HE SAID/HE SAID: US Open Day Eleven

Q. I have noticed that you always leave every part of the center court with the right foot first. Why do you do that?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, that's not true. You write that? You heard that?

Q. Every part of the court you put your right foot first.

RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't know that before. (Laughter.)

Q. You do it all the time?

RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, yeah? You know better than myself. (Smiling.)

Q. Can you just speak about your memories of 2006 against Youzhny and then just talk about the match coming up.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I remember it was a painful match for me, 2006, because I think I arrived at the US Open playing better than before, because I had a not easy summer losing, I think, in round of 16 in Toronto, and quarterfinals in Cincinnati maybe. 

So I arrived playing so so, but during the tournament I was playing better and better. I think I lost that match because I was too yeah, I was too anxious for a moments. Remain a little bit of calm, because the match started bad, one set for him. 

But after that I won the second, and I had a set point I think in the third with easy, easy ball, no? So, yeah, was very difficult match. He's a great player, very aggressive, very flat shots. This court I think adapts very well to his game, so he's playing very good tennis. Gonna be very difficult to beat him. That's what I can say. And I have to play aggressive, because if I am losing court against him, gonna be impossible to come back. 

I have to play aggressive, serve well, and try to put him away of his right position with my forehand.

Q. With Rafa playing so well here at the US Open, how does somebody beat him?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don't know. Everybody have better days than on others. He's playing good, but I think that he will have a tough if I am not wrong, I think that he will play the final against Roger. It's gonna be a tough match, because I think Roger play really good in these conditions. He gonna be a very tough final for Rafa if he plays against Roger in the final.

Q. So you think Roger's about the only one who has the game to beat Rafa right now?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, Novak is a player that also on fast surface like this one, he already beat Rafa many times, and he have also the game to beat Rafa. But, I don't know. I think if I need to bet here, I will bet for Roger. I think that he won five times here and he like these conditions.

Q. You know that most people, most tennis fans, will want to see Federer and Nadal in the final. Are you going to be a bad person and try and ruin that?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Yeah, I'm ready to be bad person. I love to be bad person in this case. (Laughter.)

Q. You can possibly face Nadal. What do you expect of this matchup?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: First of all, for me, it's not so really well if I talk to play now against Nadal and he lost today and I will play against Verdasco.

Q. Let's imagine.

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: He's No. 1; he won two Grand Slams; he play really, really well; it will be very tough for me.

Q. Is it better for you to play him here on a fast surface?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Of course it's better to play here or on clay. (Laughter.)

[Photo(s): Getty Images]