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U.S. OPEN

September 3, 2017

Sam Querrey

New York, NY, USA

S. QUERREY/M. Zverev

6-2, 6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was that one of the better matches you ever played?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, probably. Felt good out there from the beginning. I felt like even when I was warming up, the ball was coming off clean. I felt like I was going to play well before the first point started.

Q. Do you feel like that the occasion brought the best out of you or just a feeling in general?
SAM QUERREY: I didn't have a good feeling until I hit a couple balls in the warmup. A little nervous, first night match out there. Mischa is someone who can make you feel uncomfortable. Had a good service game right off the bat. I think I broke first game of his serve, when he served. That just loosened me up right away. Felt great from there going forward.

Q. Years ago people would say having a target at the net really brings out your passing shots, enhances the groundstrokes. Is that happening every time you passed?
SAM QUERREY: That's kind of true. I went out there with the game plan of getting the return down and then try to pass, hopefully on the first ball, but if it took two passing shots, go with that. The more comfortable I got with the return, the more I kind of started trying to hit the return further and further away from him to make tough volleys.

I just got comfortable pretty quickly and started doing that.

Q. Did that lift up the serve?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, that was the best I've served all summer. My serve honestly has been the one thing I feel like I struggled with all summer. My serving percentage has been pretty low. It felt great out there. Something clicked. So I hope it feels like that on Tuesday.

Q. A little more than a year ago you hadn't been to a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Now you've had a few in a short span. Does it feel any less intimidating or momentous to be at this stage of a major tournament?
SAM QUERREY: Not yet. It's only been three. It's still kind of new. It's still really exciting. It's a fun stage to be on. I think it's nice to have played a few already.

I've kind of said it before. Experience sometimes I feel like is overrated. I don't think it will have any say on how I play on Tuesday. But I think I'm playing confident. I'm playing well. Expecting to play well then.

Q. You're playing Kevin Anderson next. 8-6 lifetime, 1-1 this summer. Thoughts on the match?
SAM QUERREY: I've played him more than I think any guy on tour. Mischa and I have been on tour together 10 years, never played each other. Kevin and I have played each other 14 times. Weird.

He's tough. A close record. Got a big game. He's another one that is tough to play. He doesn't give you much rhythm. He can go games where he's serving huge, you don't get a ball in play. He takes big cuts from start to finish. If he's on and he is dialed in, he's one of the toughest guys to play out there. You have to weather the storm against him, know he's going to have some brilliant shots.

But I feel like when my game's on, I have a dangerous game as well. Hopefully it will be a match where each guy might have a small opportunity here and there, but we'll see.

Q. You've won a couple titles this year. Different end game mode you get into this deep into a tournament?
SAM QUERREY: Not really. I kind of still have the same mindset as the first round. Just kind of going one match at a time. Stevie always tells me to keep your head space small. I feel like I'm doing a good job of keeping the big picture kind of a small picture and just focusing on the one match ahead of me.

Q. At some point in time reaching the milestones you have this summer late in your career, how late guys are playing, do you feel you can keep going?
SAM QUERREY: Possibly. I mean, yeah, guys are playing later. I hope I've got, whatever, five, six years left in me. I wouldn't consider myself a late-bloomer. I've been decent for 10 years. I've heard that a lot already (smiling).

I'm hoping I can kind of continue having more years like this into my 30s.

Q. Does it feel like it's not even a big deal to be doing what you're doing at 29?
SAM QUERREY: Because I'm 29?

Q. Whereas at one point it might have been.
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I don't... It's exciting at 29 to do it, yeah. Most guys don't have their best year 11 years into a career, so that is something different.

Q. You're the first American in the quarterfinals since 2011. Is there any type of added pressure, after such a drought?
SAM QUERREY: Not at all. I never once thought about that this whole tournament or that match out there tonight. I don't feel any extra pressure.

Q. How excited are you to be the guy that does bring it back?
SAM QUERREY: I'm excited. Bring what back?

Q. The trophy.
SAM QUERREY: It's a long way from. There's some matches before that. Like I said earlier, Kevin Anderson is a tough player. He's playing well. He's kind of rolled through four matches here. I'm going to worry about that and just do the best I can.

Q. After your first taste of Ashe at night, do you want to be out there the rest of this tournament as much as possible?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah. I mean, I had a great time out there. I felt comfortable. I hope I play out there again on Tuesday. If I don't, it's fine.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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