It may be hard to believe, but not all players enjoy doing press conferences. It’s true.
For some reason, there are players who find sitting in a chair and being asked all manner of questions about the match they’ve just played, their thoughts on other people, their private life and medical history intrusive. Oh, and the answers will either be broadcast on television, printed in newspapers around the world or posted on websites that receive millions of hits. Honestly, I can’t see what’s not to like.
Obviously, not everything players say is fit to print – sometimes it is, but very rarely. There are a lot of ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ (we usually cut those out) and even the odd profanity (take a bow Nikolay Davydenko).
But it’s not all bad. There are some players who give as much in the press room as they do on the court, and to those players, we say thank you.
And without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some of the highlights from the Australian Open 2010 press room.
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay on drinking:
No, I don't drink really. I don't drink so much because, you see, I'm skinny. I mix only. Sometimes I drink clear vodka, sometimes mixed with Red Bull. Little bit get power in night club or disco.
Nikolay on becoming a celebrity:
I am not Paris Hilton. I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be like Nadal, Federer. These guys I never see by breakfast. They stay in the room and take room service. For me better go downstairs, you know, take breakfast, or dinner to go somewhere, not to be so much famous.
Andy Murray
JOURNALIST: When you talk with your team after a win like tonight, do you smile more? Do you have a voice which sounds more happy than now? Now you talk almost like you lost.
ANDY MURRAY: Have you ever sat in this seat before? I mean, last year I played 80 odd matches and we do a press conference after every single match. We do one before every tournament. More for other bits and pieces.
JOURNALIST: It's very boring.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't know (smiling). You just get used to doing it. I don't get excited about doing them anymore.
THE MODERATOR: That's lucky because this one's over.
JOURNALIST: You were talking movies with Jim Courier. Would you consider a career in film yourself?
ANDY MURRAY: No, no. I don't think I'd be very good at that.
JOURNALIST: You sound a bit like Sean Connery.
ANDY MURRAY: I am Scottish, so I sound a little bit like him.
Venus Williams
Venus on listening to what other people say:
Like I said so many times before, if I would have, you know, kind of gotten involved in what people said I would have never left the ghetto. So here I am playing pro tennis, playing well. The sky's the limit in this sport. I'm looking for that.
JOURNALIST: How did you improve your game in the off season?
VENUS WILLIAMS: (Laughter.) You know, there are a couple things here, couple things, da, da, da, da, here, da, da, da, there. And then you know it was like, da, da, da, da.
Venus on her fashion designing skills:
I think I’m fashion forward, but at the same time I think I’m really classical. Anything I wear on the court probably you could wear 20 years from now.
Andy Roddick
Andy on Fernando Gonzalez:
Some days he comes out, looks like he's playing ping pong the way he can sling the ball around.
JOURNALIST: Is this the most sound you’ve been in terms of coach and now being married as a package?
ANDY RODDICK: I don’t really think about coach and marriage. I don’t put those together too often (smiling).
Marcos Baghdatis
JOURNALIST: Can you tell us what they say when they sing in the crowd?
MARCOS BAGHDATIS: A lot of things: Marcos, I love you. I will never stop singing for you. Stuff like this.
Bernard Tomic
JOURNALIST: Do you think you learned anything tonight about your game, what stage you're at in your career?
BERNARD TOMIC: Well, definitely learned I have to practice at 2:00 in the morning a bit.
Maria Kirilenko
Maria on Maria Sharapova’s dress:
MARIA KIRILENKO: It was blue, I think, like Powerade.
Dinara Safina
Dinara on cooking:
I'm just starting [to learn to cook], you know. Until now nobody got sick, so this is the positive (smiling). They might like, not like, but if they have problems with the stomach, it's not good. But until now, nobody would complain about the stomach.
Roger Federer
Roger Federer on how he continues to stay motivated:
Love for the game, like it's always been. There's always ways to motivate and challenge you. Never really been in it for the money anyway. It's always been my dream to play on the biggest stages around the world, especially Wimbledon.
Nicolas Almagro
Nicolas on his schedule:
NICOLAS ALMAGRO: But now I want to think in my person, and my person said I need to go South America to play in clay courts and to be in top 10. But I need to work more now.
Serena Williams
JOURNALIST: What are your memories from the last encounter with Sam?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I just remember I hit some great shots and she returned them back for winners. It was good that we played last because I know what to expect. She's on the up and up and is a nice girl. She has nothing to lose going into this match. Neither do I. It'll be fun.
JOURNALIST: You weren't terribly complementary after that match. You called her a good framer. That she hit a lot of balls off the frame of the racquet.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I don't remember that.
JOURNALIST: You don't remember that?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No.
JOURNALIST: You said she hit some lucky shots and she was a good framer.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Like I said, I don't remember that. She's a good friend of mine, so I like her a lot.
JOURNALIST: Last time we saw you in a Grand Slam, there was that little incident in New York. How is your anger management coming along?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Was it anger management, do you think? How is your writing coming along?
JOURNALIST: Just fine, thank you.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Great. Ditto, kiddo.
JOURNALIST: Will you play the first round of Fed Cup against France?
SERENA WILLIAMS: As of now it doesn't look like it, unfortunately. I really want to, but I have – since I do own a football team, we have some owner's stuff that we have to do for Super Bowl. Venus and I have to be there, so ...
Serena on her meeting with Prince William:
I told him that I might like his little brother better because he's the little brother, and he laughed and said he might like Venus better because she's older. So we just had a little joke about that.
Watch the 2010 Australian Open live online at bet365 > Live Streaming Tennis