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NATURE VALLEY INTERNATIONAL

June 27, 2018

Kyle Edmund

Eastbourne, England

K. EDMUND/A. Murray

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Only four British players before today have beaten Andy Murray. The last one was in 2006. How much of an achievement? And also, you said earlier on that becoming British No. 1, Andy was injured, but now you actually played him on court and have shown who you are.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, obviously from a personal sense, I don't know if the word "nice" is right, but it's something, you know, yeah, different. Like, you obviously have Andy as like an idol, and then he helps you out.

You know, to beat him, it might seem strange but at the same time it sort of shows I have improved a lot, you know. Yeah, it's difficult to sort of put it in words, but it's one where it's not nice playing them, but it's one of them where to have that win is, you know, definitely, like, gives you a lot of confidence and belief with someone like Andy.

I guess the mental side of that, as well, it's a tough thing. Good to come through in that sense with the mental side. So, yeah, it's a nice win.

I mean, I can only, you know, play my game and the opponent down at the other end of the court and always try to be realistic, you know, seeing where he's come from, only third match since coming back. But I can only do what I can do, and that's play the guy on the other end of the court.

Q. You know each other's games so well. Must have been sort of awkward. You have practiced with him so much.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, not awkward in terms of game style, because we know each other reasonably well. When he first, we first sort of, you know, got to know each other, it was a big difference in terms of level and ranking, and he was -- you know, he's the best-ever British player and one of the best tennis players that's ever lived. So for me to be, like, a young 17-year-old who just got a pro ranking, it was amazing to be part of that.

And all these years later it was weird playing obviously at Queen's first, and now to be on the winning end, yeah, it's a weird one to sort of put into words, but that's sport. It happens. You have to be selfish and win. He probably did the same thing when he beat Tim for the first time.

Q. What did you think of Andy's level today?
KYLE EDMUND: I mean, Andy's always very tough to play, so regardless of his level -- I mean, of course if you're injured, you're injured, but not saying he was there, but I'm saying when he was at the end of last year, but Andy's always, like, very tough to beat. You know that coming from a tennis player's point of view that it doesn't matter where he's coming from physically. He's so smart on court and very crafty that he will make you beat him, like he'll always put balls in play in awkward positions. Whatever he's feeling, I don't know, but that's what I'd say, and he obviously just, yeah, is smart.

So today it was that sort of case. I think the conditions made a factor in that in terms of the courts are, the match court is way heavier than I thought it was going to be, and the wind sort of picked up. It's not easy to play pretty tennis, you could say, in the same style as making balls as always good when it's windy.

Q. Can you describe the sort of emotions you were feeling towards the end? Because you had that double-break cushion, but then he threatened and seemed to fight back.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I guess he just broke me that time. Definitely helped me to have that double-cushion break. I mean, to get to that double break at 5-2, before that, I actually was probably playing the best tennis I played in that match to break and hold comfortably, and then to break I hit some good shots on the run very near the line. So I was probably playing my best then.

Yeah, you always try and treat it as just another game, but, you know, you're a human being. You always subconsciously know where the situation is at in the scoreline, so you always have that in the back of your head.

Yeah, I think it just, that game, I gave him two second serves and he was downwind and he used that very well, taking the ball early off the court, put me in defense.

Then, yeah, having that double-cushion break was nice to serve downwind and have that bit of power behind the ball. And to get that cheap one first point of the game is always nice.

Q. To what extent did you take your tactics to test out how he was physically? Had him running particular directions or playing particular shots?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, you always -- I mean, that's sort of the case of everyone. You have an idea of what you want to do. And I have an idea with Andy what I want to do, certain shots or certain ways you want to, you want to get the guy going. My game anyway is try to get people moving generally.

Yeah, but I had a few sort of things I wanted to do when the time is right, but that's not necessarily because of his injury. It's just him as a player that you sort of over time work out plays or you like certain plays against him or a particular opponent.

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