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WIMBLEDON

June 25, 2009

Ernests Gulbis

LONDON, ENGLAND

A. MURRAY/E. Gulbis
6-2, 7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Mr. Gulbis.

Q. What did you think of your first Centre Court experience?
ERNESTS GULBIS: To be honest, when I went on the Centre Court, I was a little bit scared when I saw the atmosphere there, because it's really something special. Because I just saw it on TV when they bring you through the locker room to the entrance of the Centre Court. Well, I had a little bit butterflies in the stomach.
But went on the court, started I think not too bad. Wasn't nervous at all when we started the match. But what I want to say is that Andy played unbelievable match today. I think he played very good. He served unbelievable. I don't know what could I do on the return today, because he was serving I don't know how many percent, I think like 70% first serves in.
So, yeah.

Q. Do you think he's improved a great deal since you last played him?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, I think so, of course. Because he had his best year I think until now. And he played really smart against me. He just sliced to my backhand a lot.
And I really, to be honest, I didn't know how to change the rhythm of the game. I tried to come to net a little bit, but then he passed me.
And basically, I mean, on my serve it was always tight games. On his serve, I didn't have a chance, so...

Q. Which area of his game do you think is the most dangerous?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I don't know which one is the most dangerous. But overall he made how much unforced errors today? I think like five unforced errors the whole match. If somebody makes five unforced errors, I mean, I had to do how much winners to beat him, you know?
If the opponent doesn't make winners all the time, it's tough to beat him here. I mean, he was serving unbelievable today. Didn't miss a ball and took his chances. That's it.

Q. Federer is obviously the main challenge. Do you think he can beat Federer if he plays like that?
ERNESTS GULBIS: If he plays like that, I think that he's one of the favorites for the tournament, for sure. I mean, I never played Federer. You know, I can't say how is the feeling to play against him.
But if Andy plays all the tournament like this, I think he has a very big chance to play really good here. I mean, I don't want to say how good, but I think he's one of the favorites, for sure.

Q. Can he beat Federer, do you think?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I don't know. I mean, if they meet in the final, then the final is something else again. You know, if everybody doesn't put too much pressure on him - I think it's already done. It's a lot of pressure on him.
But the final is final. It's something I think different than a normal game and anything can happen.
But, like I said, if he plays same level like today, like with no mistakes, good serve, takes his chances on important points, he has a chance to win against everybody.

Q. What do you think of his return of serve? In his half of the draw he has Hewitt and Roddick. They're obviously great servers. You have a big serve. How do you think he handles the big serve?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I think he handles it pretty well. I mean, if I didn't make really an ace, he was returning it. I mean, I served -- I think I served pretty well today. I didn't serve bad at all, and got my rhythm for the serve.
But any time I didn't serve a perfect serve, it came back, and then we went to a rally, and in the rally he was beating me in all kind of ways, waiting for a mistake or making a winner or putting pressure on my backhand. So, yeah.

Q. Or waiting for your dropshots?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Dropshots didn't go today (smiling).

Q. How is his slice to your backhand more difficult on grass than on a hard court?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I think before the match he exactly knew how he's gonna play against me. He took a really good tactic. He was giving me slice to my backhand, that kind of shot which I don't like, because I have to hit it, you know.
He hits the shot with no power. He breaks the rhythm of the game. Then I have to hit it. I can hit it once, twice, third time, then I make mistake. You know, I'm not consistent enough from the baseline to go long rallies.
He perfectly knew, and he slices very good. He didn't miss it. I think perfect tactic.

Q. Any regrets over your comments regarding Andy? You said the other day that he operated some gamesmanship at the match at Queen's.
ERNESTS GULBIS: I didn't say nothing like that, to be honest. I don't know, because it's like a big -- I saw on Wimbledon official site that it's like I make something against Andy. No, it's not true.
What I said is that in Queen's he broke my rhythm a little bit when we played in third round in third set. He took a medical time-out when it was 5-All, I think. The next game I lost my serve.
I mean, that's normal to take a medical time-out if you have something, you know. I said that it only broke my rhythm and I was not experienced enough to deal with that at that moment.
I think now I'm experienced enough. Next time something like that happens I'm going to deal with it. That's it.

Q. Did you talk to Andy about that today? Did you clear it up?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No, I think it's nothing to clear about. I mean, I don't think he thinks that I said something bad or something like that. I don't think so.

Q. Have your coaches ever told you, This match, just for fun, no dropshots? Have they ever had penalties for too many dropshots?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No. But when I go to volley, my volley is not so solid as I would like it to be to play a volley deep and put him under pressure with the deep shots. Then when I go to volley sometimes I don't know what to do, and then the easiest thing is to make a dropshot for me.
So a couple times I made it. Couple of times he passed me or got to it. And especially on grass, because the ball slides a little bit more in front, and he could get it easily. After that, I was trying not to make too many dropshots. When I was volley, I tried to hit the ball.
Yeah, it paid off a little bit. But still...

Q. You had a forehand one I think when you lost your serve in the first set. It was a groundstroke, not a volley. Do you remember that one? You missed the dropshot into the net on the forehand.
ERNESTS GULBIS: To be honest, no. Sorry.

Q. You've been undergoing a lot of intense physical training this year. You mentioned briefly how it sort of affects your game that you have to get used to sort of your new muscles in a way. Can you maybe tell a bit about how far you are in that process.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Well, when I started the season, when it was the off-season preparation, I couldn't really practice so good as I would like to practice because I had problems with my knee. I had to always watch out not to get it to a two-hour practice, because any time my leg got tired, every time my knee hurts. So I have to watch out.
And slowly with some procedures, with some exercises, I got my knee in a condition which is more or less okay. It doesn't affect my game anymore. I start work much more on physical side because I had a feeling that it can help me a lot.
And it does help me a lot if I can physically go into long matches. Of course it's affect my game, because when you do a lot of physical workout you lose your touch, you lose your feeling a little bit because you do a lot of strengthening exercises, endurance stuff, and you can't go a hundred percent on court and get a perfect timing.
So all the time when I was in America I was doing a lot of physical workouts, after America, and I think I reached a pretty good. But still, like now I have one month until a tournament, so I'm gonna take one week off and then I'm gonna again start to do a lot of physical workout in the beginning, and then for like one and a half weeks more tennis.
And then in off-season time I hope I can do a lot more physical again, 'cause then for the next season then I have a good base to then just keep the level.

Q. The improvement in Murray's fitness, is that a lesson for all the young players in how much it can improve your performance as well?
ERNESTS GULBIS: To be honest, I don't look so much to him, what he's doing, you know. I didn't look how good is his fitness. I mean, I just see by the game how he improves. You know, I didn't really go into details what he is doing and what he didn't do.
I know for myself that for me it was important to do it. And I think nowadays, the game is very physical to go the long matches. I mean, for sure he improved his physical side because he can go the long matches, so...

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