Mardy Fish On Twitter, Acting & More

© ATPMardy Fish shares his twitter philosophy

World No. 8 Mardy Fish has quietly returned to the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Nicolas Almagro in three sets on Tuesday to book his place in the final eight at Crandon Park. Fish’s semi-final performance in Miami last year enabled him to become the top-ranked American, a status he has maintained.

Following his victory over Almagro, SonyEricssonOpen.com sat down with the 30 year old to discuss his new coaching arrangement with Mark Knowles and the Twitter etiquette he’s set for Ryan Harrison to follow… or ignore.

In the past few seasons, you’ve really excelled at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in North America, reaching the semi-finals in Miami and the final at Indian Wells, Montreal and Cincinnati. What is it about these events that play into your game so well?
I like playing in front of American fans. Being in the states is comfortable for me. Sometimes when you’re in Europe, Asia or Australia, sometimes it feels like a long way from home. At least in the states, you know you’re just one flight away.

Recently, you brought on board Grand Slam doubles champion Mark Knowles to be your traveling coach. What does ‘Knowlzee’ bring to the table that makes him an ideal person to work with?
We’re very close. I think he brings a lot of knowledge. He knows how to play in this era. It helps that he understands how heavy Rafa’s forehand is for example. And he’s a student of the game. He’s been a huge help so far.

In December, you became an uncle when your sister Meredith gave birth. Talk about that experience for us…
My wife’s sister has two kids as well, so technically I was an uncle before, but on my side, it’s the first time. We were able to fly up there and get to Bloomington, Indiana, where my sister lives, and be there for the birth. It’s pretty special.

At times, you’ve poked some humorous criticism at Ryan Harrison on Twitter. What is your criterion for someone meriting a follow and someone deserving to be unfollowed?
That’s a good question. Specifically, I think if you start tweeting about what you’re eating, taking a picture of your dinner, or saying ‘I’m at Panera Bread with so and so’, and do that a lot, it demands an unfollow.

… So what should he do to redeem himself?
He’s back a little bit. We had conversations about not saying, ‘I had dinner at P.F. Chang’s having dinner.’ No one really cares about that. I’m just trying to be like a big brother to him, that’s all.

You’ve dabbed into some acting for sponsors, including a Bumblebee Tuna commercial earlier this year. How would you rate your on-screen abilities?
Acting is a strong word. I haven’t acted much. But they do call me “One Take Denzel” sometimes.