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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2018

Fernando Verdasco

New York, NY, USA

F. VERDASCO/A. Murray

7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about the match, the battle you and Andy had.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Obviously it was difficult, you know, because of the conditions. The heat, the humidity, the opponent, like how much everybody was talking about his return to a Grand Slam, his surgeries, how he's physically. At the end there's too many things that you have to try to don't think over too much and just be focused on yourself, on your game, and try to do the best as you can out there.

It was I think in general like a good match. Obviously I made few double-faults because I saw him, like, stepping in unbelievable on the second serves. I kind of look at it, he was almost at the service line. I was trying to rip the ball sometimes, and it was just, like, double-faults, double-faults. Obviously when you have an opponent like him, you make more mistakes than maybe with some other.

For that side, I was mentalize that that could be happening. So I was, like, really positive the whole match. Obviously happy to went through because it was a super tough match for me against him, not being seeded. Like I said before the match two days ago, one of the toughest that you can play in first round, second round.

Q. Another tough one coming up.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: That one obviously is the third round already. Being 31, you already expect play a top eight in third round. That's already something that is more in the normal thing that can happen more than having Andy Murray in second round obviously.

Q. You haven't beaten him in quite some time. What did you see from him today? There's a lot of talk about his coming back, a slow comeback. How close is he to what he's been at his best?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I mean, obviously I can see what I see looking at him. At the end he's the only one who really knows how he feels, how is the pain, how is his physical conditions.

What I can see for myself is that obviously he's not with the same confident when he was top four. But that's normal. It has been a long time out of the tour, more than a year without playing a Grand Slam. I mean, he played maybe eight matches. I didn't count them. But maybe eight matches in one year and two months. I mean, that's pretty few matches, you know, for a normal player.

Obviously it's super tough. But for another side, he's an unbelievable player, so talented. No matter how much pain he has, he's an unbelievable fighter and super competitive player. That makes things tough when you play against him because you know no matter how much his hip hurts or whatever, he's going to fight and he's going to put all the balls he can in and run. That makes you sometimes take more risks and make more mistakes.

But I was with the confident to be able to win. I went out there and tried my best. Like I said before, I'm so happy to being able to make it happen and to win this match in four sets and to be in third round.

Q. You didn't see a big difference in his game?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: He made more doubles maybe that he used to. But I saw few matches. I saw a little bit of the match with Pouille in Cincinnati. He was also doing double-faults in that match. I saw a little bit I think was with Edmund in Washington. I mean, not the whole match, but some games.

Obviously with the serve is not with the same confident. What you can see outside moving to the forehand he has more, like, I think pain or he kind of like maybe scared of the hip, like recovering from the forehand. You see some things.

But, like I said before, at the end is Andy the one who knows exactly how he feels.

Q. Can you describe your understanding of the rules regarding the 10-minute break and what conversations you had with your coach and others during that break?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: None. I know the rule exactly. I didn't speak anything to any member of my team.

Q. Andy said earlier that he was under the impression in the locker room you had conversations perhaps with your coach and some other people. He wanted to make sure that was drawn to the official's attention, as his understanding was he couldn't do it, so he wanted to sure there was no inequality.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I mean, I know the rule exactly. I know you can't talk with your team or use the phone or use anything. Is like a break on the court, but just on the locker. I saw my coach in the locker room, but I didn't even talk one word with him. I think he went to the toilet. I obviously cannot say, Don't go to the toilet. But actually we didn't even spoke one word.

I was in the ice bath with Baghdatis and his coach. The guy from the court with the time behind me just because I was asking him, Please tell me the time so I don't get late. Andy didn't take an ice bath, because I told Marcos -- I was first. I didn't even know Andy was coming. I told Marcos when I saw Andy, Maybe he's coming. Andy said, No, I'm not taking ice bath. I said, Marcos, you can stay.

I went in, I saw my coach, we didn't talk one word. I just dress up quickly and went back to the court. Obviously if you say or Andy say that, I don't want to say that he lie, but I didn't talk one word with my coach or any one member of my team. I know exactly the rule and I don't want to be the one breaking it.

Q. Did any official say anything to you?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No.

Q. After Andy spoke with them?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, because there were two persons there telling me the time. One of the supervisors that I was telling him, Please tell me every 30 seconds the time, they were there. If I was talking with my coach, they will put me warning or they would say something. But this never happen. Obviously they didn't tell me anything because I didn't do anything wrong.

But I don't know why Andy said that. Maybe because he saw my coach, he thought that I was speaking with him. Like I said, he went to the toilet, not to talk to me.

Q. He said, I believe, that you were talking to a Spanish player.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, the coach of Baghdatis speaks Spanish, but it was not my coach, like I said. I didn't speak one word. Not even 'hello'. That's the truth. I don't have to say it. Like I said, two guys from the tournament were there controlling. If I would do it, they would put me a warning or something. Obviously they didn't do it because I didn't talk with anybody. I was talking with Baghdatis and with his coach. That's it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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