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WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2007

Andy Murray

LONDON, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy.

Q. Obvious first question: will you be fit to play on Monday?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I hope so. I've been playing some sets the last few days and haven't had any bad reactions on my wrist. You know, every day it's been getting better.
Unless I have, you know, any bad reactions tomorrow or on Monday after my practices, yeah, I'm planning on playing.

Q. How much of a decision-making process has it been? Has it been causing you a great deal of difficulty, the most difficult one you've had to make in your career?
ANDY MURRAY: No. I don't think it's a hard decision. If I don't feel I'm fit enough to play and give a hundred percent, then I won't play. You know, I'm not going to stress about it. If my wrist isn't right, it's not right.
But, you know, I'm hoping that it is going to be okay. I put in a lot of hard work the last five and a half, six weeks to try and get it ready. You know, I wouldn't want to waste all that work by going out and doing something stupid.

Q. Have you had medical assurance that you can't damage it any further?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I've spoken to the doctor a few times about it, physios that I've been working with. They're all pretty confident that I can't reinjure it, which is great. The only thing is, if I try to hit the ball a hundred percent, you know, I have a reaction the next day, it might take a couple days for it to get better. But it's not like I'm going to do the same thing again.

Q. Have you been able to hit flat out on the forehand?
ANDY MURRAY: It's not just on the forehand. I've been starting to hit topspin forehand four or five days ago properly. I'm just trying to make sure I don't go for it too soon. I'll practice tomorrow, try and see if I can hit it much harder, then obviously make my decision on Monday.

Q. Is it hard to make yourself hit full out? Do you feel like you're guarding sometimes because you're afraid something's going to happen?
ANDY MURRAY: No. You know, after speaking to the doctors, you know, I'm pretty confident in what they say. I'm happy with the way they treated everything, the diagnosis they gave me. So, no, that's not really the problem.
It's just whether I can do it or not because obviously the new fibers and stuff, they need time to get strong. I've been doing weights on my wrist to try and help that. But obviously with the contact of the ball, you know, that makes it hurt a little bit. Hopefully the next couple of days it should get better.

Q. Are you happy it was just a freak accident?
ANDY MURRAY: Am I happy?

Q. There have been suggestions the weight of your racquet and all kinds of things.
ANDY MURRAY: What's wrong with the weight of my racquet?

Q. People have been saying you've been using a heavy racquet.
ANDY MURRAY: My racquet weighs 365 grams, which is probably five grams heavier than Federer's. I'd probably say it's slightly above average. But Sampras played with I think 400 grams. Brad played with 410 grams. The range of guys is between 330, 370 grams on the tour. Some guys are obviously heavier than that. I'd say it's nothing to do with that.

Q. What was the official medical diagnosis on your condition? Something pronounceable?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't really know exactly how to answer. I don't know the exact medical terms for everything, all the different bits and pieces in my wrist. I just know that I pulled some -- some kind of microtear, one of the tendons in my wrist. Thankfully it was -- if the tendon is like this, it was a little bit down the way, whereas it would have been bad if it was across. That would have made the tendon snap. It's kind of healed back together.

Q. Given this late situation, do you think you can justify the No. 8 seeding?
ANDY MURRAY: To get to the quarterfinals?

Q. How do you think you will do given the fact that you haven't been able to practice full out, et cetera?
ANDY MURRAY: I'm not really thinking about the quarterfinals. I'm focused on my first match. I haven't played -- by the time I play, it will have been six weeks. Obviously before that I had some injury problems as well. I haven't played that much since March.
I just want to go out there and enjoy myself and play. Once you have been off the court for a period like this, you just really look forward to getting back on there again. That's what I plan on doing.

Q. What do you make of the draw, Lapentti?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, he's played well on grass before. I know he's in the top hundred. He's got a lot of experience. Grass probably isn't his best surface. He hasn't played too much this year on the tour.
But, you know, he's a good player, and someone I'll have to play well against if I want to beat.

Q. Did you feel any pressure in making this decision in the fact that everybody wants to see you play, you're the British No. 1? Was that a factor in your decision that you're going to be fit to play or want to play?
ANDY MURRAY: No. As I said, if it was at the end of the year, there was no tournaments coming up, I probably would have taken the time off, made sure it got perfectly back.
But, you know, I had a great start to the year. I decided that I wanted to work really hard. Wimbledon was my goal to get ready for. I think I've given myself the best chance.
But, as I said, if it's not ready, I won't play. If it feels like it's going to be okay, then I will. But there's no -- I don't think there's any added pressure.

Q. Has it healed more quickly than average? Is the surgeon happy with the speed it's healed? Has it healed more quickly than expected? Par for the course?
ANDY MURRAY: I think, obviously, you know, he said if I decide not to play, I'll take sort of a week off not hitting any balls, then it should be absolutely fine. If I do everything right, make sure that I don't go full out on the forehand or on any of the balls that I'm stretched on, then maybe it could be good by Friday, Saturday, even when I am still playing.

Q. Do you regard it as any sort of a gamble?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't think it's a gamble in terms of reinjuring it. I think it's just a decision that has to be made where, you know, if I feel I can do myself justice going on the court, then I'll do it. If I don't feel like I can do that, then I'm not going to go out there.
But I don't think there's any gamble.

Q. There are examples of people suffering wrist injuries, coming back, doing further damage, Clijsters, Kiefer. Has that crossed your mind at all?
ANDY MURRAY: As I said, the doctor said he doesn't feel like I can reinjure it, so no.

Q. The possibility of facing Henman, is that a dangerous mindset?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know I would have had to play Tim. I haven't really looked at the draw, so... I'm just concentrating on my first match.

Q. Before you make a decision on Monday, what percentage do you give yourself? 50%? 75%?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, no percentage. I think, you know, it just depends how it reacts. I don't know how it's going to react tomorrow and I don't know how it's going to react on Monday. But I'm planning on playing right now.

Q. What treatment are you going to have between now and Monday?
ANDY MURRAY: I'll have some ultrasound, I'll ice it and I'll do some rehabilitation exercises for it with some weights. But, you know, it's more about strengthening it up now more than really having the treatment. I've been doing that for the last four and a half, five weeks. Now it's just more important to strengthen it.

Q. Has there been a timeline where it's just got so much better in the last three, four days, that's given you this great optimism you're going to be able to play?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, it was my goal sort of three weeks ago to try and get ready. At the start, obviously when you can't really hit the ball hard, you don't know whether it's possible. And then, obviously, I said I couldn't feel a difference from sort of day to day. Then, you know, each week it felt so much better. I could do much more.
At the start of this week, on Monday, Okay, I want to start playing sets, see if I have any reactions hitting the ball harder, and I didn't. At the start of this week, I was feeling like I had a good chance of playing.

Q. Between now and when you take a decision on Monday, how much practicing and pressure do you plan to put on your wrist? Will you be playing three hours tomorrow?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I played for two hours today. I'll go this afternoon and do the exercises for my wrist. I put enough hard work in in the gym the last six weeks in terms of running and stuff. That's not going to be a problem. It's more just whether my wrist can hold up. Tomorrow I'll probably practice. I'm practicing with Jamie Baker tomorrow. I'll play a practice set with him and then maybe go somewhere with Brad in the afternoon and try and play full out and see how it feels.

Q. Will it be Monday before you decide then?
ANDY MURRAY: Unless I wake up tomorrow morning and I can't pick up the racquet, then yeah.

Q. If your wrist is fine, how much of a problem is lack of match practice?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know if it will be a problem. You can't say for sure until you get out on the court. Grass is obviously a surface that I played well on in the past. Not too many guys play well on it. Even though I haven't played that much matches, I don't feel like my opponents, Lapentti, it's not his best surface either.
I'll go out there and try and play my best and give a hundred percent. If I am struggling, I guess that's normal because I haven't played so much.

Q. Has there been any point in all this sort of time on the match court where you've been at a low, where it's been pretty miserable and depressing to put yourself through more rehab with no match to come?
ANDY MURRAY: No. I mean, I've quite enjoyed being at home and stuff. I felt like I needed to get stronger physically. I worked really hard in the off-season. I was obviously playing a lot of matches at the start and wasn't in the gym as much. Obviously this time I've got the chance to work really hard and get fitter and stronger again.
Obviously I would have rather played than not, but it's not been the end of the world.

Q. Perhaps you're not looking for advice from your fellow professionals, but one or two quite distinguished ones like Federer and Henman have said they thought you would be unwise to risk it. Do you take on board those comments, discard them or what?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, they don't know exactly what my injury is. If they did know exactly what it was, you know, they had the same problem, had spoken to doctors about it, yeah, I mean, obviously I would listen to them. They're both great players.
I haven't sat down with Tim and gone through the injury and told him exactly what the problem was and stuff. Likewise with Federer. I guess what they're probably saying is if my wrist isn't ready, don't play. I'm not planning on doing that.

Q. Is there a sense of excitement that you could be playing in this Wimbledon? Are you excited about that after the great performance against Roddick, the idea of getting back out there?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I thought last Wimbledon was great. I really enjoyed it. Played every single match on Centre Court, which was obviously great fun. Just practicing here you get the sort of -- you start to feel the buzz, just being on the courts and stuff. It's great.
So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to it if I get the chance to play. These last few days have been really positive. Hopefully the next couple can be even better and you'll see me on the court on Monday.

End of FastScripts

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