HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Three + Four

Day 3

Q. Melanie Oudin was talking the other day about the difference of coming in this year with expectations as opposed to prior when people didn't have expectations of her. You at 20 years of age came in as the No. 1 and had to play with great expectations of you. Can you talk about as a very young woman of say 20 years of age what it's like coming in with those expectations and what you've learned now two years later?

ANA IVANOVIC: It is a whole different story. I see myself also as two different persons. Once you're actually coming up and you have no expectations, you are hungry for success, and you really don't know what the stakes are. You just go for it. You have no fear. You play freely against anyone you come up against. 

Once you actually get in a position to defend some points and there is more outside pressure coming in, it is a lot different story. Because even though you perceive yourself the same or maybe even better, if you're improving, still there is a lot of outside effect. That creates some doubts and obviously pressure. Everyone deals with it differently. That's what I feel it was the biggest change with me, is that I managed to sort of let go of this. Now I feel, you know, as I am just coming up again, and I have really nothing to lose. I got that joy of competing again.

Q. Is that the greatest lesson you think you've learned from having been in that rarified air of being the world's top player?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it is. I mean, I learned about myself and just about the world in general and how everything goes. You know, I mean, what I learned is that it goes on no matter what. (Smiling.)

Q. There's a lot of talk with the McEnroes, John and Patrick, about the future of American tennis. Who is the next big American star. Do you embrace that and want to be that guy?

RYAN HARRISON: Absolutely I want to be that guy. I have a ways to go. I've qualified and still have a ways to go to get there, but I'm definitely working has hard as I can. I'm really putting all the work in. I'm trying to stay open minded with everyone who is giving me their opinion and really trying to listen as much as possible and take in as much as advice as I can. Then just trying to work on the game and work on transitioning up to trying to hopefully being a full time tour player.

Q. Who has given you the best advice?

RYAN HARRISON: Roddick has been helping me since I was 15, 16 years old. Every time I see him, he's always been extremely helpful and really talked to me a lot about some of the things he experienced when he was first coming up. Obviously coaches, Patrick McEnroe, Jay Berger, Diego Moyano is working with me most of the time now. 

My dad coached me from the time I was two years old, and he's been you know, he's been always there for me, always there to support me throughout my entire career. He's been unbelievable about being on me to stay humble and stay you know, stay I guess just to the point where I can really focus on taking it one at a time and just taking every day as it comes.

Q. The replay showed your left foot did touch the line.

ANDY RODDICK: That's fine.

Q. If she had just said left foot would it...

ANDY RODDICK: There would have been no discussion. There would have been zero discussion. There was two after that. It was the fact that I couldn't get her to admit that it wasn't the right foot just infuriated me beyond... The lack of common sense involved in that was unbelievable to me. I just have trouble when they stick to an argument that obviously isn't right. It's her job to call it. 

Like I said, there were two after that that they said front, and there's no argument there. There's zero argument there. I mean, we got to be able to maybe have a test, like point to your right foot, point to your left foot; okay, now call lines. I think that would be maybe standard.

Q. Did she have an opportunity to correct herself, though?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, she was talking. She was talking.

Q. She answered the one thing, right?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. Then I pointed again. She said, No. Then I said again, Have we thought about this? Do we realize that it's a physical impossibility? She says, No. I think she was definitely responding, you know, when I was asking questions. None of the responses was, It was your left foot.

Q. In hindsight, did you let it go too far?

ANDY RODDICK: In hindsight did I let it go too far? Yeah, probably. Probably. I think it was a very correctable mistake, and I probably let it get to me more than it should have. Yeah, sure.

Q. You are a good friend of Randy Lu. You play doubles together. You are coached by the same person. Randy beat Andy in Wimbledon. I was wondering if he gave you any tips to beat Andy?

JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yes, he did.

Q. Or if your coach had specific tactics.

JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Coach told me the regular tactics. I played him twice so I more or less knew what to expect. Coach was mainly telling me what I need to focus on, you know. Regarding Roddick, I more or less knew what strengths and what weaknesses he had. Randy gave me a couple of tips. Well, they worked, so... I am grateful for that.

Q. Touching Andy's chest with your forehead must have some meaning. You don't do that after every match. Why did you do that?

JANKO TIPSAREVIC: You know what, he's not a good friend, he's a friend of mine. I think he's a very nice guy. And, you know, just to say those nice things after probably being really, really disappointed, it was just like an emotional thing. I wanted to hug him, but then it probably wouldn't be so good. So is just saying nice words after being disappointed and losing, I mean, against and underdog on your stadium in front of your home crowd, that just brings up a big champion in him.

DAY 4

Q. What are your thoughts on the possibility of playing Maria Sharapova? [She will be playing Shrieka]

BEATRICE CAPRA: I'm really excited. I think it will be an amazing experience. I know she's just such a tough competitor. You know, when I was younger I used to always look up to her, and so I think it will be a really, you know, good match for me to see where I am compared to that kind of level.

Q. What was it that you looked up to?

BEATRICE CAPRA: I thought she was just so mentally tough. You know, she just always went for her shots, and you can never tell any of her emotions. You know, that really inspired me. One of my great assets is I'm really I like to think that I'm mentally tough, and I'll always stay in the match until the end.

Q. The New York crowd tends to be loud and especially in the night matches. How does the atmosphere at the Open compare to the other Majors?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, the atmosphere here is great. I really love playing here. I mean, it's a great feeling. Also coming back from last year, you know, being in the finals, coming back here and just, yeah, playing on the big courts, it's a great feeling.

Q. How have your expectations of yourself changed from a year ago at this time when you were a surprise and you made the run to the championship match?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, the expectations maybe from the outside has changed, but from myself I always go into a tournament and I want to win it. Doesn't really matter what tournament I'm playing, and I always believe in myself. It's not always possible to win every tournament, but at least I give it a shot. You know, the only time I get disappointed with myself is if I feel like I haven't given 100%. You know, I'm almost always giving 100%. It's just about if I lose a match, okay, the opponent was just playing better than me that day, and I need to get back and work harder and be better for next time.

Q. Have you seen any huge improvements in your style lately with Paul on your team now?

ROGER FEDERER: No. I mean, when I'm playing great, regardless of who's in my player box, I can beat anybody, you know. It's about being consistent and being confident in the way I play. I'm not all of a sudden going to play a two handed backhand or serve and volley on my second serve nonstop. It's just not gonna happen. 

It's in the details, and it's very important to me what Paul tells me and what Severin also tells me, who I've been with for three years now. It's an interesting, you know, time right now, because I went through times where I thought every time was interesting for me, because I went through times where I didn't have a coach, I had times where I had two coaches, as well, one coach. Here we are at the stage again where there's someone new to the team, and I kind of like those times, yeah.

Q. You're the only past champion left in the men's tournament. How much of an advantage is that, or a help is that, knowing you've done it in the past versus other players who are trying to but don't know that they can, because they haven't?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely an advantage, I would think, yeah, because weathering the conditions here in New York. A lot of players can really do well here in New York because it's a fair kind of a court. 

It's a quick court, so if you're not feeling well, it can all of a sudden slip away from you. So it's a dangerous court to play on, and everybody has the last slam left to prove. I think that's why it makes it really hard to win. You could be unlucky and get hit with a really hot day or a very windy day, and not even in your control sometimes you lose a match here. 

That's where it's important like today to get through easily instead of maybe going five hour match, you know, and losing the tournament because of a match like this, you know. Yeah, I mean, I would consider it as an advantage. But again, I'm not at match point serving for it, so still a lot of hard work to do.

Gilbert: "Do you have that tweener shot between your legs?"

Novak Djokovic: "No, I have something else between my legs." [Would you care to share???]

[Photo(s): Getty Images]