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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2017

Sam Querrey

London, England

S. QUERREY/J. Thompson

7-6, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That was an interesting match there. A good matchup?
SAM QUERREY: Definitely, yeah. It was tough out there. It was windy. You know, the first set I had numerous chances and couldn't get them but played a good tiebreaker. He played a good second. Third set was strange. Break of serve, break of serve, break of serve. Then he had a Love-40 on me. I felt when I climbed out of that game I had a lot of momentum and felt good about my chances of closing it out.

Q. Coming into I guess your favorite time of the year. How are you feeling in your game and your big weapons, serve and forehand? All feeling good?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, I'm only two matches in. First rounds are always tricky. Today was windy, so I'm not necessarily feeling great yet. A lot of times, you know, it's a good sign when you can kind of dig through two matches maybe not feeling your best out there. I don't think Jordan played his best because of the wind, but I'm hoping to get better and better every day.

Q. How different were the weather conditions to your previous match?
SAM QUERREY: Much different. I mean, it hasn't been windy, I feel, like since I have been here for six days, and all of a sudden it was breezy and swirly all day today. Made it very difficult. My first-round match was 5:00 p.m. and really pleasant.

Q. It's been seven years since you won your title here. How much confidence does it give you?
SAM QUERREY: You know, I don't think the win from seven years ago has any effect on how I play today or going forward. You know, that was fun to win it back then, but seven years is a long time ago. I feel like my game is different now.

You know, I get confidence from winning a handful of matches in a row. To be able to win two in a row now, that gives me more confidence than winning the tournament seven years ago.

Q. What in your game is different?
SAM QUERREY: Just little things. I feel like I'm a little more confident at the net. I feel like my backhand is better. I feel like my return of serve is better. Little things like that.

Q. Speaking of seven years ago, do you think the tournament has changed, environment of the tournament, or do you feel like it's the same?
SAM QUERREY: Feels the same. You know, besides the stands are a little different, the courts are a little different, it feels the same. The locker room hasn't changed. The players lounge is one of the best. Seven years ago I feel like you had a full crowd, you know, Monday at 12:30 for that first match, which you rarely have at tournaments.

So, you know, little things are different, but it always feels the same when I come back.

Q. Of the four slams, maybe discount the French because it's on clay, but where would you put the speeds of the court at the Aussie Open, US Open, and Wimbledon? Some people say the grass almost plays like a hard court now.
SAM QUERREY: I'm a bad guy to ask that. I don't like when people ask me court speeds because I don't know the answers. I still feel like Wimbledon is the fastest. US and Australia feel about the same. I feel that year to year it kind of varies, whether they resurface the courts or not resurface the courts, but yeah, they are more similar than they were probably 20 years ago, but I still feel like Wimbledon is the fastest, probably Australian Open -- Australian Open is the second fastest if you're on an outer court. The main courts are slower. And then US Open probably third.

Q. What about Wimbledon compared to Queen's?
SAM QUERREY: They feel exactly the same. I can't notice the difference.

Q. Do you think grass, you know, the guys with the big serves, you still get ample reward by playing on grass?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah. You don't see guys serving and volleying as much, but you're still rewarded with a big serve and aggressive play.

Q. Your next round here you have Gilles Muller, another very tricky opponent, a left-hander?
SAM QUERREY: Left-handed. He actually serves and volleys.

Q. He does, yeah.
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, it will be tough. He's coming off a win last week. He beat Tsonga yesterday, so he has to be feeling good. It's never fun to play a tall lefty, serve-and-volleyer on any surface, and the grass makes it a little tougher.

Q. I guess it's rare to play against a serve and volleyer?
SAM QUERREY: There is like three left. He's one, Karlovic, and -- you know, Feliciano Lopez does but not all the time. That's really all I can think of.

Q. Zverev.
SAM QUERREY: Oh, yeah. Mischa Zverev will do it. There's less than five.

Q. Not really anyone to practice with, as such?
SAM QUERREY: No.

Q. You have to make it up as you go?
SAM QUERREY: Exactly.

Q. Mentioning Wimbledon, it's almost Wimbledon now again. Do you think that the way people look at you has changed since the last Wimbledon, and especially now that you're coming back on grass?
SAM QUERREY: No. I feel like I always kind of played well on grass, and Wimbledon was always one of my best slams. People might remember that match from last year, but I think I'm still viewed as kind of the same.

Q. The consideration that they have, the way you perceive their consideration is almost the same?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I think so.

Q. This week has been an open draw. Do you think it will happen in Wimbledon, as well?
SAM QUERREY: No, you always have more upsets in grass. I think because Wimbledon is three-out-of-five sets, you have less upsets than you would here, Halle, Eastbourne, things like that. But you will definitely have a handful of upsets. That's the one slam where you rarely have every top seed move forward.

Q. So no difference to any other year, you don't think?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I feel like you always have, you know, at least a couple of surprise quarterfinalists at Wimbledon, and the other slams that's a little more rare.

Q. Of course you think match by match, but seeing all those seeded players coming down, maybe your perspective of this tournament changes from actually I can get some matches on grass to thinking I can win the tournament?
SAM QUERREY: Definitely, yeah. I mean, you know, yeah, some of those seeded players went out, but, you know, Gilles Muller on grass and Feliciano Lopez on grass, you know, if you look at their grass court record over the last five, six years, a lot of times it's better than some of these guys that are top 15 in the world.

You have maybe got some of these higher-ranked guys out, but the guys that are left in are a lot of times you'd rather play the seeded player than someone like these guys that have good results on grass.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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