Q. The weather today, did that cause you any disruptions, or just you know what you have to do in those sort of situations? ​

RAFAEL NADAL: No, you know, be calm and wait. That’s all. Nothing else. You can’t do a lot of things in days like today. Relax in the players’ lounge, be with the friends. That’s it. ​It’s nothing new. It’s something that happen a lot of times in the tennis. ​

Q. Playing Alexandr today, did you feel that he was maybe a little bit tired having to finish off against Tsonga today? ​

RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. I don’t know if he was tired or not, but you can ask him, I think. But maybe is possible, no? But I think when we play matches, fiveset matches in Grand Slam is more than what he had. ​So I think probably is not easy play end of the match and after start of the match. That’s sure. But that’s part of the game, no? It happen to me a few times, and I think in general I played at very good level, no? ​Probably he had more mistakes than usual, but I don’t know if because he was little bit tired or not. ​

Q. Did you find the conditions heavy because of the rain from earlier on? ​

RAFAEL NADAL: No, heavy, very humid. That’s why I am sweating a lot. ​

Q. What about playing Tomas in the next round? ​

RAFAEL NADAL: Difficult match always, no? We know each other. We played a lot of times, and I know just play my best tennis I gonna have chances against him, no? ​He can play very, very good, and I have to play very solid all the time with my serve and wait a chance on the return. ​

Q. One question about being an ambassador for Bacardi. I was just wondering, was that a difficult decision, seeing that alcohol and sponsorship for alcohol might be a little strange for some people? Or was it more you saw the good it can do with the company? ​

RAFAEL NADAL: Did you see the campaign? ​

Q. Yeah. ​

RAFAEL NADAL: So, I mean, I am not presenting alcohol party, you know. It’s a responsible campaign, a social campaign. ​Anyway, I think alcohol is inside our lives, so is nothing new, no? But the campaign is not against alcohol but about be responsible when you go out. ​So wasn’t difficult decision, because I think is very important social campaign, and I believe in this campaign. So it was a very easy decision, because I think is very good thing to do for Bacardi.

Q. The matches are going so quickly. I mean, are you getting enough time on the court? Would you rather be tested or not?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I’m fine like this. (Smiling.)To be honest, you know, you know, I’m getting to every match with a lot of focus, a lot of dedication, a lot of professionalism, trying to not take any opponent for granted, not underestimate any opponent, and be aggressive from the start and try to be in the control the match.Today was great, again. Another great match. Just good that I get the job done quickly.

Q. Is it hard to stay focused when it’s kind of a one‑sided match?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. I mean, look, when things are going well you obviously get more confidence, and with confidence you get more ability to hit shots and more freedom to hit shots.
So I am focused. There is no lack of focus, definitely.

Q. Do you ever start thinking, like, Wow, how long can this go on?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. To be honest, I’m taking one match at a time and trying to win against the opponent that I have today and not thinking about what happened or what can happen. So staying really professional.

Q. Isn’t he one of your best friends, the guy you play next, Viktor?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.

Q. Is he your best friend or one of your best friends?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, in tennis, off tennis, as well. It’s never easy. We’ve played I think in last six months, if we played on seven tournaments that we played together, out of seven tournaments we played six times.

Q. Really?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. And this is probably the seventh time in a row. So it’s incredible, really. This year we’ve played in Australia and Indian Wells and now here. More or less three out of four tournaments we played together. It’s never easy to play your friend, but we’re both professionals. We both want to win the match.

Q. How long have you known him? What’s your friendship…

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: We have known each other since we were nine. First tournament in my life that I’ve played, I won my first match and then I lost to him.

Q. Oh, yeah?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: And he gave me a bagel. It was up to nine games. It was 9‑0. I still have video of that match, and we still joke around a little bit. We have been through a lot of things together, and one of the nice experiences was definitely the European Championship that we won together as a team junior under‑18, and then of course the Davis Cup last year. So as a team we have been through a lot.

Q. How big a factor is winning the Davis Cup, do you think?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Huge. The best, biggest achievement ever for me and for all the teammates from Serbia. It’s by far the biggest achievement. It’s by far the best feeling we have experienced on the court. Nothing I can ever can compare with that, because you get to share the success with your teammates and you get to share it with the whole country. You’re representing your country, so it gives a special feeling about it.

Q. So Davis Cup is bigger than the Australian Open title?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.

Q. Is there any part of your game right now that you are’ not completely satisfied with?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Dropshots. (Smiling.) I’m kidding. No, things are going well. Everything. I have been working really hard on my serve in last ten months, and now it’s coming back to me. I have been really trying to use that serve and try to get some free points out of it, and tonight was working really great. I think I’m quite complete player. My game is based obviously on the baseline. I have powerful groundstrokes, but I need that serve so I can get more free points and put a lot of pressure on my opponent. That’s where I’m getting lately, so I’m happy with that.

Q. Are you one of those guys that thinks that they should find a different format for Davis Cup, or are you pleased about how it works?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, it’s a really difficult discussion about that, because it’s been ‑‑ this format has been active in tennis for a long time. It is a special competition for all of us and we love representing our countries, but there are things that could be changed. I definitely agree with that. Sometimes it really doesn’t fit in our schedule. It’s of course pleasure to play for your country, but, you know, for your individual career sometimes it really gets in the way, you know. And after a very long, for example, summer season on clay, on grass, you know, three very exhausting months, and then you have to play a Davis Cup tie, which is really important, so maybe the scheduling of it would be ‑‑ you know, scheduling change would be needed. Maybe a different format, as well, you know. Why not? You know. I’m always open for better options for something to change. If it’s more suitable for players, why not? Yeah, I definitely agree with that.

Q. You don’t think it would lose something with the home and away, kind of?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I mean, every change carries its, I guess, advantages and disadvantages. You would always sacrifice something. That’s why, you know, you’re changing.

Q. I know you’ve won almost everything in this sport, but not Miami. Is this kind of one you’d like to get? I think you’ve won 6 out of 9 Masters?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I play every tournament with the same motivation. It’s always play well and then I gonna have a good result. In this tournament I think I had two finals, another semifinal. So I had the chances; I didn’t win. Is impossible win in every place. I just accept the challenge and try to play my best tennis. That’s only way to win the tournament where all the best players of the world are playing.

Q. Is it tougher than most because it comes right after Indian Wells and you always seem to go deep into that draw?

RAFAEL NADAL: No. No, I don’t think so.

Q. Did you consider playing in the soccer game the other night? I know you went to watch. Did you consider playing?

RAFAEL NADAL: I would love, you know, but for me is important ‑ probably most important ‑ part of the season right now since Indian Wells until Wimbledon. I had the knees problems and seriously, I don’t want any risk right now, no?

Q. What did you think of the game? We heard that Andy Murray and Baghdatis were the best players.

RAFAEL NADAL: I didn’t see all the game, because I had to work with a sponsor in another place. But they told me, yeah. But remain the star, remain me. (Laughing.) No, seriously, Baghdatis and Murray told me ‑‑ Djokovic told me that Baghdatis and Murray was playing unbelievable. They lost 5‑2, so, anyway, important thing is not the result, is the charity of the event. I think was really good because the crowd was full there, very good atmosphere. After in the dinner with Nole, I was there supporting the dinner, too. So I think was fantastic, too. That’s important, always be active in these charity events, especially for Japan at this moment.

Q. About 10 years ago you probably would have been one of the taller players on the tour. Now you play guys like Querrey and Isner, Raonic and even Djokovic and these guys are 6’3″ and higher. Do you feel like the game is going in that direction? Just gonna get taller and taller? Is it tougher to play against these guys, too?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, but the best players of the world play from the baseline. That’s true. Djokovic is very good from the baseline. Federer is very good from the baseline. Myself. Last couple of years, my best quality is from the baseline. Murray is from the baseline. Soderling, too. Davydenko, too, Berdych, too. That’s true, is coming ‑‑ Del Potro is the only one, but he’s characteristic is from the baseline, too. Is true that the game is coming very tall guys, but at the end of the day, I think the best players of the world and the players who are in the top are players who plays from the baseline. Is true is not easy play against Isner, against Karlovic, against Raonic, but we will see if that is the right way to be in the top. I don’t know.

Q. Is there anything that you notice from your game at Indian Wells that you feel you could improve on in this tournament?

RAFAEL NADAL: A lot of things. (Smiling.) I think during the tournament I didn’t play really good. It wasn’t a good level for me. Semifinals and final I improved my level of tennis, but during the final my serve worked terrible. So that’s the first thing. I have to serve better if I want to have chances to compete against all the players. And from the baseline, seriously, I think I finished the tournament playing much better than the beginning of the tournament. So that’s always a very positive thing.

Q. Did you and Toni work on your serve? Did you find out what was wrong with it?

RAFAEL NADAL: We hope so, but we never know. (Smiling.) We gonna see tomorrow how it works hopefully better.

Q. What is it that you love about playing tennis?

RAFAEL NADAL: I love the competition. Yeah. I love the support in general, all the sports. Tennis is my sport, so I like the tennis and especially I love the competition.

Q. What is your perception of Djokovic? Over the years he was joking, doing impersonations, this and that. He’s still very funny, but he seems to have tried to tone down a little bit maybe. He’s playing very, very, very well now. What is your relationship with him? What do you think the perception of him among the players is?

RAFAEL NADAL: My relationship with him always was fantastic. We are close. I think he’s a funny guy, but he’s not playing now better because he’s not doing his imitations or these things. That’s for sure. You know, always the people, when somebody is playing very well, try to found the things outside of the tennis. Seriously, the only thing what matters is what’s happen inside the court. Outside the court you can do imitations all the day, or you can do anything. You can’t go out every night, that’s for sure, no? But you can do anything. You can have a really normal life and play very well or play very bad. That doesn’t affect inside the court.

What he’s doing well is he’s playing with confidence. His level probably is not much higher than three years ago or two years ago or one year ago. I always saw him as fantastic player. His potential always was very, very high. Everybody knows how good is him, and he can do what he’s doing now. He started the season like in 2008 and was the same. So is nothing new. We will see what’s going on. I think he’s a very complete player because he can play on all of the surfaces very good, and that’s an advantage. He started better than possible, so he’s in a very good position.
But the season always is long, and we will see what is going on.

Q. Novak recently joined Twitter. You’re very present on Facebook. Do you have any plans to join Twitter?

RAFAEL NADAL: Not for the moment. I happy with the Facebook. I don’t know. No, for me is enough for the moment.

Q. I want to ask you also about the Bacardi, the thing you’re involved in with drinking responsibly. Can you talk about that? I wasn’t at the event, but can you just tell us a little about that, the campaign.

RAFAEL NADAL: I think is a very important social campaign, especially I think for everybody, but for the young people more. The campaign is champions drink responsibly, but is a social campaign about if you have to go out, have a plan how to come back home safely. Is a campaign about if you go out, you don’t need to drink crazy. You can drink few glasses of alcohol, but drink alcohol‑free and drink water. Is important quality than quantity. That is the campaign, no? For sure I think everybody knows when you go out and you go for party with your friends, alcohol is part of that, part of the night. But sometimes seems like you go out and you have to drink like crazy. In my opinion, that’s not like this. That’s the campaign. I think it’s important campaign. I’m very happy to be the ambassador.

Q. You’re awake. You must be really tired with all that’s been going on.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, well, it’s been exhausting couple of days, you know, from Indian Wells, traveling to Colombia, playing an exhibition match ‑‑ which, by the way, was amazing and great atmosphere and great reception we got there ‑‑ and then came back and we had, of course, the charity event, football match, and then the dinner that was going on. So it was a lot of obligations, but still, it was enjoyable, because it was all for the good cause; we had a lot of fun yesterday.

Q. How are you taking your first loss of the season against the Strikers?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, not great. (Laughter. We scored two goals. I mean, it’s good enough for the first time, you know. We were just discussing right now in the locker room how we need to work on our game. We are planning actually to play couple of more similar charity football games throughout, you know, the next six, seven, eight months. You know, I’m not gonna say still where and when, but we have something in our minds. Hopefully we can make that happen, because most of the players really, we love playing football, and you could see that. You know, you could see that they are enjoying playing that sport and of course being very competitive, even though it was first time that we managed to become a team. But we wanted to win badly. Yeah, but it was fun.

Q. Who’s the best player?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Ah, the best player? Baghdatis. Second best, Murray. They scored both one goal and they were good.

Q. Do you worry about injuries? I mean, soccer, even if you’re playing a charity event, you could still twist your ankle or something.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, we didn’t think about that too much, to be honest, you know. (Smiling.) It was more of adrenaline rush that we had of just being there. To be honest, in the first place, everybody didn’t expect that event to be that successful. And it was incredible, you know. Big thanks to everybody who came there, and of course media and all the players, the Strikers and everybody. You know, it was a great cause obviously, and obviously and everybody felt the need to show their support. But on the other hand, it was ‑‑ you know, it was sport that we love to play, but we don’t have an opportunity to be able to play an official match with the referees. But it was great. You know, I don’t think they thought about injuries that much, but we had to sign the paper that they are not responsible for our injuries, like in States. It always works like that. (Laughter.)

Q. With everything that’s been going on, have you had a chance to reflect on what has just been an amazing start to the season?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Um, the best couple of months of my career, definitely. Um, playing really, really well on the court, feeling emotionally very stable, and I just have more self‑belief that I can play good tennis, you know, and that I can win against any player on the tour. It’s really important, you know. I always had, I think, that quality, but mentally I was having a lot of ups and downs, and I didn’t have enough confidence on the court when I played the big players in the big events. But now it’s different, you know. It took time. It took definitely time for me to come to this point where, you know, where I play, I think, the best tennis of my life. It took a lot of patience, a lot of hard work, but it all comes from that. It all comes from dedication.

Q. How did you address those mental up and downs? Was there one thing that made a difference?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It’s very hard to make a difference between a private life and your professional life. There were some things that affected my game, you know, from private life. It was hard, for me, to kind of, you know, show my best on the court. You know, bottom line is this is mental game. Everybody’s physically fit, and, you know, everybody’s working really hard each day. But if you’re not stable emotionally, then you’re not able to perform your best on the court. Now things are coming together, so just happy for that.

Q. Can you tell me about all your experiences in Bogota?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I cannot tell you about all the experience, but I can tell you the experience that we had on the court. (Laughing.) It has been a fantastic trip for us. Even though it was very short, it was maybe one day, but we didn’t have much sleep, that’s for sure. You know, from Indian Wells we had a long travels, and we slept for a couple of hours only that day before the exhibition event. We had a lot of activities. We had a tennis clinic with sponsors, with kids, and we had a lot of media activities, as well. And then, you know, we went back to the stadium where we played the match. It was packed. I think it was 14,000 people. It was, for me, the best atmosphere in the exhibition match that I have experienced ever. I was not aware of the popularity of tennis in Colombia, to be honest. It was amazing. The president of the country came, and we really felt ‑‑ we really felt great.

Q. With all the matches you won now, is there a danger of becoming too confident?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I guess it’s never enough to have, you know ‑‑ more confidence you have, I guess, there is no limits in confidence, you know. It’s really important to be able to have a feeling that you can win against anybody in the court. I think the bottom line is that it’s all about confidence, and only couple of points basically decide the winner when you are playing against the top players, against Roger, Rafa, you know, Murray, all these guys. It’s very high level of tennis, and, you know, if you’re able to be calm in the certain moments, to be confident, to go for the shots, you know, then you will have a success. I guess in last two, three months, that’s the state of, you know ‑‑ that’s the feeling that I have right now, and it keeps on going well for me. But it’s only a start of the year. I want to move on. I’m using the experience that I had two years ago, three years ago when I won a Grand Slam, when I won Indian Wells, and then I lost here first round. I had a lot of opening‑round losses throughout the year, and I wasn’t managing to be consistent with the success. This time I will do differently.

Q. You recently joined the network of Twitter users.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Uh‑huh.

Q. What caused you to sign up? Was there a certain player that influenced you to get involved?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Actually, no. There was no player that influenced me, but it was a team of people around me, managers, you know, and the people who are familiar with the importance of the social networks. They explained to me why, you know, I should get involved and why I should communicate more with my fans via Facebook and Twitter. To be honest, I like it now, you know. It’s fun. (Smiling.) It’s quite convenient. It’s quite easy to tweet. You know, you write on your phone and you’re able to inform your followers, your fans, where you are and what you’re doing and updating with some pictures. Of course, it’s important, you know, because fans are the ones who are paying the ticket to come watch you, dedicating a lot of their time to you as their favorite player, and so you have to give them back in some ways. So far it’s going well.

Q. Tell us your experience about playing tennis on top of the plane. Did you have a stunt or did you do it all yourself?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it came out ‑‑ yeah, I was really eager to hear the reactions of the people when the video came out. It was amazing. It’s an amazing video, really. It’s something that I’ve never done before. I think I will never do it again. (Laughter.) But it’s great. It’s something different and it’s totally crazy, but a great feeling. I think Head is very happy with the way things came out.

Q. Of course, if you continue to play like that, you will also have a shot at No. 1 pretty soon. Hypothetical question: If you could choose any location to become No. 1, would it be Belgrade?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Oh, that’s too early. Belgrade maybe 2012 or something. But, no, I don’t know.
To be honest, I am playing great and I’m feeling good on the court. The results are coming with the hard work that I’m putting in with my team, so my priority for the next period and the continuation of this season is to try to stay healthy and try to continue on playing this well. If I do that, then I will have a good chance to have a shot at the top spot. But still, as I was saying, it’s only the start of season, only first three months. You know, there is many, many, many players, not just me and Rafa and Roger. There are many players who are still in the, you know, contention of eventually getting that top spot. You know, it all comes down to Grand Slams and major events, because those tournaments are, you know, the most important ones, carry the most points. You know, you gotta perform well there, and we all know that Roger and Rafa are always at the late stages of Grand Slams. So if you want to keep up with them, you have to play at least semis or finals each Grand Slam.

Q. What do you think the level of Del Potro after his injury, and if you think that he will be soon in the top 5?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, even though he was out for what, nine, ten months? You know, we all know how good of a player he is. We all kind of expected him to come back in a great style, which he did. I think he’s been playing great in Indian Wells, and then he won Delray Beach. He’s coming back, you know. He always deserved to be a top 5 player with his game, but it takes time, obviously. And physically it’s gonna be probably more difficult for him to be able to play equally well week after week.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about Andy and where you see him…

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Andy?

Q. Roddick.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Okay.

Q. And where you see him right now, you know, especially going into the majors, particularly Wimbledon?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Uh‑huh. Well, Andy’s always somewhere around there. You know, he’s been one of the most consistent tennis players in the last ten years. He’s been playing each year ‑ I think last nine, ten years ‑ Masters Cup, you know, in the last eight, last tournament of the year. He’s the best server that we have in the game. He’s been proving that year‑to‑year basis. You know, he’s always so dangerous to play against on any surface, particularly in Wimbledon and the fast surfaces or hard courts in United States where he feels best. You know, he’s a great competitor. You know, you can never sign him out, because even though he’s not feeling great, he’s not playing well, but he’s always there fighting ‑‑ and especially in front of his home crowd. You know, he has won the tournament here last year. He had a great run, so I’m sure he’s eager to defend his title.

Q. I was wondering how you put together the soccer team? How did you find the players? Did they just volunteer? Did you go around and find players that you knew were good? When you talked before about maybe putting together a team, do you think you guys might actually have, you know, 11 guys who you’re going to practice or anything?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, we came up with that idea last week in Indian Wells, and I have to thank and congratulate to the team of people that organized this event and the dinner last night. In such a short period of time, they managed to organize something that is world class, I think. You know, the football event was just fantastic. All the players who are there, you know, they told me that they felt great, that of course they felt big support and great, you know, great cause and big compassion to the charity and to what’s going on in Japan. Of course they all showed their great heart. And, as well, they enjoyed playing football. It all came spontaneously, to be honest. I’m in touch with most of the players, so I just asked them. I explained them the idea of…

Q. Did you have boots? Where did you get the boots from?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Some of us played with the normal football shoes, and the other ones played with normal tennis shoes. So it was different. But we got shirts there and things like that. We didn’t have any protection, so I was a bit scared, you know. I’m going to be responsible for their injuries or something.

Q. Right.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: But we didn’t practice at all. Baghdatis took a pen and paper, and he says, Let’s organize. Let’s up put up a team and see who can be in what portion. We gathered around 10 or 15 players, and every single one of them wanted to be on attack. So that was a big issue before the match, how to put up a team of players who can play some defense, you know.

Q. Who was the goalie?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I said, I will be in the defense. I will be left defense. The goalie was the fitness coach, French fitness coach. He was okay, you know. He didn’t have any defense, so he got a lot of shots on the goal. Yeah, Murray and Baghdatis were in the attack, and they didn’t accept anything else except attack. So I said, Okay, you can go ahead. And they played well. Our mid‑field was terrible, I think. We need to work on that. And, yeah, we are talking. It’s interesting for us. You know, it’s something else. It’s a subject that kind of makes us happy to talk about and gives us ideas for upcoming, you know, couple of months to organize somewhere in Europe another game, maybe with some big team. But we’ll have to work, definitely. We’ll have to practice. We’ll have to see who is going to be defender. Otherwise I will be alone. (Laughter.)

Q. Did anybody turn you down? Did you ask anybody who said, No, can’t do it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: There were a couple of players that couldn’t because of the matches they had, you know, things like that. And Roger, I asked Roger, as well. He wanted to come, but he couldn’t because of the obligations he had. But it was okay. You know, we still had a lot of great players. Now we will organize a bit more in advance so the players can be there, you know. Everybody loves playing soccer.

Q. Were there any Americans?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I asked Americans. (Laughter.) They’re like, Okay, we’re gonna come to support, things like… No, I told them. We should organize ‑‑ with Americans we should organize basketball. It’s better like that.

In his post match interview Del Potro was asked if he thought his comeback was on track and if he was back to where [he] needed to be. Del Potro responded that he “didn’t think so” however he added that “I’m improving faster than what I expected.” Del Potro acknowledged that there is a difference in the level of his game versus Nadal and other top 10 players, but he stated that he “is getting closer”.

Del Potro is now on a collision course with Robin Soderling in the third round. Del Potro faces Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round, while Soderling begins his Miami campaign against Ivan Dodig.

In other first round action 2008 Sony Ericsson Open Champion Nikolay Davydenko was upset by Kevin Anderson. This is the second time that Anderson has eliminated a past champion in the opening rounds in Miami. In 2008, Anderson bounced defending champion Novak Djokovic in the second round.

James Blake also advanced in Miami after staging a come from behind win over fellow American Michael Russell. Blake closed out Russell in a third set tie break and will face Thomaz Bellucci in the next round.

​ROGER FEDERER:  I guess, you know, it’s myself to blame if I win or lose, which I kind of like, and that it’s one on one, or if you like, in doubles two or two. ​But there’s a distance, so there is always a lot of fair play.  There’s no ugly plays in that way.  Good sport to watch on TV; good sport to watch live.  It’s atheltical and has a bit of everything.  I think it’s really nice.
 
​Q.  How are you finding the transition from one court to the next?

​ROGER FEDERER:  Well, it’s still hard court, so should be all right.  It’s a bit more humid here.  It hasn’t been brutal, so it’s been all right.  It was nice and warm as well in Indian Wells, so it’s been okay. Obviously I’ve played a lot of tennis, so maybe just I’m a touch tired, but I’m happy I still have a few more days.  So there’s no issue there. ​I practiced yesterday and today here and I feel fine, you know.  There’s not much to say really yet.  Conditions are obviously slightly different, adjusting, you know, string tensions, just understanding how far the ball flies, how it bounces, and all those things. ​That’s why I just need a couple more practice sessions and I’ll be okay.
 
​Q.  A few weeks ago Andre Agassi said of Andy Roddick, if it weren’t for you, that he would have had a tremendous career.  Do you take a little bit of joy in knowing you’ve knocked Andy out of sort of that major block?  What do you see in him down the road?

​ROGER FEDERER:  No, I’m not happy at all.  I think he’s done actually really well.  I mean, he achieved all his dreams basically  you know, except maybe winning Wimbledon  but he was in many great matches in finals there, which he can always look back on. ​I think that was very nice, as well.  Clearly he’d like to win those, but not everybody can say they’ve been in multiple Wimbledon finals, you know.  He’s won the US Open, was world No. 1, won Davis Cup. ​How much more do you really need to be happy as a tennis player?  So I think he’s actually  considering that everybody always is so negative around him, you know, especially in terms of the press, I think he knows what he achieved.  The players know it, too, and that’s why he’s so respected. ​His career is not over yet.  There are still things to achieve out there.  I’ve always enjoyed my matches with him. And, no, I don’t feel happy that I did any  I had a part in maybe making his career worse or better or whatever, you know.  Who knows, if I wasn’t around maybe somebody else would have been around, you know.  So you never know.
 
​Q.  As you know, there was earthquake disaster in Japan.  If you don’t mind, could you leave a message for the Japanese people.

​ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, it’s been very sad news, of course.  I’ve followed, you know, what happened in Japan, and it was devastating, you know, to say the least. ​It’s always one of those natural disasters, that really, you know, touch everybody, to see those terrible pictures.  And then obviously thinking of my good times in Tokyo when I was there and good times I had, which I really enjoyed, you know, obviously the fans I have in that part of the world  or in Japan in particular, you know. ​I can only tell them that I’m thinking of them as well and that I wish them only the best and that they can rebuild and get stronger out of how it was before, because it’s not an easy situation right now.
 
​Q.  Kim Clijsters said yesterday that she wouldn’t go to Asia because of the radiation; she wouldn’t take her kids, et cetera.  Does that sound like anything that you would consider?

​ROGER FEDERER:  Um, I haven’t even thought about it yet because I’m not going to Asia, you know, in the next couple weeks.
 
​Q.  She said Shanghai.  She said no China.  No Japan.

​ROGER FEDERER:  Really?  No, it hasn’t even crossed my mind yet.  I will only think about that when the situation is right in front of me.  But we’ll get the green light or not from someone else, you know. ​At the end of the day you always have to take your own decision, but I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem by then, to be honest.
 
​Q.  How difficult it is to win Indian Wells and here?  Why is it so difficult to win them in a row?

​ROGER FEDERER:  Back to back?

​Q.  Yeah.

​ROGER FEDERER:  Why is it hard?  I mean, I guess it’s hard to win backtoback Masters 1000s in general because you have a lot of good players in the early rounds.
​This one you have no excuse not having had enough time off, because there is enough time so you actually can get ready.  It just seems like I guess here and in Indian Wells usually everybody is playing pretty well, you know, because the season is underway for a couple of months.
​Everybody can play on hard courts, you know, so it’s not really a surface that’s favors a particular playing style.  You know, the South Americans have their chance, like the Europeans and the Americans have and so forth.  So I think it’s pretty straightforward, and that’s why I think they’re tough to win back to back. ​But then again, if you’re hot, like Novak at the moment, or me back a few years ago when I won backtoback Indian Wells and Miami, you could do it, you know, just because the draw falls into place, you are playing well, you are not thinking too much, and you are very just better than the rest at the moment.
 
​Q.  Kim said yesterday that having a child has helped her to, A, enjoy tennis more, and B, also put it into better perspective in terms of her life picture.  I was wondering if it’s similar or what it’s done for you.

​ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, I don’t feel like I needed kids to put it all in perspective, to be honest.  It’s definitely had a huge impact in my life, in how, you know, you go through life 24/7 thinking about kids and making sure that you put them on the right path, and, you know, you help and support, you know, my wife and so forth. ​But I didn’t feel like I needed a kid to distract me from a loss or something.  I always felt like I had the right mindset when it came to what tennis means to me.  It means a lot to me, you know.  But there’s many more important things than tennis, as well. ​It’s what I really enjoy doing.  The travel has been incredibly a lot of fun for me to be able to share that with my wife and my kids, you know.  It’s been a wonderful time. As they’re growing, they understand more, they can come and watch matches, you can play with them more, and it only becomes more enjoyable, the tour.  I’ve always made the tour for me special by inviting my family, my friends, having a good time, sort of getting that home away from home feeling. ​Now with the family on tour with me, my own kids, it’s different, you know.  It’s maybe nicer.  I guess it’s nicer, you know, but it’s always been a lot of fun traveling on the tour.
 
​Q.  It seems kind of strange not to see you ranked No. 1 or 2.  You’ve been that for so long.  Does it seem any different to you at all?

​ROGER FEDERER:  No, you don’t  1 or 3 is different, yeah, but 2 or 3, it’s all right.
 
​Q.  Along the lines of your kids and tennis, could you’re a dualcouple tennis family.  Could you see your children playing pro tennis?  Would you encourage them?  Along those lines, there are a lot of people saying they don’t want their kids to lead the life that they have led.

​ROGER FEDERER:  Um, I don’t know if I would encourage them.  I would support them.  You know, if they want to play tennis, if that’s what they like doing, we’ll see how it goes.  You know, how many hours they’ll spend hitting against a wall and going to tennis practice and where, you know, is our home gonna be and all those things.  I really don’t know yet.
​Depends also a little bit on how long I’m playing, you know, how much in contact do they come, do they actually play more or less when they’re on tour with me?  I don’t know.  It all depends on those things. ​Right now I don’t see any signs that they like it or don’t like it, so it’s still completely up in the air.  But, you know, I think sports is a great education, you know.  To spend time with other kids, learning how to lose, learning how to win, all those things I think is a good thing for a lot of kids, you know. ​You cry because you lost; you’re happy because you won.  You know, you pretend you won something big.  All those things I think are nice.  That’s why I’ll support them in any sports.  If it’s tennis, at least I know a little bit about that sport. (Laughter.)  Other sports, maybe I don’t know so much.
 
​Q.  You have a very solid outlook, but are you puzzled, annoyed, or amused by people who say that the Federer era is over, he’s down to 3 and sinking?

​ROGER FEDERER:  Well, depends on who says that.  I don’t know if it’s 5% saying it, 95% saying it.  Then at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter too much to me if someone is saying that or not. I still think I’ve had a great six months.  I feel like I’m playing really good tennis, and right now Novak is just a bit better than the rest.  And that’s okay. ​I’ve gone through phases like this on multiple occasions with Rafa, with Murray, with even Agassi and Hewitt and Roddick and so forth.  It’s just something that’s part of the game. ​I never expected myself to dominate for 15 years, you know.  So it’s always  it goes in phases.  This is a good one.  I think at the top right now I think actually everybody is playing well:  Rafa, myself, even Murray.  You know, maybe he has not had the best last couple tournaments, but he did make the finals of the Australian Open. ​I’m sure he’s gonna be extremely strong again this year.  And Soderling, maybe if he were not  if he would feel better physically, also I think he’s also had a great six months winning Paris and I think two or three titles this year. So everybody is playing really well at the top, but then you hear stories being made up.  They are also part of our sport.  And it’s fine, whatever it is, as long as I don’t get affected by them.  That’s what counts.
 
​Q.  Off of the question he just asked, one of the criticisms of you came recently from Martina Navratilova saying that she doubted whether you’d be back at the level of three or four years ago or back at No. 1.  The fact it’s coming from her, does that register at all for you?

​ROGER FEDERER:  Sure.  You’d rather hear other things, you know.  Maybe she missed the London World Tour Finals.  I don’t know.  Maybe she was somewhere else climbing Kilimanjaro. I don’t know.  I love her. ​Look, I think she’s been an inspiration to my wife and I always love seeing her, but if you had the microphone in front of you and you get a negative question, you get dragged into it.  You have to answer it. ​So that’s what happens.  And she’s in front of the microphone a lot of times, you know, like other experts, as well, and eventually you can’t just say only good things.  You have to also say more negative things.  Then you pick up on these, and next thing you know it’s like I’m being asked and then I have to answer it, which is unfortunate. ​I have no problem with Martina.  She’s allowed to say.
 
​Miami Tennis News: I believe it was Pete Sampras who said if you won one major a year that’s a good year.  Would you subscribe to that theory?

​ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I think so.  I don’t know what you guys think.  But then again, at the end of the day, the whole season is not just majors.  We play 20, 25 tournaments during the year and only four of them are Grand Slams, so why are we all here?  It’s not because it’s a Grand Slam. So these matter, as well, and many other tournaments, too.  Some are more emotional and some are less.  But, you know, you always have to look at the tour as a whole. I’m sure for different people there are different highlights during the year  and majors are definitely one of them for me  but they’re not the only ones.

Here is the official press release from the Sony Ericsson Open tournament :

VENUS WILLIAMS WITHDRAWS FROM SONY ERICSSON OPEN

MIAMI, Fla. (www.sonyericssonopen.com) – Three-time Sony Ericsson Open champion and
7-time Grand Slam winner, Venus Williams, has withdrawn from the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open.

Williams is forced to withdraw from this year’s tournament due to an abdominal injury she incurred earlier this year at the Australian Open. The tennis star is currently receiving ongoing rehabilitation at home and released the following statement.

“I am very sorry to not be playing in the Sony Ericsson Open this year. It is one of my favorite tournaments on the circuit, especially because it is so close to my home in South FL. I look forward to returning to the tour soon.”

“It is unfortunate that Venus Williams will be unable to play at this year’s Sony Ericsson Open. She will be missed and we wish her a speedy recovery,” said Adam Barrett, Sony Ericsson Open Tournament Director. “We hope to see her back on the courts soon.”

Despite Williams’ withdrawal fans will still be able to see exhilarating matches as the women’s field features power players including defending Sony Ericsson Open champion Kim Clijsters; current World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki; and three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

The men’s field is also loaded with the likes of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, defending Sony Ericsson Open champ Andy Roddick, 16-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer, reigning Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, and 2009 Sony Ericsson Open champion Andy Murray ready to battle it out at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.

Tickets to the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, April 2 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 3.

ABOUT THE SONY ERICSSON OPEN: The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open will be played March 21-April 3 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG and is widely regarded as the most glamorous event on the ATP and WTA Tours drawing over 300,000 guests each year including the biggest names in music, entertainment and sports. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series events and a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA Tour, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world including defending champions Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at http://www.SonyEricssonOpen.com.

After the match Del Potro commented that he “had a good night” adding that he is “getting better match by match” and that he “played better than [his opening match on] Tuesday”.

Looking ahead to BNP Paribas and Sony Ericsson Open, MiamiTennisNews asked Del Potro the following :

Q : Do the matches that you have won last week in Memphis and here in Delray give you confidence heading into Indian Wells and Miami?

Del Potro : Yes, I need to get more confidence and rhythm in matches. [I need] to get on the courts and feel the sensations of playing a match – nerves, being in a stadium with crowds – it is something that I lost while being out for a year. I need to recover [these experiences] as they are what lets one win matches.

Del Potro will face fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals on Friday. Anderson advanced in straight sets by defeating Florent Serra 6-1, 6-4 in the final match of the night session.

In the afternoon session second-seeded Mardy Fish advanced in straight sets over Ricardo Mello 6-2, 6-1. Fish is attempting to return to the Delray final after winning the title in 2009.

In another second round match, qualifier Alejandro Falla advanced in straight sets over Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2. Falla faces Fish in the first match of Friday’s night session.

The first quarterfinal match of Friday features qualifier Ryan Sweeting taking on 2008 Delray champion Kei Nishikori. Ivan Dodig faces sixth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic in the second quarterfinal match.

Here is the order of play for Friday, February 25 :

STADIUM start 11:00 am
[1] E Butorac (USA) / J Rojer (AHO) vs A Fisher (AUS) / S Huss (AUS)

Not Before 12:30 PM
[Q] R Sweeting (USA) vs K Nishikori (JPN)

Not Before 2:30 PM
I Dodig (CRO) vs [6] J Tipsarevic (SRB)

5:30 PM
F Ferreiro (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) vs M Ebden (AUS) / S Groth (AUS)

Not Before 7:15 PM
[Q] A Falla (COL) vs [2] M Fish (USA)
[5] K Anderson (RSA) vs J Del Potro (ARG) 

In the first night session match, Kei Nishikori eliminated wild card James Blake 6-3, 6-4. The second round encounter was a rematch of the 2008 final whereby Nishikori was also victorious.

In the afternoon session third-seeded Sam Querrey went down in straight sets to qualifier Ryan Sweeting, while Ivan Dodig advanced over Dudi Sela 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

In another second round match Adrian Mannarino rallied from a set down to advance over Leonardo Mayer 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Thursday afternoon, 2009 ITC champion Mardy Fish will take on the 2004 ITC champion Ricardo Mello. The night session is highlighted by 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro who takes on Teymuraz Gabashvili. Gabashvili eliminated John Isner in the first round.

Here is the order of play for Thursday, February 24 :

STADIUM start 11:00 am
B Becker (GER) / M Kohlmann (GER) vs C Kas (GER) / A Peya (AUT)

Not Before 12:30 PM
R Mello (BRA) vs [2] M Fish (USA)

Not Before 2:30 PM
[8] A Mannarino (FRA) vs [Q] A Falla (COL)

5:30 PM
S Lipsky (USA) / R Ram (USA) vs J Murray (GBR) / K Skupski (GBR)

Not Before 7:15 PM
J Del Potro (ARG) vs T Gabashvili (RUS)
[5] K Anderson (RSA) vs F Serra (FRA)