US OPEN

September 6, 2006

Andy Murray

THE MODERATOR: First question for Andy.

Q. Your thoughts on that?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, I never played against someone who's played a set as well as that. I didn't help myself by serving three doubles in the first game. If someone plays like that, you know, sometimes you just have to say, Too good. He played too good for me today.
I had my chance yesterday to get in front; I didn't take it. Against guys that are as good as him, and who have won as many matches as him, when they get on top of you, they don't let you back into the match.
I mean, all of the games I think went to 30. It wasn't like I wasn't winning points. I was getting myself into the games, but he was just playing the big points better than me.

Q. When you left last night, obviously, you felt you had to start well today. You didn't start well either morning really, did you?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, no, not by looking at the scores. I think he played his best, the best two sets of the match were the first set and the fourth set. He started out really well in both matches, both days. I wanted to go out there and try and make him play some balls and get my first serve in. Maybe I was gonna have a chance to get back into the match.
I think I had two game points in the first game and maybe double faulted on one of them. I double faulted on the breakpoint at 2 Love, and I was 30 Love up in the next game, and it was you know, my attitude going in was that I felt like I had a good chance going into the match today. I knew what I had to do. I had to win two sets back to back and play like I did, you know, for pretty much all the second set and the start of the third set, and I was gonna be okay.
But, you know, unfortunately, he just played far too well today.

Q. Do you think the outcome might have been different had it not been for the suspension?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, I think this advantage is for both of us. One, we both get to speak to our coaches, and you can work out your game plan for the next day. And at the same time, you know, he started off better than me both days. That's something that I have to learn from. And when it happens next time, I maybe have to try to do things a bit different to get myself ready for the match. I'm not used to going on at 11 in matches and, you know. That's something that maybe I need to practice at 9:00 in my practice weeks to try and, you know, get ready for matches like this.
You know, there's not too much I could have done today.

Q. How much better was he today than when you played him in Indian Wells?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, today, that's the best set of tennis I played against anyone. I mean, he was how do you want me to judge it, like 1 to 10?

Q. You played Federer in Bangkok.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, in comparison with him and Federer?

Q. Yeah.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, you obviously can't say he's better than Federer, but, I mean, either he really likes the way that I play, or his ranking should be higher than it is because that was pretty tough. I mean, I don't he's got a good chance. If he plays like that for four or five sets, then he's got a good chance of winning the tournament, I would have said. But he's not done it before. I don't know if he's going to be able to do it for the next few matches.

Q. How disappointed are you? You played the tournament, you've been going so well here.
ANDY MURRAY: Absolutely not disappointed at all. I had a great summer. I couldn't have asked for any more. My ranking is inside the top 20. I've equaled my best result in a Grand Slam in my favorite tournament. I felt like I've played pretty well in pretty much all of my matches. I'm not gonna walk away from this tournament with negative thoughts. This has been, you know, the best summer of my life. I'm playing the best tennis of my life. You know, you can play a couple of bad sets, you know, I've always said. But that's the one thing that with age and experience you get better at, you know, you become more consistent.
A lot of the young players can play well for a few weeks and then they'll have a few bad weeks, but I've kept it up. Since Wimbledon, I've won at least three matches in every tournament, which is a really good record.
Absolutely no disappointment at all.

Q. The other day in the doubles, you had your knee bandaged. Is that a problem?
ANDY MURRAY: No, it's sore, but it's not bad to stop me from playing. It's just pretty...

Q. Is it hard courts?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I had the same problem every time I came and played my first match here. Like in Cincinnati and Toronto, it was fine. I don't know if the courts are maybe a little bit stickier here. The inside of my knee, even when I played the Juniors the first couple of years, my knees have always been sore after my first matches. But it's just bruised, a little bit of tendinitis.

Q. Can you put your finger on what it is that makes Davydenko so difficult.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, you feel like you get him out of position, and he hits the ball so well on the run, down the lines. He makes you move a lot. It's difficult to, you know the worst part of his game is at the net. To get him into the net you have to try short slices and stuff. But he is so quick, and he has such good racquet head speed that he can hit angles back crosscourt and, you know, doesn't come into the net too much at all. You have to really clobber a shot or he has to have a really good shot for him to even think about coming in.
It's tough playing against someone that hits the ball so well on the run. You almost feel like you have to hit the ball a little bit more down the middle of the court to give him less angles. If you hit one badly down the middle of the court, he's going to hit a winner.
It's a tough one. You need to serve and return well against him. That's probably the only thing I could have done better, I think, at the start of the fourth set. Probably should have served a bit better. And also my returning against González and against him was not as good as it normally is.

Q. Do you think, Andy, in retrospect that not taking those two points for double break yesterday in the third set, was that the turning point in the match?
ANDY MURRAY: You can't say, you know, that a couple of points are gonna completely change a match. I still would have had to win another set. If I had won that third set, maybe it could have been different. But, you know, if he'd come out and played like we did today and we still got rained off, so he might have come out, played, won 6 Love in the fourth set regardless.
But you never know. I mean, sometimes when you get on top of players, they play worse. Sometimes they get better. I don't know. It wasn't just because of those two points why I lost the match.

Q. Did you find it a little tricky to motivate yourself, because it's not the court where everyone's packed in, you're hardly playing in front of anyone, you're doing a running commentary to yourself all the way through the match. Was it tough to get yourself going?
ANDY MURRAY: No, there's nothing wrong with you if you're not getting up for playing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam regardless of whether there's ten people watching or 10,000 people watching.
I mean, I did speak a lot on the court yesterday, and it's something I spoke with Brad about. Maybe it's I don't feel nervous on the court, but maybe subconsciously, that's, you know, what happens when I get nervous, I maybe speak a little bit too much and maybe got a little bit negative.
But, you know, it's strange 'cause I hadn't done it really the whole summer. Maybe I was tired. I don't really know why I was doing it, but something that hopefully I'm gonna stop, because it's definitely not good for my tennis.

Q. Will you now presumably take a few days off, go back home? What's your plan?
ANDY MURRAY: I'm not sure yet. Probably won't go to Davis Cup until a little bit later, maybe in ten days or something. I want to take a bit of a break and kind of take in everything that's happened the last few months because it's been pretty special. I've beaten the No. 1 player in the world, I've gotten to the top 20, made semifinals of Masters Series, quarterfinals. I've done, you know, more than what I maybe would have expected.
I just want to take a break now. I think I've earned it. I'll look forward to playing the Davis Cup.

Q. For you, is this a better achievement than reaching fourth round at Wimbledon?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't think it's a better achievement. I think maybe I had a better draw here than I did in Wimbledon , you know. Beating Roddick on grass is a huge win. He doesn't lose too often in Wimbledon, apart from against Federer.
This is my favorite tournament. I was really excited coming into it. I wanted to play well. I did play well. Fourth round's not too bad a result. Could have been worse. But obviously I would have liked to have done better. It's not a better achievement getting to the fourth round here than at Wimbledon, you know, it's the same.

Q. I just mean more because it's not you haven't got all of the support. There's good support for you here, but not everyone willing you to win like there is at Wimbledon.
ANDY MURRAY: No, it's not. It doesn't feel any different to me.

Q. Are you excited by the distinctive Scottish make up of the Davis Cup team? Jamie Baker's promotion and MacKin and yourself?
ANDY MURRAY: Better not say anything about that because if I do, I know I'm gonna get slighted. I'm really disappointed there's not more English people in it (laughter).

Q. I meant it as an upbeat thing, not as a negative thing.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, the most important thing, you know, we play tennis for Britain. So the most important thing is we win the match regardless of who's playing. You know, it's a really good chance for Jamie. Alan has been on the team a few times before. For Jamie, he's not been on the team. I don't know what Greg's situation is, if he's playing singles or not. I don't know if he's said anything to you guys. If he doesn't play singles, maybe Jamie will get the chance, or Alan. It's good for them. Great experience to play Davis Cup and maybe win a match, 'cause the Ukraine players are not the same sort of standard as the Serbians and the other guys, the other teams that we've played against.
So it will be a great experience playing in Davis Cup for both of them.

Q. Has this summer confirmed in your own mind what you thought you could achieve at this stage going forward, or has it opened your eyes to you've done maybe something more than what you could have achieved at this stage? You always said, give me a couple years. But here you are, 17 seed now.
ANDY MURRAY: I'm so excited now because I think my serve can get much better, my movement can get better, I can get fitter, I can improve my volleys, my slice. Mentally, I can get stronger. Probably after this tournament, I'm going to be ranked 17 in the world.
You know, if I've got so many things to work on and things that can get better, then I can't wait to work on all those things with Brad and, you know, put them into my game. Because when I do, I think I'd love to get into the top 10 on clay courts now. I don't have really too many points to defend until Wimbledon, next year. So I'm gonna go for it. I have to, you know, try my best to possibly if, you know, Federer and Nadal don't play in Madrid or Paris, then, try and win one of those tournaments. Because I'm not saying I'm gonna do it, but there's an outside chance of getting into Shanghai. I'd love to play in that.

Q. What is it about this tournament that makes it your favorite?
ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, atmosphere. The courts. The people. The city. Just everything. I mean, it's hard to explain, but in New York, it's probably my favorite city. I think I play my best tennis on American hard courts. I've got great memories from the Juniors here. I played two years and I made quarterfinals, and won it. I always got treated really well. At Juniors we stayed in nice hotels. I love the night matches here. It's just everything about it, really. There's not I just don't think there's a better all around tournament in the whole world.

Q. Will you stay here and watch some? You like it so much. If there's a Federer Nadal final, would you watch that?
ANDY MURRAY: I'd love to, yeah. I don't think Brad wants me to say. But, yeah, I mean, if it was Federer Nadal, I think if they play in the final, I think it will be the first time in the Open era that two guys have played in three consecutive Grand Slam finals. That's pretty special. Yeah, I'd love to watch it. I think anyone who loves tennis enjoys watching matches like that.

Q. When you're midway through a match rather than actually at the end of one as you were last night, is preparation any different? Do you have to do anything different in the evening? Do you not allow yourself to go out as you would? Your routine this morning, was it different than it would otherwise be?
ANDY MURRAY: I think it was easier for me last night than it was the night before because I knew when I was gonna go on. The day before, you know, didn't get told until late when I was going on. And then, you know, I had to obviously play first match, so it kind of changes your preparations a little bit. But I knew I was gonna come back to play, play 11:00 today.
No, you don't really do anything differently. You just have to prepare as a normal match. There's maybe just a little bit more emphasis on the first few games of the match when you come out, because I know if I lose that, that set, the match is finished. Whereas if you lose the first match the first game in a best of five set match, you can still come back from it. Today, obviously he had to only win one set.

Q. Were you anxious? Did you sleep okay?
ANDY MURRAY: I didn't sleep too well not this I don't know what day, Monday night. I got up at 2:30 until 4:00 and couldn't sleep. I got a phone call at 5:45 and someone hung up. I was a bit annoyed with that. But I slept really well last night. I mean, I normally sleep late and wake up late, you know, so it was a bit different for me going to sleep at 10:00 and getting up early, but I slept okay.

Q. Does Brad react to your victories and defeats in much the same way? Can you give us a bit of insight?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, he just wants me to get better. If I do get better each tournament, each day, each month, you know, I'm gonna, you know, hopefully in the next few years be one of the best players in the world. You know, he, I'm sure, will speak about my match, you know, in a bit more detail than we did just afterwards.
But, you know, he's always very positive. You know, he's been around 40, 50, 60 Grand Slams, and he knows that, you know, sometimes guys play too good and sometimes it's not your day. Today wasn't mine.
So he reacts to every match in the same sort of way. He tells you what you did well, what you didn't do so well, and what you need to work on.

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