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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 19, 2015Andy MurrayINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA A. MURRAY/F. Lopez THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. So 10‑nil. Any reason for 10‑nil against a player? Is there something about his game that you find fits yours? ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I have obviously played some good matches against him. I have had some really close matches with him. I had really tight one with him at the US Open a few years ago. Yeah, I mean, obviously a little bit of luck, but also, you know, his game style I think matches up quite well against mine. I don't have as much trouble with the lefties just because I grew up playing with one, and that's obviously one of his biggest advantages. Q. The balls are still flying. He obviously found it difficult at times with flying balls. ANDY MURRAY: It was also extremely windy today on the court. Obviously when it's hot and windy, it is extremely hard to control the ball. That's pretty normal, I would say. Q. Were you happy with your play? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I thought I played ‑‑I thought I played a good match. Every time he came to net I made it very difficult for him. I passed very well, and that was important, because it meant that he spent more time at the back of the court. When we were in the baseline rallies, I felt like I was able to dictate a lot of those points. Passing shots were important today. Q. Next round, Novak; obviously a great rivalry. He has the advantage, but the biggest wins of your career all came against him. Talk about the rivalry, dynamic, playing him the next round. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, probably until last year our head to head was pretty close. You know, last year was a tough year for me, especially the first six, seven months. But, yeah, I mean, he's obviously a top, top player, especially on this surface. He's played extremely well here in the past. You know, he will be totally fresh as well and ready for the semis, so it will be a tough one for me. But I feel like I played well this week, and, you know, if I can keep that level up and for a sustained period on Saturday, I'll have a chance. Q. You talk about last year was a tough year for you. Do you feel like you're starting to get in the form you were in in 2013? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think like the Australian Open I played some great tennis. Although I didn't win the final, I was pretty much there in terms of the level that I was playing at. So I would say my tennis is where I would like it to be. Obviously I have struggled here in the past, but so far I have played some good tennis here. So that's also a positive for me. Yeah, the goal is obviously to try, in these events, to maintain a level of consistency that, you know, allows me to get to the latter stages and compete against the best players more often. Q. When you're coming off a major surgery, do you recall which came faster for you, the physical or the mental side of just letting yourself go to play again? ANDY MURRAY: I would say the physical for me. I mean, the two are quite closely linked in my opinion. But, you know, when I came back, you know, I was still having issues with my back. My back was still sore. Like in Australia, for example, I actually played quite well in Australia, but when I played against Roger my body was just incredibly stiff and sore and wasn't able to, I don't know, handle best of five‑set match at that level. And, yeah, it clearly took me time to get back physically and get my speed back, my anticipation, and then, yeah, also just to trust my back again. I don't think I really felt confident until towards the latter stage of last year in my body, so that's been a big plus for me. Q. Mannarino in the last round and Lopez this round are very different players. Mannarino hits low, flat balls; Lopez is spin and net play. How difficult is it to adapt match to match from two different players compared to two similar players? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think that's one of the biggest challenges in tennis I think compared with other sports, is that you can play ‑‑I played today obviously against a lefty with a single handed backhand who hits, you know, maybe 90% slice backhands. Then, you know, two days' time I play against someone completely different, you know, who is right handed, you know, hits over pretty much every single backhand, a great returner. It says something that, yeah, you need to be able to make adjustments to your game and your tactics. You know, I have played matches in the past where one day I have played against ‑‑I remember at the US Open one year I played against Dustin Brown, and then the next round I came out and I literally played awful. I had completely lost my rhythm and found it very difficult to get my rhythm back. It's a big challenge in this sport and something that I'd say the top players in the world do extremely well. Q. On this surface with these balls and these conditions, how do you see that playing out with you and Novak in the semifinal? How much impact will that have? ANDY MURRAY: I mean, the conditions today were very different to what they were yesterday. I mean, it was very breezy on the court today. If it's like that, you obviously change the way you play the match. Also, 11:00 a.m. is significantly cooler. Ball is not as lively and bouncing as high. So it really depends. Depends what the weather is like when we get out there, but, you know, if it's anything like it has been, you know, in the sort of mid‑80s, low 90s, it's going to be a tough physical match. You know, they are quite slow courts, so it's hard to finish points. And, you know, in these conditions, when it's this hot, you know, you play a few long rallies, it's tough. So I expect that to be the case on Saturday. Q. Can you just discuss your decision to go back to Washington this year and why? Because obviously you made the final there in '06 and haven't been back since. Wondering why this year? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, a couple of reasons. Because I hadn't actually‑‑ again, hadn't felt like I played particularly well in Canada the last few years. You know, I felt maybe when I was younger I could take ‑how my body I felt worked anyway ‑ a five‑week break and then start playing matches and feel fine straightaway; whereas now I feel like if I hadn't played matches and I take a five‑week break, my body is sore and stiff. So I wanted to try something a bit different this year. Yeah, I enjoyed the tournament when I was there. It was also very tough physical conditions there, extremely humid and hot. So, you know, it will be also good to get matches in those conditions with the US Open a few weeks away. Q. Is it tough though with the two back‑to‑back Masters right after that? Washington, they haven't had any Big 4 guys there for since you, but that was sort of before you were in that ranking. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think as well there is a new ‑‑the new rule that you can miss a Masters Series now and not have, you know, zero points on your ranking as well. So if things were to go well in Washington and Canada or one of the two, then it would mean I would have the option to miss Cincinnati potentially. But, yeah, we'll see what happens. Q. You just mentioned the Australian Open, and I haven't seen you since then. How long did it take you to get over that loss this time? ANDY MURRAY: I don't know, to be honest. I mean, I don't know if it was a number of days or not. I mean, I was quite pumped to get back on the practice court after the Aussie Open this year and actually felt, you know, okay when I got to Rotterdam and stuff. Actually felt like I played a couple of good matches, and then not so good one against Gilles. I felt fine when I was there. I practiced well. Didn't feel like mentally I was sort of dwelling on the Australian Open, which was good, so it's a matter of days probably. Q. Another question to your schedule. You added Munich ahead of the French Open. Could you just in a few words say what made you take that decision? ANDY MURRAY: Well, pretty much every year since I have been on the tour I have never ‑‑I don't remember playing a smaller clay court event. I always played Monte‑Carlo, maybe Barcelona, and then Madrid and Rome. So I had never played any of the smaller events. You know, I always felt like with the clay that I needed matches. Also, because I am getting married, it's a good chance I won't be in Monte‑Carlo. Yeah, it will be quite a long period from Miami through, and so ‑‑ it would have been a long period from Miami through until Madrid to not play a match, so it seemed like a good move. I have been to Munich before when I was much, much younger, and I really like the city. It was nice. Unbelievably clean city. Yeah, I have heard it's a nice tournament. Just the weather sometimes can be tough there. So I'm looking forward to it. Q. How did you enjoy the radio work? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, I have done bits and pieces on the radio before, but they have a nice ‑‑it's a nice spot up there to watch the matches from (Smiling.) Yeah, I think Russell is in here somewhere maybe. There he is over there. He's obviously very good at what he does, and, yeah, I enjoyed it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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