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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 8, 2019

Sam Querrey

Wimbledon, London, England

S. QUERREY/T. Sandgren

6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What were the keys to getting through that one?
SAM QUERREY: Serving big when it mattered and winning a few or a handful of kind of like those cat-and-mouse points where we went back and forth, some lobs, reflex volleys, and things like that.

Q. Third time in the quarters here in four years. After not having those kind of results here previous to that, how much did that mean to you get this string of success and what do you think it's down to?
SAM QUERREY: It feels great. I love playing here and I'm getting more comfortable every year. I like playing on the grass. It's becoming more of a thing when I get here I don't care so much who I'm playing because I have just the confidence that I can make a run regardless of who's in front of me.

Q. Nadal next. Your thoughts?
SAM QUERREY: I have never played him here.

Q. What are your thoughts on that match? This is your favorite place and his maybe least favorite surface.
SAM QUERREY: It's going to just get harder and harder. It's his least favorite place of the slams and he's finaled it five times. And he's been rolling through guys.

It's going to be tough. I'm going to have to serve incredibly well, take my chances when I get them, and, you know, hopefully I can have a good day out there.

Q. 100 aces, 86% of your first serves. Serve feels great right now?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah. It feels really good. I'm kind of locked in on it. I have got a good rhythm. This is a tournament that rewards good servers. Everything feels right on my serve.

Q. It's been so hard for so long for guys outside of the big three to break through. How would you describe the challenge and your hunger to do that?
SAM QUERREY: I would love to. I mean, it's been great up until now. In order to kind of break that streak, it's most likely beating Rafa, Federer, Djokovic. The mountain gets very steep from here to break that trend, but I'm going to do the best I can.

I like playing here. I'm comfortable here. This seems to be the slam where you've got odd results, if you want to call them, over the, you know, last 25 years.

Q. But what kind of message have those guys sent to everybody else with what they have done over the last 15 years, do you think?
SAM QUERREY: Just we're better than you guys. (Smiling.) It's pretty incredible, their dominance. They don't seem to take a slam off, rarely a Masters Series off. They're engaged and focused match in, match out for 15 years. It's incredible.

Q. Could you just take a minute, not too many people have played all three over their career. Can you just sort of do a compare and contrast? Can you say who really ultimately is the toughest between the three? Talk about the challenges.
SAM QUERREY: I mean, everyone is going to have a different answer. For me it's Federer seems to be the toughest. I have played him three or four times and never been close. I've got wins over the other two.

So, you know, I don't know if it's tactically he does things better against me than the other two. But for me, I struggle the most against Roger. You know, I've gotten my clock cleaned by the other two a handful of times, as well. I feel like when you put the stats up, he separates himself by a little bit. They are all three still playing and a lot can happen in the next five years.

Q. Roger's return or his movement? What do you think? Variety?
SAM QUERREY: His efficiency. You know, he definitely maybe has that, kind of has an aura around him. You walk on the court, you're maybe a little more intimidated than playing others.

Q. What was the specific abdominal issue? How do you feel physically?
SAM QUERREY: It was like a little -- it was a grade 1 strain. It's feeling better. You know, three months that I took off definitely helped. The ab or stomach injuries can be tricky. I'm doing my best. I'm still rehabbing it and it's getting better and better.

Q. Boris Becker said I think last month that he thought at some point the big three continuing to dominate looks bad for the younger guys who are not coming close to breaking through. Is this generation missing something do you think? Flipping it the other way, is it fair or unfair?
SAM QUERREY: I think dominance at the top of a sport is great for the sport. So, you know, once the younger generation, I assume you're talking about Tsitsipas, Felix, those guys...

Q. Or even younger than that. Under 30, which I guess you're not one of anymore... I think only Thiem has won a set in a Grand Slam, under 30.
SAM QUERREY: I know. I think it's good those guys dominate. They might just dominate till the day they retire. I don't think it sends a message or anything to those guys. You know, it's just incredible, like, the focus of those top three guys they can just keep it up.

Q. If you wouldn't mind expanding a bit about Nadal, when you're facing him, what do you see across the net? What is the challenge of playing Rafa?
SAM QUERREY: You know, he doesn't take a point off. Just being lefty is kind of a challenge in itself. You know, he's intense. He's a shot-maker. He's energetic. You know when you go out there he's going to make you beat him.

He's not a guy -- seems like he's probably played a thousand matches, he's never just given a match away. People who beat him, you know, he makes you earn points against him. Which is tough, especially when you look out over a three-out-of-five set match that, Hey, I've got to try hard and hit good shots every single point.

Q. Did you watch the Women's World Cup final yesterday? What do you make of the U.S. success?
SAM QUERREY: I did, yeah. I mean, they are dominating. I know they won 2-0. Feels like it could have been 5 or 6-0. They are definitely the Roger Federer of the women's soccer world (smiling).

Q. Asking pros to look at their careers, and just go back and say what were the one, maybe two critical decisions that were so important or that shape your career. I don't know whether that would be not going to SC or what would you consider...
SAM QUERREY: I would need to take, like, an hour and get back to you on that. I can't. I'm not sure.

Q. Your match lasted more than an hour longer than Nadal's. How significant is that just in terms of fatigue, et cetera?
SAM QUERREY: I think it's irrelevant. I mean, at slams you get the day off. Fortunately the two rounds before this were pretty light for me being three sets. I'm assuming I'm going to feel fine on Wednesday.

Q. What do you think Coco Gauff could mean to this sport?
SAM QUERREY: I don't know mean to the sport. But, I mean, she could -- you know, if she keeps it up, she's obviously young, I hope she continues on this path and wins multiple Grand Slams. I mean, hopefully she can be like a Serena and, you know, not go out there and win one or two slams but win 10 to 15 slams and make tennis for, especially females in the U.S., as popular as it can be.

She seems like a great role model so far and hopefully she can keep it up.

Q. For your own hopes and everybody, field hopes, the Federer match on now, are guys hoping one of the big three goes out, making the mountain less steep?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, I'm not looking ahead. I have got to worry about Rafa. Roger was up 6-1 when I went in here. Berrettini has his hands full here. I don't see it happening.

But whether it's this tournament or another one, if someone other than those guys is going to win a slam, most likely there's going to have to be an upset with one of those three guys. It's tough to see someone beating all three of them to win a Grand Slam.

Q. What does it take in your experience to pull off one of those upsets?
SAM QUERREY: Have to be comfortable on the surface you're on, have to believe you can do it, have to come out and hit big shots, not hold things back. Every time those guys take the court, the pressure is essentially on them. They're supposed to win.

If you can hang with those guys, at least for me personally, you know, when I'm playing them, 3-All, 4-All, 5-All, I get a little belief every game. And if you can take a set, it's a little more belief. For me that's how I go about it with them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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