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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2018

Sam Querrey

Wimbledon, London, England

S. QUERREY/J. Thompson

6-2, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was quite warm out there today. Just wondered if you had any thoughts on the whole issue of the heat rule which applies to women players but doesn't apply to the men?
SAM QUERREY: It's hot out here today. Usually you don't see guys fatigue as easily at Wimbledon on the grass. The points are much shorter. So the heat I don't really think is that big of an issue here as it is at maybe the French Open or US Open or Australian Open.

Q. Should there be a heat rule there for the guys?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah. I mean, what is the rule (smiling)?

Q. Well, if it gets to 30 degrees plus a certain humidity plus a certain ground temperature, they get 10 minutes after the second set.
SAM QUERREY: Okay. Yeah, I wouldn't mind a break then for the guys. I'm indifferent about it, though.

Q. Congrats on your milestone, your wedding. Question about you at Wimbledon, at quarters two years ago, last year semis. You've had amazing success, breakthrough success for you in your career at this major. Do you feel like there is possibly another level for you?
SAM QUERREY: I hope so. I like playing here. I like playing on the grass. Guys seem to a lot of times play well, the same events throughout the year, places you're comfortable playing. I like playing here, and, you know, I'm hoping I can make another run like the last couple of years.

Q. You said on court you have been here two weeks. So did you honeymoon here, come here after the wedding with Abby?
SAM QUERREY: Not really. We went home for three days and flew over for Queen's, if you count that as a honeymoon. I don't think she does.

Q. Is there a honeymoon to come?
SAM QUERREY: Maybe down the road. Neither of us are -- neither of us want to really take a honeymoon right now. We travel so much during the year anyway. Maybe at the end of the year we will do a honeymoon somewhere close to where we life. I don't really think we want to travel anywhere.

Q. How does playing on grass affect your serving strategy and execution, if at all?
SAM QUERREY: It doesn't affect my strategy. I feel like I still try to serve the same way or serve to the same spots. For some reason, I don't know if it's visual or what, I seem to serve better on the grass.

You know, maybe on second serves I might go a little more into the body because the ball skids a little bit compared to the other surfaces. But strategy-wise, I don't mix it up on the grass.

Q. So even if you're not thinking about it, you do see some effect on the serve itself. What do you see the results are on grass that are different from other surfaces?
SAM QUERREY: I mean, if my first serve goes in on grass it's going to be harder for someone to time it and get it into the court. That's the biggest difference. You get more free points -- not necessarily aces but balls that aren't coming back in, and, you know, you just, because it's just so difficult on grass to return it in time.

Q. You have played on Centre Court at such a historic place. What goes through your mind when you're walking on the court with all the fans? What's that like?
SAM QUERREY: It's pretty cool. I mean, it starts even before you get there you walk from the locker room down that hallway and then you go through some type of members areas, and, you know, the first time you go out there it's pretty surreal.

It's definitely the most historic and probably greatest tennis venue that we have. And so I have gotten to play on it a few times now so I'm a little more comfortable out there. It's definitely something that everyone remembers the first time you head out there.

Q. Do you feel like the nerves are higher on a court like that?
SAM QUERREY: No, like, it depends. Like last year I played on it but it was so late in the tournament so I had already played four or five matches so I was comfortable here already. I wasn't that uncomfortable out there. I think if it was your first-round match, first time you went out there was against Roger Federer day one, I think you'd be a little more nervous.

Q. You got to a high of 11 earlier this year in the world. Is there a vast difference between 11 and 9? Is it any kind of a barrier mentally?
SAM QUERREY: No, I mean, everyone, I think everyone wants to say you got into the top 10. 11 and 10 really is the number. But I mean, it doesn't bother me that I didn't get a 10. I'm just going out and playing matches. If I get there I get there.

Q. How much, if at all, do you even dwell on your ranking?
SAM QUERREY: Not too much. You'll drive yourself nuts if you kind of look at your ranking week to week and try to see what you have to defend or not defend.

So I just try to kind of put it out of my mind.

Q. How much grass did you play on when you were a kid, if at all? Say 15, 16, did you get to do it at all?
SAM QUERREY: No, first time I played on it was Wimbledon juniors when I was 17. Probably the case with most players. It's so tough to find grass other parts of the world and if it is, it's usually at a high-end country club.

Q. What did you think of that first time?
SAM QUERREY: It's just fun. I think that's what most people think. You know, you always want to try to dive on it I think your first time out there, but it's always kind of fun to play in something different and grass is so unique. And so it's just having it be fun is the best part.

Q. You just spoke about what was so wonderful about Wimbledon, but as an American I'd like to ask a question about the US Open, which is going to be celebrating its 50th anniversary as an open tournament. Can you single in on a moment or two that were really special for you at the US Open for you?
SAM QUERREY: I mean, last year was amazing, getting to play a night match on Ashe. I had never done that before. Other than that, my favorite moment was playing Nadal in 2008, I think it was, in the fourth round. Those are the two matches that stick out for me.

An awesome tournament. It's fun to play there being an American. I think this year will be great with the new Armstrong Stadium. I think they will have simultaneous night matches. So there will be even more of a buzz post-7 p.m.

Q. To that point in terms of Wimbledon, do you have a favorite memory or something that sticks out in your mind?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, beating Murray here last year. I mean, just because it was on Centre Court and to win that to get to the semis, that's probably the best tennis moment I've got.

Q. What was that feeling like? How much have you thought about it since?
SAM QUERREY: Haven't thought about it that much since, but it was exciting. I mean, I remember going to serve for the match. I was up 5-1, so it was one of those feelings, like, I kind of felt, All right, I'm going to win this. Once I finally closed it out, it was -- or exactly how I felt, I was probably really excited and, you know, that's kind of all I got there.

Q. Have you seen footage of it?
SAM QUERREY: No. I mean, maybe I saw like a highlight just hanging around the locker room the next couple days but I haven't gone back and kind of watched footage or anything.

Q. Just a follow-up to that. You're the last person to play Andy Murray in a slam. Given how demanding the schedule is, how important is it for the modern tennis player to think long-term?
SAM QUERREY: How important is it? Oh, extremely important. I think seeing Roger Federer, he's going to be 37 this year, and, you know, Wawrinka is in his 30s. I think Andy is probably 30 or 31? So I'm sure he's looking at it, like, I've got five or six good years left so there is no reason to rush back and try to play, you know, even though it's Wimbledon, play right now.

Hopefully he's looking long-term and he thinks he can put out five or six more really competitive years where he can be out there competing for slam championships. I'm sure that was kind of his thinking.

Q. If I have it right, a bunch of the young American players basically have been going to sort of one wedding after another. Did you have some of the players come to your wedding? Can you tell us just a little bit about the wedding?
SAM QUERREY: I had John and Stevie there. They were groomsmen of mine. Stevie and I were groomsmen at John's, John and I were groomsmen at Stevie's. They were the only two kind of tennis players.

We had a really small wedding. There were only like 45 people there. We had it in Florida. Abigail's parents' backyard basically. So weren't a ton of players, but it was really nice.

Q. There was no press conference after the wedding?
SAM QUERREY: There was not, no (smiling).

Q. What is most unusual, if anything, about your routine before a match, whether it's music, what you have in your bag or any other idiosyncrasies or superstitions leading up to a match?
SAM QUERREY: I would say it's the lack of routine I have. It's hard to have a routine sometimes when you're playing tennis because you don't know exactly when you're going to start. You're at a different venue all the time. The food is different. You can never time your warmup perfectly unless you're, you know, you know you're always going to play at 7:00 p.m.

You know, a lot of times I'll chat in the locker room. You know, the locker room here they have a little putter, putt some golf balls. Chat with friends. So I actually -- besides like little core routine I do four minutes before I go out there to kind of loosen up my abdomens, I don't do anything.

Q. Who's the best putter?
SAM QUERREY: They have new carpet in there this year so we don't really know who's read it yet (smiling). If Mardy Fish was still playing it would be him.

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