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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 18, 2015Andy MurrayINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA A. MURRAY/A. Mannarino THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Give us an assessment of how you think you played today. ANDY MURRAY: I thought I played well. It was a tricky match. He's played well this year. He's had a few good tournaments. Here also some good wins. Yeah, he's a tough guy to play against. Very unorthodox style. He has a very, very good backhand cross court. Hits it very low over the net, very flat. He can rush you, take your time away. Most players now on the tour on the forehand side have quite big swings to generate a lot of topspin racquet head speed; whereas he plays a very short swing and tightens the ball really. He quite likes pace. So it's getting that balance of not giving him the pace, but also, if you leave the ball short or don't hit a good enough shot, you know, he's obviously very talented, so can come in, you know, behind any short balls. I thought I did a good job against a tough opponent. Q. Does the change in the amount of running room between Stadium 1 and Stadium 2 affect game tactic, anything at all? ANDY MURRAY: Running room? Q. Yeah. There is so much on Stadium 1. That's very different on Stadium 2. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think it feels like on Stadium 2 that it gets tighter at the sides, but at the back of the court it feels like there is actually quite a long way. But, yeah, all the courts play differently. You know, the setup of the stadium is different so the wind will be a bit different. The acoustics are different in there. It feels like the court is kind of sunk down a little bit, as well. So, yeah, it definitely plays different to the center court and feels different. Q. Can I get your reaction to Wayne Odesnik's 15‑year suspension today? That seems to be one of the longest in the history of the game. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, and I think probably deserved, as well. I think it's a good thing. Obviously, you know, in those situations that are not the first time‑‑ I think from what I read, and I haven't read everything about what's happened just now, but I believe two separate samples, which is two failed tests, really. So they should be treated as individual cases. You know, they were I think quite a few weeks apart, as well. So he clearly was taking something and trying to get an advantage. And, yeah, after what happened the last time, you know, whatever story you believe, the one that was given, I don't believe at all. Yeah, I think it's good for tennis to get him off the tour and away from the tour, because we don't want that being part of the tour. Q. So you feel these people are cheating your sport, making it look bad? ANDY MURRAY: Well, that's what, yeah, cheats do. Yeah. It looks bad on everyone else. You know, the antidoping controls have got stricter, I believe, over the last few years. I would say we're doing a lot more than what we were. I certainly feel I'm getting tested a lot more than what I was, many out‑of‑competition blood tests from the ITF and also the UK antidoping, as well. Yeah, look, I want to say for myself I feel like it's an inconvenience getting woken up at 6:30 in the morning, but if it gets people that are cheating out of the sport when they are doing it, then I'm all for that. Q. Just getting back to the match, do you get any extra information from Amélie when it comes to playing a French player? ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, I think certain French players that she would know would be mainly the older ones that, you know, she was seeing when she was playing on the tour. Some of the younger French players, you know, she wouldn't know loads about them. Obviously she has, you know, contacts and people within French tennis that will know their games. But, you know, the best think I find is always to try and get kind of recent videos, recent footage, you know, get the information yourself rather than taking it from someone else and passing it on. I always think it's good to come up with your own game plan and, you know, let the player know the things that you see rather than having it come through someone else is better. Q. Just back to Odesnik for a second. Either time he was called it wasn't sort of a tennis test. The first time was at the airport in Australia; this time it was the U.S. antidoping agency... ANDY MURRAY: I didn't hear the first part. The first time it wasn't what? Q. Both times he's been caught it hasn't been a test administered by a tennis authority. First time it was at the airport in Australia; this time it was the U.S. antidoping agency. Does that say anything about maybe the tennis testing not being stringent enough? ANDY MURRAY: I don't know, to be honest. I know for myself when I'm back home that I get tested out of competition a lot from UK antidoping. In the UK I think we have very strong antidoping policies, so I don't think that necessarily means that tennis is doing a bad job. I think it's also the responsibility of, you know, the national sort of governing bodies for sport to also help, you know, as well. You want the athletes from your country to be clean. So whether it comes from, you know, UK antidoping, USADA or ITF, whoever, for me it doesn't matter so long as they are getting caught. I would say that more out‑of‑competition testing is probably done through the, you know, like the UK antidoping or U.S. antidoping, sort of national doping authorities rather than the ITF. A lot of the sort of in‑competition tests we do are carried out through the ITF. That's how it seems to me, anyway. Q. Is there one thing you have been doing on court this week you're particularly satisfied with? What do you think about meeting Lopez now? ANDY MURRAY: I think I made it difficult for my opponents in all of my matches. You know, that's important. I haven't given up too many free points. I have made a lot of returns in play. I feel like I moved well. I have been hitting the ball quite heavy from the back of the court, so it's not been easy for my opponents to attack, which has been good. Yeah, against Lopez, I mean, I've got a good record against him, but he's always a tough opponent because of the way that he plays and the way that he serves. He's also still improving. You know, he's been playing the best tennis of his career these last 18 months or so, and obviously had a great win today against Nishikori. I think these conditions here are good for him. It helps his serve a lot, so it will be a tricky match. Q. You have talked in the past that you've kind of struggled here, but this is going to be the fifth time you have reached the quarterfinals. Are you just getting more comfortable? Have you been getting more comfortable with the conditions here this year? Is there something, a trend with your run here compared to the other times you have been successful at this tournament that's going on? ANDY MURRAY: No. I mean, I think‑‑ yeah, I mean, one of the things that for me over the years has not necessarily been difficult, but people want to compare me to Roger or Rafa. Five quarterfinals is okay. It's not terrible. But because of what they have done it doesn't look very good. But in comparison to other players in other times it's quite a good record. You know, I have struggled here in previous years, and I think, you know, even here some of the guys have complained about how difficult they found the conditions. It's not easy here. There is often quite a few upsets at this event because I don't think we play in these conditions much. So it's tricky, but this year I managed to find a way to get through some matches. I have played some good tennis so far. Hopefully I keep it going. Q. You spent a long time looking to reach the level set by Djokovic, Federer, Nadal. How would you describe what needs to be done or how do you describe the difference between the four of you and the others? ANDY MURRAY: I think, I mean, for myself, I always try to just keep improving. Always try to find ways to work a little bit harder. I was willing to change the way that I trained and tried to work on new things in my game. Also, rather than, you know, viewing competing against them as a negative, I try to see it as a positive. I try to learn from them and what they do well. Yeah, that's really been it for me. It's taken a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication to compete with them. But, yeah, it's not easy. Q. Just a basic kind of question. Were you surprised by the Odesnik news and why, one way or the other? ANDY MURRAY: I don't really know whether I was surprised or not, to be honest. I don't know. I just ‑‑if you were to cheat once, I don't see why ‑‑I don't know why on earth you would do it again. You know, I think the thing that's also disappointing is you hear, like, Oh, I have learned from my mistake, blah, blah, blah, blah. But, you know, he's been linked to a number of people that have been involved in doping presently and in the past and surrounded himself with those people, so I can't say I'm surprised. But, yeah, I can't believe ‑‑to have three separate issues is, yeah, ridiculous. It's good that he's off the tour now. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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