HE SAID/SHE SAID: Oz Open Day Two

Q. Nikolay Davydenko said everyone in the draw is scared of him. Are you scared of him?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, respect the way he deserves. Yeah, sure.

Q. Not scared?

ROGER FEDERER: "Scared" is a bad word. I don't like that word. Ask a boxer if he's scared of the other guy. I don't think he's going to say yes.

Q. Do you fear him?

ROGER FEDERER: I respect him like I do over a hundred other players in the draw.

Q. Santoro said today he had the most respect for you out of the whole career. Do you have any words for him?

ROGER FEDERER: Sure, it's nice to hear. We're good friends and we get along well together. He enjoyed playing against me. Same for me. If I could pick a guy to play against, I would like to play against him. Every day I would pick him. He would try something different and I would try something different.

We would almost allow each other to do that; whereas with other players you get tangled up in the same rallies. He's not the power player and he uses a lot touch. So obviously I have a lot of respect for everything he's done in our game.


Q. I think you said on ESPN the other night you felt like the fine [for the U.S. Open outburst] was harsher on you.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I talk about that a lot. I wrote an article about it. $92,000 is a lot of money to fine someone. I always said what I did wasn't right, but I turned that around and I'm actually raising $92,000 to educate ladies, women, also for my school in Africa.

Also I'm giving some money to Haiti, as well, because just the recent things.

So, you know, I don't know whoever got fined like that. People said worse, done worse. I just thought it was a bit ‑‑ I think it was a bit much.

But that was that.

Q. Do you feel like it's a double standard that if some man had had the same reaction, they wouldn't have been fined as much?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, we live in a world that still, you know, men are, you know, just leading a lot of things, as well. In tennis I think we've been able to do really well with having fought so hard to get equal prize money. I think that's really good.

But I think we still sort of, say, live in a man's world. I'm the first to say that I like men to be strong, to be leaders. I think that's absolutely important. But I just think at the same time some incidents can bring you back to life and back into reality.


Q. Yesterday your friend Miss Kirilenko said you had urged her to make a loud noise to enter the year. She said she did that and now it was your turn.

IGOR ANDREEV: She put too much pressure on me. (Laughter.) Like after she win the match she said, Okay, now it's your turn. No, I was happy she won yesterday. She won because ‑‑ not only because she won, but she played very good match. Very good tennis.


Q. Wozniacki is No.4 in the world right now. Are you surprised that she's been able to climb up that high?

JELENA JANKOVIC: You can ask her if she's surprised or not.

Q. She is.

JELENA JANKOVIC: She is? She doesn't think she belongs there or?

Q. No. She thinks that things have been developing very fast for her.

JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, I think last year was really, you know, different year from, you know, maybe the past. Because there was a lot tournaments where a lot of seeds went out, and then some other players who were outside of the top 10, they took advantage of that. They used it.


Q. Has Del Potro taught you to play PlayStation?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes. Like in London, everyone just start to talking about me like I'm like PlayStation player. Like if you play against me in PlayStation, the same level. I'm moving fast, play fast.

That's what is good. Everybody thinking I am very fast on the court. And I want to practicing like this. I want to keep this level, like PlayStation.

Q. Who won at PlayStation?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, like say Del Potro play against me in PlayStation. He lost in London. You understand, yeah?

Q. Since you won the Masters, are you more recognized in the street? Do you sign more autographs?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I hope not. Then is not so many like say celebrity guys. I am not Paris Hilton. I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be like Nadal, Federer. These guys I never see by breakfast. They stay in the room and take room service.

For me better go downstairs, you know, take breakfast, or dinner to go somewhere, not to be so much famous.

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Q. You recently tweeted that you were looking for some book ideas. Are you reading anything good right now?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Haven't been able to focus. Like I try to read and then I can't focus on it. But I'm playing a few games.

Q. Video games?

VENUS WILLIAMS: A little bit. Not too many.

Q. Do you ever play your own game?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm terrible a little it. I really am.

Q. Have you lost to yourself?

VENUS WILLIAMS: That's the worst, huh? But, no, actually I haven't. Thank God.

Q. Today you were playing against a 22 year old. When you're facing someone like that, do you still feel as spritely as you did at 22, or did you notice some things that your body can and can't do?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. And no wrinkles yet either, so thankfully that's working out. To be honest, when you're on the court, I mean, age doesn't matter. So I never think really about my opponent's age at all. So, so far though, I'm fast and strong, and maintaining that is great.

Q. Do you want to comment on your mom's recent statement that the reason she often wears sunglasses at your games is that she's actually sleeping?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, she said, you know ‑‑ I was surprised that they even got an interview with my mom. She never does. She's extremely funny. You can see what we live with and how much fun we have with her. She's the best mom and actually a great coach. You can see how much fun we have.

Hope she does another interview. Then you'll get to have a little fun with her, too.


Q. Do you have a preference on either [2nd round opponent]?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Fognini.

Q. Why?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Because he's not really offensive, so it's better because I don't have to run when the player in front of me is not offensive.

Q. So you're hoping for an easy match for round two?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yeah, of course. If I can have easy match all day, it's good.


Q. Is Adam here or is he in the States?

ANA IVANOVIC: No, he's not here. [1 of only 4 questions in the transcript of NaturAna's post-match presser. I mean, REALLY.]


Q. So this was it?

FABRICE SANTORO: I was very happy to come back one more time here. No regrets. I was happy to fly to Melbourne, practice there for one week. It was not the best draw for me, but I played a very, very good match, so I'm happy.

Q. You competed against many generations in four decades. How do you look back at these matchups against many champions? Was it a big adventure for you?

FABRICE SANTORO: I think the game has changed a lot for the past 20 years. When you look at where I am when I start with Connors, McEnroe, then Becker, then Edberg, Agassi, Sampras, Courier, these guys, and also Rafter.

Then you can see today with Federer, Nadal, and all the guys behind, I mean, tennis is improving all the time. The game has changed so much.

The fitness of the players has changed a lot. They are more and more professional. Everybody works so hard. Every player is very, very fit. So I would say that the game has completely changed since '89 when I played my first Grand Slam until today.

[Photo(s): Getty, AP]