Forty Deuce

Air Quotes: Buckle Up, New York.

I'm not going to lie.  I squee'd in delight when I read this:

Q. How much are you worried about your knee? Is there a risk you should skip the Davis Cup tie after Wimbledon?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. Well, sure, I am a little bit scared about the knee. But, you know, it happen. I had a treatment after Monte‑Carlo. So I had the problem. I didn't say nothing before, but you know, guys, how is everything. I had the problem against Roddick in the semifinals of Miami.

I don't like to say nothing in that moment because when you lose, always looks like an excuse. But I can say now I had the problem after I played in Monte‑Carlo with a little bit of pain on the knee, on the left knee, because that's what happened there.

After Monte‑Carlo, I didn't play Barcelona because I had to do a treatment, new treatment. You know, I tried to play the clay season perfect because in that moment the right knee was better than the left. But at the same time I know the knees are not hundred percent recovered. But playing on clay and maybe on grass, if is not very long matches, can work well.

But the last treatments I did between Monte‑Carlo and Rome was perfect. I didn't have no one more problem on the left knee. But just I did one time, and I need to do three times.

I didn't have time to do it at the right knee before because I had to play. The clay season was my main goal of the season. After here I gonna do it another time, no? My goals for me is a big disappointment not be in the Davis Cup on France, you know. Some confrontations, if you play at home against some country, maybe you cannot play this one. But playing in France for me is a very special confrontation and a very big motivation for me.

But I talked with the captain, I talked with the president of the Federation a few days ago, and I said, Guys, I never arrive to the US Open with my hundred percent of conditions. I had last year broken abdominal, two years ago playing crazy here. After Olympics, I did arrive very tired. And I really want to try to go there with my best chances, no, to play, to play my hundred percent.

So I need to do this treatment after here. If I play Davis Cup, I don't have enough time to recover and play tournaments, Cincinnati. Everything was perfect for me last few months, and I need to be ready to finish the season well. My goal is try to keep having the chance to be No. 1 for the rest of the season. That's gonna be difficult. But if you are not in hundred percent of condition, is going to be impossible.

Air Quotes: What? You Were Way Better In Role Models.

 

Air Quotes: :) :( ;)

Q. Your bow had a lot of rhythm to it, tremendous depth. Some critics thought it might be a tad overproduced. Can you analyze it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: My bow didn't go the way I wanted. I didn't get my wrist action that I thought I would have, and then I got nervous. So my knee kind of got tight, and I felt a lot of pain in my left knee, so I couldn't get as low as I wanted to.

Q. So you're blaming your injuries?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm going to blame my injury.

...

Q. Yesterday Venus told me your curtsy was unreal. She also said you'd beat her in a curtsy‑off. Do you think there was too much hype for your curtsy?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it was definitely too much hype. I feel like I had the number one curtsy and then I just got nervous. Next time I'll have to take more Advil.

I definitely handle pressure way better on the court than off. No comparison.

...

Q. How did you find playing on Court 2?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I have mixed feelings about that. You know, I don't think I should be out there. But in a way, I feel like, you know, with my popularity, it's cool to see ‑‑ when I was leaving, I stayed for a while, and I signed tons of autographs. A lot of these people can't get into the Centre Court and stuff.

Other than that, that definitely made up for it, to see fans I wouldn't normally see.

...

Q. You talked in Paris about the strings you're using, giving you more spin. Do you feel the same kind of effect here on the grass with the ball?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, always the same, no? The string can help you, but you are the person, you are the player, not the string. You play; the string doesn't play. That's my feeling.

Sure, the string can help you for moments, for maybe the string is better than the other one because give me the chance to feel the ball more time inside the racquet. That's give me a little bit more control. But that's my feeling, that you are the person. You lose, you win, not the string. 

...

Q. How did you feel when you woke up this morning physically? What did you do to prepare for this afternoon's match? Did you weigh yourself today and whether you lost any weight?

JOHN ISNER: I actually haven't weighed. I told myself I wanted to do that. When I go back to the locker room, I will.

But I'm one of the heaviest guys actually, I am the heaviest guy on the tour. I have a little bit of excess in the stomach area (smiling). I knew that was going to come in handy one day. It was kind of the reserve tank.

It's not that I eat unhealthy. I work hard. I just can't get rid of it.

Q. Is it still there?

JOHN ISNER: Yeah. It went down a little bit, I think (smiling).

...

Q. After shedding so much weight in the last 24 hours, do you think you would make a good face of Weight Watchers in America?

JOHN ISNER: I guess. It's not like I'm a heifer or anything (laughter). Maybe.

...

Air Quotes: Strawberries, Sasha, and Sam.

 

Q. How difficult was it to play someone that played a lot of grass court tennis lately?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: She's a quality opponent. She has been ranked a lot higher than what she is. For whatever reason, she slipped back. She's definitely played a lot of matches recently as well. She qualified at the French as well as here and been playing well.

So, you know, it wasn't an easy first round by any means.

Q. If someone came to you before the clay season started and said, Here is the deal, you'll get to the Roland Garros final but out first round of Wimbledon, what would you say?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Uhm, well, I guess you'd kind of be happy, but also you'd hope to do better here. Yeah, that is what happened. I guess looking at it, the whole picture, I've got to be very happy with what I have achieved over the last few months.

I would have loved to have done better here, but it wasn't to be. But I'm definitely going to look at the last few weeks and go home pretty happy.

Q. Francesca also lost. Is it kind of hard going from this huge moment of high pressure, the great run, to crank it up all again a couple weeks later?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, for sure it's difficult. But, uhm, you know, that's the way it is. The champions of the game can do it back to back. And I guess that's the kind of pedestal that you want to try to look up to and try to get to yourself.

Yeah, neither of us had made it that far at the French and then had to turn it around in such a quick time frame.

You know, that's the way it is. You have to deal with that, try and cope as best you can.

...

Q. Can you talk us through your outfit today.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, we dubbed it Strawberries and Cream. Strawberries, is that the correct enunciation of it? I don't have a good British accent. The red is strawberries and the white is cream. It's not like a pure white; it's more of a cream. Also the red kind of symbolizes a lot of things I do in Africa, along with a lot of the work, like the red laces. Everybody that buys a pair can pretty much save a life in Africa.

I really kind of wanted to tie that all together with this championship. Since it means so much to me, I thought it could work well. The tournament means so much to me as well as the things I do in Africa. I thought it could also work well together.

Q. Your nails look good today.

SERENA WILLIAMS: They have strawberries on them, too. If I would have thought about it, I would have put a strawberry instead of a heart. They're hearts. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. I could have had a strawberry.

...

Q. What are your thoughts about Thursday with the Queen's visit and how are your curtsy practices going?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was going to curtsy today on the court afterwards, but I think I flubbed it. So I'm definitely going to work on it a little more. I'm trying to tone down my wrist action (laughter).

But my curtsy is really fun. It's something that she'll definitely never forget, if I ever even get a chance to meet her.

No, we really don't do that so much in the United States, so I'm really working hard on it.

...

Q. Going back to the Queen, quite a lot made of a suggestion you might not bow to her on Thursday. Can you tell us about how you're feeling meeting her, if you will bow, and what you might say if you meet her?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know what I'll say exactly. I'll probably be a little bit nervous, understandably. I guess I don't want to mess up at all.

But, yeah, the plan was to bow to the Queen, as everybody would. It's just you wanted to get the right etiquette for what we were doing on the court. A few years back it definitely changed. Both players, when you went on Centre Court bowed, and they went out together. When they left the court, they left together, bowed again. Obviously, it's changed.

What I was trying to say, which I think was unfairly reported, was I wanted to make sure what the etiquette was before we went out on the court.

...

Q. I wanted to ask you a question about the tour. You've had a great early career, reaching No. 2, great run in New York. You're not going to be a teenager much longer. There really hasn't been a big breakthrough by a teenager on the WTA Tour since Maria here. Why do you think that is?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think I'm an exception to that. And I think that reaching No. 2, it's not easy. Not everyone can do that.

I think the tour has just become very tough. A lot of players are playing well. Just look at the clay court results that have been, you know, Martina Sanchez winning Rome, Rezai winning Madrid, Schiavone winning French Open.

I mean, there's a lot of good players out there. It's not easy to be in the top of the rankings. I'm happy about my own progression, the way I've been playing.

Tennis is an individual sport. So I think about myself. I really think that age doesn't matter. I think you can be 30 and be on the top of the ranking, and you can be 17. It really doesn't matter. It's just about going out there, doing your best, and you can see how far you can go, how far your own limits are.

...

Q. Have you gotten to talk to Sasha much about his championship and did you get to watch any of the parade online or anything?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. But I got a lot of pictures from it. It seemed really crazy. Yeah, I'm very happy for him and the team. 

Q. Couldn't have been much easier, could it?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, it always could (laughter).

(presser links)

Air Quotes: Amaze.

Q. Which one of [Roger's] records do you think is his most impressive?

RAFAEL NADAL: Every one. Every one is amazing. If I have to say something, 23 semifinals in a row of Grand Slam.

Q. Why?

RAFAEL NADAL: Because is five years, almost six years, playing all four Grand Slams. You can have no one injury, no one bad day, so is amazing. That's my feeling, no? So 23 semifinals in a row, in my opinion, impossible to do it another time.

Q. You spoke about what you felt was Roger's most amazing record. Of your tremendous accomplishments, what do you think your best achievement is?

RAFAEL NADAL: 81 matches straight on clay. That's a lot.

Q. In a certain way is that showing consistency, day in, day out being able to raise your game even under bad conditions? Is that why you're proud of it?

RAFAEL NADAL: The 81?

Q. Yes.

RAFAEL NADAL: I think that's the most impressive of my record, this one. Because, you know, in a lot of matches you have difficult moments. And not all the tournaments, not all the matches you are playing well. That's for sure. And you still winning. You still winning very difficult matches.

81 is a lot. A lot of days finish the match with the victory. And for me, that's, well, very difficult to repeat, too.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: Lucky Idiots, Feelings, and Jamaica.

Q. What were your feelings when the draw came out and it was Federer?

ALEJANDRO FALLA: Well, I knew I'm playing really well at this point of the year. And just sometimes bad luck. Everybody wants to play Federer. But three times in one month is a lot (smiling).

...
Q. Do you think it might have helped you to play him three times in a row?

ROGER FEDERER: It shouldn't have, no, especially after Halle. He should have known that I was going to beat him. But he forgot I beat him (smiling). 

...

Q. We'd all like to see you one day win Wimbledon. It would be brilliant.

LAURA ROBSON: I would, too. I'd like that (smiling).

Q. When do you think? You don't have a crystal ball, but...

LAURA ROBSON: It's hard to say. Ideally I would have liked to have won it this year, but that's obviously not going to happen (smiling).

Why don't you give me a year. Your guess would be just as good as mine.

...

Q. You had to wait over four hours to get on Court 1 today. What did you do in that time?

ANDY RODDICK: Play some Monopoly. Dominated some Scrabble. I watched some tennis. Watched some football. That was pretty much it.

Q. Which tennis match were you watching?

ANDY RODDICK: Challenger that was going on, a future back home in the States.

Q. You were watching Roger's match?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I think everyone was watching that one.

...

Air Quotes: EXTREME!!!

Q. One of the past champions, Maria Sharapova, is back from the rotator cuff problem. What have been your observations of the way she's battled back and what she means to the tour?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I haven't been able to see too much of her play. But I know just that she's a really hard worker and that her attitude on the court is definitely carried off the court of never giving up, always fighting. It's not easy to come back from any type of surgery. She is clearly doing well. I know she won a tournament recently. She's doing good.

Q. Kim and Justine are back at Wimbledon this year. They missed the last couple. How much do you relish the extra competition from those two? They were pushing yourself and Venus all the way a couple years ago.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's cool they're back in the draw. It's fine. I answer this question every week, so... Look at my other transcripts.

Q. Getting back to Thursday with the Queen being here, I think the Club is leaving it up to the individual players whether they'll bow or curtsy. What would you do?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I definitely don't think I should take a bow, so I'll probably curtsy (smiling). I've been working on my curtsy. It's a little extreme, so I'm going to have to tone it down (laughter). I'm going to have to tone it down a little bit. I have a lot of arm movement.

Q. Do you have a curtsy coach?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Actually, I was practicing it this morning, so... Like I said, it's very extreme. I get really low. So, yeah, I have to tone it down. But we'll see. I hope we'll have a chance to do that. Hopefully I won't do that, but hopefully I'll have a chance to curtsy.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: Zing!

Q. Venus Williams said she doesn't really understand the rules of football or soccer. Do you understand the rules and have you been following the World Cup?
ANDY RODDICK: Yes and yes.

Q. Impressions then?
ANDY RODDICK: I understand the rules of football so well that apparently when two Slovenian guys mug an American guy the American guy gets called for a foul. That's how well I understand the rules.

Q. Did you watch the England game last night?
ANDY RODDICK: I did not watch the England game last night, no. I decided to take advantage of no traffic and go into the city and have some dinner. You'd be amazed how quickly you can get down there when an England game is on.

Q. What are your thoughts on Nebraska's new conference?

ANDY RODDICK: You know what? I'm surprisingly unaffected by it. I don't mind it.
I think the Big Ten is such a storied conference. The Big 12, I lost it a little bit when we stopped playing Oklahoma every year. It kind of made that rivalry go by the wayside.

For all you English people, this is what it's like when you talk about World Cup in front of us.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: That God For The Roof.

Q. The queen is going to be here on Thursday. There's an issue of whether to curtsy. What would you do?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I've never had the honor to curtsy before. I think I was probably too young for that and the rule kind of went away. So, uhm, it would be kind of fun. Yeah, I'd love to do it. I think it would be an honor for all of us, yeah.

Q. So your self-belief is as strong as it ever was?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it has to be. In women's tennis, it has to be. You have to be ready to go out and play against different opponents. You know, the game is really deep right now. You have to be ready from the first round. You have to have that intensity and belief in yourself, absolutely.

Q. Does it always feel special coming back to Wimbledon?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It does. It certainly does. The week before when there's just the players, the groundsmen getting the last bits and pieces out there, knowing that something big is around the corner, you really feel that atmosphere, the intensity of something going on. Then you see the dark clouds coming out, you're like, Yeah, that's coming next week (laughter).

(presser link)

Air Quotes: Psst! Hey Britain! She Ain't Our Queen!

Q. You mentioned losing. Lindsay Davenport was quoted the other day as saying you have to learn from losing. You beat her, one of the best women's finals here in a long time. What is it that you can learn from losing?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Losing makes you come back harder and stronger and better. A lot of times when you win, you aren't as critical of yourself.

Q. Our queen is likely to be here on Thursday, and Serena is likely to be on Centre Court. Is she going to curtsy or not?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know.

Q. Do you think it's important to respect that tradition or do you think there's a fair chance...

VENUS WILLIAMS: I might not be the best one to comment on it because I'm an American. I'm not well versed on English tradition.

Q. You can't say for sure, the equivalent of a man bowing to somebody, you wouldn't necessarily curtsy to the Queen?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't want to talk about curtsying anymore. I don't understand that tradition. I don't I don't really want to talk about that. I'm not educated on that. So thanks.

Q. What have been your thoughts on Maria Sharapova's game as she's dealt with the sudden stardom, winning here, the injuries, and now coming back? What impresses you most about her style of play and her persona on the court?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, I haven't seen her play a lot lately. Obviously, she's a very intense competitor. We can tell that she really just takes the game to heart and gives a hundred percent.

So, I mean, just with those characteristics mixed with talent, injured or not injured, I mean, she's going to always play well.

Q. What do you think makes her a big asset for the women's tour?

VENUS WILLIAMS: People like her a lot. People like to watch her play. People like to see what she's doing. I think obviously that's a huge asset, besides the fact that she plays very well.

Q. What are your thoughts on having Justine and Kim back here at Wimbledon?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I know. They're playing great, actually. So obviously it makes the draw even more interesting. All the old fans come right back. It's almost like they never missed a beat.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: No, Thank YOU!

Q. You may not have as much grass tennis as last year and two years ago. What is important before a big tournament like this? Is it to be used to the surface or be fresh mentally? Between both, what is the most important?

RAFAEL NADAL: Everything is important, no? If you are fresh like ice, but you are playing bad, you're going to lose. If you are playing very well but you are too tired, probably you gonna have the chances to win a few rounds, but finally you gonna lose. That's what happened for me in the US Open 2008.

But no, no one thing is happening to me. I am not very tired. I don't know if I am fresh or not probably. But the clay season was a hard clay season. But, you know, after winning three tournaments, very important tournaments for me, and Roland Garros, you lose a little bit attention for the moments. But I hope to be ready to play well on next Tuesday.

Q. You were hurt at Queen's Club and complaining of a leg injury. Has that cleared up now?

RAFAEL NADAL: I am fine. I am perfect. Thank you.

Q. Our queen is going to be here on Thursday. The All England Club are leaving it to the players whether they bow to the box or not. What have you decided to do?

RAFAEL NADAL: I would love to be Thursday to have the chance to do it. I don't know. I have to win the first match before on Thursday.

Q. And if you get through, will you bow?

RAFAEL NADAL: Sure. I respect everything.

Q. When you switch from clay court to grass court, what is the most important thing to concentrate on? Is it technically or mentally?

RAFAEL NADAL: Technique for me. Mentally I think I know how I have to play to play well on grass. But is difficult to do it for me, no?

Q. Technical adjustments you have to do?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, the movements are very important, how to move. The way that you are touching the ball is very important because you have to -- you know, on clay you have more time to think.

Here, if you are not touching the ball perfect most of the times, is very difficult to have the control of the point.

So the important thing is adjust your game, adapt your game to play well on this surface. So you have to put the ball more inside the court. You can't defend on this surface because when you run to one place, is very difficult to come back, especially after the first week. After the second week is more like clay. But especially the first days is very difficult, so is very important.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: Welcome To The Spotlight.

Q. Is it easy to stay focused after all what happened since your win in Roland Garros?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Nothing is easy. I mean, is first time. For sure I'm learning many things, new things. But in the same times, I can say that if I don't play tennis, I can't win. So I have to come back and play at the best.

Q. You say you learned something. What did you learn exactly?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Exactly? There are many things to organize, many things to do. For example, this one is a new job for me to give you my interview, to stay in front of TV and explain who I am and what I do. So is a new step. And then on the court, for sure I keep going to work on my quality. Is good.

Q. Do you like the extra attention that it has brought you? Do you appreciate it?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I like the people that come close to me and say, Oh, you give me a big emotion, of course. I play tennis for this. But when I have to come here, no (laughter). I like less.

Q. Do you find that your fellow professionals treat you or look at you in a slightly different way now that you're a Grand Slam winner?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: No. The people that know me, no, because was like this before and I am exactly the same. When I arrived to the airport in Italy, they said, Now you are important. What do you think about? And I say, No, I always been important. It's just that now I won something.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: Moose Shows He Cares.

Q. Putting that to one side, you do have Sam Querrey down the line potentially. Do you put him below the top echelon of guys, yourself, Roger, Rafa included:

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, he's a big guy, big game. Obviously played very well at Queen's. But, you know, there's a good chance that, you know, one of us is going to lose in the tournament. So it could come early; it could come later on. It's just, you know, very disrespectful to the rest of the guys in the draw, I think, to just look ahead of who's in front of you. You know, if Sam does well, I do well, there's a good chance we'll play. A lot can happen at Grand Slams.

Q. With regard to last night, I'm not going to ask you to comment about what went on on the pitch, because I know that's a mine field for you. In terms of the weight of public, national expectation, do you have some sympathy with Wayne Rooney?

ANDY MURRAY: The one thing that I do know is that when you are sort of in the heat of the moment, when you have just finished the match, when things haven't gone as you would have liked, you can say things you don't, you know, necessarily mean. You can be upset or angry about the way you played and therefore say something, you know, that you might regret, you know, even 20 minutes, 30 minutes afterwards.

But it is difficult. It's obviously a lot of pressure on England to do well at the World Cup. You know, it's the same, you know, with the tennis players here, with a lot of sport in this country because, you know, it gets a lot of coverage.

Everybody loves -- well, most of the people I know love watching sport, especially the big events. People want to see him do well. When you don't, they're not best pleased.

Q. From the nation, from the media. Are we too desperate?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know if it's desperate. You know, I just think, you know, obviously being a quite wealthy country, there's been a lot of money invested in sports. We'd probably like to see a little bit more sort of rewards and titles for it.

In all of the matches that I played at Wimbledon, the support that I've had has been great. Everybody has got behind me. Played in some of the best atmospheres I've ever played in. They support very well.

But, you know, I think to win a World Cup is incredibly difficult. To win Wimbledon is incredibly difficult, as well. These are very, very, hard, hard things to do. There's been a lot of people that have come close the last few years, last 10 or 15 years with Tim, and myself last year. You know, we just need, yeah, the support. If we get that, hopefully one day we'll be able to change it.

Q. You were telling us a few nights ago the nerves do kick in here.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, that's great. I love it.

Q. How have they been?

ANDY MURRAY: No, right now I'm not nervous. I'll be nervous probably the night before the match. And then, yeah, when I get on the court, you know, I'm sure I'll be nervous at the start. But being nervous is one of the best things for a sports person. You know, it shows that you care, that you're ready to play. If there's no nerves, that's when I get worried. If I don't have that adrenaline... I feel like I play my best tennis when I have the adrenaline, when I'm nervous. I hope, come Tuesday, I'm very nervous when I go on the court.

(presser link)

Air Quotes: Not Bad At All.

“When you’re on the court, you have to put many things in perspective and realize that it’s not all rainbows and butterflies, that you’re going to have your days and moments when it’s not gonna be so fun. But we hit a tennis ball for a living, so, can’t be that bad.”

-- Masha, on playing for the love of the game. I love that she can have this perspective and still be a competitive powerhouse on the court.

Air Quotes: A Muzzled Muzzard Is Not A Muzzard I Care To Know

“I’m on my best behavior at Wimbledon anyway, so I’ll try,” he said dryly, breaking into a wide smile.

-- Moose, on his attempt not to cuss in front of the Queen.  Also, depending on what his opponent wants to do, he may or may not bow.  Myself, I root for a Moose Curtsy.

Air Quotes: Blue Balls.

“I’m not super concerned about the way I’m hitting the ball. I’m not stressed out about any one part of my game too much. But you know, if I’m being frank with you guys, I had a lot of time practicing before the French (after pulling out of Madrid with a virus), played some matches and had a lot of time practicing here. Now I have a lot of time practicing before Wimbledon. It’s basically getting over my own impatience as opposed to worrying about my game. If this match had happened in two days and the guy had played really, really well and I felt like I had not played badly, there wouldn’t be a whole lot of problems. But, you know, I’m just going to have to show off my awesome ability to be a patient person.”

-- A-Rod, on being antsy to just hit the court and play.  Dude, just yank one in the shower.  You'll feel better.

Air Quotes: You're With Me, Leather.

"It's tough," said Keothavong, "because the court was damp and slippery and there were little patches where I didn't think it was particularly safe. For someone like me who has had two knee surgeries, I am not going to go hell for leather on a wet grass court."

She went down 6-2, 6-4, finishing on a double-fault and an angry shout of "moron!"

Air Quotes: Head of the Class.

Great stuff from both players in their presser.  If I wasn't so lazy I would go back and see when the last time a heavily favored loser didn't use "I didn't play well today" as an excuse for a loss.  Or a pair of pressers where both players had nothing but respect for each other.

Air Quotes: Forgive and Forget. Maybe.

Q. You have played him a couple of times, and you had some psychological battles. How would you describe your relationship to him?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't have nothing to say about the relationship. For me, the relationship with him was normal. I had a little bit more tension than usual match in Wimbledon match 2007?

Q. 8.
RAFAEL NADAL: 8, no. No, no.

Q. 2007.
RAFAEL NADAL: 7?

Q. Well, it doesn't matter.
RAFAEL NADAL: 2007? Yes, it matters. (Laughter.)
2007, but after that, no, I didn't have not one problem with him. I think he's doing well, and at the same time he improves his level of tennis. He improve his level of kind of person, no? I think he improve his personality the last year.

Q. How?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he say more times hello to the rest of the yeah, I am speaking serious. I am speaking in the positive way, not in a negative way. Sure.

Q. He didn't say hello earlier?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he was very shy in the beginning. I think so, no? But I think he improves a lot.

Air Quotes: To Be Fair, I Think This Is As Complimentary A Presser As JJ Is Capable of Giving.

Q. She's obviously a player who has been around for a while. As a singles player, a decent one but never one of the top 5 or 10 players. Now she's looking like she is beating Justine and Serena and you consecutively. How is she doing it? Are you surprised at the kind of leap that she's made?

JELENA JANKOVIC: To be honest, she kind of has like almost the game of a man. That's what it feels like. When I look at how the men play, she has kind of a similar she has a very good kick, which not many women can not women have. It's a very heavy, you know, spin.

And then, you know, she runs around the forehand. You know, she has that kind of, and, you know, it's showing. She's been very impressive the last I don't know how many months. She has had pretty good results.

Q. Sorry to ask, but who do you think would have a better chance in the final, Samantha or Francesca?
JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, so far, you know, I think Samantha has a very big chance. She played so well this tournament, and she has beaten, you know, I think the favorites of this tournament.
So I think she has a good chance. You know, she's playing very, very well. I think she'll do it.

Transcript here.

Air Quotes: Hooks Crossed.

Q. Last year you won your first title in Osaka with beating Francesca, and now here comes again. Do you think it's kind of like of a lucky charm for you, I mean, to play against Francesca in a final?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I hope so. (laughter.)

Air Quotes: "Whoo."

Q. Have you ever kissed a court before here?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: No. Two days ago. (laughter.)
No, is the second time.

Q. How does it taste? (Laughter.)
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: It was good. So good.

Q. I'm not sure if this has been asked already so interrupt if it has but when Elena came to you, what did she say? But most of all, you just had come off the win in the tiebreak. You looked so stunned, so shocked. What went through your mind?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: First of all, when I won the first set, I say, That's a good way, because I won not to waiting her mistake but to push and to try to do something. So I was very focused on my tactic and on my play. So was happy to catch that set.

Then when I see I was ready to take towel, I did like this, and I saw her too close. (Laughter.) I say, Maybe something happen. And for 10 seconds, I don't know how many seconds, but I couldn't realize. Then I know when you shake the hands, it's finish. So then my mind came where I was.

Q. Have you ever been so shocked in a tennis match?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah, there are many things that the woman do that you can shock. Whoo.

Air Quotes: You Got To, Accent-uate The Positive...

Q. Comparing to your first set, you especially struggled more in the second set. It looked like some Bermuda Triangle there. What happens? A physical thing or...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Why do we have we keep on getting back on negative things, you know? Always struggle, struggle, struggle. I won the match. That's what happened. I think I finished in a good way with a lot of winners and aggression and the game that is recognized when I'm on the court.  It's in my style, and I just need to be aggressive from the start and keep on playing all the way. Of course, I did have some ups and downs, and you could see that in second set. But, you know, you cannot always perform 100% in every single point.  So it happens. 

Air Quotes: Danophobe.

Q. How do you see the next match is against Caroline Wozniacki?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: A you are Danish.

Q. No, I am not.
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Ah. Okay, so I can answer.

Q. So how do you see this match?
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Will be tough for sure. She's great player. She has been No. 2. She played already one final in Grand Slam.
So I think I have to play my tennis and to be concentrated. It's a good opportunity for me, and I'm ready to play.

Q. I'm Danish, first of all...
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: You can go. There is a door. You can go out. I joke.

Air Quotes: Rafa Will Not Play Your Little Game.

Q. I have a different question for you. Everyone in tennis loves Roger, respects Roger. He is said to be the best of all time. Yet two out of every three times you play him, you win. You've won six of the last seven times. Who's a better player?
RAFAEL NADAL: You like this. You are focused on the Roger thing, eh? (laughter.)
Yesterday with the clay. Today with the if somebody says I am better than Roger, I think this person don't know nothing about tennis. That's my answer.

Q. How so?
RAFAEL NADAL: Why?

Q. Yeah.
RAFAEL NADAL: So you don't know nothing about tennis.
You see the titles of him and you see the titles of me? It's no comparison. So that's the answer. Is difficult to compare Roger with me now, because he has 16 Grand Slams; I have 6. Masters 1000, yeah, I have more than him. But for the rest of the things the records of Roger is very, very almost impossible to improve.

Q. The question is: Still, for the fans, it is interesting when you step on the court with him, you usually win.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I am No. 2 in the world for five years, so I think I am a good player, too. Sure, I can beat him. No. 2 can beat No. 1. That's the thing. It's not a lot of difference between No. 2 and No. 1 or between No. 1 and No. 10. That's the tennis, and the tennis very close, the level, all the time.
But I can beat him, yes. The same time, the thing is I beat him a lot of times on clay. I beat him on other surfaces, too. But the most of the times I beat him on clay, so I played with him more times on clay than on the rest of the surfaces.

Air Quotes: Insane In the Membrane

Q. You have the reputation to be a little bit crazy. Does that bother you, or...
TEIMURAZ GABASHVILI: No, I like it. Why not? If nobody say nothing against me, it's bad. If somebody say against me, they very interested in me, so I like it.

Q. So it's true?
TEIMURAZ GABASHVILI: Yes, it's true.

Q. For those of us who don't know you, congratulations, first of all. What is the cause of this crazy reputation?
TEIMURAZ GABASHVILI: Thank you. I'm really aggressive. I was born in Georgia, so I have south blood mixed with north. They say it's very aggressive blood. Sometimes I go out of my mind even in the match, start screaming, you know, up and down always.

This my biggest problem, you know. That's why I know I can play very well tennis, but it was bothering me, you know. So maybe I was winning 3 1, and then it depends. I miss one crazy shot, Oh, shit. Then I lose it. That's why they call me crazy because of this.

Q. Have you ever been defaulted from a match for your behavior?
TEIMURAZ GABASHVILI: No, no, no. I don't behave bad. I mean crazy in the game, you know. Crazy way I play, not how I behave. I behave good. No, don't worry.

Q. Do you take advice from Marat Safin? Because you play a lot like him.
TEIMURAZ GABASHVILI: Oh, really? I didn't serve that much aces like him, no? I didn't make that much backhand winners like him, no?

I don't know. He had one of the best games if he was fit, you know. So it's very flattering to him. I wish to play like him, but I don't know. Not yet.

Air Quotes: Masha 1, Bud Collins 0.

Q. It was a very attractive outfit you wore today.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was the same as the other day.

Q. Well, I didn't watch you the other day.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, come on, Bud.

Air Quotes: Just Because You *Are* a Character, Doesn't Mean You *Have* Character.

God bless the journo who asked about Pump-Gate.  That said, I felt bad for Ana.  She clearly tried to duck the question.  But not without getting in a zinger...

Ana was all...

Q. This is going back a little bit, but you lost to Jelena in Madrid. I was wondering when you heard about that fist pump imitation she did after the match and just what your reaction was.

ANA IVANOVIC: You know, it's very, very hard for me to comment on that, you know. You know how they say: Sport doesn't build character. It shows it.

Yeah, it's very hard for me to say.

---

And then JJ was all...

Q. So apparently Ana was talking about what happened in Madrid after the match with you and the fist pump. You want to talk about, you know, your version of that? I know it was a big win for you, but why you decided...

JELENA JANKOVIC: What was her version?

Q. Well, she basically said that, you know, sports reveals character. That's what she was saying.

JELENA JANKOVIC: For me, you know, I don't need really to comment on that, you know. I don't think it's a right time to comment on this kind of thing.

But for me, as a player, it's ‑‑ every player has their way of, you know, motivating themselves and pumping themselves up, you know, if you win a point or you didn't win a point. But I don't think it's nice to put it, you know, the fist in their face. That's what can be a little irritating. That's the only ‑‑ but all the players, they do, you know, different kind of gestures, you know, with their hands.

But, you know, it's a little bit ‑‑ when you do that in the player's face, and especially after not winning a point after your opponent missed an easy ball, I don't think it's ‑‑ I don't think that's fair play.

That's just my opinion, and that's what I, as a player, don't like to do to other players. If I'm ‑‑ if I win a point or something, I do it, but I don't go like that in your face (holds up fist). That was only ‑‑ and especially when it comes to maybe me and Ana, we are two girls from the same country, and it's nice to have a nice relationship and play a normal match. Somebody has to win, and that's normal.

We're both professionals. We want to do our best on the court, and I think we should play fair. That's just my opinion. I have nothing, you know, against her or fist pumps or whatever. I play my game. I have my personality. I'm myself, and it's none of my business what Ana does or all these other girls on the court. But for me, I prefer to this kind of way like I already explained.

---

And then I was all...

Air Quotes: Call Me, Ishmael.

In the past, I read that you watched series of Lost or Prison Break. What are you currently watching at the moment?
Kim, London

Rafa: I am watching the movie Moby Dick, a classic.

Ummm...ok. 

But more importantly, can we get some Rafa on Jake action?

Air Quotes: Little Kitty Grew Claws. Ok, Bigger Claws. More Claws?

Q. Yesterday Marion Bartoli, after she finished her match, she showed some jealousy against you and the interest we, the press, have for you instead of her. What do you think about it?

ARAVANE REZAI: Well, Marion is a difficult girl. She already attacked me two years ago when I reached the final in Istanbul. So it's a bit strange she says that, because okay, if she has a problem with me, I don't know, because I did nothing. That's a bit of a shame, but that's her education. I mean, she attacked me many times in the press. I don't have the same education as the one she has. I think I have respect for players. I do what I have to do. I get on with many people. But with Marion, it's very difficult. She has difficulties getting included with the other girls.

But it's a shame she says that, because I'm a French player, just like her. So that kind of behavior is a bit of a shame, because I never had any bad behavior towards her. I always showed respect for the other players, and I think players that deserve to be spoken about in the media, well, it's because they deserve it.
But today I'm on the Fed Cup team, I'm part of many things. I try and get included to many things, and if she's not happy, she is not that much in the media. I guess she has to make efforts just like I did. Then she has to see what she wants to say.

Air Quotes: Zing!

From Rafa's Q&A:

What one song would you like to sing in the Karaoke Booth at Roland Garros this year?
Dustin, USA

Rafa: I am thinking about it. If Marc Lopez does it with me, I'll do it. otherwise I'll simply introduce Novak singing Gypsy... :-)

Air Quotes: Dani Makes a Funny

Q. And your immediate goals for this year are what?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Media goals?

Q. Immediate goals.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I thought, media goals, wow, I would never set those goals. (Laughter.) Yeah, I want to be the most famous.

Air Quotes: Serena Is All About Web 2.0.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I tweet a lot. I have just really I don't know. I think it's cool. Sometimes I just tweet what's on my mind and sometimes maybe a little too much. I have a lot of fun with it. I think it's a cool way of connecting with, you know, the die hard fans. For me, I follow Green Day on Twitter, and whenever they tweet I get incredibly excited. I'm like, Oh, my God. I'm so happy and I really like to know what's going on in their lives because I'm a die hard Green Day fanatic. For those people that like me half as much as I like them, I like to keep them in the loop with my life.

Q. What do you like about Twitter? I'm writing a story on that. You're tweeting a lot.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I like to see the reaction. Also, like, you can follow news on Twitter. You can hear the latest news really fast. It's just the future, and this is just the beginning of, you know, another Internet explosion. I like it. I can just stay in touch with my fans.

Air Quotes: This Week on "In Treatment"

Q. Obviously we've seen the rise and sort of the fall of your game. In Rome you put together some good wins. I'm wondering if you started to feel something click and change in your game now, or if it's just, you know did you?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, a lot of things changed. I think I'm completely different player than I was, you know, a couple years ago. And also, there are more aspects in my game that I actually added. Still, you know, some days, you know, it's a little bit harder for it to fall all together into place. And other days it's much, much easier.  I mean, the improvements are immense. And since I started working with Heinz, it's really been, you know, every day I could see improvement. We worked a lot on my serve and just also on my groundstrokes to be more free and actually swing through the ball better.  It's just making me feel more comfortable in the court, and I do. I feel also I'm becoming more and more consistent, which was the thing that I always tried to do.  So finally I feel things are coming into place. I get excited, you know, because I want results, as well, straightaway. But sometimes, you know, you have to wait, because it's been a long, long time since I played a lot of matches in a row.  So it's a lot of emotions, so it becomes not so much anymore about this game in particular. It becomes also my mindset and some doubts that I still have. It's gonna be a process, but I really feel good about my game at the moment.

Q. Do you find yourself fighting with the doubts that you can be an elite player again?

ANA IVANOVIC: I have no doubt about it. I really feel I belong to the top and I can get back to the top. It's just the little steps and trusting myself when I'm out there, when I'm hitting the ball, you know, just trusting the movement and that stroke, you know, rather than pulling back and, you know, and in my serve, actually committing, because I'm serving you know, I was serving great past few weeks. It's been a huge improvement. Then sometimes I still doubt it.  So I think it's also a process of just doing it over and over again until it becomes a habit.

Q. Is it fair to say that the last maybe year or year and a half has not been very much fun for you on the tennis court?

ANA IVANOVIC: Not fun at all. You know, it was and also lots of tears and lots of hard times and lots of doubts and fears, everything, but, you know, it's something that you learn. And if you overcome it, it's you learn from it and it makes you better player and person after that. I have really good people around me now, and I trust them a lot. They're very supportive, and they believe in me when I didn't believe in myself. So that's great to see.

Q. You said that your game was much different than it was two years ago. What was the reason why you felt it needed the change?

ANA IVANOVIC: Well, at first with my coach, we thought, or yeah, he thought that maybe we need to improve in order to stay at No. 1 position, which now, looking back, it's really silly, because I had kind of good game and it was just matter of, you know, getting more consistent in the way I was playing and not trying to get better and try to be more technically perfect. Because, you know, everyone has a zone they need to feel good about. That kind of created a lot of doubt, because I started doing different things.
So all of a sudden, I went away from what I was doing and trying to play more close, play more open. So it was kind of a circle of everything and you don't feel so comfortable. You have doubts on the court. You lose some matches. Then confidence goes. So it's kind of circle.

Air Quotes: I Love Drop Shots So Much I Wanna Take It Behind The Middle School and Get It Pregnant.

“I played a great match, I’m really happy,” Federer said. “It was kind of a (drop shot) festival, it’s good when it works but when it doesn’t, you look a bit ridiculous.”

-- Fed, on his newfound love for drop shots.  As an aside, hate the sleeves on his new kit, but I think the kicks are dope.

Air Quotes: That Was Way Harsh, Tai.

"It looks emotional .  She just looks panicked.  She almost reminds me of Ana Ivanovic and that look of panic that Ana had when she started her decline from the rankings after she won the French. Not swinging out, looking at her coach.  It really doesn't look physical to me, it looks emotional."

-- Corina responding to Lindsay's question as to whether Vika looks like she's having physical trouble moving.

Air Quotes: Perspective

Sorry, Anne.

Air Quotes: Team Fed.

"Last year, I got asked a lot of questions about why I wasn't doing as well in the slams.  It's all well and good winning the Masters Series but the slams are what is important. This year, the one slam I played, I played very, very well - the best tennis of my life."

-- Muzzard, on the importance of doing well at the Slams.

Air Quotes: Dude. I've Seen You. You're Not Small.

"But I really feel ready again and motivated now. I'm hungry. I feel lighter on the court. I've lost a lot of weight since last year. I feel almost like a butterfly on the court again. That's really important. If you feel lighter moving around the court then your whole game changes. I'm one of the smallest players, maybe along with Justine Henin. All the other girls are so strong. They work so hard in the gym. I tried to do the same, to be bigger, to be stronger, but I couldn't move. I lost my speed and it didn't really help me, so I learnt my lesson. I know what I don't need to do. I just stick to my old training. I think that's what gives me results."

-- JJ, on how being weak is her strength.  And whatnot.  Some nice quotes from JJ, but I don't know what the journo was smoking.  "A classic Bollitieri graduate"?  Uh, no.  Also?  I still forget that she won IW.

Air Quotes: Reigning In The Bull

“I don’t want to say the names but good players, who have been at the top, they have gone down. It is the same because every year there are better ones coming, new ones, like Gulbis, [Marin] Cilic. [Andy] Murray arrived two years before, [Novak] Djokovic three years before. Rafael came to the top very young, which was good for us, but at the same time it is a problem because he was very high at 19-20 and you must get better because when you don’t improve, the new ones will make you bad and I know he can do all the things better. We are in this process.”

-- Uncle Toni, on trying to get Rafa to improve by playing a less physical game.  The whole article is fantastic.  Read it.

Air Quotes: Logic. JJ Style.

"I got to No 3 without a coach."

-- JJ, on why she's not in the market for a coach. 

Yeah, you did, JJ.  And all credit to you.  Uh, but, see, you got to #1 and a Slam final *with* a coach.  So...I'm just throwin' that out there.

Air Quotes: That Factory Has Very Poor Quality Control Protocols.

"In my career I have broken 1055 rackets. I know the exact number, because Head gave me a snowboard with the number imprinted. I am a person, who has been frank both on and off court. If you like me, like me, if you don’t - it’s all good - said Safin and asked to tell who gets angry faster - him or his sister, who is also a tennis player, he quickly responded: Dinara and I are from the same factory."

-- The best big brother in all the world.

Air Quotes: Ernie Does Not Care What You Do For A Living. Because He Is a Gentleman.

"It was great, a lot of fun. I'm never going back to Sweden in my life. When I meet a girl I don't ask her her profession, it doesn't matter to me if she's a hairdresser or anything else. All of a sudden in jail for no reason. Everyone should spend a night in jail. I was there for six of seven hours and then paid the bail. The next day was a tournament, or I would have stayed longer."

-- Ernie, on his, um, situation last year.

Air Quotes: Oh, Fed. You Complete Me.

"Why hasn’t clay been as easy for me as the other surfaces? Why haven’t I been as dominant? It’s because on the other surfaces I can play my game without thinking. Everything happens naturally: I can go from defense to attack when and how I want. On clay you don’t need a volley or a serve. You just need legs, an incredible forehand and backhand, and to run after every ball. I’m not trying to take anything from Rafa: he has been successful in other surfaces as well. But on clay you can get away, you can be competitive even with a very incomplete game. I’m not saying it’s so simple, but it’s too easy. I’ve had to learn to control my aggression. I love to end points quickly, with a couple of shots. On clay, you can do it 50% of the time, but if you take too many risks you’re gifting the other 50%. I learned to play from way behind the baseline and to use angles. It was a lesson in geometry. On clay you can play well and lose. What you have to do is to play smart."

-- Fed, on why his super amazingly complete and beautiful game isn't suited for the crude dirt of clay, where incomplete athletes are consistently rewarded.  Or something.

Air Quotes: Boom Goes The Dynamite.

No, thank *you* and good night.

Air Quotes: Well, Let's Be Fair. You Were Also Eating a Lot of Ice Cream

"I think every player in one way or another goes through a tough time, and I think it is not how many times you fall but how many times you get back up.  This tournament and these victories that I have had this week mean a lot to me because I have put in so much work, not only in the last months but also the last year and it was just not happening. Now I am just so happy to be back on track."

Ana, on her resurgent week.  More quotage:

“Honestly, I’ve been feeling really good on court for a couple of weeks now and I really felt it could happen any week.  I just needed to get some more momentum and start playing matches because that is what I’ve been lacking for so long. To have these wins here means a lot.”

“(Coach Heinz Gunthardt and I) have been working a lot on my serve and honestly, it needed a lot of improving and it is still work in progress. I still think I can serve a lot better and I am getting to a point where it is great to get some free points and it gives me a lot of confidence. Today, at a certain moment I served really well and also last night, and so it is good to get good feedback from all of the work that I put in. It is an important part of the game and today, you know Nadia was serving really, really well and it was great for me to be able to hold my serve because it was very difficult for me to return hers. My serve has been a big issue for me for over the past year-and-a-half, two years and now obviously it helps me in my game and puts less stress on other parts of my game because I feel more confident than I can hold my serves.”

Air Quotes: I Think You're Just Allergic To Winning.

“I’ve been going through a difficult period over the past couple of months. It’s springtime and I have a strong allergic reaction to pollen. It’s never been this bad and no medications are helping it. A quarterfinal and a semifinal at [Monte Carlo and Rome] are quite good achievements, but in the past I’ve been known to win these events. I probably could have done better this year. But I have fierce competition who also wants to be on top.”

-- Nole, on his sub-par clay season.

Air Quotes: I'm Not Going To Piss On The Flag, If That's What You're Asking.

“When England play in the World Cup and concede a goal, I’m not jumping up in front of the TV because I’m happy they are losing.  If one of my English friends is watching and England score, he’ll be on his feet yelling and screaming and, though I’m happy, it’s not the same sort of passion.  If England lost, my friends will be deflated and disappointed and I will be, too.  But I’m not cheering whoever England’s opponents are. That’s absolute ****.”

-- MAndy, on whether he'll be rooting against England in the World Cup.

Air Quotes: Judy Strikes Again

As we were leaving the club we passed a large grassy area where Vika Azarenka was doing some fitness work with a trainer who was about half her size. I'm not kidding. She was working on a rope ladder with a 3 -5 step sprint after each sequence. This was also good for the juniors to see so I asked why they thought she was doing ladder and sprint work. I was looking for a "to make her feet faster and to get more speed off the mark" kind of reply, but got  "coz she's not exactly Usain Bolt is she?". Hahaha. Wonderfully perceptive.

-- Judy Murray, from her Rome blog.

Air Quotes: We Would Have Told You As Much If You Were On Twitter

(Pic from Coconut Dreamz)

"I did this because I was a little bit overweight by the end of the year, but it was the most stupid idea that I could ever come up with."

-- Dinara Safina, on giving up chocolate for six months