NEW YORK –— Thus far, Andy Roddick hasn’t compiled credentials comparable to those of his retired superstar compatriots such as Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi and probably never will. Still, he displayed a comparable level of poise, savvy, charisma, and at times, dazzled the media with thoughtful, sometimes   comedic responses to a variety of hot topics.

Question: Â As a big Miami Heat fan, what is your reaction to this (new) team?

Answer: “I’m just sick of defending my fan-hood.  I was going to their games in ’01 when they were paying people to come. I was just hoping , praying they’d re-sign Dwyane (Wade).  And then when (Chris) Bosch came, I was ecstatic.  Then when LeBron (James) came, it was bordering on ridiculous. Like everyone else, I’m excited to see how it all goes together.”

Question: “What were your thoughts when Roger Clemens was indicted?

Answer: “I’m not saying it’s not deservedly so, but everyone is kind of guilty as far as the accusations and that’s disheartening. If he’s innocent, it sucks because he’s guilty in the court of public opinion; if he’s guilty, it’s really unfortunate because you don’t want to see someone kind of in denial. So it’s just an ugly mess. There’s not really a positive thing that can come out of it.”

Question: James (Blake) might be winding down his career. Your thoughts.

Answer: “His career is one thing, but I also like his character. I like the way he goes about his business. My biggest hope for James from this point forward is can he get healthy enough to have a run that he would like. “

Question: What does it mean to be 28?

Answer: “It makes no difference what I think about it. You go out there and give the best of what you got on that day, that’s kind of what I’ve done all my career. Obviously, I know I’m closer to the finish than I am to the start. It’s a number, I’m barely older than I was yesterday.” Determined to shake off a bout with mononucleosis, No. 9 seed Roddick took his first step in his quest for a second U.S. Open title Monday, defeating France’s Stephane Robert 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. He served big, moved easily and was never threatened. “I feel 80% better than I did five, six weeks ago, that’s for sure,” he said. “To be honest, once you decide to play, you throw all the excuses and everything else out the window.  Then it’s up to me to give 100% of what I have.  So it’s not something I want to discuss to much from this point forward. I’m not going to analyst it every day.” Roddick won his lone major title – the U.S. Open – in 2003 and was a finalist in ’06.