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QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

January 7, 2017

Andy Murray

Doha, Qatar

N. DJOKOVIC/A. Murray

6-3, 5-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Overall, despite the loss, is it a week of positives for you heading to Melbourne?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, obviously disappointed not to win tonight, but I played pretty good the last couple of the matches. I think physically it was a good test to start the year, and I did good there.

My body feels all right just now, so that's positive. It was a little bit sore earlier in the week after the first couple of the matches. Felt better each day.

Yeah, I think it's positive. Still think there are things I can do better. You know, I wasn't that clinical on break points this week, which maybe that comes with playing a few more matches. That's something I could definitely do a little bit better.

Q. Does the defeat have any relevance when it comes to heading towards the Australian Open? Does it put down a psychological marker, or it is just something you forget once you're out of here?
ANDY MURRAY: I still think I have a chance of winning the Australian Open after tonight. I don't think that changes. It's disappointing to lose for sure. I have a chance to win the Australian Open still.

Q. Just based on your previous matches with Novak towards the end of last year, is he any different this time round? Did you notice anything different tonight?
ANDY MURRAY: Look, I mean, the match at the O2 wasn't the best tennis from either of us, I don't think. There was a lot on the line in this match, and often in sport when you have a lot riding on a match the level isn't always the best.

Tonight maybe both of us played a little bit better than we did there, but as always, it kind of comes down to who takes their opportunities. I did have a few chances. I had a break point at 3-2; in the last game I had Love-30 on Novak's serve and played a couple loose shots.

I think I had the first break point in the first set as well; didn't get it. He had one and took it. That was the difference this evening.

Q. I think you recently talked about you have short-term goals that keep you going. When you're putting in the hard yards in Miami, is it something like the Australian Open that drives you when you're doing the drills on the beach and whatever else?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah, because, I mean, tennis players, I mean, I've been playing best-of-three set matches since I was literally nine years old. That's what my body is conditioned to do.

To get it to compete over best-of-five set matches, which is at the slams or the biggest events for the players, you need a little bit more than what you have built up over the years. You need to work on the conditioning to have that little extra bit of stamina for the best-of-five set matches.

That's why I go train in hot weather. It's not for best-of-three set matches. My body has been doing that since I was a child really. It's when you become a grown up and start playing the best-of-five in slams and Davis Cup, and that's what the training is for.

Q. Given that you are on the three-set format for a good chunk of the regular season, do you prepare any differently heading into the slams?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah. Like I was saying there, the training that I do, sort of at the end of last year, for example, when the last two and a half months of the year you don't play any best-of-five-set matches. A lot of the training is a lot more kind of shorter, sharper stuff.

Whereas when you're preparing for the new year and with the Aussie Open just around the corner, there is a lot more stamina-based work, a lot more cardio training than I do. For example, at the end of last year we would do very little cardio stuff. Get all of that done pretty much on the court.

Yeah, playing in slams obviously physically is harder; at times mentally it's a little bit easier just because you have more time to work things out. Here in best-of-three-set matches, they can get away from you quite quickly.

You need to start fast.

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