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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2017

Andy Murray

Wimbledon, London, England

A. MURRAY/A. Bublik

6-1, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You looked pretty comfortable on court in terms of the hip. How did it feel today?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I played pretty good. Moved quite well. I mean, it's not the easiest match to play because of the way he plays. There's not loads of rhythm. He's kind of doing different stuff on each point. I mean, he served some huge, huge serves on first and second serves. He was hitting some 130-mile-an-hour second serves, which you don't really see much these days. Yeah, just kind of going for his shots. Wasn't loads of rhythm.

But I hit the ball well. I don't feel like I made too many unforced errors. I hit the ball pretty clean, got through a tough moment at the end of the second set, did pretty well.

Q. After a buildup that was anything but normal, how much of a relief was it to get back on court and actually be playing?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I was a bit nervous this morning. Yeah, I hadn't been able to do as much as I would have liked in the buildup. Didn't know the guy I was playing. Obviously, first match at a slam, there's always a few extra nerves.

Once I got out there and got the early break, saved a few breakpoints my first service game, I felt good. I moved well. So, yeah, for a first match, considering how I was feeling five, six days ago, it was really positive.

Q. You said you moved well. In between points, sometimes you looked in a little bit of discomfort. Is that still the case?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't know if that's something that's come over the last couple of weeks when my hip's been sore. I've always done it, and everyone is sort of saying that I'm walking that way because of my hip. But I have no idea.

I'm not in a lot of pain when I'm walking, that's for sure. Whether it's something that's just happened these last couple of weeks, like, subconsciously, my hip's been sore, I have no idea. But I'm certainly not hurting between the points.

Q. It didn't feel sore at all?
ANDY MURRAY: Certainly not in between the points. When I'm walking, it was fine.

Q. Increasingly you've been known for your thoughtful comments about all aspects, tennis. As a major star you've had to deal with different aspects of being an elite athlete. In this room about 10 minutes ago, Venus was asked in reference to the car accident. She broke down in tears. If you could give some advice or a word to Venus of dealing with an unfortunate situation in the midst of trying to win a trophy, what would you say?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, really, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, that's a situation that I don't know how you can help someone unless they've maybe been through that before.

I don't know exactly what happened. I just read kind of more like headlines rather than the whole stories about it. But it's obviously, you know, horrific when anything like that happens.

I'm sure it must be tough for her to focus on her tennis just now. But, yeah, I don't know how you advise someone on that. Yeah, it's obviously horrible. I think, unless you've been through it, you don't know. You don't know what to do.

Q. Have you been in touch with Dan at all? Your thoughts on that whole situation. Obviously a very difficult time for him.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, will be a difficult time for him. But, you know, he put himself in that position. The rules are very clear. He broke those rules, and deserves his suspension. However long that's going to be, I don't know. But it's going to be, you know, a pretty long, long period, I'd imagine.

In what was looking like going to be the best sort of few years of his career, he got himself into a position to play in all the big events. You know, he's going to have a few years away from the game now. You make your decisions. He's obviously made a really, really bad one there.

Q. Have you been in touch with him at all?
ANDY MURRAY: I spoke to him the day -- the evening before it was announced, I spoke to him.

Q. Dustin Brown next, first time in a long time. To the extent you never have a fun match in a Grand Slam, is that a potentially fun match?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I don't know. I mean, like today's match is similar. He plays a similar way in terms of being pretty unpredictable, going for different shots. You know, a lot of power. Dustin plays a lot more up at the net than Bublik.

I mean, certainly to watch, for anyone watching, he tends to come out with some great shots. Very entertaining guy to watch. He's a great mover. Really, really good athlete. He's a good personality, as well. Always fun, fun guy to watch.

Q. I spoke to Bublik. He was talking about the chats you had during the rain breaks. Can you tell us what was said?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, so we were waiting to go out the beginning of the third set. I think I had just broken him. When I got interviewed by him in Indian Wells earlier in the year, I think I spoke to him right before the interview, I asked him how his match had gone there.

He said, Oh, I served like 20 double-faults. He asked me if I had any advice for him in the interview.

I said, Try not to serve 20 double-faults.

Then he said to me just before he went on, he said, Yeah, thanks for the advice about not serving 20 double-faults.

I said, You served a few.

He said, Yeah, I think I'm only on about 10 right now.

I said, Well, there's still time to get to 20.

But, yeah, it was just funny. It's rare that you speak to someone, like, during a match. Just asked him how he liked Centre Court, all that stuff, yeah. Just had a little chat.

Q. What do you think it is that your group, the big four, has had such a hold particularly at Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt won in 2002? Other guys have not been able to break in, where at least a little bit at some of the other majors.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, maybe the surface here, because it's a little bit slower than what it was in the past, I think if it was like it was 25, 30 years ago, it's more likely there would have been more upsets.

I think with the court being a bit slower now, it's maybe a little bit harder to beat the top guys over five sets when you're not getting maybe as many free points as you would be if the courts were quicker. It's tough.

But, yeah, it's still a pretty amazing stat. Apart from that, I can't really say why, you know, that would have been the case.

Q. Sometimes in a game like that, is it difficult to concentrate when the mood is a bit lighter than, say, a more intense match?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was actually -- I was fine until the rain breaks. I felt pretty locked in, was concentrating really well. It's just tricky when you stop for 10 or 15 minutes, then go back out, play a game, stop again. You're in a good position, and maybe if you don't have the break, you kind of just keep going as you are, you keep the momentum.

But sometimes, you know, something like a rain delay, that can change the match. I think it's a bit normal maybe to find -- I don't know, maybe feel a little bit more stressed or tense in those moments. Apart from that, I felt good.

Q. I had a chat with Cameron Norrie earlier. He talked about how impressed he was with how willing you are to help the other Brits, himself included. You have been practicing with Aidan McHugh. Do you still see that as a big part of your responsibilities, something that you like to, maybe even more so because you're No. 1 now?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, not more so because of my ranking. It's been a little bit different the last couple of years because some of the guys that I spent quite a bit of time with, like, during training blocks and stuff, Jamie Baker was one of them, James Ward, Kyle, and obviously Dan. But then when they first come along to training blocks, normally you kind of do what you want. You know, you try to help them whilst they're there. But the practices are more sort of tailored to you.

Once someone like Kyle or Dan, if they get into top 50 in the world, it's not the same. You're still trying to help them when you can, but the practices, it's more you're doing it together, and they're working on their own things, as well.

Yeah, but now obviously with guys like Aidan and Cameron, yeah, whenever I get the chance to, I practice with them. I had Jay Clarke in Paris with us a couple days. I practiced with him a bit this morning.

I enjoy it. I like doing it. I like to see the other British players, you know, doing well. If I can help them a little bit, too, then that's great obviously.

Q. Chatting to Dustin earlier, he said he was going to be honored to play you. He said he's lining up a few special things for when he's going to play you. Does that have extra pressure for you being the defending champion, home slam, world No. 1? More on Dustin, what are you expecting from him?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I know Dustin pretty well. We get on well with each other. We message each other from time to time. I like him. He's really, really a nice guy.

But, yeah, in terms of the match, I expect him to be very aggressive. I think he'll go for his shots. I think he'll come forward a lot. You know, he's unpredictable. You know he's going to go for it. Also you know he hits a lot of dropshots. He can play slice. Sometimes he hits two first serves, goes for a huge second serve. It's not easy to play players like that.

He's obviously had a big win here in the past against Rafa. Whether he respects me or not, I'm going to go out on the court, you know, expecting to play great tennis, give it a good shot. I'll need to be ready.

Q. The other day you said you might have to play yourself in like you did at the French Open. I know it's only been one match, but you seem to be feeling better about your game than you were in Paris. Is that fair to say, at the start?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think more because it's the surface I feel a little bit more comfortable on. Obviously on the clay, it's a surface that I've done well the last couple years, but it's not my most natural surface.

If I'm not feeling confident, I haven't won a lot of matches, I'm not feeling great, then that one's going to feel a little bit worse. I'll be a bit more nervous going into a tournament than maybe this one where I know I didn't have many matches.

But I feel a lot more comfortable on the grass courts. I love playing on Centre Court, feel really comfortable out there. So, you know, that definitely helps.

Q. Were there any points today where, because of the hip, you didn't go for a ball, just playing safe when you didn't need to, or did the hip not affect you at all?
ANDY MURRAY: No, my hip felt good. It's a little bit sore, but I was moving really good on the court today. You know, that's the most important thing. If you're in a little bit of pain, but you can still run as you normally do, that doesn't affect how you play. It's when it's affecting your movement and some of the shots that you play when it becomes a problem.

Today, you know, certainly wasn't the case at all. So I'm really positive about that because it's the most amount of points I played in a match since obviously -- since against my match against Jordan Thompson. I haven't played sets like that in practice really either. It was really positive. Hopefully feels good again tomorrow.

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