exactly what happened to me, same as at the Olympic Games. I think I'm at a stage today where I just really enjoy playing, you know, much more again. Whereas maybe for a while it was quite, always the same for me - go on court, you win all the time, so maybe you don't take it for granted that much anymore.  So it wasn't because I'm frustrated in any way or because it's been a frustrating season. I don't see it that way.

Describing her attitude when she walks on the court for a match…
VENUS WILLIAMS
: For me, I feel as a player, I mean, Serena would probably say the same, I feel like when I walk on the court, I have to feel like I'm the best one. I can't go out there with any other mentality.  I'm not necessarily in competition with any other player, but I always feel like the best. I didn't play the best today, but I always walk out there feeling good about my game.

Commenting after her loss to Serena about her play and emotions…
VENUS WILLIAMS
: Yeah. I mean, I felt like -- well, when I was at 5-2, 40-Love I thought, wow, these should be match points and they weren't. That's sports, and I guess it makes it more entertaining.  But, yeah, I felt like I was always in control. I was always playing more aggressive. Always going for a lot more. But just always coming up a little short… I feel like I'm pretty good at handling emotions. I'm a very good closer, so today was -- you know, I've never had a match like this in my life. I guess there's always a first.

Explaining why she lost her many set points in the first and second sets in her loss to Serena…
VENUS WILLIAMS
: Well, maybe in the first set I got a little tight, but not in that second. I just, you know, missed some shots. I sometimes went for too much or just at the last minute made a technical error or take my hat off. Just little things that like that, which at the end make a big difference.

Describing how she played against Venus…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: Yeah, I definitely managed my emotions a lot better. That was one thing I really wanted to focus on going into this match, was staying positive. I felt like I got really negative at Wimbledon, and lost any chance I might have had.  So I thought, you know, when she was up, I just got relaxed. When I was up, I was still relaxed.

Commenting on the importance of her victory over Venus…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: It is a big hump. It's a massive hump to get over. You know, yeah, I think I've been playing really consistent for over a year now and just really been dedicated. A year doesn't sound like a long time, but it's been a while.  You know, just hoping for the results to come.

Commenting after his tough five set win over Juan Martin Del Potro…
ANDY MURRAY
: Well, I mean, for me, like I said in all my other matches, I don't care what happens throughout the course of the match as long as I win.  I played the big points great. In the first two sets I played really well in the tiebreaks.  And then, yeah, when I broke a string on my racquet I started to serve a few double faults and lost the rhythm on my serve a little bit.  But I was really happy with the way I managed to come back. You know, it was a long match, and it would have been easy to get down on myself, but I didn't do that. I was really happy I came through.

Describing his feelings after beating Del Potro and reaching the semis…
ANDY MURRAY
: No, I'm excited to be in the semifinals, but the tournament is still going. Again, I said at the start of the tournament, I want to try to win it. I don't want to lose in the semifinals.  When I watched the opening of the tournament on the first night session, and you see all the winners of the US Open, you know, you realize that winning is what really, really counts. That's what I'm going to try and do.  I understand getting to the semis is a great achievement, but I want to go a little bit further.

Comparing the difference in atmosphere when playing a big match at Wimbledon versus the U.S. Open…
ANDY MURRAY
: Yeah, it's just very different. Wimbledon it's -- for me the biggest difference is in the middle of the points. At Wimbledon it's so quiet, and then at the end of the points it kind of erupts. Here there's a lot of noise going on in the middle of points, and a lot of shouting out during points.  Yeah, just a little bit more laid back, the atmosphere here. But both were great.

Commenting after his quarterfinal win over Mardy Fish…
RAFAEL NADAL
: Yeah, it was a great atmosphere out there, no? He started playing well and serving unbelievable. Playing good from the baseline, too. He has a break, so I have some chances but he served too well, too good.  Just for me it was very important win, no? Very happy for be in the semifinals, for sure. That's a, well, another important thing in my career: Play the semifinals in all Grand Slams in the same season. That's very good and very important for me. Close the quarterfinals here in New York.

Commenting on why he has been more vocal with his emotions at the 2008 U.S. Open and his on-court demeanor throughout his career…
ROGER FEDERER
: No, I mean, look, I mean, I'm in good spirits at the moment because the Olympic gold definitely helped to sort of, you know, not be more happy on court, but maybe more outgoing, because I'm always like this, especially in the practice, you know.  So I guess for a while I put my head down in the matches and just tried to keep that unbelievable run I had going instead of trying to disturb myself with, you know, any sort of reactions really. Maybe it's a time where I can show a little bit more and it comes out.  So for me it's not a big change, because I practice more than I play matches. It's normal, really…

Commenting on his on-court demeanor throughout his career…
ROGER FEDERER
: …for me, it's all about being myself out on the court, you know. I had a tough time just sort of getting my act together out on center court, you know, trying to behave properly. I don't know if he ever had a problem with that. For me, that was a big deal.  Finally when I got my act together and I started to relax a bit, results came, so I kept on, you know, doing that. I've always tried to show emotions as much as I sort of could, you know, without really disturbing my concentration, you know.  Who knows, maybe it is just a couple of weeks and I'm going crazy, and after that you'll see me more relaxed again.  I don't know yet. But, no, I mean, I've always been very relaxed guy, so this is nothing really, too drastic of a change.

Explaining whether he gets any motivation from people predicting someone will beat him…
ROGER FEDERER
: …I mean, I guess some players get a kick out of that and want to prove people wrong and stuff.  I mean, I'm not that type of person, you know, to go through life just wanting to, I don't know, prove myself. I'm past that point, you know.  I think that those days were five years ago maybe. Didn't enjoy those times that much, so I'm very happy I had a sort of more relaxed five years where I could enjoy tennis and not really have to deal with really tough situation and moments with the press.  Now I'm in a totally different situation that, you know, nothing really bothers me anymore. I do my thing and I love tennis, and, you know, I hope I can always put on a good show for fans. That's really where my focus lies at the moment.

Commenting about the hullabaloo regarding his comments in his previous press conference about Novak Djokovic’s injuries…
ANDY RODDICK
: Well, I mean, listen, here's the deal: I mean, if you guys haven't ever seen me joke in a press conference, I'd be shocked, okay?  I think you guys know it was completely meant in jest. Listen, I had four questions from each one, I had eight questions about all the other ones. Finally after 12 questions I decided to make light of the situation and it actually stopped after that. Or it screwed me up and you guys got me out of it.  I'm willing to talk about it. I don't know if, you know -- he took it as seriously. I figure if you're going to joke and imitate other people and do the whole deal, then you should take it. Listen, if someone makes fun of me I'm most likely going to laugh. If I'm over the line I'm going to come in here and say I was ridiculous. And I was wrong. I've been the worst of it in the past. By no means am I sitting here trying to be holier than thou or anything like that. But I promise you that if somebody makes a joke about it I'll probably laugh.  I'm sorry he took it that way. There's nothing else to say. I don't think I was over the line. It wasn't my intention, and, you know, I'm sorry he felt that way. Maybe I did him a favor tonight.

…I should know better, but listen, I joke all the time. I don't think anybody in their right mind takes me serious. I think it's very clear when I give a serious answer and when I don't give a serious answer.  Maybe that part -- maybe I should know better, you know, but in my eyes it's an innocent comment. I felt that most people found it funny and I tried to build it up -- if you look at the transcript, I'm saying, I'm 3, he's 8. It's straightforward. I'm trying to build it up as like I'm the favorite. I said listen, if you want to go last 10 days or go the last 10 months, he's been the best hardcourt player. I'm throwing truthful things the whole time. If someone wants to focus in on that and use it, then by all means, but especially in Novak's case, if you're going to dish out all the stuff, then be able to take it with a smile, is the only part that I don't quite agree with.

Commenting on his serving when he lost his serve at 5-4 in the fourth set…
ANDY RODDICK
: Well, I doubled twice, but you know what? I honestly don't feel like they were super‑tight doubles, and I've been going for bigger second serves kind of the whole way back because he was jumping on my second serve early. Just missed them. He had a really good shot on break point.  I've been playing pretty high‑risk, high‑reward tennis and I probably wasn't about to stop.  Given the choice again, I'd probably go for them, you know. That's what got me back in the match.

Responding in his press conference about his on-court comments after beating Andy Roddick…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
: Now, look, I had a very, very tough day yesterday. Physically I was feeling very exhausted and very empty.  I wasn't able to practice. One of the reasons was physically that, you know, I was exhausted and the other reason was that I just mentally had a lot of pressure.  Unfortunately, Andy made a statement -- I don't think it was intentional, okay. He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding, so I don't blame it on him. Okay. I did react on the court. Maybe I reacted. Maybe I exaggerated and reacted bad in that moment. No, I apologize if I reacted like that. But this was just impulsive, you know.  I had a lot of emotions in last two days. It's not nice when you get that from media all around the world and from players, and I never needed to make any excuses in the press. I just didn't need ‑‑ because I know that what I'm doing is right, that I have all the rights to take the medical timeout, that I'm doing it just for the purpose to make my physical condition better and just that I continue playing better.  I never made medical timeout because I wanted to distract the player, the opponent, or, you know, make the result look worse, you know.  And I just never did it. I didn't pay attention when I took the medical timeout. I just didn't care about it. Medical timeout is there because physiotherapist are there and doctors are there to help you out. This is what I did. I just took the medicals to help me out.  Maybe the people think that I'm exaggerating with these things, but it's just -- it's nothing bad, nothing negative, because I just -- I twist my ankle, I feel bad, you know. I get the pain in the back.  I just want to make it right, you know. Andy was always nice to me when I got to the tour, so this was just a clear misunderstanding.

Explaining why he doesn’t do impersonations of other players this year…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
: Well, it's different, you know. Once you win the Grand Slam title and, you know, win a couple more major events, you get more attention from everybody, and it's logical.  Again, you know, I don't want to make any impersonations more. It's not that I don't want, you know. This is something that people will get wrong, you know. And this is exactly the reason, and this is exactly the situation I don't want to be in. You know, fighting with people, with the press and this is absolutely not me.  And that's one of the reasons why I stopped doing this. I mean everybody is different. Everybody has different character, different personality, different way of seeing things on and off the court.  I always try to enjoy my life as much as I can, on the court and off the court. People who follow my career know that. And it was all from the positive side of life and just bringing the smiles on the people's faces. Not really insulting anybody. So, you know, it just turned around now. So hopefully we can get back.

Commenting after winning the men’s doubles title at the 2008 U.S. Open…
MIKE BRYAN
: I mean, it feels really sweet to get the last Grand Slam of the year. You know, it's been a while since we've been in a Grand Slam final.  Last year at Wimbledon we were in the finals, and I think our last Grand Slam was early last year. So it feels really good to win, especially in the U.S. after, you know, a long, long summer going over to Beijing.  So, I mean, this ranks, you know, as one of our top achievements, especially playing against those guys. The level of tennis and the crowd was spectacular. I mean, it felt like a Davis Cup crowd out there.  I mean, I was really surprised that everyone showed up. I think it helped to play at 12:30 instead of 11:00.
BOB BRYAN: Yeah, we got better every match, and we played an awesome semi. I thought we even played better today. Leander was magical, as always. In a big match you know he's always going to bring his best stuff.  He was hitting some crazy shots, and Lukas was ripping away. We had to play our best stuff to beat those guys.

Commenting on travelling and playing doubles together…
MIKE BRYAN
: It's just a lot of fun having a built‑in best friend to travel the world with, and, you know, work with and share all these experiences with. You know, I love this guy, and, you know, we've been doing it together for a long time.  You know, it would be kind of a -- kind of a little bit boring if I was out here by myself. I don't know if I would still be playing. If he gets hurt tomorrow I'll probably stop. We just love doing it together.
BOB BRYAN: Yeah, we'll be talking about these wins for the rest of our lives. We've been through all the highs and lows together, and that's what makes our bond so tight. It's not just the DNA, it's all the ups and downs we've been through our whole life.

Commenting on her performance in the semis against Serena Williams…
DINARA SAFINA
: Well, I think today I was feeling -- I mean, physically I was feeling better than previous days.  This has nothing to do. But just I would say it's too bad from behaving side from my side. Yeah, maybe today was physically and mentally 80, but I spent 60 on being negative on the court, like shooting around and complaining about everything instead of spending 80% totally focused on just point by point.  And this was -- I think I was behaving like a really spoiled girl on the court today. This I cannot permit myself playing in semifinal of Grand Slam. So I have to really learn from these things if I want to get better.

Talking about her big brother, Marat Safin…
DINARA SAFINA
: Well, I think it's more I'm still his sister than he's my brother, so I think it's still other way around. But it has nothing -- I'm his sister. I always will be his sister.  To change this I have to get better results, because he has two Grand Slams. He was No. 1 in the world. I still can learn many things from him.

Talking about the difference in her game and performance this year…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: I think it's just it. I've been way more consistent. I was playing a lot more, having more consistent results, and just putting in the effort…
Well, just putting in the effort both on the court and off the court. Paying the price, basically. Doubles helped, too. Playing a lot of doubles is always fun.

Talking about her expectations for the final against Jelena Jankovic…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: I don't feel expected to win. I feel expected to show up and, you know, do the best that I can do, and I feel like I have nothing to lose. I'm going against, you know, someone that's ranked higher than me.  She has a lot of pressure to win her first Grand Slam, and I'm just enjoying every moment, so yeah.

Commenting on her performance at this year’s U.S. Open and reaching her first Grand Slam final…
JELENA JANKOVIC
: Yeah, mentally, I feel I'm a lot stronger, because I really believe in myself. I really want to do this, and, you know, I think it's about time for me to make that step forward to break that barrier and go a long way.  I want to win a Grand Slam, and this is why I came here. Not having injuries, not having some problems, is giving me a good opportunity to be here, so I'm really thankful for that.

Commenting on the match against Serena Williams in the finals…
JELENA JANKOVIC
: Overall, she’s, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister. Nobody has the power that they have.  We cannot compare. At least I cannot compare to any of them, you know, with their strength. They're great athletes, really. I'm a little athlete. They move really well. They hit the ball so hard.  So if you want to really win when they're in form, you really have to be on the top of your level and you really have to go for every shot and really have to run a lot.  So it will be difficult, but it's doable.

Describing her early tennis career…
JELENA JANKOVIC
: I don't know. Tennis, in the beginning I never really took it too seriously. Tennis was, for me, I really loved the sport, I really loved to play and compete, but as a young girl I never knew that I was going to make it.  I never knew that, you know, this is something I really want to do, that I'm going to become a professional. Because how many people, especially coming from Serbia, we didn't have a tradition in tennis.  Not many people ‑‑ nobody made it from that country, so I didn't have anybody to look up to. I didn't know, you know, how far I can go, what is my potential, what is my limit and all this.  People were telling me I'm talented, you know, I'm going to about be this and that, but you never know. So in the beginning, for me it was most important to go to school but then, you know, to play tennis.  Then when I became No. 1 junior in the world and won Australian Open juniors, that's when I started thinking I'm going professional and really maybe trying my best. When I finished high school I started to train a little bit more, and that's when I wanted to make that transition into the professional level. You know, here I am. I came a long way.

Commenting on whether he feels pressure to prove himself in the finals…
ROGER FEDERER
: No, I mean, the pressure is off. I think now you can look forward and just try to win, really. Because I think the pressure is always on in the early rounds, coming through and not getting an upset early on.  You know, there was a couple of tough opponents early on, so this is -- I think once you get to the semis you can maybe play a little bit more freely again, because you're also playing opponents who you know most likely have a better chance to beat you.  You also know them better, so it's easier to play against them, as well. I don't feel like now I need to prove myself in the finals. I think if it's Rafa, I mean, he's No. 1 player. I don't want to put pressure on him, but that's how it was for me. I was always expected to win.  I had maybe a little bit less this year, but nevertheless I'm defending champion. I know what it's all about tomorrow.

Commenting on Federer’s play the past year or so…
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
: Look, he's been very dominant in the last four years. He's been the best player in the world. This year you have to give credit to Rafa, because he was -- he's playing the best season, best year so far, and he's been winning so many matches. I mean, it's incredible what he does. All around, all the surfaces.  But Roger is still there, you know. And even though people are talking about him not playing so well this year, he's still very consistent, you know. All Grand Slams he was semis, finals, you know, semis at minimum.  So I think today he played pretty well, even though throughout this tournament he had some difficulties. But that's his strength, you know. Whenever he needs to play well, he plays his best.

Commenting on his play and energy level in his semi against Andy Murray…
RAFAEL NADAL
: Probably more than 84 matches, no? It's difficult, no, every day be fresh, so I know one day going to happen something like yesterday.  Well, wasn't the best moment because it was a semifinals of the US Open, but at the same time never is a good moment, no?  If that happen one week ago in the Olympics going to be a terrible moment. If that happen two weeks ago or three weeks ago when I was fighting for be No. 1 in Toronto and Cincinnati going to be terrible moment, too.  Always is bad moment, but I'm very happy for everything. I tried my best during all the tournament. I wasn't very fresh during all the tournament. I did semifinals, so very happy for that.  Today I tried my best for try to come back to the match. I did -- well, it wasn't 100%, but I did well, so happy for everything.

Responding to a question about whether he might consider changing his schedule next year so he is fresher for the U.S. Open…
RAFAEL NADAL
: Every year you guys ask me the same questions. But one time if I feel injury, one time if I feel tired, but the answer always is the same: If you want to be in the top positions you have any chance for play less or not. Do you think?

Commenting on the most memorable moments in his career so far…
RAFAEL NADAL
: The three most important moments in my career probably was first Roland Garros -- well, maybe first Davis Cup, first Roland Garros, and first Wimbledon, and later Olympics.

Responding to whether the pressures and attention he’s faced in Britain have prepared him for his first Grand Slam final…
ANDY MURRAY
: For me, that didn't really have much to do with it. The things that prepared me for these situations was when I went over to train in Spain when I was 15 and sort of, for me, it was much tougher being away from my family for a long time rather than, you know, whether people expect me to win Slams or winning Wimbledon.  That was much tougher for me, and I did that from a young age. When you put in the work off the court, and, you know, I have said this many times in press conferences, when you go into matches and physically you put the work in and you've worked really hard, you don't have any excuses when you get on the court. You just think about tennis.  In the past I maybe did think about pressure because I hadn't worked maybe as hard as I should have, but now that's not the case.

Explaining about being in good shape physically helps him mentally on the court…
ANDY MURRAY
: Like I said, I started working with a new team at the end of last -- the end of last year. I started to train physically way harder, you know. The pain that you feel off the court is -- you know, when you're running around the track is much worse than anything you feel on the tennis court.  I go on the court now without feeling like I have anything to worry about, because I've worked hard and practiced hard and given myself the best opportunity to play well. All I've got to do is play tennis, which is one of the few things that I'm good at.

…I think when you go on the court and you haven't put in the work off it and you haven't practiced as hard as you should have done, there's a lot of things -- you can find excuses for why you're not playing well or why you're getting tired and stuff.  I think that, you know, maybe in the past that was the case, but now I've been traveling with a fitness trainer every week this year and working physically hard off the court. It's taken seven or eight months, but it's paying off.

Commenting on what winning a Grand Slam would do for British tennis…
ANDY MURRAY
: Well, to the first one, I think, yeah, tennis in the U.K. has had -- obviously Tim was incredibly consistent and one of the best players for a long time. He never won a Slam.  I think that sometimes in sports it takes, you know, like with rugby back home, you know, when England won the World Cup and rugby, it became a huge sport, you know, pretty much overnight.  Cricket, when England won against Australia and the ashes, that went from being a smaller sport to having a lot of cricketers became celebrities after that. It was a much sort of cooler sport.  I just think when you have a team or someone who wins the big events, it makes a big difference to the popularity of a sport in your country.

Commenting on the challenges of playing Nadal on hard courts…
ANDY MURRAY
: Every time I played him on hard courts, I've always felt like I wasn't getting pushed around the court. I always felt like I was dictating a lot of the points.  His strokes, although they have a lot of topspin, if you play close up to the baseline, they come to you at quite a nice height. He doesn't normally hit the ball very close to the baseline. He hits it obviously high with a lot of topspin, but it can come short.  If you can take your opportunities early in the rally to get a good strike in, you can dictate a lot of the points.  That's what I tried to do in the past against him and had chances in each match that I played against him but just never won the big points and never returned well.  I said before the match I was going to have to return better to have a chance to win, and that's what I did.

Talking about whether it made a difference that this was her first Grand Slam final…
JELENA JANKOVIC
: I don't think, you know, it would have been different. It was not -- that didn't make, you know, a difference at all, you know. I didn't look at it -- like I said, I didn't look at it was a Grand Slam final.  I believe that I will be playing many more finals in the future, so it's not that it's like my last final of my career. I'm only 23 years old, so my time will come. I just went out there to enjoy my tennis and to really go out there and try to play my best. That's all I cared about.  I didn't think about, Oh, my God, it's my first final, whatever. I need to be nervous; I need to be scared to be there. I just went out there and I really enjoyed the whole experience. Unfortunately I didn't win, but, you know, I still have to take the positives out of this tournament.  I have done a great job to even be in the final despite having, you know, so many bad things, so many injuries and so many problems. You know, being here, it's a great achievement for me.

Talking about her training the past year…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: …I've been working so hard all year. Sometimes I wake up at like 6:00 in the morning to go practice and it was too dark. I would have to wait until it gets light. It's just paying off.  No one really, really knows the work that an athlete puts in. You know, it's worth it. And then I felt like, Gosh, I've been working the hardest. I should win.

Commenting about winning her ninth Grand Slam singles title…
SERENA WILLIAMS
: …I want to get double digits. I like that I'm at nine because I'm pushing for ten, and I feel like I can do it. I obviously play well all the time in Australia, so that's coming up soon.  I have to win another French Open and I love Wimbledon. I definitely had the game to do it. I love winning Grand Slams, so I look forward to it.

Commenting on winning his fifth straight U.S. Open title…
ROGER FEDERER
: … I mean, it's nice to compare five Wimbledons to five US Opens, you know, no doubt. Not many guys -- nobody can do that, you know. (laughter.)  So it's quite nice, you know. I'm quite proud obviously of my achievement. It takes a lot out of a player, you know, always trying to go from one tournament to the next and trying to do your best, you know, but I mean, it's been a tough summer.  I think the French Open loss was brutal, but I got over that one pretty easily, played great on the grass, and had a really tough loss at Wimbledon which -- you know, I was proud to be part of such a great match, but at the same time, you know, it just sort of made me sad, you know, not having won that great epic match. Maybe I was always dreaming about it and not winning it, you know.  I was always positive, you know. I knew that if things go my way, and this year hasn't always been the case. You know, I lost quite a few matches I should have never lost, and they hurt. Now, getting the fifth US Open, it really means a lot to me. I really thank the fans, as well, the crowds. They were great.  I mean, from the beginning, that's really what I was hoping for.  And losing my No. 1 ranking, that's also what meant a lot to me this season. So to bounce back straightaway after losing the No. 1 ranking, this is the best scenario ever.

Describing how he spent the time between winning the final and the press conference…
ROGER FEDERER
: You really want to know? It's not that bad.  No, I mean, I've gotten in the habit of, you know, if I win a Slam, I want to enjoy it first with all my friends and family who came here and supported me throughout. I used to make the error of going into doping control and press right away, and I wouldn't be back for two-and-a-half hours, and then people had to leave and I wouldn't see them.  I give myself a chance to soak up the great moment and enjoy it with them -- glass of champagne, be myself for an hour, for a little bit in the locker room.  Everybody's so happy, you talk about the match again, about the tournament, how great it is to be sitting here now with the trophy, take all sorts of pictures with the trophy, all your friends who are there and family and everybody's happy and proud.  It's a nice moment. I'd like to take my time with that.

Commenting about the impact of all the people who thought his career was in trouble this year…
ROGER FEDERER
: No, I don't think it got to me, but I was aware of it. I mean, I'm a bit disappointed. Sometimes to a point a bit annoyed, because all sorts of crazy people started writing me and trying to reach me, telling me I need some help either mentally or physically. (Laughter) You're laughing but it's the way it goes. People come out of closet and think they can start helping me now. It's just a pain.  For me, this sort of puts them to rest a little bit, and calms down the phones at my parents' a little bit, which I'm happy about.

Discussing his feeling on winning the 2008 U.S. Open – his 13th Grand Slam title…
ROGER FEDERER
: I mean, I would have been disappointed, you know, losing today and having three finals and one semis of Slams. You feel like you missed an entire year, you know, being so close but yet so far, because semis and finals don't help me a whole lot anymore in my career. It's all about the wins, and that's why this is huge. This is massive, really, and I'm very, very happy about this Grand Slam obviously. It's a different type of flavor, this one, to me, no doubt. And I can definitely go into the rest of the season more relaxed now, and then also looking forward with great spirits for next year.

Talking about what he learned from this tournament and reaching his first Grand Slam final…
ANDY MURRAY
: Um, well, I think the most important thing for me over the whole two weeks was physically I was good, you know, even against Nadal. You know, I had a long match with Del Potro, as well. And I also had a lot of tough matches. Physically for seven matches I was pretty good. I can still get better, but that's something that in the past might not necessarily have been the case, and, you know, that for me is a very good experience. It's a nice feeling to know that you can last.  It comes down to the tennis, and I believe that there's so many things that I can improve on and work on, and that's exciting for me.
 

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