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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 26, 2010

Andy Murray

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

A. MURRAY/R. Nadal
6-3, 7-6, 3-0 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy, please.

Q. Before the unfortunate ending to the match, how would you have assessed the level of your performance against him today?
ANDY MURRAY: I thought it was very good. You know, when the big moments came in the match, I thought I dictated what happened on the court. You know, obviously I didn't know when he hurt his knee, you know, when he started feeling it.
But, you know, I mean, from my side, I played really well and, you know, deserved to be up when the match was stopped.

Q. Were you especially pleased when he broke you your response in those circumstances were to break him straight back?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean the first time was good. The second time was a lot more important, I think. You know, that break, it's the first time, you know, I really had to do something like that. Like you know that it's coming, and then, you know, when it comes, it seems like it lasts a lot longer than seven, eight minutes.
You know, it was pretty cold on the court, as well. I tweaked my back a little bit on the first point of that game. He miss-hit a return when I was serving and volleying. You just get a little bit stiff. It was big for me to get that break back.

Q. Is it a feeling of pleasure or is the feeling a little bit hollow?
ANDY MURRAY: I'm obviously disappointed that the match couldn't have finished as I would have liked. But, you know, with the position I was in, you know, I feel like I would have had a chance of going on to finish the match.
You know, unfortunately that happens sometimes in sport. You know, a win's a win. Yeah, I obviously would have liked to have finished it off the right way.

Q. When he shook hands with you, you were walking to your chair. You weren't looking at him. Does that mean you weren't thinking that he might retire?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, it just all happened so sudden. Like, you know, there was one backhand in the following game he didn't quite run for. I didn't realize it was such a big problem. Yeah, I was very surprised 'cause, you know, I've seen Rafa play matches where, you know, he's obviously been in a lot of pain and discomfort, and he's played on.
Here last year, you know, he won back-to-back five-set matches in the semis and finals. His knee is obviously sore enough that what happened last year, he had to miss Wimbledon. That's a shame, because I obviously don't know how bad his knees are. But right at the start of the year, it's not really the best start for him.

Q. The break lasted nine minutes. Did they warn you it would be that long?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, they told us before, 15 minutes before we went out, we were going to have to stop at some stage. Then we got told right before the match, you know, it would be something like eight or nine minutes. I don't know, because of TV and stuff, they could make sure they started it during a changeover so it wasn't like we had to stop in the middle of a game or anything.
It's just quite strange. You can't imagine in like a football World Cup quarterfinal or something them kind of stopping in the 60th minute and going, You got a few fireworks, just hang on. It was a bit strange. It was probably one of the only times that will ever happen during my career, I guess.

Q. He actually broke you in the game immediately after that. How hard is it to actually stop in the middle of a Grand Slam quarterfinal, sit down for 10 minutes, have to pick it up again?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Your body gets used -- I don't normally go to toilet during matches really. Maybe once if it's really long. But your body, you know, when you finish a match, you finish exercising, you know, we're conditioned to play for four hours or so. But on these courts and stuff, if you did take a break for 10 minutes, your body does start to tighten up 'cause it's not like 1 hour and 45 minutes playing against Rafa is the easiest thing to do anyway.
Obviously, it wasn't ideal. But I had to get on with it. That was it.

Q. Cilic in the next round. You played him at the US Open. How much was the wrist a factor? How much can we read into the fact that he beat you in straight sets at the US Open?
ANDY MURRAY: You can read into it as much as you like. I know what the circumstances were. Obviously didn't have my best day. I played him quite a few times on the tour and had good results against him, except there.
I'll try and play like I did tonight. If I do that, I've got a good chance of winning.

Q. Rafa said, given the way you're playing, you deserve to win this title. Do you get that feeling in you, that you're at a level that it's going to take something special to stop you?
ANDY MURRAY: You know, I think even last year in the slams, it took some pretty good performances to win against me. Hopefully this year, well, I hope I don't lose this year obviously, but I'll try and keep playing like I have been. If I do, I'm going to give myself opportunities to win Grand Slams. That's what I want to do. That's why I work hard and why I play tennis: to try and win these tournaments. I think I got a good chance of doing it.

Q. Watching you practice today, you seemed very relaxed. You took three or four minutes to sign autographs. How are you staying so composed amidst all this pressure?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't know. You just get used to I guess playing in big matches. You know, I was really looking forward to playing Rafa today. I guess at the end of your career, they're the sort of matches that you remember. To get the chance to play against him on center court at the Australian Open is something I would have loved to have done when I was a kid growing up. You need to try and have that same sort of mentality when you start playing on the tour, in the big matches, you know, you have to remember how you felt when you were young. These matches don't come around that often. When they do, you have to make sure you enjoy them.
Obviously, I was very focused and concentrated tonight, but definitely enjoyed myself.

Q. You replaced Ross with Ricky Hatton. The team looks different. Is Ricky staying round?
ANDY MURRAY: Ross went home. He went home the day of my last match in the evening. Yeah, Ricky, he's gonna come for the next match. I think he said he was leaving on Friday to go to Sydney. He'll come watch the next match.
But that was pretty cool. I'm a huge boxing fan. Never met him before. Spoke to him for 15 or 20 minutes after the match. Really, really nice guy.

Q. Cilic has had a lot of long matches. You haven't. Is that going to be a factor?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. You know, obviously I feel fresh. I don't know how he feels. From my side, I feel good physically. That's not gonna be an issue for me in the match. I don't know how he's feeling.

Q. You looked really focused when you went out there today. Is there a feeling now with you that you feel like you belong in these big games at Grand Slams?
ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, I think like after the US Open in 2008, when I reached the final there, won against Rafa and Del Potro, you know, that was really when I started to feel like, you know, I could compete at the very highest level of the game. I'd worked really hard physically after I lost to Rafa at Wimbledon that year because I realized, you know, I needed to.
But, yeah, I think definitely now I'm ready to win a Grand Slam, and hopefully I can do it here.

Q. There were three crucial points where you decided to serve and volley for the first time in the match. What was the thought process? Why did you suddenly decide to serve and volley then? You were under pressure. Can you think what you were thinking at that time?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, when I played against him in the past, I have serve-volleyed against him. It can work well. But it's important to, you know, use it as I guess more sort of as a surprise tactic when he's not really expecting it. I don't know exactly when that was. I'm not sure exactly when you're talking about. But the serve-volley did work really well today.

Q. You talked about revenge on court. Does it bother you that you weren't able to produce your tennis that day and he was the guy on the other side of the net?
ANDY MURRAY: No. I was obviously disappointed about what happened there. I had to take a pretty long break afterwards. You know, I was feeling good going into the US Open. You know, wasn't the way I would have liked to have lost.
But, no, I mean, everyone talks about that a lot, about revenge and stuff. But, you know, you just go out there and every day's a different day in tennis. I think that I can win the match. Regardless of what happened at the US Open, if I play well, focus hard and concentrate, then there's no reason why I can't beat him again.

Q. When you talk with your team after a win like tonight, do you smile more? Do you have a voice which sounds more happy than now? Now you talk almost like you lost.
ANDY MURRAY: Have you ever sat in this seat before? I mean, last year I played 80 odd matches and we do a press conference after every single match. We do one before every tournament. More for other bits and pieces.

Q. It's very boring.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't know (smiling). You just get used to doing it. I don't get excited about doing them anymore.
THE MODERATOR: That's lucky because this one's over.

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