CINCH CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 20, 2023

Andy Murray

Queens Club

Press Conference

A. de MINAUR/A. Murray

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: First of all, Andy, I know this is not the result you were hoping for. How do you feel about your physicality today after two weeks at winning both titles?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I felt okay going into the match. Just didn't play very well.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Were you thinking at all about the seeding issue for Wimbledon today? Was it in the back of your mind?

ANDY MURRAY: I have been thinking about it for the last few weeks. It was not any different today than it was -- I mean, I knew what the situation was going into the grass season. The decisions I took in terms of which tournaments I was going to play, pretty much what I was going to have to do, that didn't really change.

Yeah, I knew I was pretty much either going to have to make a final here if I didn't do well in Surbiton and Nottingham, or if I won both of those events, it was looking like at least a quarterfinal to do it. I was aware of that before all of the matches that I played the last few weeks.

Q. Was it a total pressure factor, putting pressure on you, knowing you had to win today?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I dealt with it fine the last two weeks. So, yeah, I don't think it had any bearing on how I played today.

Q. When it comes to the Wimbledon draw, Andy, there is clearly a huge difference in seeds' ability on grass. How do you view the challenge of coming up against seeded players at Wimbledon? Do you feel you can beat most of those players who will be seeded?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think so. You know, obviously grass, there is less players that are probably comfortable on the surface than the clay and the hard courts.

You know, some of the seeded players are maybe not that comfortable on the grass, so there's some draws that are better than others. There are also guys, I don't know, like your Jordan Thompsons and these guys that are not seeded but love the grass courts and it's their favorite surface.

So, yeah, see what happens. I don't know when the draw is done, next Thursday or Friday, but see what happens now.

Q. You're playing doubles with Cam Norrie. Is that to get more matches under your legs? Would you consider doubles for Wimbledon as well?

ANDY MURRAY: I won't play doubles at Wimbledon. Yeah, I mean, that was something that was discussed, yeah, a few weeks ago about playing, and obviously didn't know exactly which tournaments I was going to be playing or how I'd perform in those events.

So, yeah, that was why I decided to play doubles here. But yeah, I won't be playing doubles at Wimbledon.

Q. Sorry to ask you this after a loss, but a more general Wimbledon question. For you, what is it like to actually play there? And the one particular memory that stands out the most? You have won it a couple of times and all that, but the feeling that you have when you're on that Centre Court?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I have had a lot of different memories there, but yeah, probably the one that stands out most is playing my first match there as an 18-year-old. Yeah, just going out and getting to play, you know, at a place where I had always wanted to play, somewhere that I had always watched Wimbledon on the TV when I was growing up. And, yeah, it was something I always wanted to do.

Going out there to play for the first time when there is really no pressure, no expectations on how you're going to do, and yeah, you just go out and play and enjoy doing it, that obviously -- I have not seen too many players look like when they're on Centre Court at Wimbledon that they are absolutely loving it, because you're trying to perform and you're trying to win a match.

You know, it's tough, but yeah, definitely for me that first Wimbledon was, yeah, was very special.

Q. Obviously a quick turnaround. Could you talk us through what did you do between sort of going on court today and since after the final at Nottingham?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I drove home that evening on Sunday evening. Yeah, took the kids to school yesterday morning. Then we came in here late, practiced for like 45 minutes at about 4:00, and then yeah, just stayed at a hotel close by last night so I could get a good night's sleep and avoid any issues with travel and things like that.

Then, yeah, obviously came in today. You know, courts here play, they're pretty quick. A little bit faster than the ones last week. Yeah, maybe struggled slightly with that, but I did pretty much everything that I could, you know, to give myself the best chance of playing well.

Just you do need to find a bit of balance. I probably would have liked to have practiced for a bit longer tomorrow, but then you're like, well, if you do that, then you maybe are taking a bit of energy away for the following day. Yeah, did everything right to get ready.

Q. You mentioned about 2005, obviously 18 years now, how different do you think tennis is generally? I'm thinking in a physical sense from now compared to then, and if so, why there have been more changes, why it's more physical now?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I guess the generation before probably would have said that the courts were starting to slow down by 2005 when I played, but certainly the courts at Wimbledon over the years have gotten slower and I'd say that most of the courts, this one here is not one of them, but most of the courts on tour are pretty slow. Balls are slower.

But then obviously I think it's the case across all sports, like players are getting quicker and faster, so they're then able to track down more balls than players were maybe in 2005, 2006. Some of the movement of the guys now is incredible, you know, which makes -- well, it feels like it's harder to finish points than it was before.

But yeah, I think that's just the way the sport's gone. Yeah, everything slowed down. The courts, balls, conditions are a bit different.

Q. Would you consider getting more action next week? If not Eastbourne, Hurlingham, or anything else like that? Can you say what specifically you want to work on, what needs to improve before Wimbledon?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't think I'll play a tournament next week. I don't think that's necessary.

You know, right now priority is obviously to take a few days' rest, so physically, mentally, just recharge a little bit, and then, yeah, go to work on my game.

I think last few weeks there has been lots of positive things. I actually served very well across the two weeks. That wasn't so much the case today. Didn't maybe serve as well as I would have liked. Yeah, that's definitely something I'll definitely work on.

But yeah, I mean, I don't want to like overanalyze, you know, necessarily today, like there is definitely some things I can do better, but at the same time, you know, I have done lots of good things over the last couple of weeks as well.

I want to keep going in that direction. Yeah, keep serving well, keep working on my movement. That was something we spent a lot of time working on before Surbiton and Nottingham, and it's really crucial for me that I'm moving well. So definitely spend a lot of time working on that.

Q. Are you feeling close to where you want to be for Wimbledon?

ANDY MURRAY: Look, I mean, obviously after today, you know, it's easy to overreact. Well, no, I lost to a good player and it was obviously very comfortable, but, you know, at the same time, over the last couple of weeks, yes, it's obviously not the same level of opponents, but I won the tournament last week without dropping a set. I only lost one set in Surbiton. Was holding serve very comfortably. Was moving well, hitting the ball good. There is a lot of positive signs there.

You know, and the practices and everything I had before those tournaments too with some good players, top players, you know, I was doing just fine as well. So I'm comfortable with that. I know my level is there to compete with the top players.

But yeah, I just need to, yeah, take a few days and get a good week, ten days' work in, and sure I'll be playing well on the first Monday of Wimbledon.

Q. What is it about Alex's game? Obviously he's a very good player, no doubt about it, but what is it about his game that you find troublesome? The fourth time you have played him.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, the first two times we played, I played him I think it was the second or third tournament back after I'd had the hip surgery in singles, and I remember it being a very close match. I don't know exactly what the score was. It was like maybe 7-5 in the third or something like that. And the Laver Cup as well was very, very tight. Yeah, the last couple of matches, yeah, have been very comfortable from his side.

You know, he moves well. He doesn't have too many sort of holes in his game. You know, he's all around pretty solid. But, yeah, moves very well. Returns good. Obviously hits a pretty flat ball, as well. So it's not always that easy to take big cuts at the ball yourself and push him around when the ball is staying so low.

But yeah, last couple of matches with him have obviously, yeah, been pretty one-sided. If I do come up against him in a couple of weeks, I will obviously need to look at that and see what I can do differently.