SIGHTING: Nadal visits the commies

Rafael Nadal made a surprise visit to the commentating booth joining Brad Gilbert + ESPN's Chris Fowler for the start of the Novak Djokovic-Gael Monfils quarterfinal match won by the Serb in straight sets 7-6 (2), 6-1, 6-2. He'll face the winner of tonight's battle between Roger Federer + Robin Soderling for a spot in Sunday's final.

The top seed offered an interesting insight into the much-discussed tweak in his service grip which has resulted in more speed and, most importantly, no breaks of his serve yet: He made a slight adjustment to his grip two days before the start of Flushing Meadows moving from a more Continental/backhand grip to an Eastern which offers a more straight-on hit and flatter stroke production.

A risky proposition. But so far, so good.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Wozniacki, Serena and Federer take in Fashion's Night Out show

Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams and Roger Federer joined Vogue editrix and FedKad Anna Wintour, supermodels Gisele Bundchen + Naomi Campbell and actresses Julianne Moore + Blake Lively for "Fashion's Night Out: The Show at Lincoln Center", the largest public runway show in NYC organized by Wintour, which kicked off Fashion Week in New York City.

The show featured a closing performance of the single "Hot-n-Fun" by N.E.R.D. at the top of Lincoln Center's fountain.

It's always great to see the ballers who are competing take part in the fun + frivolity of Fashion Week and grab some time away from the pressures of the US Open.  I'm sure it's a good distraction, at least for a night.

Serena Williams

Anna Wintour, Blake Lively, Roger Federer

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

(UPDATED) PHOTO OP: Verdasco's hairy situation

"Hair gel. That is all."

Fernando Verdasco fell to his knees after coming back from 2 sets down and 1-4 down in the decider to defeat compatriot David Ferrer 5-7, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the US Open quarterfinals. He'll face top seed Rafael Nadal for a spot in the final four.

So there's been a lot of talk on Twitter about the Spanish chorizo's hairy situation and whether he should shear his long locks. After seeing this photo is there really any more discussion needed? I mean, seriously?  

UPDATE: In case you missed it, here's Fer's incredible shot on MP. *gets chills*



[Photo(s): Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Don't try this at home kids

"Momma."

Mikhail Youzhny almost sold the family jewels during his 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win over Tommy Robredo in the US Open fourth round. The Russian equaled his best Grand Slam result this year after also making the same round at Roland Garros, losing to Tomas Berdych in straight sets. He'll face either Sam Querrey or Stanislas Wawrinka, who is leading the American 2 sets to 1, for a spot in the final four.

Gotta love the athleticism of the boys on tour. Just be careful, though. Those jewels don't come with a spare. But come to think of it, how much more awesome would life be with a spare? *dirty thoughts*

[Photo(s): Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images]

SIGHTING: Celebrities watch Federer win his fourth round match

FedFans Gavin Rossdale + Gwen Stefani

Like Andy Roddick, Roger Federer can bring the stars out to Arthur Ashe Stadium as he did last night for his 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 fourth round win over 13th seed Jurgen Melzer. He'll face a huge obstacle, in all ways, on his path to a sixth US Open title when he battles Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals, a rematch of their meeting Roland Garros in the same round won by the Swede.

One quick note: It appears Gwen Stefani + Caroline Wozniacki are either sharing nail polish bottles or, worse, visiting the same manicurist. And we all know who's to blame. Carry on.

Alex Rodriguez

Cameron Diaz

Pete Wentz + Ashlee Simpson

Boris Becker

 [Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Seven + Eight

DAY 7

Q. Do you think Nadal is gonna be able to figure out how to win this tournament here in New York eventually?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I don't think it's gonna be an obsession for him at all. He just come here to play his best tennis, and as he normally does. It's not gonna be an obsession.

Of course if he wins here he will have the whole Grand Slam because he won already three of them, but I don't think he has to, you know, be focused only on that goal.

Q. You're a friend. Do you think he will figure it out? Do you think he will do it eventually?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: He will probably do it. I mean, he's still 24. A lot of years to play, so he will have the chance. I think so.

Q. Sorry about the ridiculousness of this question, but they were making a big deal on TV about you tugging at your dress. You just didn't seem comfortable out there. I know it was windy, but was the dress bothering at all?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No. The only thing that bothered me was when I didn't win the point, I think. That was it.

Q. Speaking of your sequinned tennis dresses, I think they're gorgeous. It's become the talk of the Open. What color are we gonna see next?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I do have some more colors, but so far I've worn the colors I liked best. So we'll see how I feel in the next round if I just do a repeat or something new.

Obviously the dresses are super fun. It's just fun. Hopefully just as much fun as my game is, and seeing those kind of fun in big shots.

Q. What happens to the old dresses? Like do you store them somewhere? Put them on a wall? Honestly, are they just gone?

VENUS WILLIAMS: They get retired. A lot of times people ask me for them. There aren't many, so I don't really give them away. But like the Wimbledon museum asked me for one of my -- the Tina Turner dress. I think maybe the Tennis Hall of Fame maybe asked me for the can-can from the French.
So of course that's awesome when people ask me for those. But other than that, they get retired, and...

Q. Do they become rags that you use?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, historically I've saved like one of each dress. I do a lot of the organizing at the house, so I'll save one of Serena's, too. Lately she's taken over that. But I think at the end of the day, I think, you know, to have an exhibition of all the dresses we've worn, I think that be -- it would be very interesting, I think. Hopefully that will happen one day.

Q. Nadal said on the court you had a baby.

GILLES SIMON: Yeah.

Q. Two days ago?

GILLES SIMON: Yeah. That's why I'm going to be short. (Laughter.)

Q. Boy or girl?

GILLES SIMON: Boy.

Q. Name?

GILLES SIMON: Timothy. Like Timothy in English.

Q. When is your flight home, and how eager are you to get home?

GILLES SIMON: As soon as possible. I don't know yet. But I had a great match to play this afternoon. I knew that if I lose, I will be home right after. So my coach is doing the booking. (Smiling.)

Q. Were you distracted at all by these thoughts on the court?

GILLES SIMON: A little bit. It's hard to focus for me the last three days. But I think I was playing good. The two first sets were nice. I had some problem with my return today. I missed a lot of return. And then the third set, I have to say that I was already in the plane. (Laughter.)

Q. I assume you grew up on a clay courts at home. How did you get so good on a hardcourt?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I think I have physically the possibility because I am fast. And also to keep going, to mix this kind of shot, that is my quality. Is not easy to play on hardcourt, so I think I put some problems to the players to play so different.

Q. With your spin?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: For sure on the clay I have more time, so I can take you and go 10 shots, 20 shots, 30 shots. Here is not like this. But in the same way, I can do serve and volley, I can play faster, I can play slow and back. Is a mix. It's like Capricciosa pizza. I don't give you margherita, I give you Capricciosa, different kind of ingredient.

Q. There was a report this afternoon that the other day you didn't want to take one of the transportation vans that had a picture of Roger. Can you describe what happened?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, if you know me, you know that I not gonna do. This is very stupid thing. I was in a van of the picture of Roger, both sides of the van, like 15 times these two weeks. (Smiling). So that's very stupid thing. That's never happen.

Speaking seriously, is better the other side. I want this car because is bigger, and I am more comfortable with this car than with the others. You can see the car of Roger's photo is there, is outside, is a van. So is much bigger than the other ones.

Roy know, the manager of the transportation, that I always want this car. So it was good.

Q. Did you get out of that car that had his picture or you stayed in it?

RAFAEL NADAL: I thought my English was better. (Laughter.) I said I went with this car 15 times.

DAY 8

Q. Did you have confidence in that third set when you were down a break that maybe you might not have had if you were down a break in the first set just because you had seen [Gasquet] be kind of shaky to that point?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, I was still confident. I won't lie, on that one set point, I had like to hit backhand passing shot. It was tough. But then when you save it, you know, for sure I knew if it was my set point and miss it like this, I knew like I will be thinking or this or that. Just try to be solid, put pressure for him. And also, Richard, he doesn't really like pressure. He love like good play, not play. He don't like a lot of crowd around, the crowd involved. He don't like see the opponent like show emotions. Just play with that, play a bit with his mind, and that was it.

Q. You won in three straight sets. Do you feel like it could have gone either way?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, it could have gone -- I mean, I could have got two sets down, for sure. Two sets down. But like I told you, I mean, my mentality today was to push him like hard in head and hard in physically and try to break him physically and break him in the head. That was my plan.

Q. You held your serve pretty easily at 3 2. The next two, three games you lost your range. Did the wind pick up?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Which set?

Q. The second set.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, yeah. But you could say that about so many different areas in the game today. Like I said, I played two good points and then made two return errors. It wasn't like she was hitting 120 serves out there. You know, in those situations, I didn't really give her a chance to play. I felt like I was just giving it out there.

Q. What are your thoughts on the state of your game now, your return from the shoulder problems, what you foresee down the road?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I think it just needs to be more stable and not so up and down, especially against an opponent like her. Uhm, you know, I need to string a few more things together than I did. It's all really capitalizing on what you have. You work hard for something, and then you let it slip away. I think I've just got to capitalize on that. Obviously, a bit unfortunate in the Grand Slams. I had my fair share of chances and didn't take them throughout this whole year in the big events. Uhm, you know, that's just the way it's gone. But keep moving forward, keep working hard.

Q. When we think back three years ago when you were the sensational finalist and the joker on the court, don't get me wrong, but it seemed easy came for you, a, of things. Is that right, or maybe a wrong...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, depends really, because at that time I was a 19 , 20 year old kid who just didn't care much about pressure or anything and didn't know what's pressure and expectations. Just hitting the ball, being very aggressive and open minded and just playing great game. I think a lot of us wish to have this kind of attitude on the court and not thinking about some things, some side factors that can affect your game, which in this present moment is something I have to deal with. But on the other hand, the positives of me as a player today is that I have more experience, I'm stronger, I just played so many matches on the big stage. I still enjoy. I still enjoy even though I'm not doing my impersonations on the court or after, but I still very much enjoy what I do.

Q. So you described how there was no pressure then. What's the pressure like now, and how are you dealing with it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, once you get mature, then you experience some things in your life, and, you know, you get to the stage when you're one of the best players in the world. Then you're not coming in Grand Slams anymore as somebody who is young and kind of the first 30, 20 in the world and not expected to go far and you don't have that amount of expectations on your back. On the other hand now, you know, you're getting into the tournaments and matches as somebody who is expected to win most of his matches he's playing on, and getting to the late stage of the second week. So that's something you have to deal with, and everybody deals with it. It's a challenge you have to overcome, and it makes you mentally stronger. So right now I learned over this year and a half how to deal with it and just happy with the process.

Q. How important is it to look good on the court for you?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I'm so lucky that I am the face of adidas and Stella McCartney and I have my own special line that no one else is wearing. I think that's really nice. For me it's important to feel good on court and of course to look good. Then I can focus on my tennis at 100%.

Q. In this case, don't you think it's a bit short, your dress?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's nice. I definitely am sure I'll get a lot of male fans now (laughter).

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Wozniacki won't take this lying down

"This might hurt tomorrow..."

She may have entered the US Open as the top seed but Caroline Wozniacki was still considered the underdog when faced with Maria Sharapova on the other side of the net in today's fourth round match. But by the end of her straight set win over the '06 champ, the Danish lady baller announced herself as a firm fave to earn her maiden major at the US Open.

Wozzi showcased some stellar defense and world class movement (not to mention yellow nails to match her undies) in taking down the Russian glamazon 6-3, 6-4, her first win over the 14th seed in three career meetings. Although Shrieka hit double the winners Wozzi did (32-16) she also littered her stat sheet with errors (36-10). The 3-time Grand Slammer was also undone by her serving woes, throwing in 9 DF's including three consecutive clunkers to get broken in the first set. Wozzi will face Dominika Cibulkova, who upset 11th seed ad '04 champ Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (4), for a place in the final four.

Let's give props where props are due. This was a pressure match for the Dane being the top seed for the first time at a Slam facing off against a former US Open champ and No. 1. Moreover, Shrieka had been playing well and in good form. But Wozzi seems genuinely comfortable, dare I say HAPPY, to be in the top spot at Flushing Meadows, playing with confidence and closing out matches when the opportunity arises. She clearly enjoys the pressure and believes she belongs saying recently that she "deserves" the top seeding.

How refreshing.

[Photo(s): Reuters]

PHOTO OP: Ellen Degeneres came to drink

Ellen Degeneres and her Honey Deuce cocktail joined Venus Williams during a booking signing for "Come to Win" at the US Open today.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

Murray upset by Wawrinka, falls in US Open third round

Andy Murray is leaving another US Open empty-handed. And early.

The Brit baller, who was upset by Marin Cilic in the fourth round last year, was shocked by 25th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 in the third round. The Swiss was the more aggressive of the two, blasting 58 winners to 43 for Muzz and 13 aces to only 5 for the fourth seed. He'll battle Sam Querrey, who bested Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Muzz was seen by the trainer twice during the match, once for tightness in his leg and another time for tingling in his elbow, but didn't blame the loss on injury. He did, however, allude to possible fatigue as an explanation for his performance:

Q. So what was the treatment for then when the trainer came on?

ANDY MURRAY: The first time, just tightness in my quad; the second time, just getting sort of pins and needles around my right elbow.

Q. When did you first start to feel the problems?

ANDY MURRAY: Beginning of the third set probably.

Q. Did it affect you moving one side or the other or any particular shot?

ANDY MURRAY: No, no. I was still moving okay.

Q. Did fatigue play a part at all today?

ANDY MURRAY: Could have been. I don't -- I don't know. I haven't been really tired in any long matches for a long, long time.

So whether it was fatigue or not, I don't know.

Of course the media asked the inevitable question about coaching and whether there's a greater sense of urgency now:

Q. You mentioned the coaching situation before the start of the tournament. Does this in any way accelerate the search?

ANDY MURRAY: No, no. You got to be patient. You know, I was getting asked five, six days ago, You're playing great tennis; will you think about going without a coach? It's based on one match. I'm not going to panic and hire someone to try and make things better. So, no. I'm going to take my time. I'm going to go home, have a rest - 'cause I need it - and see what I decide to do after that.

Q. Is this something then that you feel you have to sort out personally yourself, the situation, rather than something a coach could help you sort out? Is this something that needs to be sorted out with you?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't understand the question.

Q. You said dealing with the situation now, you haven't felt like this for a while; you have to work out why you're in this situation. Is that something that can only come from you, or can a third party help?

ANDY MURRAY: I'll speak to all the guys I work with and see what's gone well this year, what hasn't gone so well. You know, it's one match. I wish I'd played better. But I'm not gonna panic and start trying to analyze everything that's going on, because I've been pretty much injury-free the whole year. Physically I felt good the whole year. You know, I played some of my best tennis in two of the majors this year.

So, you know, I want to improve and get better. I'm obviously going to look for a coach and people that are gonna help me to do that. But, you know, I'm happy with the guys that I work with just now. They're all very, very good at what they do. So I'm not gonna start changing everything. I'm still looking for a coach. That's it.

I'd say a coach is in order, stat. Muzz had a great summer and yet still failed to show his best stuff at a major where he was a strong fave of many to make, and win, the final men's match at Flushing Meadows. But he seems to have issues with changing course mid-match when his game plan isn't working, reverting to his counter-punching ways and thinking he can win with defense. And on these fast courts the aggressor will always win in the end as he did this time.

A tough pill to swallow, for sure.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Five + Six

Day 5

Q. How have you found the rhythm of your serve, because you're serving very well?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, Toni arrives and everything under control. No, seriously, I don't know. That's pretty strange, because I wasn't serve very well the previous days. I started to serve well one or two days before the competition. But the week of practice, I wasn't serve really well, no? I changed a little bit the grip, like five or six days ago, because I felt when I played against the wind I didn't have free points. So I needed that, no? So I tried to play the serve a little bit more aggressive. For the moment, it's working really well, so I going to try keep playing like this. And, sure, serve like this is a big confidence on my game.

Q. Considering your success at Roland Garros and a good run at Australia this year, do you feel right now you are as poised as you've ever been in your career, both mentally and physically, to get to semis, to get to a final, and to actually contend for this championship?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah. Why not? I think I've had a pretty consistent year, and now to get through -- I've never been past the second round here, so now to be in the fourth round is a big jump. I think it's just the kind of following on from the year I've had. It's pleasing to now back it up in another Grand Slam and to be playing well. Yeah, once you get to this point, you never know what can happen. So if you keep playing well, then, yeah, can you find yourself in maybe semis or finals. If I've been there once, I definitely want to try to be there again.

Q. Do you feel as confident as you've ever felt in this particular campaign where you are right now, as confident as you've ever been in your career?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, I never had a good US Open. If I wasn't feeling as confident as what I've ever been here, then I think there's something wrong. So I think I'm playing well and hitting the ball well. Yeah, I think I have a good chance.

Q. We see your mother as a coach, but how do you work physically?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean fitness?

Q. Yes, fitness.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I do have -- well, I don't have a fitness coach. I have some other people working with me, but my mom, she's definitely the one who's traveled with me. That's the person that I feel more comfortable with. So fitness is a big part of my game, and, you know, physically I feel pretty good playing all these years on the tour. So I always take, you know, lots of time during the offseason to get ready physically before I start my practice.

Q. Do you ever ask your mother to be a little more calm when she's watching, or...

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I always ask her, but I realize it's very difficult to watch and not be able to help. She's very emotional, and she really wants me to win. So it's kind of hard, because she's not only my coach, she's my mom. Well, I guess it's just very emotional for her.

Q. Does she know that she's very good on television? Because she looks so...

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: She hates when, you know, the camera goes on her. (Laughter.) She hates it.

Q. How much time do you spend in New Jersey?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Ooh, um, after I played that event in Brussels, I flew over to New Jersey for a few days afterwards. So I was there until, yeah, we left to Cincinnati. And then kind of in between Montreal and the US Open I was there for a couple of days. And before Indian Wells. You know, like whenever it fits with my schedule, obviously now. When I wasn't playing I spent more time here, obviously, in the summer. I was at our house more. But now time is kind of divided between going to tournaments and being there.

Q. Can you compare sort of the traditional lifestyle in Belgium with Jersey life?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, it's home. They're both home. I think you create that home atmosphere. You know, I even try to create it in our hotel room. No, I mean, it's obviously nice to go to a place that you're familiar and you can cook yourself and do everything kind of yourself. But obviously, you know, my childhood memories are in Belgium. You know, I still live in the same street as my parents used to live, where I grew up; my grandparents live next door. I mean, that's what I love, and that's obviously what I go back to, you know, when I go back after the US Open. That's what I look forward to the most is going back and just being there.

Q. If Rafa were to win here and complete the career slam, how do you think that will change the way his record is looked at, his career is looked at, in comparison with Roger's?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I hope he doesn't win the tournament this year (smiling). But, I mean, his record is incredible. You know, for someone so young, he's won pretty much everything, you know, bar here. You know, he's made a semifinal here a couple of times. If he wins, that's obviously great for him. But, I mean, his career is pretty impressive as it is anyway. He's won on all the surfaces; he's won Olympic gold; he's won however many tournaments. I'm sure he'd love to win here, but I don't think I mean, I'm sure for him it would be incredibly nice. It wouldn't change the way I view him as a player if he wins the US Open. To me, he's one of the greatest ever right now. He's going to win more slams. He's going to get closer to however many Sampras won, however many Roger wins by the end of his career.

Q. What are your thoughts on the speed of this court versus the speed at Wimbledon and how that affects Rafa's game?

ANDY MURRAY: It's quite clear the balls are a lot faster, a little bit harder to control the balls. Guys are serving harder. But I think the court itself I think grass is definitely still quicker than here. I just think because of the warm weather and obviously the balls being they seem very light in comparison to the Slazengers, which are pretty heavy. I think it's just a little bit harder to control the ball on the return. Obviously guys serve a little bit bigger, which might make it a bit harder for Rafa to break.

Q. You had such a wonderful breakthrough obviously in Paris. A lot of people might have expected you enjoy, sort of lose the rest of the season because you achieved this great thing. You really have seem to have reset yourself perfectly and are putting yourself in position again with another Grand Slam.

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Thank you.

Q. Was it mentally difficult to get over that and get yourself ready for the hard court?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yes, was difficult, but new experience give you the chance to make a new step. So everything that is new is maybe at the start a little bit slow and then came back, because I won the championship at Roland Garros. Is not another person. I have the chance to play again in a big Grand Slam like this. I want to do well. I have the quality and the opportunity to do it.

Q. So it made you hungrier?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah.

Q. You spoke in the past about some of the books you've been reading. What have you been reading this summer?

ANA IVANOVIC: I've been reading a lot Stieg Larsson's books, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. I'm on the third book. I've read about 50 pages in the last few weeks. I haven't had much time to read. Just trying to take a lot of walks and spend time outside. Didn't spend too much time in the room.

Q. Back to the Stieg Larsson books. The main character, Elizabeth Salander, she's a feisty character. Do you get any inspiration from that? She takes no nonsense from anyone.

ANA IVANOVIC: I do recognize myself in some of them. I do get very stubborn sometimes. That's a little bit annoying to my coaches. But, hey, you have to take the bad, too.

Q. Talking of the best, trying to perform the best you can, your outfit was really amazing. Could you talk to us about why you had that beautiful outfit and top it off with a victory.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, so far this year my outfits have been based off of cities that I play in. This outfit was really about New York. It's firework bursts actually on the dress. It's like bursts of fireworks. It's about a celebration of me playing my best obviously at home and kind of doing what I love and being able to wear something fun while I do it. So just always trying to do something fun on the court.

Q. Speaking of EleVen designs, have any female tennis players approached you trying to rob some of your designs?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, that will be fun. As my company continues to grow, maybe there will be some other representatives. Obviously, EleVen is about sport, but I don't think the primary focus will be tennis as it grows. It's just a small feature.

Day 6

Q. Have you looked a bit ahead [in the draw?] Do you know what's coming possibly next round and the round after?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, I saw Montanes won in his match against Nishikori. I will play him in the next round, which will be a very difficult match. We played many times. We had tough matches. Yeah, I think here was the first round last year we had a tough four setter, I think. He's a good player. It's gonna be tough.

Q. Do you know what might happen the round after that?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah. Everybody has been telling me that since the draw came out. I'm going against Roger in the quarters. He still needs to win two more matches, and I still have to win one more. It's still far ahead.

Q. Does that bother you people have been telling you, or it's gonna happen no matter what you do?

ROBIN SODERLING: No, I mean, I'm the fifth seed, so I know I'm gonna play one of the four top guys in quarters. I mean, they're all good players, so it doesn't really matter who I'm playing.

Q. The other day you spoke about how much you looked up to Maria and that you had never had the chance to meet her. Can you describe any interaction that you had with her before or after the match today?

BEATRICE CAPRA: Before the match, you know, she would just walk past me and kind of like give me a glare, which is kind of intimidating. (Laughter.) You know, after the match when we shook hands, she was really nice. She said, Great tournament. Keep up the hard work. You know, I think she's a really nice person. Yeah.

Q. What did that mean to you?

BEATRICE CAPRA: It meant a lot. It really meant a lot to me that she said that. She didn't have to say anything. But, I mean, it encourages me, I guess.

Q. Did you see Francesca Schiavone's shot between the legs?

ROGER FEDERER: I think I did see it. I'm not sure.

Q. Is it more difficult for a girl, in your opinion, to do it?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, yeah, because they never come to the net, so they'll never be lobbed. No, I've seen her hit some very good shots in the past already, you know. She has a great ability to come up with some different kind of variation for a woman's player, which is nice to see. I think she played incredible at the French Open. She is not scared of trying out a few things, you know. That's why I kind of like to watch her.

Q. When you were a junior, was the whole Maria [Sharapova] image thing something that you thought maybe one day you'd emulate?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, which way?

Q. Well, she's the big Nike girl. You're now Stella McCartney.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you know, to be honest, Kournikova was always for me the girl that I thought was just I wanted to be like her, definitely, you know. I thought she was very pretty; she was handling everything really nicely. You saw her everywhere in the commercials. I think I would more go for Kournikova.

Q. But what about on the court? Did you watch Maria's game? Did you see her win here in '06 or even Wimbledon when she was 17? What did you admire about her?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, of course. I think when you're a junior you see a lot of matches, in the women's game. And, yeah, I saw some of her matches, definitely. But, you know, she's a fighter; she never gives up. I think that's a great thing about her. But, you know, players that I really admired was, yeah, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis; those were the girls that I really looked up to.

Q. You're regarded as one of the toughest mentally out there on court, if not "the" toughest. Do you believe that in yourself? Also, how has the surgery and injuries since then, how have they really affected your confidence and perhaps showing you a little bit of vulnerability that you didn't have before?


MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, I mean, I do feel that, you know, especially in certain situations that I feel I don't know if the word "tougher" is the right word, but, you know, it's something that's, you know, won me many matches in my career.

Growing up I was never the biggest, the strongest girl on tour. You know, even though I have big shots, there are many girls that are more powerful that were quicker. But in certain situations -- you know, coming into juniors, I was playing girls that were much older than I am. You'd be in a position where it's 6 all in the third, and I'd have to battle it out. You know, I found a way to stay calm, and, you know, be tough inside of me. It wasn't really about, you know, seeing an error from the other side, and, you know, saying, come on or pumping the fist. It was more of a feeling you had inside of staying calm. That's kind of the toughness that I felt. Like I said, it's certainly won me many matches.

Q. Compared to other Opens, how are you feeling mentally and physically? You know, you're getting into the last final week. You have hopefully a few matches less until it's that final match. What's going through your mind right now?

GAËL MONFILS: I feel great physically. I mean, before the Open I was strong; I work hard like physically, so I feel great even if I have like long match. Basically I feel great. I hope the conditions will be better, and then I have like couple interesting like match to come one against Richard so I will try to play the best tennis I can. I know I can made it through the quarters, so I will try to take my chances on Monday.

Q. Do you think there's a lot of differences between your's and Richard's game?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, a lot. I think Richard is more talented than me in couple ways. Like he can adapt more about the conditions. Then I think I'm stronger than him physically, and maybe a bit mentally, also. Sometime he is like too defensive, like me. So actually it will be a good match, and we will see who's going to put like more pressure on the opponent.

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