Davis Cup Post Match Interview: Andy Roddick And Patrick Mcenroe

A. RODDICK/S. Koubek
6-4, 6-4, 6-2

ANDY RODDICK
COACH PATRICK McENROE

Q. Robby down two sets to Love, a lot of people from Connecticut are saying where is James Blake at that time. What was your rationale for picking Robby who came through for you?

CAPTAIN McENROE: I love James Blake. I wasn’t thinking, as much as I love him, I wasn’t thinking about him at that point. Robby has had a great year. Robby deserved a shot. I think he showed why in the last three sets. He kept his composure. He has got a big game. I think he has got a big upside. I felt like he was playing the best tennis out of the rest of those guys. I watched them all in Australia. I thought James played real well in Australia myself, but so did Robby. I thought Robby deserved the opportunity. I think he proved he deserved it.

Q. Patrick, Robby said that when he came back at the beginning of that first set, and you asked him whether or not he’d ever won a five-setter, he said, no. You said, “well you are going to do it today.” Did you believe that?

CAPTAIN McENROE: That was after the second set that I said that. I did believe that. I really did.

ANDY RODDICK: That was tremendous foresight knowing he was going to lose the second too. You are an awesome captain.

CAPTAIN McENROE: I felt like — I really felt like he could, and Melzer was taking a lot of high-risk shots at big moments and Robby, you know, understandably, first match — I don’t know one player that’s not been a little nervous in their first match in Davis Cup. Melzer was taking some big cuts on big points that happened to go in. And I felt like if Robby just played a little more consistently and worked every point that sooner or later he’d be able to break his game down. That’s what happened.

Q. Andy, opening up a Davis Cup match with a record breaking serve —

ANDY RODDICK: I missed it so that one goes out the door. I kind of — first couple of games I glanced at the radar, kind of used it as a gauge because some days you are hitting your out-wide serve pretty well and T -serves some days are going pretty well, I opened up with a buck fifty, I thought that’s out of the ordinary, I guess. After that I thought it might happen but, you know, at the end of the day the thing that matters is, you know, serving stats that say I didn’t get broken. That’s the one that I will take any day.

Q. Davis Cup team members getting the short haircuts?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, no. (Laughs) Robby’s got enough hair for all of us so we decided to take ours off.

Q. What was behind it, anything special?

ANDY RODDICK: Not really. I think boredom? (Laughs) no. I think one of the Bryan Brothers or both of them they were talking about getting haircuts. I said, well, I could go for one too. I guess, we might as well do it right if we are going to do it. We were lucky enough to be able to finish five haircuts in 16 minutes, so, it’s all about planning out your day, I guess.

Q. Are you going to coerce Patrick into shaving his head —

ANDY RODDICK: He said he wouldn’t do his hair so I am leaning towards eyebrows right now. No, his response was actually a pretty good one. He said maybe later in the year if we are still here, we are still getting together for these Davis Cup weeks, so we’ll see.

Q. Was the match easier than you might have expected?

ANDY RODDICK: No, I mean, I don’t think you go in really expecting anything. I was confident that if, you know, if I stayed the course and played my game that I would win today. But, you know, I didn’t feel like — I felt like he was getting the better of me, more baseline rallies, than I would have liked today. But my serve got me out of trouble. It was my wildcard today and, you know, that kind of was the difference, I think.

Q. What would you make of the fans of Connecticut, how did you think they responded?

ANDY RODDICK: It was great. I know, for sure, Robby came in, he was feeding off of them big time. You don’t come back from two sets down without feeling support or feeling some sort of jolt of emotion to kind of inspire you. So that was great. I think they are very knowledgeable. It was very cool because they knew kind of, you know, when a really good shot was played and they kind of respected it. So it was a lot of fun to play here for the first time.

Q. What were you thinking when Robby went down two sets?

ANDY RODDICK: You know, obviously I wasn’t thrilled, but I thought Jurgen, like Patrick said, was kind of going for broke. And I was interested to see if Robby kind of stayed the course which he did, which he ended up doing, and made him play every game, if he could keep that kind of tennis up for another set. I felt like Robby should have won the first and maybe after that Jurgen kind of got on a hot streak end of the first and into the second. I never really lost hope in Robby. I thought if he stayed the course and played his game and, you know, maybe got on top of Jurgen a little bit maybe the crowd would get to him, you know, I thought he had a shot at all times.

Q. Did you talk to him at all before the tie just even right before the match to give him a little bit of perspective of being in a Davis Cup debut?

ANDY RODDICK: No, Robby knows his stuff. He’s always pretty relaxed. I knew the situation wouldn’t really get the better of him. As we were standing in the tunnel just about to walk out I said, you are going to feel a rush of blood like you probably haven’t felt before. You have probably had a big adrenaline rush, but this is just a different type in Davis Cup with the chants of USA, all that stuff, I kind of just said, play your match and don’t come out of your shoes too early. And, you know, just go about it like a normal day of tennis.

Q. Have you ever had the impression that you could get in danger today?

ANDY RODDICK: That I could get in danger today? You are always I mean, you got — you go out there everyday to prove yourself against the best players in the world, I think that’s what we do for a living. But once I had the first set in hand I thought if I kept serving the way I did that it would be a very long day if he wanted to try to come back.

Q. Robby mentioned he watched Elf. Do you have any special pre-game rituals or something?

ANDY RODDICK: I was watching it with him. But not really. I mean, not really. I used to kind of listen to a lot of tunes before I went on the court and all sorts of stuff like that. I think when you are with a team especially a Davis Cup, your nerves can get the better of you. Sometimes it is good to relax with the guys when they joke around, it was a pretty relaxed atmosphere in the team room this morning.

Q. Do you feel a little bit like a team leader?

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, I don’t know, obviously our captain is our team leader, but, you know, I was talking earlier this week, this my fifth year being at Davis Cup matches, as scary as that is, you know, I kind of do feel like the elder statesmen of our team now as far as Davis Cup Ties played in.

CAPTAIN McENROE: He’s an old hag now.

ANDY RODDICK: Over the hill, former No. 1, and all (laughter). It’s all downhill.

CAPTAIN McENROE: Really on the downside.

ANDY RODDICK: Kind of, but I think we are all learning together. I don’t think there’s one of us that kind of tries to take over. I think we try to handle our business, and have a good time.

Q. You do show some leadership quality?

ANDY RODDICK: I don’t know. I don’t think it’s too much on purpose. I mean, I think any of us — if the other has a question and we think we can help them we’ll volunteer information, but, you know, as far as more than that, I am not so sure.

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