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WIMBLEDONJune 27, 2006Andy MurrayWIMBLEDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Andy Murray. First question. Q. That looked like a pretty complete performance out there. You must have been really pleased. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I was happy obviously with the way I played. I couldn't have started any better. I thought I returned really well. Hardly missed a return when I got my racquet on it. I had so many chances to break him in the second set, I was a little bit disappointed that I had to end up serving it out at 5-4. But, you know, the whole match was pretty solid. Q. Was that one of your best performances, is it fair to say? ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, I think, you know, I played -- I probably haven't played as consistently well as that. You know, I knew it was going to be tough playing against him. He had a close match with Roddick on grass this year at Davis Cup. He lost 3-6-6. I was betting on a really tough match. But I obviously did everything that he didn't like and, you know, did everything that I do very well. When you do that, it's a pretty good combination. Q. How did the crowd lift you? How much did the crowd lift you, Andy? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was great to play in front of, you know, 13,000, 14,000 people when they're all shouting for you. Obviously, I got a taste of it last year. I think I do raise my game when I play in front of big crowds. I've showed it in all of the matches I played obviously, here, you know, and in some big stadiums. You know, today they were great. They were really loud the whole match. They kept the atmosphere up, you know. When it's two sets to love and a break, it's easy to let the atmosphere go down, but they were good the whole match. Q. What did he say to you at the end? He was giving you the thumbs up, wasn't he? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, he said, you know, "Really well-played. Very good." I just said the court is a little bit slippy. He agreed. He said, "Good luck for the rest of the tournament." Q. He seemed to get really frustrated by the grass, but mainly by your mix of shots. The dropshot had him going all over the place. Did you intend to use it as much as you did? ANDY MURRAY: Probably not. But when the court was as slippy as it was, you know, he was playing so far behind the baseline, uhm, it was a very good shot. Because, one, doesn't particularly like coming up to the net. Two, it was tough to move on that first step because it was a bit slippy. Three, I played all of them pretty well. I played one bad one at 5-2. You know, I thought it was a really solid match. There's nothing that I did badly today. Q. You slipped a few times. Are you okay? Didn't do any damage? ANDY MURRAY: No, I'm fine. Q. What was on your iPod? ANDY MURRAY: I listened to LL Cool Jay and Jennifer Lopez, "Control Myself" before I went out. I listened to a few other ones before that, but that was the one I was listening to when I went on. Q. Were you asked to take it off? Did you have to take it off? ANDY MURRAY: No, he was asking if my hat was -- if my hat had been okayed because there was a bit of blue on it. I lied and said it had. He still phoned the referee to see if it was okay. But luckily it was. Q. You didn't get sent to the headmaster's office? ANDY MURRAY: No. Q. I see from your blog that you've been using James Auckland and Jonny Marray as practice partners over recent weeks a bit. Is there any reason why those two or is it just a matter of convenience? ANDY MURRAY: I hit with them once two and a half weeks ago. I don't think I've used them too much. But, you know, I just hit with them that one day because it was my first day on grass. Those two both play pretty good grass court games. They both work hard. That's why I hit with them. But I've not been hitting with them very much. Q. Did it feel any different going on court this year? You obviously had the fantastic support last year. People weren't necessarily expecting much. Did you go on court today feeling a bit of weight of expectation that you didn't feel a year ago? ANDY MURRAY: I didn't feel a weight of expectation. Obviously, if Tim had lost, I think it would have been a bit different. But, you know, I knew that I had to go out there and perform well, and I knew there was obviously a bit more pressure than there was last year. I thought I dealt with everything pretty well. You know, no complaints. I knew it was going to be difficult at the start. But, I mean, I think if it started worse, got broken in the first game, it might have been difficult. But when you're 5-Love up, it settles you down pretty quick. Q. How much confidence do you take from the fact that you patently looked very comfortable out there, things went well for you, moving into the next round now? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, that's definitely the best match I've played on grass so far. You know, I think I got a tough match, my next one, against Benneteau or Phau. Obviously, Benneteau made the quarters of the French, Phau has beaten Agassi this year. I know it's going to be a difficult match. I think if I play like that, I feel like I've got a chance against most players to win. Q. Last year when you lost from Nalbandian, you said you couldn't feel your legs. How are they today? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, they're not quite like they were that day. I did a bit more running against Nalbandian than I did today. I think I'm a little bit stronger than last year, so I'm hoping there's not going to be any problems like there was at the end of my match against Nalbandian. Q. There's obviously a huge amount of interest about when you're going to announce this coach. Do you think it will be a theme throughout Wimbledon or do you think it will die down a bit? ANDY MURRAY: I think you guys know better than me, you're the ones who write it. Yeah, I mean, I think everybody wants to know who my coach is going to be. You know, I'm surprised there's such -- there has been such a big deal made of it. You know, I saw the TV today. As soon as I turned it on I heard people talking about Brad Gilbert. But I still haven't spoken to him yet, so I can't say that he's going to be my coach until I've met him I think. Q. A performance like that makes you very attractive to coaches now, doesn't it? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it does (smiling). Q. It makes them more interested when you produce that sort of high-grade performance? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, you know, guys my age can play bad matches; they can also play great matches. You know, you'll see Monfils play some unbelievable matches. But today, you know, he lost against a guy who is ranked around a hundred. That's just what happens when you're our age. I think a lot of the coaches have probably seen me play some very good matches, have seen me play some bad matches. The coaches are definitely interested. It's their job to make sure that I'm playing the great matches more consistently than I have been over the past few months. Q. Andre Agassi is playing for about his 20th year in Grand Slams. Could you imagine what it would be like to come back in about 20 years and still be playing? ANDY MURRAY: I'd probably be about 38 by then. Pretty sure I won't still be playing by then. Yeah but, I mean, it's pretty sad that he's going to stop after US Open. You know, I think to be fair, that shows how great he is. There's very few players that can say they played 20 years of Grand Slams in a row. 99% sure I won't be able to do it. Q. Have you ever spoken to him? What does he mean to you? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I practiced with him a couple of times before Queen's. To have had as much success as him, to be as humble as him, is pretty impressive. You know, he was one of my idols growing up. To get the chance to practice with him is an honor. I can't really say anything more about him. There's going to be a loss for the game when he stops. For me, he's right up there with the greatest players because he's won all four Slams. Q. You followed on from him. Did you chat at all briefly as you passed? ANDY MURRAY: No, I didn't see him today. Q. Do have another Scottish sweat band for the next match? Is this just trademark now? ANDY MURRAY: To be honest, I had no idea about the wristband until last night when I was going through my new box of stuff. I pulled it out. On one side, it's just the blue Fred Perry. I turned it over, there was like a Scottish flag. Thought it went pretty well with my outfit. I was a little bit nervous in case they were going to say I wasn't allowed to use it 'cause it was too blue. Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I'll probably wear it for the rest of the tournament. If it doesn't go with my outfits, you know, I'm not going to wear it because I'm really into fashion. I take very good care of my appearance, as you can see (tugging at his hair) (smiling). Q. Do you use soccer as a means of physical preparation? ANDY MURRAY: I'd love to play more. I think everybody works really hard when you play football. The only problem that I have is that you're normally just with a coach and another player. It's not really that much fun. I got a chance to play a little bit in the States this year. You know, if I had the chance to play with more people, I'd love to do it more because it's definitely a great workout. Q. What are your thoughts on Saturday's match between England and Portugal? ANDY MURRAY: It's going to be interesting. I think England are probably slight favorites after the Portuguese got the sendings off and then Ronaldo got injured. They had a pretty tough match with them at the European Championships. I'm sure it will be a close match, hopefully a few goals. Q. Score? ANDY MURRAY: I'm going to go 1-All England on penalties. Q. Brad Gilbert is known for coaching two players to the No. 1 slot. He's also known for talking about the Oakland Raiders football team, Oakland A's baseball team. When he's done with that, he talks about American sports. Do you think that's something you'd be able to handle if you end up connecting? ANDY MURRAY: That's a pretty tough question. But I've never really had anyone who has spoke about American sports 24/7. If he is my coach, obviously that will be -- I'll just have to wait and see. I don't really know how to answer that. Sorry.
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