Agassi had a slightly harder time then his American Compatriot Roddick, winning against Czech Micheal Tabara to win 6-2 7-6 with Tabara making the 34-Year old work hard to take the second set after a dominant first set display.

"The second set could have gone either way," said Agassi, in his first clay court tournament. Agassi believes the reason he was pushed was the fact he has never played against Tabara before.

Never playing each other makes it slightly uncomfortable," he said. "It's nice when you have a better sense of what a guy does well.

"I was pretty frustrated through the middle of the second set on," Agassi said. "I had some love 30 chances and I never stepped up. I felt like I waited and he took it to me."

The two-time champion will face Spaniard Alex Calatrava in the second round of the tournament, which Agassi said is bringing back fond memories.

"This is where I became the oldest No. 1 player two years ago, so it stands out as a very memorable time," he said. "It was a big accomplishment for me."

Roddick booked his second round place after a easy victory over fellow American Matias Boeker 6-2 6-3.

"I had a few tough couple of games. Once I got through that, my rhythm really started to pick up and I started to play better. That's very promising for tomorrow."

"Any time you play a third-set tiebreaker, it's a lucky door prize a little," Hewitt said. "I just felt like I dictated play when I needed to. I hustled when I needed to I got those extra balls back when I needed to."

Andy Roddick added his comments as well: "I can take a lot of positives out of this," said Roddick. "Obviously, it's a loss and it's terrible, but I feel a lot better about this one than I do some others because I feel like I actually played pretty well.

"I played a guy who has also done that today and he just stepped up."

ANDY RODDICK

Q. Can you talk about how you overcame that controversial call?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I think a lot of overcoming it has to do with how you felt you were playing. I mean, I felt like I was playing well in the first set and hitting the ball well.

You know, it doesn't wear on you as much when you still feel you're in control of what you're doing. I was able to bounce back.

Q. Did your racquet tick that ball?

ANDY RODDICK: If I would have known for sure, I wouldn't have been arguing it. I didn't feel it.

Q. Can you walk us through it? What happened? It looked to us like the ball was called out.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I lunged. I tried to hit it. I absolutely a hundred percent tried to hit. I mean, I was busy trying not to fall over in the process, as well. I went for it. I mean, I didn't feel like I made contact with it. It went out.

You know, I can't say a hundred percent either way. But my question to Lars was, you know, You're up there, and you can tell me a hundred percent either way? That was my question to him. He seemed very confident in himself. You know, so that was that.

Q. After the tiebreaker, you're up 4-1. Next two sets, you're in control all the way, hitting the forehand, volleying great. You must have felt pretty good coming off the breaker into the last two sets?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. The thing was, I was down a set, but I felt like I had been playing well. I don't feel that way, you know, often. You know, even in the breaker, I felt like I constructed good points. He was lunging. It's not like I gave it away. I felt like I made him work for it. I felt like I was in the match for the long haul still. I didn't feel like I was trying, you know, to just hang on today.

Q. At what point did you try to get more aggressive? Seems like you were successful coming to the net, coming in.

ANDY RODDICK: It really wasn't a conscious decision. I think that's just the way the flow of the match went. You know, I think he was pulling me off the court, forehand to my forehand. You know, just another way of defending. I was trying to push up the line, make look for something. It's just kind of the way a watch develops sometimes, different patterns, trying to figure things out.

Q. You hadn't lost to Carlos on hard court. It's obviously not an expected victory. Tomorrow you go up against a guy you've had a whole bunch of problems against. Talk about what kind of mentality and strategy and different things you'll have to play against Lleyton.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I felt like I was doing okay in Australia, and then I went for the quick fix too many times, and it caught up to me. You know, you can only throw in so many haymakers before one misses and you get knocked out. You know, I think I'm going to have to really, you know, work hard at constructing points and being a little bit more patient this time.

Q. Is that somewhat I don't want to say playing into his hands, but Lleyton doesn't mind grinding out points either?

ANDY RODDICK: I'm not talking about not being aggressive. You know, I'm talking about, you know, in Australia, first all, I was just going for broke. Obviously, that's Lleyton's game. He makes you think about how to construct points, how to win points, and he makes you win points. One way or another, if I say I'm just going to go out and try to blow the ball past him and it fails, you guys are going to say, You should have been more patient. And if I'm patient, you guys are going to say, Well, that plays right into it, blah, blah, blah. So you tell me.

Q. Can you beat up a guy like that physically? Can you make him hit enough balls and enough heavy balls or is that off the table because he's such a good athlete?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't think you can -- you know, I don't know if I've ever seen anybody wear Lleyton down physically, especially in a two out of three set match. You know, with kind of cooler conditions, I don't see that happening.

But I think force of a shot, I mean, I have to use that against him because that's one advantage I do have over him. So, you know, if you're talking about a long grind of a match, I don't see that affecting him. He'll stay out there for days. But if you're talking about weight of shot, height of shot, I definitely have to try to bully him a little bit.

Q. You played Moya in Davis Cup and Lleyton in Australia, do the crowds affect you at all?

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, that's part of it. I mean, it's just as much -- you know, I think home court affects things just as much as a basketball game, especially when you're playing against 27,000 or the whole country of Australia. I think the rating was like, you know, 70% of the country is watching the match.

It plays a part, but that's something that we face on a daily basis, and you kind of just have to step up and accept, you know. I give credit to the fans in those places during those matches. They were crazy and they were passionate. Any time you see that in tennis, even if it's against you, I kind of have to appreciate it, you know, be happy that the sport's creating that kind of emotion out of people.

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"Just no matter what I would do, it just would not go my way. The frustration that you get when you're trying and trying and it just doesn't go your way is a terrible feeling."

ANDRE AGASSI

THE MODERATOR: Andre advances to the fourth round where he'll take on the winner of Coria-Srichaphan. First question.

Q. Did your son enjoy the match?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I think so. He said, "I saw you blow kisses to the crowd."

Q. Did you enjoy the match?

ANDRE AGASSI: I thought it was a good match tonight. You know, it was certainly one that I knew going into that I'd have to be on my game. Pavel can really maneuver the ball around. He plays the whole court pretty well, has a good court savvy out there. I needed to be executing my shots, trying to control the terms, and I knew it would be toe to toe. If I played my game, I could come out on top.

It's nice to feel that.

Q. How bad was the wind? It had died down from this afternoon. This afternoon was bad.

ANDRE AGASSI: It seemed it. I was indoors most of this afternoon. I hit this morning, it was pretty windy. It did calm down. It was a slight one-sided breeze, which was pretty predictable for the players. You knew what you had to do on each side of the court.

If you could utilize the wind, it was your friend out there. It wasn't causing too much chaos.

Q. The extra time you took at the end to thank the crowds, they really appreciated that gesture. Can you comment on how you feed off the crowd, how you use that energy? Obviously the applause out there is good for you.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I don't think it always works that way. You know, sometimes, you know, it can be frustrating because you're trying so hard because they're supporting you so much and things just don't feel good out there.

I've had it work against me. It's actually gotten me to try too hard sometimes and I never quite found my rhythm. But, you know, I've played well here so many times. I really like the conditions and the court. I think the tennis fans here really enjoy their tennis, know their tennis.

You know, the support I get is just something I appreciate, so I feed off that energy, for sure.

Q. Does the difference in weather here affect your strategy? Do the cooler temperatures change anything?

ANDRE AGASSI: Cooler temperatures slow down the ball. It comes off your racquet a little firmer. If you can predict cooler temperatures, you would probably go down a touch in tension. But you can't always predict that.

So tonight was an example where it was cooler by surprise. I wasn't really prepared for that. I just had to make up for it by really hitting out on my shots so they didn't start getting too short. You know, hot weather always brings in a certain element of physical to it which I've enjoyed in the past. But your body has to work just as hard in cool weather to sort of keep itself regulated. You know, it can become physical, as well.

Q. We're reviewing top moments from this tournament over 30 years. I was wondering if you can talk about your memories of your three finals. '90 against Edberg.

ANDRE AGASSI: Edberg, I lost 7-6 in the fourth. Beat him the next week in Key Biscayne in the finals, which was nice. That's not what you asked me, but I had to throw that in there. It was the first time I played Stefan. I didn't really know exactly how it would feel, his game -- no, it wasn't the first time I played him. It's the first time I played him in the finals certainly. It was a tough match. I almost got over the line in the fourth set. I felt like I would have had the momentum going into the fifth.

Finals against Pete in '95 was just pain. It was a pretty one-sided match. He played really well. Years later I got a chance to do the same to him.

I'd say my favorite would be the last final.

Q. Are you ever kind of surprised you only won this once, it being the desert, seems like conditions you grew up with?

ANDRE AGASSI: No. Contrary to your perception, I don't think that highly of myself, to be quite honest. I just try to go to work. Winning anything's not easy. It's a big tournament. I wish I could have won it more, that's for sure. That's why I'm here again.

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ANDY RODDICK

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Was it as easy as it looked?

ANDY RODDICK: It was easier than I expected out there today. I think with the conditions, it was pretty tough for everybody. I was lucky that I was able to play in the stadium. I don't think the wind was as bad in there. You know, I'm pretty happy with the way I hit 'em today.

Q. Did you expect more from him? Did you feel he was not really into it for some reason today?

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, I don't think you ever expect to win a match out here in a Masters Series event 1-2. You don't go in -- you obviously expect them to be tougher than that.

You know, I don't feel he ever found his rhythm out there today. The conditions were tough. If you don't feel like you're hitting the ball super clean, it makes it even tougher with the wind. I'm not sure if that had something to do with it, but maybe.

Q. To play well and to put it behind the Davis Cup, do you feel better about it?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I'm not going to feel better about Davis Cup. It's a lot better -- you know, it's almost like rehab when you get out there and start playing. Today I played well again. You know, obviously that helps put a positive spin on things. Right now, does it erase the pain from Davis Cup? No. But it helps in the process of, you know, kind of just moving forward.

Q. Might it be that you hit the ball so hard that the wind just doesn't have much effect on it?

ANDY RODDICK: No. I actually didn't -- you know, I wasn't serving huge today. I was kind of trying to hit my spots a little bit more and move it around. It was almost -- because the wind was so strong at the beginning, it was almost easier to play into the wind because, you know, you could hit it hard. You couldn't really touch it with the wind because it was just flying long.

Q. Do you usually play well in the wind?

ANDY RODDICK: I think it comes and goes. I mean, I'm not sure. I don't remember too much. I don't think anybody plays well in the wind. But I've been able to get through some matches in the wind, you know. It never feels totally comfortable out there. But, you know, I feel like I handle it pretty well sometimes.

Q. Your next match is against Fernando Gonzalez. Can you talk about his game, playing him in the next round.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I actually lost to him the last time we played at the Olympics. You know, he's almost like a right-handed version of my first round match against Verdasco. They both swing from the heels and play huge tennis. There's probably not going to be a whole lot of rhythm. I'm going to have to probably play good defense if I want a chance. He just steps up and plays his shot every time.

You know, hopefully I'll just be able to hang in there.

Q. If it's windy, does that help you?

ANDY RODDICK: I wouldn't mind wind. He has, you know, a pretty high ball toss and takes pretty big swings. You know, but either way, you know, you can only worry about that once it's time.

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TIM HENMAN

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tim.

Q. Is it safe to say you've had more comfortable tennis matches?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, absolutely. And especially coming to a place like this, we get spoiled with the conditions because they're just ideal for so many of the matches we play. And I've played quite a lot here. So today, it's a real struggle.

I felt that it was going to be a question of who was going to get frustrated first. I think the first set was going to dictate that because, you know, I had opportunities, but in those types of conditions, it's very difficult just to sort of play without mistakes or without your opponent having some opportunities.

So you just have to accept it's going to be ugly at times and find a way to get through it. You know, obviously to get the win is the most important thing. It's still satisfying.

Q. He looked frustrated pretty early on, didn't he?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I mean, the first game ?? the end to the left of the umpire's chair, that is the end that is really dictating and dominating play. So you're expecting to hold that end, and then you feel like you've got a pretty good shot to break. If you break that end, it's not like a conventional break, because you've got to go up the other end and serve, and that's where it was very difficult to play from.

So I broke him first game from that end, so that was like a double break, and then I lost my serve on that end as well. I was thrilled with that (smiling).

But, again, you have to ?? you can't take anything for granted, you know, any shot. It's like, you know, you've got to write on a piece of paper, but someone's moving the paper. It's pretty difficult to write neatly.

As I'm saying, you're missing volleys, and he's hitting serves off the frame. You just have to accept it. There's no point in getting frustrated with it.

Q. When you were driving to the court this morning, did you see the dust bowl scenario?

TIM HENMAN: Yes. I mean, you obviously ?? I think everyone's expectations and standards for the climate is so high when they're here because it's amazing. I think you have to prepare yourself. When you see that it's windy, it normally means it's going to be very windy. Once that picks up, you're going to get sand as well. You have to start preparing yourself from the word "go." Actually, when we practiced, I hit at 9 this morning on the Stadium Court, and it wasn't too bad at all. Then literally just as we, you know, got going, it really picked up.

It is, it's very, very, very difficult.

Q. What can you do to prepare yourself to play in that kind of wind?

TIM HENMAN: You have to prepare yourself mentally to say, "You know what, this is not going to be easy. We're going to miss?hit shots. You're going to miss shots you would normally make. You're going to serve double?faults."

I think if you can have a little bit of acceptance and give yourself a little bit of slack to say, "No big deal, I'm going to keep ?? I'm going to be strong mentally, I'm going to keep fighting, I'm going to try for every point." I think there are physical things as well. You've got to make sure you keep moving your feet. I think if you plant your feet for your shots too early, it's going to make life difficult because the ball is always ?? the ball can move in a different direction at the last minute, so you want to make sure you're light on your feet.

I think it's an advantage for me because my swings are pretty compact. If you've got big, big swings, it makes it even more difficult. I think it's toughest to hit passing shots in that type of conditions because you just can't go for the lines. I think with my ability at the net, you know, I can make life difficult.

Q. Tennis Masters events are very important. Have you contemplated how important these two are coming up in terms of what you did here last year?

TIM HENMAN: I think it's more in the context of this year. I don't sort of have an issue really because I did well here last year, you know, I've got points to defend, that doesn't really concern me. I think, as I said earlier, it concerned me that, you know, I'm in the middle of March and I've only played three tournaments. That was sort of a little bit frustrating. I just think it added to my eagerness to get going and hopefully play some tennis to get some more matches under my belt.

You know, it's just the way this year has unfolded. You know, to go to Australia, to not play Doha was by design, but having to miss out on playing Marseille was disappointing.

I'm sure later on in the year, there's going to be more opportunities to play some more events. I'd like to do that because I feel when I've got more matches under my belt, it benefits me.