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FEVER-TREE CHAMPIONSHIP

June 19, 2018

Andy Murray

London, England

N. KYRGIOS/A. Murray

2-6, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you describe the emotions of being back on the match court?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, look, I was pretty nervous this morning beforehand, just because you don't really know how you're going to perform. And obviously playing against someone like Nick, as well, a tough match, he's obviously a very good grass court player and serves extremely well. So, you know, I didn't know how well anything was going to go, really. I was nervous about that.

But, you know, I thought I did okay. I certainly could have done some stuff better, like beginning of the second set I thought my level at times was good; sometimes not so good.

You know, serve at the end of the match, I didn't feel like I served particularly well in the third set. But, you know, I did some good stuff, as well. You know, physically I did okay, as well. I didn't feel amazing well physically, like at the end I was starting to tire a bit, but it was a good test for me for first match in such a long time.

Q. I suppose you won't probably perhaps know until tomorrow morning sort of the full effects, but how have you pulled up an hour after the match?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I'm a bit stiff just now. I've got, like, kind of normal stuff that you would get after, you know, maybe playing on a grass court for the first time in a while. Like left glute is pretty stiff I think from landing on the serve and stuff.

I haven't -- you know, that's like an hour -- at the most, longest I have practiced in the last year has been an hour and a half. So, you know, I was on the court for significantly longer than that in a more intense environment. So, you know, I'm feeling decent, considering that.

Q. You said the other day that it really wasn't about being pain-free. It's about playing a good level. The hip held up well?
ANDY MURRAY: It seemed to, yeah. I mean, look, I was starting to get a bit tired towards the end, and there's things that maybe like on the serve, you know, if you're not pushing up to the serve and driving up to the serve as much, you know, that comes from your leg and maybe there is a bit of a fatigue element there from, you know, from the hip potentially.

But, you know, hopefully I'm not too sore, like, in the hip after a match like today, and I also physically will have gained a lot from it, as well. Like hopefully, you know, like if I have to play a longer match in the next couple of weeks, you know, I will handle it a bit better maybe because I have been through it and my body will hopefully start to remember what it's supposed to do. Like my body is supposed to play tennis. That's kind of what I have taught it to do since I was a kid. So it will remember quickly, I hope, yeah.

Q. Do you feel it would get you through the best-of-five-set match? Is it impossible to do that in a best-of-three to transfer that knowledge to can you do it over five?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, look, it's something I need to speak to my team about, and also how I feel like tomorrow is relevant, as well, because if I wake up and I really don't feel good tomorrow, then that's obviously not a great sign for, you know, best-of-five-set tennis at this stage.

However, if I pull up and feel okay, then that's a good sign. I mean, at the end of the match, I was certainly tired, but it wasn't like I was completely off my feet and didn't feel like I could move anymore and stuff.

But, you know, potentially if it was a five-setter, that could have been another hour and a half of tennis and, you know, probably would have been difficult for me.

So that's something I'll need to kind of assess over the next day or so, couple of days, and speak to my team a bit about, see where I go from here.

Q. If all is fine tomorrow, how do you think you'll prepare for Wimbledon? How different will it be from previous years? For example, will you be tempted to play Eastbourne?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I won't rule anything out just now. I won't rule out playing Eastbourne and not playing Wimbledon. I wouldn't rule out not playing a tournament next week and trying to get matches like in an exhibition tournament, as well, to get ready for Wimbledon.

I'm not sure yet. I'm really happy that I got on the match court today and played. You know, it was a close decision. I have not been practicing loads at all, you know. I have been hitting for a couple of weeks, and, you know, the beginning was only like 30 minutes or so. I really haven't played a whole lot of tennis, so I'm happy I got out there and competed and performed, you know, respectably.

Yeah, I'll kind of need to wait and see what happens the next few days and chat with my team about that, because I don't know exactly what's best for me just now.

Q. Coming back against a player like Nick, how much tougher does that make it to get rhythm and get your sea legs sort of back on matches and go back and assess how you played?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, there are certain things that you can, certain things you can assess well, like your return and things like that. He's obviously, regardless of what he was doing kind of a bit between the points, how it appeared between the points, he was still serving, like, 135, 140 miles an hour, you know, and hitting huge second serves a lot of the time, as well.

I thought, like, timing and stuff on the returns was quite good. You know, obviously certain things like in the rallies and stuff, obviously, you know, shot selection from him is a bit up and down.

You know, your rhythm, you know, can be a bit off. But there are certain things I can judge pretty well today and some things there is a little bit more difficult.

Q. How about the reaction from the crowd today?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was obviously really nice. I have been waiting obviously to get back and competing again, and, you know, I was hoping to play last week in Holland, but it was also nice I guess my first match was back here in the UK and in front of a full crowd, a tournament I love playing at. It was nice.

Q. Were there times at all today when you were at all cautious in your movement, just aware of the hip issue that you have had?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, for sure. And also I think that that's something, that's one of the things that I wasn't that happy with. Like I wasn't that happy with how I moved today. I speak to my team and they're, like, we actually think you moved pretty well.

I guess it's like that, the instinct and the reaction time that you have on the court is very, you know, is very little, you know. And on the return, when it was, you know, when it was, like, instinct, like I felt like I moved well and sometimes when I had a little bit more time to think about it, my movement was not quite as good as I would have liked it.

But again, considering it was the first match I can't be too, too picky about that because of, more because of how little tennis I have actually played in the last few weeks.

Q. You talked about your body having been trained to play tennis for all these years, but how did it feel emotionally to go back doing what you have been trained to do for all these years?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I was quite emotional actually after my practice today, because, well, I don't know exactly why, but it was just sort of, like, it's come around kind of quite quickly, as well, in terms of like where I was like four or five weeks ago to now. There has obviously been such a long time, and I was obviously really looking forward to play a match. You know, there was lots of -- you know, like, players, you know, fans and stuff coming up and saying to me, like, It's great to see you back and can't wait to see you play and stuff.

You know, that was -- you know, it was nice. And, yeah, I was emotional before the match. Once it got going, you know, I was okay. There was times when I was sort of thinking a little bit towards the end, like, of the match when I was getting close to the finish line, which, you know, maybe because it was my first match in a long time and I obviously would have loved to have won, you know, emotions kind of got in the way a little bit there. But, yeah, it was a good experience.

Q. Tomorrow morning, Wimbledon wildcards will be announced. Regarding Dan Evans, what's your opinion on that subject?
ANDY MURRAY: In terms of whether he should get a wildcard or not?

Q. Yes, considering the ban in the past.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean -- I mean, I was pretty clear last year when I was asked about the Sharapova situation how I felt about it, but obviously Wimbledon last year, I'm pretty sure they had given a wildcard for Sharapova in the wildcard? Am I wrong? They hadn't decided and she then pulled out? Okay.

Yeah, well, I don't know. I mean, it's a difficult one. He's obviously -- he's played extremely well the last few weeks in terms of, like, his level and stuff. He deserves it. Whether or not it's the right message to be sending, I don't know, but then some would say he's obviously served his, you know, his time and, you know, should be given a second chance.

So we'll see what happens. He's probably got a decent chance of it, I think.

Q. Have you spoken with him within recent months?
ANDY MURRAY: I saw him this morning. I hadn't seen him much at all, but I saw him this morning.

Q. Given what you have been through in the last year, are you not pleasantly surprised by your level today? Did it go better than you could have maybe expected?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I was -- look, I mean, I guess it's the thing, it's always a challenge I think for athletes, especially if you played, you know, the top level, is finding that kind of, I don't know, that balance between sort of being like -- you know, I'm generally quite hard on myself.

I have very high expectations, and then obviously when I lose a match like that, which I feel like I was very close to winning and probably could have won that, you know, I'm disappointed and frustrated that I wasn't able to.

But then hopefully, you know, in a couple of days I'll be able to reflect on it and think, you know, actually considering the circumstances, you know, it was a positive step forward and my recovery from, you know, the hip issues that I have had. It might take a couple of days.

Q. Couple times you seemed to hold your lower back in the third set. That's not a problem?
ANDY MURRAY: My back got a bit stiff yeah, in the beginning of the third set, but, I mean, it feels okay just now. I think that was, again, just a bit of fatigue.

I mean, it is amazing how, you know, like it was literally on the sort of the time, I guess it was like an hour 45 minutes, hour 50 minutes in, which is like literally 10, 15 minutes more than what I have been doing in practice and then things obviously, you know, your body is thinking, what's going on? You know, you should be in the locker room now (smiling).

So, yeah. Hopefully I'm getting through a match like that, like I said, hopefully the body remembers that it needs to be able to do that for a little bit longer.

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