An interview with Denis Kudla

19-year-old Denis Kudla pushed Andy Roddick to his limits Wednesday night, losing a three set match in San Jose.  Although Kudla couldn't pull off the upset, his ranking has been steadily climbing over the past two years and he currently sits at 203rd in the world.  Born in Ukraine, Kudla moved to the states when he was a baby and lived in Arlington, Virginia.  As a fellow DMVer, Kudla was kind enough to give us a short interview about his match with Roddick and his career in general.  Keep following LBS as we will be keeping track of the young American's career.  Here is the interview:




Henno: Have you looked up to Roddick specifically as he has been the most consistent American player over the last decade?


Denis Kudla: I have definitely looked up to him specifically.  He is the role model for American tennis players and we are trying to keep American tennis at the top.  I also look up to John Isner and Mardy Fish as American players, but not as much as I do Roddick.


H: What was it like playing against him?


DK: It was fun playing against him I had my chances it was a great opportunity to win, but I let it slip away a bit.  Overall though it was great to see where I am compared to a top player like Roddick.

H: Most importantly, was Brooklyn Decker in attendance?


DK: Indeed, Brooklyn Decker was in attendance.

H: What is your next tournament and when is it?


DK: My next tournament is Memphis 500 ATP and it is next week.  Hopefully things will go well.

H: What are your individual goals for the year?


DK: My individual goals for this year are to play consistently all year and break the top 100 and hopefully the top 50 as well.  If I reach these goals I would celebrate with some sort of year end dinner and a vacation.  But even if I don't achieve the goals I would probably do that anyway.


H: Are you superstitious? If so, what are your routines?


DK: I am not really superstitious, but I can be a little bit when I am playing on the court.  Sometimes I go to a certain ball boy or go to the same towel on certain points.  Before I match I just warm up a bit and get mentally prepared.  I usually keep quiet and just talk with my coach about the game plan for the match.

H: If you could go on a date with a female tennis player who would it be?


DK: If I could go on a date I would go with Maria Kirilenko.

H: And finally, what have some of your career highlights been so far?


DK: This past week would probably be a career highlight; winning a round in an ATP and playing close with Roddick.  Another would be making the quarterfinals of an ATP last summer and qualifying for the Australian open this year.


H: Thanks for talking with us, good luck this year.


DK: No problem, thanks.



Photo courtesy of Dallo Images.


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