← Served with Andy Roddick
Served with Andy Roddick
James Blake on Miami Open Chaos, Scheduling Drama & the Fonseca Phenomenon | Q&Andy
00:25:00
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- [00:01]
Andy Roddick
Baseball is back and the first pitch is on Netflix.
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James Blake
The New York Yankees, led by seven
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Andy Roddick
time all star Aaron Judge head to
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James Blake
the San Francisco Bay to take on Raphael Devers.
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Andy Roddick
San Francisco Giants this season kicks off
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James Blake
with one exclusive opening night game. Watch MLB opening night the New York Yankees versus the San Francisco Giants live on Netflix. Wednesday, March 25th at 8:00pm Eastern, 5:00pm
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Andy Roddick
Pacific,
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- [00:58]
Andy Roddick
Hey everyone. Welcome to Q. Andy. This is fun. This is fun. One of my guys with us this week, I can't believe anyone ever made him a tournament director, but here we are, tournament director of the Miami Open. One of my closest friends, James Blake. Where are you and what is happening in Miami right now?
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James Blake
I'm actually in one of the luxury suites at the Hard Rock Stadium in the Miami Open, which is now being used as my office, which we get to when we get to put it in a football stadium. We have a lot of cool features. So one of them is that half the stadium isn't used because we have a 16,000 seat stadium inside of a 60,000 seat stadium. And so on this whole side, we've got luxury suites that are used for my office and for the top eight seeds on the men's side and the top eight seeds on the women's side get suites. And they're pretty excited about it. They clamor for these pretty, pretty hard every year.
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Andy Roddick
Just so we know what level kind of diva we're working with with you here. If you did cartwheels a qua across your office, how many cartwheels could you do?
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James Blake
That's a good question because it's an. If I could do a cartwheel, I'm gonna say two. Maybe I can do two. It's not, I mean.
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Andy Roddick
Oh.
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James Blake
So it's not that big a diva. But they did. The good thing for the players is they can get, they can fit a full massage table in here and they all request massage tables and so they basically treat this as their training room. They're, they all have a bathroom, so they're, they're all pretty, pretty comfortable in these.
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Andy Roddick
That's good. Two cartwheels and a toilet. I like it that we're keep, we're keeping it humble. All right, James, so the way Q and Andy. The way Q and Andy works is our listeners send in a bunch of questions. We preview that you were coming on. I don't know what the questions are Techie Sean and. And Mike do. So if anything is too far, hopefully it doesn't affect our friendship. What do we got?
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James Blake
I'm a little nervous right now.
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Mike
Yeah, don't be, don't be, don't be. And obviously, thank you to everybody for sending everything to Q and Andy, dropping us dm, sending us videos. Really appreciate it. But Andy, you actually had a question that you brought up beforehand that you were. You were talking about yala. You were talking about Joao Fonseca.
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Andy Roddick
Yeah.
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Mike
And really, I think it's a perfect time to ask this question.
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Andy Roddick
Yeah, good call. So, I mean, it started with me talking shit before you came on. It was basically like, is James gonna mess up the Fonseca thing again? But I guess. I guess the proper way to ask it, if I wasn't talking to, like, a buddy, would be what's the offset between like, the gate and like the phenomenon factor versus, like, accomplishment and resume? And that has to. The interplay between those things when you're trying to figure out who plays where, what and when.
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James Blake
That's a great question. And that's actually something that is one of the. Probably the most fun parts of my job is really determining that because it's. It's unique. It's one gal Fonseca I learned last year and I learned my lesson that he's. He's one of one here in. In Miami. I mean, we've had great draws here. We've obviously had great players in Roger, Rafa, Novak, all the top players. We've had Juan Martin del Potro, that was extremely popular. But Fonseca is different and so different than.
- [04:06]
Andy Roddick
Different than the names you just mentioned.
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James Blake
Yeah, I've never had a security warning from any of them the way it's been the way it was last year,
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Andy Roddick
because you put them on stage.
- [04:19]
James Blake
But that changed with last year, that kind of. That kind of excitement. And we're going to see. We. He hasn't been out. No one's been out because of the rain yet this year, but he hasn't been out there yet this year. So we're going to. We're going to find out just how much this. This has staying power and not just the tennis accomplishments, because he. He would go on stadium before a lot of more accomplished players. People that have greater resumes have done more here. At this event have done more in their careers. And so that's where you have to make that determination. And I'm assuming you were talking about Yala as well, where she is the phenomenon and she's got fans everywhere in the world now. And so that makes it so that you have to kind of readjust your assessment of. A lot of times I used to, I feel like when I first started this tournament I would look at, okay, so and so got two Grand Slams. So and so got four Grand Slams. So the four Grand Slams was going on stadium and the two Grand Slams going on grandstand. And it was, it was very much their tennis based resume. And with Fonseca, that's changed a bit because of how popular he is here in Miami. And I don't, I don't speak for other tournaments because I don't know if it's the same when he's in Rome or when he's in Shanghai, but here in Miami, he is one of one.
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Andy Roddick
Wow, that's nuts. Part of me, like, I want to get into a full conversation about like how social media affects it, but I won't. My mind's going crazy right now. Before we got on, you basically said that this is your last reprieve before you have to go face agents, scheduling, courts. It's raining there right now. Everyone's waiting for you to put something together once you get off air with us. And thank you for, for coming on even in the heat of this. We. But what does the next hour look like after you get off with served?
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James Blake
Well, it's going to be going to both tours. And so actually right now they're, they're waiting to do this together. A lot of times it's earlier in the day and I get a chance to visit with the WTA and the ATP separately and figure out, okay, exactly what do we want to do, how do we want the schedule to look? And they have their ideas, I have my idea. And it's, it's just kind of, it's coming to a lot of compromises which is, which is a big part of what I do is, okay, let's see what works for WTA. Let's see what works for the ATP. Let's see what works for the media, let's see what works for the players. Because every day we also get requests, like you said, from agents, from the, sometimes from the players directly, sometimes from the agents saying, okay, so and so doesn't want. It's amazing. No one wants to play first and no one wants to play last. So everyone wants to play second, third or fourth. And there's only so many of those spots. So we got to figure out who's who we're going to make happy, who we're going to be a little upset and where it fits into our master schedule because we have a master schedule that we've done months ago of which matches go which ATP matches, when an ATP match is on stadium and when a WTA matches on stadium. So we have to go through that, fit it all in and then make sure the media is okay with it because they have to have a sort of a through line. The media for the world feed has to have a bit of a through line to make sure there's no break. Like I can't put women's matches for all women's matches first and then all men's matches first, second, because then you don't have anywhere for that world feed that's on the WTA side to go. They've got no match, they've got a break in dead air. So you got to figure out okay, how are we going to put this little puzzle together? And that's kind of what I'm about to do. And it's going to be a little more complicated right now because now we need to fit so many more matches in with the, with the fact that it's raining and we're canceling or possibly canceling a whole day and that's, that's difficult early on. You know how many matches are on right now and players want to have have a little bit of rest and a little bit of break and we're
- [07:53]
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Mike
Protein is now at Starbucks, and it's
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Andy Roddick
never tasted so good.
- [08:57]
Mike
You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes, Matcha. Try it today at Starbucks
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James Blake
as we can.
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Andy Roddick
Mike let's turn it over to our listeners. I I would be so bad at your job, by the way. So be like, I want to play here. I'm like, I want to see made out of. Go, get out of here, Mike.
- [09:18]
Mike
Go ahead.
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James Blake
They would respect you that. They would respect you saying that, though. If you were doing it, they would respect that you're saying that and saying it directly. They do respect. If you go, if you proactively go into the locker room and tell them, they respect that.
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Andy Roddick
I get fired in a day. Go ahead, Mike.
- [09:36]
Mike
Well, I think that's a good segue. We'll keep that thought process going with it with the challenges of what you're dealing with the next 24 hours. Phoebe wrote, what's the biggest challenge you have had so far as a tournament?
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James Blake
So I've said plenty of times that pretty much every year there's something new that comes up with. So I'd say the biggest one might have been last year with Fonseca, with dealing with that, with all the fans and the craziness around security and never having that before that. I would say there was the tragedy of Arena, Sabalenka's former boyfriend and that happening during the Miami Open. And we had to do something that was at the time unprecedented with changing the schedule completely just to allow her to still play. So, yeah, kind of every year we've got something new. And this year it was the torrential rain at the start with the stadium court having a few issues. So we just kind of have to work around all of it.
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Mike
Next up, we got from Pablo. How is Miami's tournament innovating to stand out from the rest?
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James Blake
Well, I think we're innovating. Just I feel like so many of the thousands are really improving and getting so much better. I think for a long time it was Miami and Indian Wells and now all the others are really, really stepping up. Cincinnati is incredible. What we're doing is we've added, you know, we've added so many, so many Events that can be for the enjoyment of the casual fan as well. I think die hard tennis fans have always had a great time at the Miami Open, but we add things on the outer concourse, whether it be the. To really bring the culture of Miami to it, whether it's the food, the murals. And we're adding Padel this year, which I probably pronounced wrong because some people get mad at me when you say Padel. Some people get mad when you say paddle.
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Andy Roddick
I've done a bit on this before. You say paddle, they say Padel, you say Padel, they say paddle. There's no.
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James Blake
Exactly. So I don't know how to say it, but we're having that sport and we're having a tournament on the outside here, and we're loving it. I love the fact that racket sports can co mingle and coexist and actually work together. So we've got that outside. We've got a wheelchair event in the second week as well. So we're trying to be inclusive of just about everyone that wants to be a racket sports fan.
- [11:52]
Andy Roddick
Everyone. Go watch wheelchair tennis. No, no offense to paddle Padel. It's like the craziest athletes you'll ever see. Go watch wheelchair tennis. As a sidebar. James, as you were. As you were talking and as you mentioned, kind of the other Masters 1000, how much do you all talk, right? Is it more of like, protect your IP if you come up with a great idea and be the one that innovates it, or do you all just trading ideas?
- [12:16]
James Blake
No, I think there's a lot. There's a lot of communication. We've got a staff that's here 20, you know, that's here 365 days a year. And they. They do talk to the other. The other tournaments and see how they're innovating, see what they're doing. So, I mean, as I said, I think when I first started, it seemed like a lot of people wanted to pit. It's Indian Wells versus Miami, and which is going to be better. And I never wanted to get into that. I never had that competition with Tommy Haas or anything like that. I always want. I said, like, hey, we're not competing. We want what's best for the sport. I mean, both of us love this sport. That's why we're still involved in the sport. So we want what's best. And so if they come up with something, that's great. I think before we came on, I was talking to. To Mike about these suites, and I said, hey, the U.S. open stole our idea in the COVID In the COVID year when they had these suites available, they gave them the players and I loved it because the players were happy. You know, if we can make players happy and we continue raising the stakes for all the, all the Slams and all the Masters 1000s, we're happy with it. If it comes from us, you know, even better. But if it comes from Indian Wells, if it comes from Rome, if it comes from Shanghai, we're going to take it. If it's a good idea and we're happy to do that and we're happy. If anyone else takes our good ideas, that's cool.
- [13:24]
Mike
I think that kind of leads into, you know, having good ideas before and all the pre planning that you have. And then Aiden had a question about what your average day would look like not in the immediate build up to the tournament, but day to day during the tournament. And obviously there's things that, that throw you for a loop. But what does your day start like, what are you starting off with? And then, then how are you adjusting during the tournament?
- [13:44]
James Blake
It's funny, my wife jokes that it's the only time in my life I've ever had a real job because I, I was actually just asking her the last couple days, like I'm on the work diet because I missed lunch. I, I think I had breakfast at 5pm was the first time I got to have a meal because right when I got in I had to, I had some things I had to do. But there's, there's a lot of different things. One of them is there's always ticket requests, there's always credential requests. And I know that seems like trivial, but it still takes time to set those and make sure people are happy. Then yesterday it was a lot of adjusting with the schedule and then going back and forth with the tours and compromising over. There was something that was, that ended up being really interesting without getting into the nitty gritty of it. There was something that we were going to basically ask the WTA to make a compromise with the ATP. And as we got further and further into the conversation, we realized the better solution is actually the ATP making a compromise and giving something up for the WTA. And it worked out and just the fact that we're able to talk through those things. So maybe my process takes a little longer, but the way we get to the end result and everyone understanding why we got there, I think that ends up working out great. And then sometimes it's dealing with a media request of how it needs to Happen, happen of, you know, something that we did. And then it needs to ship. Whether it be for Tennis Channel, whether it be for World Feed, we have to figure those kind of things out. And then otherwise it's. It's just kind of walking the grounds, making sure everything's going as planned, making sure that the. All the banners are right, all the. The food trucks are, you know, running smoothly, everything is going right. So it's just a little bit of everything. And all the days change, and then as the second week goes, there's less players around, so you don't have as many player requests, you know, things like that. But then it also becomes that some of the important executives are coming in, some of the sponsors, some of the heads of the sponsorship come in, and you got to make sure that they're happy that they're getting all that they paid for. So then it kind of shifts a little in the second week.
- [15:36]
Mike
You talked about requests, and Susie had a question. What's the craziest request you've gotten as tournament director for names?
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James Blake
I'll definitely not name names. I'm trying to think what. What have been. Some of the craziest ones.
- [15:51]
Andy Roddick
Make it rhyme, we'll guess.
- [15:56]
James Blake
I would say probably the craziest was someone was. Was pretty unhappy that we wouldn't allow them to come into the Hard Rock Stadium all around with their electric scooter because they want to be zipping around everywhere. Like, you realize there's, you know, thousands of people that are coming through these halls all the time, and you can't just zip through and. And that's a little bit of an insur. No, you cannot bring your electric scooter and zip through, you know, all the way to the court, to the practice courts. No, sorry, Couldn't. Couldn't do that one, man.
- [16:27]
Andy Roddick
That's. That's crazy. Who was it? All right, Mike, go on. Keep going, Keep going.
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Mike
All right, that's enough. That's enough tournament stuff. We had a couple questions about play and history, and the first one was from Lias. Sean, if you want to play that, James, for you.
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James Blake
I was at the US Open in 2005 and was lucky enough to watch you play Agassiz. I think I was on the 13th row and lost my voice that night, yelling that entire match. Just wanted to see what are some of your memories from that. That absolutely epic five setter. Oh, man. First of all, I love the fact that people still remember that match. It's 20 over 20 years ago, and I was so, so angry when I lost that match because I'm a competitor and I want to win, of course, but. And I was so annoyed that Andre said, you know, we were all winners, tennis was the winner tonight. And I was like, no, it wasn't. You want. You know, I was so angry. But looking back in retrospect, with a calmer head, he was right. The fact that people still mentioned that 20 years ago, of course I remember the tie break. Just the level of tennis. I never have gone back and really watched the whole thing through, but I do remember that that tie break was such a high level of tennis. I don't think there were any errors. I think it was winner after winner after winter. I'll probably always remember the, the point that was six all and I had a. He had a drop shot after a long point and I, I still kicked myself. I should have never gone back, tried to go back behind him and hit it behind his backhand. And you pay, you pay for that when you go to the Andre Agassi backhand and he's, he's standing in place. And I did. So I remember that. But I also remember the feeling I got and the vibes from the crowd and the fact that, that that crowd was still there at 2am and going absolutely berserk and that that made me feel special and made me. It's the reason we put in all the hard work and everything we do on the practice court for those kind of moments.
- [18:21]
Andy Roddick
I remember that year I lost first round in epic fashion and I was having a hard time dealing with it, so I went straight to Vegas. And I remember watching James's run from the blackjack table. Pretty much you and Neps kept winning. And I was like, yeah, boys.
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Mike
Woohoo.
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Andy Roddick
Yeah, that was my memory. But that, that match was amazing. Oh, and side note, like, beat a guy named Nadal that year, if I'm not mistaken, at the uso. That guy ended up being pretty good.
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James Blake
He's okay. I hope you had a good run at the blackjack table too, then crushed it.
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Andy Roddick
Made up, made all the prize money that I didn't make during that tournament. Go ahead, Mike.
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James Blake
Perfect.
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Mike
Sure, sure. All right, last question that we have for you is from Megan. She said, I remember the incredible final you, Andy, played in Indianapolis in 2006. You edged him in the third set tiebreak and said, it was the best I've ever played than better. And the real question is, was that the year Andy is rumored to have gotten sick on Taco Bell? Also, there's a rumor that he got into a Bar fight in Indy. What do you know about those things?
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Andy Roddick
So you want James to answer if I got food poisoning and got into a bar fight?
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James Blake
That's what he said. First of all, please don't take away from that win of mine against him to say that he was sick on Sunday.
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Andy Roddick
It wasn't. It wasn't. Don't worry, it wasn't. I'll level set. I was not sick. I played off my ass. And you were hitting return winners. And it was really annoying that.
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James Blake
That was one of the best matches I think I ever played. I was so happy to play. That tiebreak was another epic tie break where I still remember every point went to serve, except for the only one I won. I had no business winning. I absolutely just threw myself out there, got my racket on a return and Andy basically put it away. And I had a on the full stretch guest right and hit one of the only probably backhand down the line winners I've ever hit in my career against Andy. But I mean, full stretch, I made that and the only point that went against serve. So I was unbelievably lucky to win that. But I also remember one thing I remember from that match. It was crazy hot and I was down a set, looking like no chance I was going to break Andy. And I'm just thinking, what am I doing? There's no way. I cannot figure this out. But I just kept telling myself, okay, just find a way to hold every time, find a way to hold, see if I can hold and just stay in this. You never know what's going to happen. And I mean, the way I played, I got, like I said, I got lucky in the end. And every once in a while I had to beat Andy, even though he beat me the lion's share of times that we play it on tour, but I had to, had to get that one. And it took a very, very lucky shot for me to get there.
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Andy Roddick
I'm glad. This was a great question. I'm glad you got to reminisce about that. Well, I have to talk about, I have to deny a bar fight. This is great.
- [20:53]
James Blake
Yeah, I didn't hear about the bar fight. You were getting into bar fights? I mean, it's not that surprising, but
- [20:57]
Andy Roddick
I'd never been in a bar. Well, no, I didn't get in a bar fight that night. I will tell you though, like, you talk about, like sometimes you walk off and like you're pissed at stuff. I was in a tailspin at the beginning of that year. Like, I, I was like top 10 forever. And I lost to this skinny little guy at Wimbledon, third round named Murray. He was like. He was like 12 years old. And I was like, how am I losing to this. Like, this. This kid anyways. But I started with Connors, and I started playing well at Indy.
- [21:29]
James Blake
Do you remember our practice at Indy?
- [21:31]
Andy Roddick
Yeah, I think so. I started playing. Okay.
- [21:34]
James Blake
Yeah, the first. I think it was the first day we both got there, and obviously we're friends, so we talked about before and we practiced. We got off the court, me and Brian. First thing Brian. Brian Barker, my coach said is Andy's back. And absolutely, like, we could tell the way you were playing. You were back to being confident. You're back to playing aggressive. You had, like, a clear plan with what you were doing, and it was. It was back to being Andy. And then you went on the run, and you made finals of the Open that year, lost to some. Some jerk named Roger.
- [22:05]
Andy Roddick
Yeah, that guy again, there was. I'll tell you that, like, sometimes you walk off and it's like you're mad you lost a match. So I was mad. Less mad because it was James. Like, I'd love to say the thing. You want to beat everyone the same. I didn't work like that. I was happy for James. But, like, I, like, the next morning I got up and, like, leapt out of bed because, like James said, I actually felt like I had something. I'm like, he had to play that well at that point. I mean, James was just knocking on the. I mean, he was right around the corner from being top 10 at that point. Maybe even. Maybe you already were there. But no, you were there. You got there. You got there in. Earlier that year. I remember it was in Miami maybe, or something, or you overtook me for.
- [22:42]
James Blake
Yeah, I was supposed to play you. I was supposed to play you to get to top 10, and you lost to Igor Andrea, so I had to play Igor Andrea to get to the top 10.
- [22:49]
Andy Roddick
You're welcome.
- [22:51]
Mike
Thank you.
- [22:51]
Andy Roddick
Yeah, no problem. I'm sure you were. I'm sure you were really disappointed about that
- [22:58]
James Blake
for. For my chances of getting to the top 10. I was happy for you. I was a little saddened. But that help my. My chances of getting there to beat Igor Andrea instead of you.
- [23:07]
Andy Roddick
That was a good one. It's just funny. So they. I don't. I don't hear the questions for. For Q and Andy. They just receive them unless there's one that's, like, weird. And they'll be like, should we ask this? And so they asked me, did did you and James get in a bar fight? I'm like. With each other. That was my first. That was my. I'm like, no, we were fine. Like, it was, it was, it was funny. He had probably to like, buy dinner the next week, but it was, it was all good. We didn't get a bar fight.
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James Blake
No, that's. That is pretty funny. No, I don't, I can't remember going to too many bars in Indianapolis to even get into a bar fight.
- [23:37]
Andy Roddick
I. Yeah, me neither. I went to a bar that night for sure. Yeah, there's no doubt. There's no doubt. Anyways, James, get out of here, everyone. Go to Miami open dot com. Go get your tickets. Watch on Tennis Channel. Listen, it's a great destination. Go down there, get some sunshine once the rain finishes, check out all the stuff at the Miami Open. James, I know time is there's not a lot of it for you today, so I appreciate you coming on with us.
- [24:02]
James Blake
My pleasure. Thanks, guys.
- [24:04]
Andy Roddick
And we will see you next week on Q and Andy. And tune in next Tuesday. Alex Yala, the Phenomenon. We're actually going to shoot it right now, so be sure to tune in next Tuesday for that interview. Nice of her to make time during what I'm sure is a very busy week where it all started a year ago in Miami. We'll see you. Two teams, one cup. The primetime stage is set for the
- [24:41]
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Andy Roddick
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Andy Roddick
It's playoffs.
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Tune in Monday, March 23, 9pm Eastern
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Andy Roddick
on ESPN2 and Tuesday, March 24, 7pm Eastern on ESPN and on the ESPN
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