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U.S. OPEN

September 1, 2009

Sam Querrey

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

S. QUERREY/M. Yani
6-3, 7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Happy with your play? Medium? Real happy?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I thought I played, you know, not my greatest match. But I don't think he played his greatest match either.
Fortunately kind of went both ways. But I thought I served well, played well in the break points. You know, he's got a great serve, so I thought I did a pretty good job of putting that in play. Overall I'm pretty happy.

Q. When he had breakpoints?
SAM QUERREY: When he had a breakpoint against me. I don't know how many he had. I guess four or five. Probably three or four of them were aces. The other ones were first serve in, good first ball.

Q. Seemed like you played the critical points well. Was there a greater focus on those points?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah. I was trying to tighten up a little bit. The first set there I kind of got a break early and then held from there on out. Second set I tightened up a little bit at 5-All, ended up getting that break there, made him play.
The third set, right off the bat, I played a good game, up 40-Love on his serve. I just made him play balls. A lot of times guys at 40-Love, a lot of times I would do this, go for a return winner. I stuck with it, made him win that game. Fortunately I came through and broke him.

Q. You said last week you're learning to anticipate a little better, makes you look faster. What goes into that?
SAM QUERREY: I think that is just all playing matches. The more you play, the more you learn. I think I'm learning to be a better tennis player on the court. You know, I'm learning about guys' games, what they like to do, their strengths and their weaknesses. I think that's what Federer does better than anyone, which makes him kind of glide around the court. I'm not where he is right now. But I'm starting to get a better feel of what guys do and where they're hitting the ball the majority of the time.

Q. The whole process of your rise, obviously it's a process, but how much do you think last year's run here had to do with kicking things up?
SAM QUERREY: It had a lot to do with it. It wasn't the end of the year, but it was near the end of the year. The first time into the second week of a slam. I played Nadal tough. So it definitely gave me some confidence and kind of way kickstarted off the beginning of this year.

Q. Can you talk about this year. Seems a little bit like you've had two parts. The majors probably didn't go quite the way you were hoping. The summer was phenomenal. Talk about the transition you made.
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I've been working hard the entire year. Maybe it didn't pay off. You know, the first six months, I had a good year the first six months, or a good six months. It wasn't spectacular.
But eventually the hard work and everything paid off. I got to my favorite part of the year, the summer series in America. Just started winning matches. I was building confidence with every win.
I thought I played well the entire year. The clay court season, I didn't win a lot of matches, but I still felt like I played well. I think it's good to go over in Europe and play for eight weeks and learn to play on clay. I probably won three matches. But I felt good about my game after that.

Q. If you were made a tournament director for a day, what would the atmosphere be like during tennis matches? You seem to have a different take on what you'd like to see tennis evolve into.
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, I don't want it to change too much. But I do think fans should be able to cheer during the point. I know today during my match, myself and Michael, we got up off the chair to go serve, we weren't waiting for everyone to sit down. Half our points were played with everyone standing up, filing out of the stadium. A lot of guys are going to wait till every single person sits down. You're just kind of like, no wonder tennis isn't as popular as football, basketball, baseball, soccer.
I think if fans had a little more leeway to yell and cheer, it might increase the popularity a little bit, might not. I really don't know.

Q. What about waving white towels when you're trying to serve?
SAM QUERREY: I mean, they could do that. It wouldn't bother me. I think when everyone does it, it's not that bad. At basketball, if home teams could somehow get the stadium dead silent, have one guy yell out while a guy is shooting a free throw, it would be more effective, but you can't do that.

Q. Are you prepared to deal with the likely stories and pressure of the next great American guy?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, I don't -- I'm playing for myself out here. I'm doing everything I can. I haven't felt any pressure at all in my career. I'm just going to work hard and do the best I can. As long as I do that, I'm going to be happy. Everyone else should be happy with that. So I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.

Q. You haven't felt any pressure at all?
SAM QUERREY: Not at all, no.

Q. When Andy was your age, he won a slam. Do you ever think of that?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, it's possible. You look at Roddick won a slam at 21. Nadal at 18, 19, 20, 21. Djokovic last year was 21, maybe 22 at the Australian. Murray is right there. He's 22. So, I mean, a lot of guys have done it at a young age.
Hopefully this week or next week, in the years to come, I can hopefully become one of the contenders, have a chance at a young age.

Q. How do you look at that but then not put more pressure on yourself?
SAM QUERREY: Uhm, it's just something that just kind of comes with the hard work. I think if I put in the hard work and play well, the results will come. You're gonna have chances in majors. I mean, I don't know, it's the future. I might feel pressure. I mean, who knows. I don't think I will.

Q. The typical theory is a big, tall guy, the mechanics of it, they're not as quick. What do you do about that? Do you specifically work on things like footwork and movement or do you just play tennis and let it flow?
SAM QUERREY: I mean, for the most part I just play tennis and let it flow. But I put a lot of work in on the track. Athletes are evolving in all sports. You look at the NBA. Every guy is between 6'5" and 6'10" and they're fast and quick. Same with football players. You're seeing it in all sports, bigger athletes are becoming quicker. It's not just the guys who are 5'8", 5'9". You're seeing a lot of guys over 6'5" who are quick in tennis, football, basketball, you name it.
The science behind training is better. I think that has a lot to do with it.

Q. Do you think possibly the stance you take on pressure, your family is out there, a nice atmosphere, do you think the fact you did not grow up in one of those tennis concentration camps, you just went to high school and played, do you think that makes a whole difference in attitude and approach to the game?
SAM QUERREY: I think a little bit, yeah. My parents just wanted me to have fun when I was younger. They encouraged me to play other sports, which I did. I played high school basketball. I played high school tennis. It was pretty much a waste of time, but it was still fun.

Q. Play all four years?
SAM QUERREY: I played three years.

Q. Did you ever lose?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, freshman year I lost eight times. Sophomore year I lost once. I didn't lose my junior year. Pretty competitive high school tennis in Southern California.
But, yeah, my parents and uncles, when they all come, they're all just coming in the stands. They're happy as can be sitting in the box, cheering and supporting. My parents aren't in my face telling me the game plan before I go out there what to do. They're just along for the ride, having a good time and enjoying it.

Q. There's one thing you do have to overcome. You're a Clippers fan.
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, brutal. They just got Blake Griffin.

Q. But you are a Clippers fan, you admit that publicly?
SAM QUERREY: Yes.

Q. How did you come to hit two home runs at Dolphin stadium last year?
SAM QUERREY: That was after the Miami tournament or during the Miami tournament. It's like an ATP press thing. I went with James Blake. We took batting practice with the Marlins. Just happened to take two out of the stadium.

Q. When was the last time you swung at live pitches?
SAM QUERREY: Probably little league, when I was 13, 14. My friends will mess around, play football, play softball sometimes. I played baseball for 10 years growing up. My dad played in college. Hand-eye coordination was there. I caught two of them clean.

Q. You want fans to chant, Sam, bring some of that football?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah.

Q. Have you talked to the USTA?
SAM QUERREY: They can try it. We'll see. I heard a good idea the other day. Make the two semifinalists, the losing semifinalist play a match, put a huge purse on the line, have the fans test it out, see what they want to do.

Q. Do you think that could work in golf?
SAM QUERREY: It could, yeah. All it takes is someone to try it.

Q. You said you thought you were playing well the first half of the year but perhaps the results and wins weren't necessarily showing. Was there a sense of urgency to get those wins or results, people who aren't quite as familiar with how well you're playing, to show them your game has improved?
SAM QUERREY: I think a little bit. Sometimes I'm a little too harsh on myself, put a little too much pressure on myself in some of those matches. I went through a span of five to seven tournaments where I was up like a set and a break. In those matches, I was always tentative. I would take my foot off the gas a little bit. For a while, I was really tight and nervous on second serve returns if it got close.
But then I worked on it and worked on it. Starting this summer, I put a lot of work into it, so it's kind of paid off. I'm stepping up and taking some more chances. I think that's been the key.

Q. You lost all those matches, up a set and a break?
SAM QUERREY: It wasn't necessarily five in a row. In Indian Wells I had a match point, I got nervous. Miami I was up a set and a break. Rome I was up a set and a break. Serbia, I was up a set and a break.

Q. So far what has been your most difficult tournament to play in?
SAM QUERREY: Most difficult one to play in? Probably the French Open. I haven't won a round there. I really like playing on clay. Hopefully next year things will go better. This year didn't really go my way.

Q. Is closing out a match mental? What kind of a hurdle did you have to overcome?
SAM QUERREY: In the Wawrinka match in Indian Wells, I had a match point late in the third set tiebreaker. I was telling myself to run around the second serve return and crush a forehand. I ended up not doing it. I pushed a backhand over the net. Just getting over the fear of not losing, going out there and trying to win rather than to go out there and try to not lose. I was just hoping he was going to miss a shot rather than me step up and take a chance and go for it.
I think I lost that match. Even if I had a match point there, I would have ran around and ripped a forehand and missed it 30 feet long, but the fact that I did it, I think I would have been happy with myself.

Q. You were telling yourself forehand, forehand, forehand?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah, hit a backhand.

Q. How is the traffic compared in New York to Los Angeles?
SAM QUERREY: There was an accident here on Sunday. It can be tough in both places. I don't really mind it too much. At home I practice at like 11 or 12 in the afternoon.

Q. Santa Monica?
SAM QUERREY: Yeah. I mean, most of the time I practice at UCLA. Other times I practice at the Carson center. 11 or 12, there's no traffic.

End of FastScripts

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