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U.S. OPEN

September 1, 2016

Andy Murray

New York, NY, USA

A. MURRAY/M. Granollers

6-4, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How difficult was it to play both before and after the rain started?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I don't think it was too different to the other night when I played, but when the rain came it was certainly loud.

I mean, you can't here anything, really. I mean, you could hear the line calls, but not so much when the opponents -- you know, when he was hitting the ball or even when you're hitting the ball, really, which is tough purely because we're not used to it. That's what makes it challenging.

Q. Could you explain a little more how it might affect you, maybe make things more difficult if it does, if you can't hear the ball coming off?
ANDY MURRAY: Because we use our ears when we play. It's not just the eyes. You know, it helps us pick up the speed of the ball, the spin that's on the ball, how hard someone's hitting it.

You know, if we played with our ears covered or with headphones on, it would be a big advantage if your opponent wasn't wearing them.

You know, it's tricky. You know, you can still do it, but it's harder, for sure.

Q. Have you ever played under a roof or like an indoor court where the rain has been battering down like that?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, yeah, I have played when it's been loud, for sure. Sometimes on the -- you know, a lot of the stadiums that have, you know, temporary roofs, they can be pretty loud when it rains.

But, I mean, it apparently was raining unbelievably hard outside. It seemed that way anyway.

Q. Can you compare it to playing under the roof at Wimbledon?
ANDY MURRAY: In what respect?

Q. What you just talked about, playing under this roof and playing under the Wimbledon roof.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, it's definitely louder. You know, I don't think it changed the conditions on the court as much as it does at Wimbledon.

You know, I think we are also probably more used to playing on it -- we are used to playing on indoor hard court than indoor grass, obviously.

But, yeah, I don't know. You maybe don't notice it as much here I think as much as Wimbledon. When the roof is on the humidity picks up significantly; whereas here it's always humid really, you know, when the roof is open.

When I played the other night I was dripping. I mean, it was so, so humid. Doesn't change too much. It's a lot cooler in there than it is, you know, during the day; whereas at Wimbledon sometimes it gets warmer when the roof goes on.

Yeah it's definitely quieter at Wimbledon, though.

Q. Could you summarize what it is that you believe that makes Ivan an effective coach? Secondly, emotional player interacting with his boss, is there ever a time you got a rise out of him during the match?
ANDY MURRAY: No, not really.

Why I think he's a good coach? I mean, it's hard to give like one thing. There is a lot of things that go into being a good coach and a successful coach. There is not one thing that you can pick up.

I mean, obviously, you know, tactics or something that's important, the way you set up the practices and the training, the level that you expect, you know, and effort in training sessions I think is important.

I think he's professional, very disciplined. Probably things that made him very successful as a player, so they are a few of the reasons. But many things go into making him a good coach. There is not just one or two.

Q. Do you think the noise at the tournament is something you have to look at, or will you just have to deal with it?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, the players will deal with it. You get used to stuff. As an athlete, that's what you do. We adjust to conditions, different conditions every week. Playing in the day to playing in the night is totally different from one day to the next.

We change balls. I played the Olympics with one ball; Cincinnati with a different one; a different ball again here.

We change stuff all of the time, but it takes time to adjust and then get used to that. I think that's why everyone is talking about it now, because it's something new. Yeah, it's just going to take time to adjust.

I'm sure if the feedback is that, you know, the TV or the spectators aren't enjoying the match as much then they will look into it and try and change it. But if it's fine on TV, which from what I have heard it is fine on TV -- I don't know what the fans have said about it yet, but the players will adjust.

Q. I don't know if you saw last night after Bondarenko won, but a fan jumped out of the stands and got a picture with her on the court. I was wondering how much do you worry about security here?
ANDY MURRAY: I didn't see that. I was made aware of it before I came in here, but I didn't see it. And, yeah, it's not something I think about when I'm on the court or when I'm playing.

Actually sometimes more when I am out in the streets and stuff I think more about that. Not just because of the things that have happened in the world, like in the big cities over the last 15, 20 years. I sometimes think about those kind of things, that safety.

When I'm at a tennis tournament, I don't know, I just feel comfortable when I'm on the court. I have never had any issues, any problems like that.

Really, a kid jumped on the court after actually one of our matches at the Olympics and ran onto the court and asked for his pen back because I had signed his hat and then gone away with his pen. He jumped onto the court and asked for the pen back.

But that's really the only thing I have had. Obviously yesterday was -- I mean, it seemed like everything turned out okay. Yeah, never had any issues.

Q. You didn't face Rafa in Rio, but from what you saw, what's your assessment of his performance? Seems to come back strong from layoffs.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, obviously he played very well there. I think the last match he played I think he was extremely tired, but I watched quite a lot of the end of his match with Del Potro. You know, it was a very, very good match.

I didn't see any of his other matches there, but he obviously played good tennis there after a long layoff. I practiced with him a little bit in Mallorca before going there and he was practicing well and playing good in practice.

And, yeah, you know, like with any great player, once you build up momentum and get matches and gain confidence, there is no reason why they can't win the major events again.

Sometimes take a little bit of time after an injury layoff to build that back up. For some it's a little bit quicker. Just have to wait and see.

Q. Just the general takeaway after the match today? The form? The fitness? Where you are at this stage in the tournament?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I felt I did pretty well. It was a 20-, 25-minute period in the match where it was tough and, you know, tricky. Got myself in a situation that maybe, you know, I could have avoided if I had taken one or two of the set points that I had at 5-2 or 5-3.

But, you know, I thought I did pretty well. I thought there were some good points in there. Yeah, that period of the match was very tough. I didn't play that well during that period and managed to come through it thankfully and play some good stuff in the second and third sets.

You know, I served at like 40, 42% first serves or something and still won in straight sets. I must have been doing other things well than serving. I was obviously hitting the ball pretty well and returning pretty good. Could serve better, for sure. Only got broken once in a game where I had game points. It was all right.

Q. I think it's fair to say that few other players really in history have made more of a striking or stunning run than you have had in the past months both on court and off court: Davis Cup, becoming a father, the finals, Melbourne and Paris, obviously Wimbledon and the Olympics. Even just going to support your country in Serbia. Do you sense you have blossomed a bit, coming into a new period? Could you explain your great success? Do you think love and fathering have anything to do with it?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, it's hard to know exactly what to out it down to. Yeah, it's tough to know. I think there is many things that have gone into obviously becoming a parent. Well, for me anyway it's changed my perspective a bit on things. I feel a little bit calmer than maybe I did in my past about my tennis and how important tennis is in my life.

It's still extremely important, but it's not the most important thing. I think having Ivan back on my team has been great and has helped me a lot.

You know, I have capitalized on, you know, a few opportunities. You know, when some of the other top guys maybe hadn't played or struggled or lost, you know, I have taken those chances, you know, when they have come my way which is good.

But, yeah, it's really hard to say like one thing, you know, definitively. Like this is what's made the difference. There has been a number of changes this year, and I think all of them come together at the same time has, you know, has made for a successful few months.

Q. The women's tour has negotiated a heat rule which has been implemented this week. On the players council, is that something you would consider raising there? Do you think it's valid for the men's tour, as well?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I do think so. I mean, there is a heat rule for the men, I believe, but I don't think anyone would be able to tell you exactly what it is. You know, in Australia -- I don't know exactly what it is. There is a lot of different things that go into it.

Yeah, I do think there should be a heat rule, because sometimes it is -- especially on the hard courts it can be, you know, pretty brutal. You know, you don't want to take any chances with, you know, a player's health.

But it's not something I have spoken about on the council yet. Whether it's something that comes up I don't know. I mean, I do think we have heat rules in place, but they are different to the women. I don't really understand how they come up with them or who decides on what the heat rule is.

Q. (Question regarding stress on the body.)
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think -- I mean, if you ask most players that have had cramps -- rarely do athletes cramp in practice or in training. That tends to come in match situations. No one really understands exactly the reasons for why cramps start.

Obviously it can be from dehydration, but most of the players would, you know, be professional enough to make sure that isn't what the problem is. Sometimes it can be through lack of conditioning, but, you know, mostly guys are in very good shape.

You know, there is the psychological aspect of it. The stress, you know, that you might put yourself under and the nerves that you feel can cause that.

I think most players have gone through it, and for some reason it seems to happen more at this event, I think, than at the others. That's just my take on it like from being around. I don't know if that is because of the humidity or maybe players are coming in here more fatigued at the end of a long season, a long stretch. I don't know.

Q. It could be Simon in the next round. Talk about him. Obviously an exhausting player to play at this stage of the year. Is that a danger for you, as well?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah. I mean, he's very good. He obviously pushed Novak extremely close earlier in the year at the Aussie Open. And, yeah, I mean, I have had good success against him in the past, but a lot of the matches have been tough, tough matches.

Davis Cup last year and the quarters, I think it was, you know, I was quite a long way behind in that match and managed to turn it around.

Yeah, I have had a lot of close matches with him in the past. He's a tough guy to play because, you know, he makes a lot of balls. He moves unbelievably well. You know, he's a smart player on the court. He's tough when he's on his game.

Q. How different is it this year, being in New York with the US Open and the baby along?
ANDY MURRAY: It doesn't change too much, to be honest. Not much. Not much changes. Maybe get up earlier than I did in the past. But, yeah, doesn't change. Doesn't change loads.

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