Day 7 - An interview with Igor Andreev - Saturday, June 2, 2007

Q. You know, when you're not seeded in the tournament, People tend not to take you seriously as the seeded players. But do you think everybody is starting to take you extremely serious right now?

IGOR ANDREEV: No, well, I don't know. Like, I'm just trying to do my best. I know that like the ranking is not as good as I wanted, but because of injury last year, I didn't play, so my ranking dropped down. So now I have sometimes toughest rounds.

And, well, hopefully last tournaments, I'm doing well, especially on clay, because I'm, like, feeling really confident, playing well tennis and good physically.

Q. Many players build during the tournament, but you've played great in the first round against Randy Roddick. It's almost as if your level in the first round was peak performance.

IGOR ANDREEV: Well, I have to not ‑‑ I mean, it's like maybe Federer or Nadal, they can play like their 50 percent of their tennis and win, and I have not that level like I can start 50 percent. And so I have to go 100 percent from the first round and try to play my best tennis. If not, then it's really tough, you know, to play, to win.

Q. What is the challenge of playing Baghdatis?

IGOR ANDREEV: Challenge? Well, challenge that I've never been in the quarterfinals and Grand Slam. Challenge that now I have to come back, you know, to where I've been before, like the place in the ranking, and, of course, mostly win Grand Slam, so to be here in the quarterfinals and then maybe try to make little more serve.

Playing in Grand Slam, it's something special, and, like, you never been there. So you always wanted to win, and be as far as you can.

Q. How do you attack Marcos's game?

IGOR ANDREEV: Well, he's a good player. But, I mean, with the strong shots, with the power, he's going to, like, make some misses. Well, most important going to be, I think, physically and mental. Tennis, if you are in the fourth round, you're already playing well. In tennis, it's not ‑‑ I mean, it's a big deal, but not that big as the mental and physical. I think for me in the Grand Slam, it's most important in tennis.