Question: You don't remember screaming? You don't remember your feelings? You did scream.


MELANIE OUDIN: Yes, I'm trying to remember them. That moment, it's so crazy. I don't even know how to explain it. Just a million things going through your mind. You know, the crowd was like roaring. Just everything imaginable.

Question: Do you remember the last time you played and you felt relaxed, completely without tension?


DINARA SAFINA: It's not happening too often this year. I don't know. I go to the court with so much that I want to win, and I put so much tension in it that I just, I guess, not to lose, and that's why I'm not playing relaxed, instead of just going out there and just play, let it go. I mean, I can't control when I lose. But, come on, do your things. But I'm in too much not to lose a match. It's blocking me.

Question: What do you think was the key for you being able to grind out a win today against a quality opponent, playing tough, when maybe your game wasn't firing on all cylinders?


ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean one of those matches where, you know, being down a set against a great player like Lleyton, you just go point by point. There's no more, like, 'Okay, let's not try to waste any time out there and get through the match.' You know, this is like, 'All right, I hope I can still turn this around,' because I knew the danger. You try to pick the right plays and, you know, adjust, you know, your serve if you have to or the footwork or your tactics from the baseline ... But I just had to believe, you know, that I could still turn this around. And with a great streak I have against him, I knew that if I get back into the match then I could get back on a roll, because I've had it so many times against him. But it was never a guarantee.

Question: Heart a little broken right now?


ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. You know, it was a tough one to lose, especially after kind of coming back all that way.

Question: Did Andy's conditioning, all that loss of weight in any way inspire your own dedication to your career?


JOHN ISNER: Well, it's not only that. I think just Andy in general pushes every American player because he's the guy that we all look up to. I'll still continue to look up to him. He sets the bar real high. He's 5 in the world. Nobody's even close to him in America. He's really the guy that all of us kind of aspire to be and try to be better than him, if that's possible. So I think it's not that, you know he was fit before, but he's even fitter now. I think he, in general, just the way he competes, his attitude going about a match inspires me.

Question: You said even on the court that you were talking about retirement earlier this year. Now is that completely out the window, or are you thinking, Now that I've done this, this proves that I should keep going?


JESSE WITTEN: It makes me want to keep playing. It gives me some money to keep playing. So now I can afford to keep playing for the rest of the year, at least. Yeah, hopefully it gives me some opportunities to keep playing. I love tennis. I love competing. It's a tough lifestyle obviously when you're in the lower levels. Traveling you're by yourself a lot. You're in random places usually alone. Sometimes a coach, some guys you know. It's a lonely sport when you're down there trying to grind your way up. It's mentally very challenging. I think it's helped me out this week being a long week and a half or whatnot with all the fans and all the adversity. I hope that helps me. I hope I can keep playing.

Question: How do you think her serve will hold up when she gets up against some other tough returners?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Are you saying I'm not a good returner?


Question: I'm saying you had no problem breaking her. What is going to happen when she gets somebody who maybe holds easier than you?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I can't tell the future. I don't know. I'm not in her mind or in her serve.

Question: That's a little bit probably harder of a match than you would have liked, but to get through a match like that, do you actually learn perhaps more that is valuable in terms of getting into championship form than an easy win?


NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think those matches have to appear sometime during the tournament. Maybe the good thing is that I have played this match in the third round. You know, I have high ambitions for this tournament. I think I physically wise I'm quite okay, even though today I had a really long match with a lot of running. But still, the good thing about recovery is that you have an extra day. Mentally, I'm really motivated to do well ... it wasn't easy to play well against the guy that you don't know anything. I mean, I have never seen him play, and then suddenly he comes up with those shots from the baseline and then returns. It was unbelievable. He caught me surprised, and that's the worst thing you can have in the Grand Slams.

Question: McEnroe also felt you were well on the way the you played today back into the top 10. Can you drop back into the top 10? Is that your aim?


LLEYTON HEWITT: Absolutely. It's an aim, but then again, for me, it's you know, still going out there in the Grand Slams is what I want to play well at. It would be nice to get into the top 10 and have to come up against these guys later in the second week. Hopefully that's going to pan out for next year. This year has sort of been more of a rebuilding year, I guess, trying to get the matches and get the match toughness under my belt. First four or five months is always going to be tough after the surgery. You're never going to expect miracles straightaway. I've been able to battle through. I've laid it all on the line, especially the last two majors, and played extremely well. It's taken a couple of the best players in the world to beat me.

Question: I know it's a bad day right now, but do you feel the ascension of your game continued in this Open?


SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I didn't really feel great all three matches. Still felt pretty good. You know, I guess you look at the summer as a whole, it was pretty good.

Question: You've been talking all summer how a comeback is a work in progress. Looked pretty upset. Talk about your feelings in general.


MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, it's frustrating because you work so hard to get to a certain point. You always want to get better. I feel like I've had a good enough summer. I probably could have definitely performed better. But, yeah, just not the way things go sometimes.

Question: What did you learn?


MELANIE OUDIN: I learned, once again, proved to myself that I can compete with these top girls. And if I believe in myself and my game, then I can beat them.

Question: How hard is this? You came in playing so well, expectations going really deep in this tournament. How hard is it?


ANDY RODDICK: It's tough. I mean, I don't know, you know. I've come to a tournament with as much confidence, into a slam, as I did with this tournament, and leaving earlier than I want to. The times I've lost early, it's been a little dicey coming in. You know, it's just the way tennis is. The fact that I was able to make a quarterfinal last year and I was playing just terrible, didn't make it past the third round this year, that's just the way it is sometimes. That's the thing with sports: there's not always a good reason for it.

Question: Wonderful adventure is over. How do you reflect on it?
JESSE WITTEN: Oh, jeez. I don't know. I've been off the court for seven minutes. (laughter.)


Question: These are always unfair questions.
JESSE WITTEN: That's a tough one. I mean, I'm ready for a day off. I feel like usually when people put in 14 days they're almost done with the tournament. Usually don't play five matches just to end in week one. But I'm happy to be a part of week one, and especially here in New York at the Open. It's a great experience, and hopefully I can keep it going and get back to where I am now.

Question: Could you talk about what happened with your foot.


JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I think it's basically a sprained ankle. I don't know how to describe it. Something about a posterior ligament or something. I talked to my trainer in there and my physio. They both agree, it's one of the ligaments down there that's somehow strained or something. I don't know. I could have done it on a serve, because I don't feel like I did anything specific. They say I could have done it going for a little more on a serve or something like that. It just kept getting worse and worse. But that's not any reason for why I lost. Tommy played well. I didn't serve very well. He did serve well. That was the real difference, not my ankle.

Question: [Your problems are] all mental?


DINARA SAFINA: Of course. What else (smiling)? Everything is in the head because here everything knows how to do the right thing. It knows and it stops me.

Question: Can you articulate what this win means to you?


JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I don't really know how to describe it just yet. It's obviously, hands down, the biggest win of my career. Nothing even compares. To do it at the stage I did it on is pretty spectacular. Maybe it will sink in a little bit more tomorrow. But I know I can really do some damage here. So I'm not satisfied just yet.

Question: Do people recognize you in places around and about?


MELANIE OUDIN: A little bit. Yesterday they did some. Probably now they're going to a little bit more (smiling).

Question: What do you think the very young Andy Roddick would think of Roddick and the career he's had?
ANDY RODDICK: He'd probably take it.


Question: Pretty good ride?
ANDY RODDICK: I'd hope so. If I got critiqued by a 10 year old for my career, I'd be pretty pissed off.

Question: You're two steps away from another major semifinal. Of all of your many accomplishments, how would you describe the importance to you of that record streak of semifinals at the Majors?


ROGER FEDERER: Sure, that's one of the streaks I enjoy. I mean, it's the best being part of the last four, you know, I mean, so many consecutive times. That also gives you then opportunities to do well and maybe win the tournament.

Question: When you assess the competition, how do you see it going forward?


FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I am feeling good. You know, I know that every round getting more difficult normally because, you know, you play normally more rounds with better players. But I'm feeling good. And, you know, I'm feeling very good in the court ... I need to be happy for that, no? I'm winning. I'm now in fourth round. I feel good. I feel happy.

Question: Were you asked whether you would be willing to change courts and did you want to change courts?


DINARA SAFINA: No, actually, not really. They came to us at 9:10 and they just told us, 'We're switching you to Armstrong.' And basically that's it. And I think it's very unfair to choose I mean, best player in the world, to put on Armstrong. I don't think it's a fair decision they made.
...
DINARA SAFINA: I feel that it is just very unfair how they did this, to both of us. I mean, just let us know. We are human beings. We are players. It's all about the players. People come to see us. They don't come to see referee. The people want a match. So come. Have respect to us.

Question: Is it at all hard to accept when a guy that you've been a little bit of a mentor to beats you on a big stage like this?


ANDY RODDICK: It's different. You know, it hasn't happened to me. You know, it's different. I'm happy for him. I'm mad that obviously it came at my expense. I promise you, there was no it's not something I really thought about while I was out there. But it is what it is. These guys get older.

Question: Were you nervous when you had breakpoints and stuff like that?


MELANIE OUDIN: I was. I think I was really nervous in the beginning of the match. I started to calm down towards the second. And on breakpoints, I wanted the point so badly that sometimes I overplayed. But I won the crucial ones, which is good.

Question: What is it that makes [Roger Federer] just so terribly difficult to play?


LLEYTON HEWITT: He's so good at dictating play, playing on his terms. You know, it's very hard on his service games to try you're sort of trying to hang into his service games. Yeah, you can't really play the style of tennis that you want to play out there. That's the hard thing. When he is able to play the way he wants to play and dictate terms, he's going to be very tough to beat.

Question: What are your thoughts about Oudin's game?


MARIA SHARAPOVA: I thought she played really well. I thought she has many weapons. You know, she certainly held her ground. I mean, you know, I still feel like I had my chances, even though it wasn't my best day. You know, when you let those chances go, it's just frustrating. But, I mean, got to hand it to her. She really stuck to her game plan. She played solid. She made me hit a lot of balls. She moved really well around the court, yeah.

Question: Before you were changed to the other stadium, did they ask you, or were you just told you had to move?
PETRA KVITOVA: No, just talking with Dinara.


Question: And she didn't want to move?
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't know what she wanted. But I think no wanted.


Question: But you said okay to it?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, for me. Yeah, doesn't matter for me. I'm not star, so...


Question: Maybe now.
PETRA KVITOVA: I don't know (laughter).

Question: How do you explain how you beat Andy Roddick at what he does best: serving, forehand, tiebreaks?


JOHN ISNER: Yeah, that's kind of my game. Hit big serves, get into the net, hit my forehand heavy, dictate play with that. I know he does that really well also. But it's my strength, as well. Maybe I was a little bit fortunate to win tonight. But I played well and I think I deserve it.

Question: What about the match? Talk about the match, how it went.


DINARA SAFINA: Disappointing. Very disappointing. Come back in the second set, winning six games in a row, playing solid, good. And third set, from down, come back again, having everything in my hands, and just I don't know. I mean, definitely she played some good points also. But just feel let it go away from my side.

Question: You're probably not accustomed to playing at 11:00 in the morning, especially on Labor Day weekend. Did that affect the first set, the start time?


ROGER FEDERER: Not really. We always practice at 11:00. Normally it's a time players really like to practice. Sure, for a match it's rather on the earlier side, but I'd rather play 11:00 than 10:00 p.m., to be quite honest. But anything is fine. I think as a tennis player you have to be flexible, because you never know if we have rain or whatever it is, we're accustomed to being quite open when it comes down to scheduling.

Question: With all this variety to your game, does his style of play take you out of that?


ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I mean, there's a lot that's out of your hands with the way he plays. I said it before, you can't really teach 6'9", especially coming down on a serve. You try to fight it off as much as you can. Sometimes you can, and sometimes it's completely out of your hands. Like the majority of matches that we play, it's not really so much about if you execute, you're gonna win. Sometimes you can play bad and win a match like that. Sometimes you can feel like you're hitting the ball well, and that's when you don't want to see a guy like that floating in the draw. Yeah, it doesn't really allow you to kind of get into as many tennis points, I guess.

Question: Couple nights ago when I asked Andy to set up this match, I asked what had changed about your game, he said you were playing more like you did when you first turned pro. Do you agree with that? If so, why?


JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I think so. Playing more aggressively. Now that I've won a lot of matches this year, even though I got sick, I still kind of picked it up right after that. So it's kind of similar to 2007. I came from college winning all the time pretty much. So I was real confident then, and I'm confident now. I think last year, you know, I kind of hit a rut and I wasn't hitting on all cylinders when I came into this tournament, and that's why I lost first round. He's probably right in some respects there. I am playing like I was in 2007, only better.

Question: Two years ago you, Ana, and Jelena were all vying for championships. You're sort of carrying the Serbian flag alone now. Does that put more pressures on your shoulders?


NOVAK DJOKOVIC: The flag is bigger and heavier now. No, I mean, look, in the first place as individually athlete you represent yourself and obviously your country where you're coming from. I'm very proud to be able to represent my country in this way throughout all these years. Small country like Serbia, having so many good tennis players and so much success it must be unbelievable you know, unbelievable for sport in our country, in general, you know, to represent the country. I think that, well, people respect that back home, and they follow us every single tournament. That's why it's always a pleasure, me being in this position.

Question: Novak said after, on court, that it was hard to tell by your match who was No. 4 out there. Did you ever feel that way?


JESSE WITTEN: I don't know. I don't think I played my best, and I'm sure he didn't play his best. I mean, that's why we play tennis. Nobody's the best every day.

Question: Would it be a relief in you weren't No. 1 after this tournament?
DINARA SAFINA: How can you be relief if you lose the spot No. 1 in the world, your dream?


Question: I'm just talking about the pressure.
DINARA SAFINA: No.

Question: So what did you tell yourself going into the tiebreaker?


PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I just thought that I must each point play very good because Safina play even point. She didn't give it up, so that's why, yeah. I must play every point, so...

Question: Watching Safin heading to retirement, seems like he lost a little bit of fire for the game. After all these years for you, do you still feel like you have as much desire for the game as you had back in 2001 and years ago?


LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. If I didn't, then I'd be hanging out with Marat. (laughter.) Yeah, for me, yeah, I had to make the tough decision after the surgery, or to have the surgery done. I didn't have to have it done if I didn't want to keep playing professional tennis. I could have gone on being fine in everyday life and got around the golf course fine. Only had it done to have these challenges to get back competing against these guys week in and week out. Tournaments like this, this is what motivates me, playing in these big matches against Roger and having a crack at him. That's where the motivation is.

Question: Sluggish start. Thoughts overall?


SAM QUERREY: Wasn't the greatest start. He played well, though. Never hit the serve under 130. Amazing backhand. Flat backhand up the line. Played well. I was happy, though, after I went down two sets to love, coming back and taking that third set there.

Question: What was happening from your side today? Very difficult serving. Was it the arm or the toss or the motion or the sun?


MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, just couldn't decelerate today. I was hitting second serves no less than 95 miles per hour. I even tried to hit it less and I just couldn't.

Question: Were you as calm on the inside as you appeared on the outside throughout that match?


JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I really was. Never panicked. If I lose that match, I have nothing to hang my head about. Played well. Maybe a little bit more the pressure's on him. He's expected to do so well here. Nobody expected me to win. Kind of looked at it that way. Just went out there and, you know, just played free. Didn't think too much.

Question: How has your life changed at all from the time you got to this tournament till now?


MELANIE OUDIN: I don't think it's changed at all. The only thing that's different is more people know who I am. That's it. Everything else is exactly the same. I'm still the same person. I want to keep doing the same thing.

Question: You had double faults at a couple crucial points.


JESSE WITTEN: Couple? Like every time? I don't know what's happening. I think I went a string there with like 20 misserves in a row it felt like. I don't know what happened. It's been good. I've had a little left leg trouble. I don't know if that's the reason. I'm not making excuses. It's the only thing I can think of. My toss was all over the place. The consistency has just been terrible. It really let me down. Let me down today. It's kind of been struggling the whole tournament, and somehow I've been able to overcome that till now. You can't do that when you're playing a guy like Novak. You can't give him free points and loose errors like that. It ended up costing me.

Question: Jesse Witten, who ranks 276 and got to the third round, was saying the nicest thing about being here was the free fresh laundry. Did you ever go through things like that when you were a young player and trying to get things and you didn't have much?


ROGER FEDERER: Sure. Oh, yeah, we all go through the same things, you know. I mean, if you can make the break, you know, it's maybe free lunch or whatever it is, you know. Instead of just having three practice balls you get six. You're like it's a big deal. It's exciting, you know. It's nice being part of the elite players. And especially at Grand Slams, you know, still sometimes you have to go very far to practice, you know, all the way off campus sometimes. It's nice when all of a sudden you can practice on the front courts. You don't have to walk anymore so far.