US OPEN

August 31, 2022

Andy Murray

Press Conference

A. MURRAY/E. Nava

5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: We are going to go right to the room. Questions.

Q. You talked on court about changing it up after the first set, doing things a bit differently. Can you put your finger on why you did the things you did in the first set and whether you think that was a game plan you got wrong or reaction to the conditions or what?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, first set could have gone differently, as well. I had a lot of chances, a lot of breakpoints and didn't take them. You know, had I taken those chances maybe I relax a bit sooner and play better earlier.

You know, Petch said to me after the match that his average first-serve speed would have put him in the top three in the world in the first set, and his forehand speed was the fastest of any of the players on the tour. So, you know, I have to give him credit for that, as well. He came out swinging.

I had to do something to change that, and I did. Turned the match around pretty quickly and finished it really well. Yes, I would have liked to have taken my chance in the first set and played a bit better, but he was also taking huge cuts at the ball, swinging pretty freely. It's not that easy when guys are doing that.

Q. You said out there that you are feeling physically better than you have in years. What's the most important thing about that? Speed around the court? Being able to turn direction? Are you not in pain? What makes the biggest difference?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, my body is responding well to playing matches. So I played, wasn't the longest match in the first round, but I pulled up pretty well from that one. Then obviously today I think physically I was stronger than him at the end of the match, which is a really positive thing, obviously. My game improved as the match went on.

Yeah, my movement around the court is good right now. I feel like it's not that easy for guys to hit winners past me and I'm defending in the corners much better than I was 12 months ago here.

I'm not having to worry about, you know, the next day waking up with something that is going to really impact me or hamper my tennis.

When I played the match with Nishioka a few years ago here, I didn't recover from that match. It took me months. My groin and lower back flared up badly, and it took a really long time to get on top of that and get better.

I don't have any of those worries or concerns now, because my body, which I spoke about a lot at the beginning of this year, was like -- obviously I wish I won more matches this year. But being able to compete consistently, you know, barring the little sort of setback in the final in Stuttgart, has been good.

Q. When you have set yourself out on this process, and especially in the last year, did you give yourself any kind of timeline, Well, I will give it to 2022 and if I'm not getting the results I want, we will think about this again, or 2024? Or is it just go as far as your body will let you at this point as long as you say your body is feeling good and recovering from these tough matches?

ANDY MURRAY: I think there is lots of things that go into that decision, and, you know, some of it is obviously my body. Some of it will be, you know, my family, motivation, you know, how well I'm playing, like, you know, as well there is -- I don't think there is one thing that will go into that.

You know, at times this year I have, you know, not felt amazing in terms of where my game has been at; other times I have, you know, shown myself that, you know, I can still compete with the best players.

Yeah, I don't know when that time will come, and I'm not setting a date or a time frame on that. I will make the decision when I'm ready.

Q. Can you look ahead to your next one? How do you look at your match with Matteo Berrettini?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, so, obviously I played him earlier in the year in Stuttgart and it was a really tight match. Unfortunate end. He's been very unlucky this year. I spoke about that on the court. He obviously got COVID at Wimbledon when he was going in, having won the two lead-up tournaments. I don't know exactly what the problem was, his hand or his wrist, when he had started the year I think pretty well. So he's been unfortunate with some of that stuff.

Yeah, I mean, he's been up at the top of the game for quite a number of years, and now he's very consistent. You know, he's a big server who puts down a pretty high percentage of serves usually, so always makes it difficult to break and is always in the match because of that. You know, he's not just a big serve, though. He has a good slice backhand, he has a big forehand. I think he's a very good competitor, as well.

Not going to be easy.

Q. Curious what you think of the concept of players being bigger than the sport. Do you think it's possible for a player to do? Some people talk about Serena that way or do you think it's possible for that to happen and what effect can that have on the sport?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't know if players can become bigger than the sport. I guess if that was to happen, and, you know, some of them started getting preferential treatment in terms of the rules and getting away with things that other players wouldn't, then that could obviously be, I could see that being a problem.

In Serena's case, I don't necessarily think that has been the case. Like, if she has maybe not behaved well on the court, I think she's been punished like all of the other players would have done.

But, yeah, I don't know. I've never felt like -- certainly in the years that I've been playing -- that anyone has been bigger than the sport. You know, even when players like Serena haven't played, there has still been great story lines, when someone like Roger has not played much recently, there's still been great moments and things on the court.

Yeah, unfortunately for all of us, the sport moves on and, yeah, people forget pretty quickly in this sport, as well.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about how the pandemic either halted your comeback or helped it or how it affected your last couple years.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think, I don't know really, whether it helped or hindered it. Obviously COVID didn't help me. It was tough for me to miss the Australian Open, I think that was last year I got COVID right before then.

I was pretty gutted, to be honest. Like psychologically I was really upset about that, because I trained really well in the offseason and had actually felt good. Then the day I did my test when I was supposed to get on the plane, I obviously failed the test. So that took a little while for me to get over.

But, yeah, I don't know whether it helped or hindered me, to be honest. I mean, I would have liked to have been playing during that time and out there competing. I would have been a year younger and would have had another shot to play at Wimbledon and stuff like that.

I don't feel like it helped many players, to be honest.