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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 14, 2016

Andy Murray

Indian Wells, California

F. DELBONIS/A. Murray

6-4, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Looked like real sort of tough conditions out there. Talk us through a bit.
ANDY MURRAY: Conditions were a bit easier than the other day. You know, similar to how it always is. It was pretty lively. Balls bouncing very high.

Yeah, obviously a tough one to lose in the end, having, you know, kind of fought hard to get myself in a winning position you know, 4-1-up.

The 4-2 game that I got broken was a tough one in the third set. I was up 30-Love in the game and had a few volleys in that game. You know, he came out with some good passing shots. I could have done a bit more with the volleys maybe.

But, yeah, I didn't play a great tiebreak. That was disappointing. Obviously he had the chance to serve it out, and then I got back in there and didn't play a great breaker.

Q. You mentioned the other day you hadn't played an outdoor match in I think five weeks. Did that have any effect, the fact that not played outdoors and now were doing so?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, I think it's just the conditions here I have just struggled with throughout my career. I have never really felt that I played my best tennis here.

I have tried and had many different preparations where I've got here early and spent a lot of time on the courts, and sometimes I arrive later, like this time from Davis Cup. You know, obviously it takes time to get used to new conditions regardless of where it is, but I have just never really found a way to get comfortable here throughout my career.

It's a shame.

Q. Would you pinpoint that as being a reason for today's result, or would you say something else?
ANDY MURRAY: I think a lot of the results I have had here over the years, you know, suggest that, you know, I haven't played my best here.

But like I said, I got into winning position and didn't take it. I think, you know, one of the reasons for that is because I didn't serve like I should serve. I served pretty much -- I would say my average first serve speed would have been 100, 105 miles an hour. I served no aces until 2 hours 45 minutes.

You know, I obviously have the capability to serve 135 miles an hour, but, you know, just didn't feel comfortable going for my serve. I felt like every time I went for it I missed it. I didn't have control on that shot at all.

You know, that would have been the part of the game that I could have done significantly better, in my opinion.

Q. Getting into the match and you see you're not playing as well as you want and the conditions are tough, what adjustments do you make?
ANDY MURRAY: I made adjustments. For one, I stopped going for my first serve. You know, I tried to get a higher percentage of first serves in, which maybe was not the best decision. I did manage to get myself into a winning position.

Also I started returning from way further back. First couple of sets I was standing quite close in, was struggling a bit on the return, but I made an adjustment there and started returning much further back on the first and second serve, and that helped a bit. I started to return a bit better.

But, yeah, I would say those were the two adjustments I made throughout the match. I think with the return it worked; serve didn't work so much.

Q. Not for one moment suggesting that you underestimated him by any means, but did he take you by surprise at all, having not faced him before?
ANDY MURRAY: I think he moved better than what I thought. I found it difficult to hit many winners, you know, and a lot of times I felt like I was hitting good shots and he was tracking them down and defending well.

But I knew that he liked these conditions. Obviously the ball bounces up high like on the clay courts and it's lively, so when you play with heavy topspin, you know, it suits that style a bit here.

And, yeah, but, no, I expected him to be tough, for sure. But, yeah, he moved better than maybe what I expected.

Q. Years ago you did win in California. Very, very different circumstances. But could you go into a little detail and explain why you do feel uncomfortable here.
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know exactly why it is. The ball flies through the air very quickly. The ball bounces extremely high. You know, I have done, like I said, many different things with my preparation.

I changed, you know, stringing my racquets like four or five pounds tighter than I was at the Davis Cup, which is, you know, significant.

Really the tightest I have strung throughout the whole year would be at this event, and I still feel like I can't really go for my shots. I feel like when I do, I make mistakes long like, you know. But even you look in the tiebreak I missed a couple of backhands long, and then also a couple of balls in the bottom of the net.

I really don't know. And like I said, I have tried many different things. Yeah, just never quite worked out for me here.

Q. You never want to lose, but how eager are you to reunite with your wife and baby? Seeing them now, does that soften a loss like this?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, for sure. I see them in a couple of days, which, yeah, will be nice. Go back to Miami, which is, you know, a place that I'm very familiar with and I feel comfortable there.

Actually haven't been back since the tournament last year, which is the longest I haven't been there for about nine or ten years maybe, since I started using that as a training block for myself.

So, yeah, it will be nice to get to Miami and see my family. Yeah, hopefully -- you know, I'm not necessarily concerned about how I'm playing. I do think I will play better tennis in Miami because I played some good stuff in the Davis Cup.

You know, I did a lot of good training. Played long matches in the Davis Cup and here. Yeah, hopefully Miami will be a bit better. I look forward to seeing my family.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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