|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WIMBLEDONJune 30, 2015Andy MurrayLONDON, ENGLAND A. MURRAY/M. Kukushkin THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Bar the second set, pretty smooth sailing for you? ANDY MURRAY: I didn't necessarily feel nervy. I lost my serve a bit in the end of that second set. There was a period where I missed like 10 or 12 first serves in a row and let him back into it there. Then, yeah, I mean, he played some really good stuff at times and, you know, was going for his shots. When it was on the run, he was taking the ball up the line, going very hard and flat. I found it difficult to play aggressive tennis out there. You know, I was glad to get through in straight sets. Q. Enjoy being back on Centre Court, though? Been a while. ANDY MURRAY: It's good. Obviously it's a great, great court. I've had some of my best matches on there. You know, it doesn't happen at all of the events from where the first day it's a packed, packed crowd from start to finish. It's always nice to play in front of that sort of crowd. Q. When you come away, do you feel on one hand you weren't dictating as much as you wanted to, but on the other hand you came away with a straight‑sets win against a guy who played so well? How do you weigh it up? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think, I mean, you know, for me it's a bit frustrating because you obviously want to go out there and sort of perform as best you can, whereas today I didn't feel like I was able to do that because of the way that he was playing. I mean, he was hitting the ball this high over the net and so flat and down the line. It's very difficult to dictate points when your opponent's playing like that. But still, I mean, I could have obviously finished the second set a little bit better, myself, like I said, and served well at that period. Yeah, apart from that sort of 15‑, 20‑minute period, I was quite comfortable the rest of the match. Q. I heard it was 43 degrees on court sometimes today, on Centre Court. Was it an issue heat‑wise? Do you think the heat break rule in the women's game, is it fair that guys don't have the same option if need be? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't really want to get into that. But in terms of the heat on the court, it was definitely hot today. I mean, I haven't played loads of matches on that court when it has been as warm as that. You know, the day I played Novak in the final, it was extremely hot, but I don't remember playing so many matches at Wimbledon where it was into the 30s. The on‑court temperature I was told was 41 degrees on court when I was playing, so... Yeah, it was very hot. That changes the way the court plays and the way the match plays out, too. Yeah, I was glad to get off in three sets, a couple of hours, because ideally you don't want to be playing extremely long matches in those conditions because it's tough. Q. How did that compare to the oppressive heat in Melbourne or the humidity in New York? Is it getting near that? ANDY MURRAY: The thing is because the points are much quicker, you don't feel it as much. But you play, like, three or four long rallies in a row and you feel it more. But, you know, in Melbourne, for example, you can't sort of just get three or four cheap points straightaway on your serve. Normally you have to play more rallies. Whereas here, obviously, you know, on the grass, it's harder to return and easier to serve. So you get more free points. There's not loads of 20‑, 25‑stroke rallies, which really takes it out of you when it's hot. Q. The two matches before were over so quickly before you, you were on earlier than expected? ANDY MURRAY: Those matches went unbelievably fast. But I warmed up at like 12 and finished at 12:45, so had a couple hours to get ready. Yeah, certainly those matches, I mean, I think they started at 1:00, and I walked on court at like 3:20 or 3:50. It was extremely fast. Q. On Friday the country is planning a commemoration of the tragedy in Tunisia. At times like that, what do you feel the role of athletes for the country? ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. To be honest, I guess everyone's different. What happened over there was, you know, absolutely tragic. It was shocking. Because I drive in each day, I've listened to a lot of sort of phone‑ins and stuff on the radio, people that have been affected by it. It's absolutely horrific. But, yeah, I don't know exactly what role athletes play in times like this and how exactly we can help. You know, at times before the Australian Open, before the US Open, we try to do certain events to raise money for various charities or various different causes. But, yeah, I don't know what the exact roles of athletes are, to be honest with you. Q. Missing the real heat wave of tomorrow, but Robin Haase up next. Have you played him recently? ANDY MURRAY: I haven't played him that recently. I played him in slams a few times. I played him twice at the US Open and had two very difficult matches against him there. Played him once in Australia, where I played a very good match. But, yeah, last time I played him in New York, I don't know exactly what happened, but I had, you know, terrible cramps from very early on in the match. It was a very tough match for me to get through, that one. But, yeah, he's a tough opponent. He likes grass. Enjoys playing on the big courts. So it will be tough. Q. You talked about the stress of the week coming up to your first match at Wimbledon, mentioned mouth ulcers and things that you've had. What has it been like this time around? ANDY MURRAY: No ulcers this year. I felt pretty good coming in. I practiced well. And, yeah, I felt, you know, fairly calm. It wasn't too hectic. I expected a tough match today. I mean, when I spoke to my team about the match, I expected it to be difficult, and prepared for that. But, yeah, I didn't feel unbelievably nervous. Still goosebumps and stuff, butterflies in the stomach when you walk out there. But I didn't get myself too worked up before, you know, last night or this morning. I slept very well and was fine. Q. You sent a tweet yesterday congratulating Liam. He's back tomorrow. What are your thoughts on his prospects? ANDY MURRAY: It will be a very tough match for him tomorrow against Goffin. Goffin is a very talented guy. He's a top‑20 player, so it will be a step up for him. He did great to come through that match, to come back. But, yeah, I was really happy for him because I like him. He's very, very nice. He's a nice guy. He's good fun to be around. And, yeah, I haven't spent loads of time with him. But every time I've been in his company, he makes you feel good. You laugh when you're around him. He's a fun guy. So I was really, really pleased he managed to get through that one. Q. You were saying you were frustrated because you couldn't bring your best to the court today. In some ways is that good because you want your best for a week from Sunday? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, but I wasn't frustrated. Sometimes your opponent doesn't allow you to play your best. Obviously, wanted to try to play a little bit better. There's still some things that, you know, even though he was making it difficult for me to play well, there's still some things I could have done better out there, I feel, which hopefully on Thursday I'll do better. But, yeah, I mean, the way he played just made it extremely difficult, yeah, to play sort of offensive tennis. And, yeah, you just have to sometimes knuckle down and try to get the win. It doesn't say on this match report how well I played, it just says that I won the match. That's the most important thing. Q. James Ward is 2‑1 up. Al is into a fifth. How much of a difference does it make to you and the tournament if a few Brits get through a few rounds? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, for the tournament, I don't know, that's for the organizers, I guess, to say. For me, it's nice. I know all of them fairly well. A lot of the guys, you know, I've obviously spent a lot of time training with James, really more the last 12, 18 months. Yeah, Aljaz I don't know so well. Heather obviously had a good win today, too. Yeah, it's good for British tennis. The more wins and more players we can have in these events, it makes a difference. Q. Just as you go on in your career, do you see potential future British as important to your legacy to the game? ANDY MURRAY: No, because that's the job of the LTA, is to capitalize on any success that players have just now. That isn't up to me, I don't think. But what I do enjoy doing is being around the other British players, chatting to them, helping them, practicing with them. You know, being around them is good for me, as well. It helps them, too. So it's win‑win really. But I don't feel like it's, you know, my job to, I don't know, also create more tennis players. That's the job of the LTA, I think. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|