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WIMBLEDONJune 23, 2014James WardLONDON, ENGLAND M. YOUZHNY/J. Ward THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Tough one today. Excellent opponent. How did you feel it went? JAMES WARD: Yeah, I thought he played very well, executed his game. I obviously didn't play as well as I'd hoped. But, yeah, that was about it. Q. Seemed like you could live with him for the first six or seven strokes of a rally, and then he seemed to always have the answer. JAMES WARD: Yeah, look, I have to go away and look at the tape and see what happened. As I say, he played very well. Different times in the match where I had a few half chances, he came up with the goods. That was the difference. Q. Is it disappointing after your performance at the French Open? JAMES WARD: Yeah, of course it's disappointing. No one enjoys losing. But, look I played a guy 17 in the world. There's no easy matches here anyway. But definitely not playing a seed first up, it happens. You know, obviously I would have liked to have played a little bit better today. Maybe it would have changed; maybe it wouldn't. Q. Anything in particular about your game that you thought was improved today? JAMES WARD: Not really. As I say, look, I only finished a little bit ago. I have to look at the tape, see what happened, see what he did well. Go and analyze it, move forward. Q. Do you find it a painful experience looking through the tape? JAMES WARD: Well, it's not enjoyable watching matches that you lose. You prefer to watch the ones that you win. But it's all part of the process. And, yeah, it needs to be done. Q. Is it more difficult losing here than, say, in Davis Cup? JAMES WARD: No, I think it's the same. Obviously you're at home, so there's always a bit of extra support. Look, I'm as disappointed as everyone else. Don't get me wrong. It's not going to be an enjoyable rest of the day for me. But, you know, you got to take the loss on the chin and move forward. Q. Obviously the first‑round prize money has risen. Much has been made of that. I guess it doesn't mean anything, does it? You're only here to win? JAMES WARD: Of course. It's irrelevant. You don't think about that once when you're playing in a tournament. Not at all. Q. The LTA said one of the reasons is to try to keep people in the sport effectively. Do you think it will help that happen? Do you think that's a fair reflection of the situation? JAMES WARD: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's expensive. It's the same for everyone. There's 150, 200 guys out there who are all playing the same tournaments week in, week out. If you have a coach or a trainer around you, obviously it becomes expensive to travel the world, different country every week. But, yeah, look, it's a massive help. I'm very grateful for the help I've always received from the All England Club and the LTA. Without that, yeah, I wouldn't be able to carry on playing probably. But, you know, it's, as I say, a big help. We'll see how the rest of the year goes. Q. What next then? JAMES WARD: Still playing doubles here. Not sure when that is scheduled for. Then I'm going to go play Newport and Bogota, two ATPs, then get ready for the U.S. hard courts before US Open. Q. There's a chap who lost on court 16 who expressed an interest in becoming British, if I can use that phrase. It happens in other sports where people end up playing for either England or Great Britain. What is your view on that happening in tennis? JAMES WARD: It's not for me to comment, to be honest. Q. Considering he could ultimately be vying with you for a place on the Davis Cup team, it must surely be something you have an opinion on. JAMES WARD: Not really, no. Q. Been a few changes at the top with the structure of the LTA.  Bob Brett has been brought onboard. What are your thoughts about the changes there? JAMES WARD: I think it's positive. He's obviously a very experienced man, coached some top players, got a great view on the game. I don't know when it was announced. Maybe a week or two. I don't think he can change things in a week. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the year. I don't know what changes it means for anybody involved. I've been concentrating on training, getting ready for this tournament. I can't comment on anything else. But he's obviously going to help. Q. People want to see greater results and improvements. Has there been a general sort of underachievement at the top level for Britain? JAMES WARD: That's a tough question. I mean, it depends what you call 'underachieving.' If you think winning Wimbledon is underachieving from Andy, that's too good. Look, obviously he's a great player. It's tough to keep up there with him. But we're all striving to do it as much as everyone else is in world of tennis. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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