(UPDATED) HE SAID/SHE SAID: Wimbledon Day Four

Q. What kind of a night did you spend last night? Could you sleep? Nightmares? Or what?

JOHN ISNER: I honestly, when I left the match, I really thought it was a dream. I didn't think that type of match was possible. So I was really expecting to wake up, in all seriousness.

No, I went back. I didn't sleep great. I only slept for four hours. I talked to Nic. He said he only slept for about three. So we're both kind of running on fumes right now.

Q. You said this was like a dream. In some ways, is this even better than a dream? And what did Andy get you for takeout?

JOHN ISNER: Yeah. I mean, I think it really is better than a dream because you can't even dream of something like this. I mean, you can dream of winning a match 22 20, maybe 34 32, but not 70 68.

Yeah, I guess in that regard it's a little bit better.

Andy just brought me all sorts of stuff. It was for my coach and my trainer. There was three boxes of pizza, all sorts of chicken and mashed potatoes, anything. I would have eaten 12 BicMacs.

Q. Given the severity of your injury, the difficulty of the comeback from that type of injury, how much do you think about a possible future without tennis? What options did you think about for the future?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I mean, I've set up myself pretty well for things that I can do after my tennis career. But that never really crossed my mind 'cause I was always gearing up to get back. You know, I've been fortunate to do, uhm, and to work with different people in different industries that have really made my life interesting and fun and creative. Fashion and things like that.

Uhm, I would certainly explore that after my career.

Q. Can you explain what happened this morning? Did you miss meeting the Queen? There's some suggestion you weren't there.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, was disappointing for me. But, you know, the Club knows, Wimbledon Club knows that before, because I have my routines before the match. I had a very difficult match, before the match, I know going to be a very difficult match. I had to practice around 12, so was impossible for me.

Seriously I thought the Queen was going to be in my match, and I would love to have the chance to meet her after the match. But wasn't possible because I think the Queen left before. For me was disappointing. I was excited to meet her. But was very important match for me, too.

Q. If you had known she wouldn't be there for your match, would you have gone to meet her?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, because I have my routines. Before the match, is very difficult when you have ‑‑ you don't know when you gonna play, no? You have third match. But if some injury there, you are on court before.

I had the practice at that time, so was impossible for me to meet her at that moment, no?

Q. You said you wouldn't change your routine to meet the Queen. Is there anything or anybody in the world that would make you change your routine?

RAFAEL NADAL: You know, I am playing in Wimbledon. Is not a joke. I love this tournament. I have a lot of respect for the Queen. I have a lot of respect for this tournament. Always was my dream play here. Today is a match, is a match day for me, no? So I have my things to do, and I try to do my best what I think is the best to win the match, no? So not in that case.

Q. When you're at home, do you get questions about is it time for you now to be one of the top players, especially with Svetlana hasn't been playing that well this year and Dinara has been hurt and now Dementieva is hurt. Do you hear a little bit of that?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, no, not really, because I'm never at home, so... (Laughing.)

Well, I heard it quite a few time before, which was strange, because I was like 15, 16, and people, when I finished No. 1 juniors, people expect me to be straightaway, like, I don't know, top 50 or top 20 in the world.

I was really young, and that's why I put a lot of pressure on myself. And especially in Russian they did put a lot of pressure. They were expecting me to be the best, beat everyone, like this, easy, and go faster.

So that's why I struggled a while to get through that. It took me a while to get good ranking in the pros. I mean, not a while, but still, you know, I think I could have gone much faster maybe in the rankings and the results.

But anyway, it went quite fast.

Q. Now you feel like you have to be more patient with yourself and then the results will come?

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, now I'm more relaxed and I don't care about what people say. I just try to do my what my team tells me and to do good job and play well and just thinking about this.

I don't I stop thinking about results so much. So I don't know. I think when the time is right, it's gonna come. My work will pay off. So I just I don't know when it's gonna happen. I'm working hard, playing well every I mean, trying to do my every match, and then I will see.

Q. We see every year at Roland Garros French players don't do so well in their home tournament. It's been not as long as Fred Perry for here, but French players haven't won in Paris for a while. Do you admire the way Andy Murray handles the pressure at Wimbledon? Because he's our only player, where you've got lots of good players.

GILLES SIMON: For sure he's alone. But for us, yes, we have the pressure, but we are many players, so it's a little bit easier.

For him it's hard, because you know, I have an apartment right here. The guy told me, Murray didn't win anything for the last six months. That's a shame. Come on, he's playing good. He played a little final in Australia.

He said, No, no, no. He didn't win. He has to win. So I can feel a little bit the pressure he have.

But I just think he's doing the maximum. Last year he reached the semifinal; it was a good result, I think. He played a nice match, even if he lost this one. I think he's doing good.

UPDATE:

Q. How would you describe the match that you had and your thoughts on why it took so long?

NICOLAS MAHUT: Do you have time (smiling)?

I don't know. This is just a match I will never forget. I hope the people who watched the match will think the same.

At this moment, it's really painful.

Q. Would you elaborate? What's painful about it?

NICOLAS MAHUT: The loss. I mean, I lost this match. I just wanted to win. Was just better than me. Really painful to lose this kind of match.

Q. Do you take a sense of pride in having competed this hard and this long even though you did lose?

NICOLAS MAHUT: Yeah, ask me tomorrow I will probably say yes. Tonight, it's really difficult.

Q. What are your thoughts about John right now?

NICOLAS MAHUT: He's a champion. He served unbelievable. Every time I was that close to break him, he just serves aces, aces, bomb. I could not do anything. I tried very hard, but he was just too good.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]