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WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2016

Sam Querrey

London, England

S. QUERREY/L. Rosol
6‑7, 6‑7, 6‑4, 6‑2, 12‑10

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congrats. I don't think you have done that before.
SAM QUERREY: Nope, that was my first time.

Q. What's it like?
SAM QUERREY: It's exciting. It feels good. Couple times I have come back from two sets down and get it to a fifth and lost. It's nice to get over that hurdle and get a win.

Q. How many of those did you have? I can't remember. I didn't look at the numbers. Do you remember how many times you...
SAM QUERREY: A couple.

Q. Two?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, two, three, four. Maybe.

Q. Did something click in for you that wasn't there the first two sets or...
SAM QUERREY: No, I mean, the first two sets, I had some looks. I mean, we each broke each other once in the sets and he just got me, like, 8‑6, 7‑5 in the tiebreakers. You know, a couple of balls I missed. Just little things here and there.
And third, fourth set kind of got things rolling. Even though down two sets to Love, I felt good and comfortable, playing well. Just thought if I stuck with it, I could still win.

Q. You know his history here. He's been good here.
SAM QUERREY: Yeah.

Q. It's not an easy first‑round opponent. What were you thinking coming in?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, he's one of those guys, he can be unusual, but he can give you a bunch of free points. You know, kind of showed in the last game. I was serving for it, he hit three return winners. It's like he doesn't know what the score is.
It's tough to play against that kind of guy. He is a big guy and he's dangerous out here, so really happy to get through it.

Q. I'd like to ask you a question about Boris Becker's comment, which has gotten a lot of legs about, Hey, the fifth set is just about the mind. Is that accurate? Is that true? Or is it really execution, too? You've got to bring it in terms of Xs and Os?
SAM QUERREY: I think it's a combo of both. I mean, a little bit about the mind, but, I mean, a lot of times ‑‑especially in Australia and the U.S., you know, you've got to be physically fit, too. Yeah, you've got to execute on those big moments.
But, you know, I guess it is a little more, a little bit more about the mind, but I don't think it's totally about the mind.

Q. What was your self talk as it got deeper and deeper into the fifth?
SAM QUERREY: You know what? On my return games, on the first serve, put the ball in play. Second serve, hit it hard to a big target. On my service game, I was just saying, It's any other service game. Just throw it up, hit four bombs, let's move on.
I wasn't going, Okay. Let's get through this. I was really casual on my service games to try to put as little stress and pressure on myself as I could.

Q. You have had a few long matches here. Do you think back on those and do you draw any experience from those when you're in another long match?
SAM QUERREY: Not during the match. Kind of after, yeah, you kind of are, like, Gosh, I didn't really want to lose that.
I have lost three really long five‑setters here in the past. But in the moment of the match, I don't really think about them. I don't necessarily think I have, you know, learned much from, you know, being in those situations.

Q. A little bit of a different question, Sam. Pete Sampras a while ago wrote an article, a letter to the young Pete Sampras giving him advice on playing on the tour in his career. If you could take a minute and write a letter to the young Sam Querrey, just coming out of Thousand Oaks, what would be the one or two things you might say?
SAM QUERREY: You know, probably just do a better job of committing to one style of play, going for it, being more aggressive on big points. You know, over the course of a career, I think you play 200,000 points, and I think I could do a better job, when I was younger and now, just committing to one style of play. Over time I think, over the time of the points, good things will happen.
I think sometimes, you know, when it gets tight you get nervous, which is natural. You might push a little bit and do things differently.
So I would say commit to one style and play that way no matter the score, from the day you turn pro to the day you're done.

Q. Sometimes they say in baseball, a hitter has to commit to look for one pitch and just go for it. Do you think that might be analogous, similar in some way?
SAM QUERREY: Definitely, yeah. I mean, easier said than done when you're in certain situations. But, yeah, I wish that on my career, there has been moments where I wish I would have just gone and swung out instead of, you know, maybe holding back and missing it. Because I think you'll be happier with yourself if you commit to your shot and miss it rather than, you know, be passive.

Q. When you're down two sets, when you win a third set, do you feel sort of impatience or nerves from the opponent, thinking, Here we go, five is not that far away all of a sudden?
SAM QUERREY: Maybe a little bit. I won the third set 6‑4, and I was feeling good. I don't know what he was feeling, but after I won that set, I felt confident I was going to win the fourth.
The fifth evens out a little bit, but, you know, I can't speak for him, but I felt good after I won the third, that, hey, this is going five.

Q. What's your team at the moment? What are you guys sort of working on?
SAM QUERREY: I'm working with Craig Boynton, he also helps Steve Johnson, but he's with me. Christian LoCascio, he's a physio we have on the road 10, 12 weeks of the year, used to work with Mardy Fish.
We are working, committing to one game style and being aggressive. And, you know, hopefully doing those things over a course of a long period of time, you know, come out on the winning end more than the losing end.

Q. How did you see your fellow Southern Californian win Nottingham, is that a fist pump, kick in the butt? Talk about that.
SAM QUERREY: I was stoked for him. First title. Always exciting. His dad was there, his girlfriend was there, I was really happy for him. You know, he's kind of in the club now, I guess. Not that it's a Grand Slam or anything, but it's still really exciting. I was so happy for him.

Q. Do you know any other player who comes to mind who's as good as Steve and has gone for so long without winning a tournament? Any thoughts?
SAM QUERREY: I'm sure there is a handful of guys who haven't won. I would need to look. I mean, I feel like he hasn't gone that long, either. He really didn't start playing the event till he was 22, 23. He's only 26. But, yeah, hopefully there could be some more for him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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