	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WIMBLEDON

July 2, 2010

Oliver Golding

LONDON, ENGLAND

B. MITCHELL/O. Golding
6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Oliver Golding for you.

Q. How do you feel you played today?
OLIVER GOLDING: It wasn't great. I played better matches. Tried maybe a little bit too hard, I think. Just, yeah, trying to hit the ball too hard and just snatched at it a little bit.

Q. Was that because of the occasion or just one of those days?
OLIVER GOLDING: One of those days and maybe the occasion a little bit, as well.
Just, yeah, I've been playing so well all week. It would have been lovely to play as well as I had been. But you can't play great every match. It's just one of those things.

Q. Do you think it was tiredness, the fact that you've gone so far in the tournament? Were your arms and legs starting to feel a bit knackered?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not massively. I mean, I'd had some quite tough matches. I had five in the third on Wednesday, four in the third on Thursday, so it probably took its toll a little bit.
But, I mean, I didn't feel that tired out there.

Q. You had a bit of swaddling around there and something on your shoulder. Was that just a bit of precaution?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, that wasn't -- there was no pain there.

Q. Is there anything in particular you feel you've learnt about yourself this week?
OLIVER GOLDING: Uhm, I thought I coped with like playing in front of the big crowds pretty well. I coped with the pressure pretty well.
Just like serving out matches. Served out a couple of matches really well, likes 6-5 in the third and 5-4 in the second set in my second round.
So, yeah, I've taken a lot of things from this week. I've played some really good tennis. I've had a good week. So, yeah, just keep that going now.

Q. Is that the biggest crowd you've played in front of, do you think?
OLIVER GOLDING: Uhm, yeah, probably.

Q. You like that, don't you?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, I mean. Yeah, I love playing in front of big crowds. Unfortunately, they did their best today, but I couldn't do anything.

Q. When you started this week, what was your ambition? What were you hoping?
OLIVER GOLDING: I mean, I was just taking, you know, every match as it comes and trying to do my best. But I still think I've had a good week. Semis, you know. Would have been great to have won the tournament, but I've got another year next year. I'll be back to try to win it then.

Q. Obviously you felt if you played your best you had your chance of winning?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah. It was frustrating because, you know, I wasn't feeling that great out there on the court. I wasn't hitting the ball that cleanly. You know, maybe on a different day, if I'd been playing as well as I played in the other rounds, I would have had a chance.
I've got to give some credit to him as well because I think he played a great match. He was quite a different sort of player to everyone that I've played against so far. I mean, most of the guys that I've played against I've been able to dictate most of the rallies and sort of play my game, whereas he forced me to sort of play more his game and was rushing like the tempo quite a lot.

Q. Had you played him before?
OLIVER GOLDING: No.

Q. You didn't know what to expect?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not massively, no. I mean, I spoke to a couple of people before the match to ask them sort of how he played. They sort of gave me contradicting opinions, really. It took me a while to sort out what to do.
But he's a great player. He played a great match.

Q. How has this week affected your determination to become a professional tennis player?
OLIVER GOLDING: Uhm, not massively really. I mean, I always had the same determination. I think it's been a great week. But I knew at some point I was going to have these great weeks, and the some points you're going to have bad weeks as well. You've just got to keep the same all the way through.

Q. The week you had will give you some memories to hold onto when you're up at 7:00 in the morning having to hitting more balls?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it makes you want to keep going. Makes you want to have more of these weeks. You've just got to keep that in your head the whole time.

Q. Is it correct that you were prevented from playing sort of in your mother's house, on the courts there? Is that correct, or have I got that wrong?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, about two years ago there was a problem with the neighbor. She didn't like it. But the tennis court has been there for ages, like before she came and stuff. She moved there knowing it was there and caused a problem. But I think she's gone now.

Q. It's in the back of your mother's house?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, yeah, a tennis court in the back garden.

Q. What surface is that?
OLIVER GOLDING: Just hard court.

Q. Did you grow up playing on that?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, pretty much. From when I could walk, I was out there.

Q. Do you like that surface more than grass?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not massively. I mean, I like playing on grass because I've got a big serve and I hit the ball quite hard and flat.
So I think probably grass is my favorite surface.

Q. So you had to stop playing because of this issue?
OLIVER GOLDING: She tried to stop it. She like took it to court basically. But I think we won Planning Permission in the end, so...

Q. What are your aims for the next 12 months now?
OLIVER GOLDING: Just to do well in all the junior slams and try to repeat my performances here at the US Open and then all four Grand Slams next year, and then to try to get my ATP ranking up, as well.
I had a point, but I actually lost it because it dropped off after a year. I've been really unlucky. I could have quite a few by now. A few close matches that went the other way. Hopefully I'll get that up soon.

Q. Have you got your exam results this summer?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, hopefully. Touch wood. If the exams go -- if I get the right results, I'm done with education.

Q. Give you more time to devote to tennis; is that the plan?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yes.

Q. No university then?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not yet; I hope not.

Q. Are these A levels you've just done?
OLIVER GOLDING: A levels.

Q. What subject did you do?
OLIVER GOLDING: I've done Spanish already, and then I'm waiting for the results of English.

Q. After having such a decent week, are you going to be taken out to celebrate by your mum or anything like that?
OLIVER GOLDING: I don't know. You'll have to ask her. I hope so (laughter).

Q. You're clearly not afraid to show your emotions on court. Do you think that might be something you will look at today, get rattled, something your opponent can pick up on?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah. Obviously when everything is going good, I'm getting pumped, it's great. Sometimes I can get a bit negative on myself. I think it was just pure frustration today because I wanted to play well so badly that almost I think it probably stopped me from playing well.
But the more times I get in those sort of situations, the more I'm gonna deal with them in a better way. So, yeah, I mean...

Q. Is that because of your acting past?
OLIVER GOLDING: I don't know, maybe it's just my personality.

Q. When was your last acting role? Did you do a school play?
OLIVER GOLDING: No, I haven't done any of that for a while. I can't remember actually. It was a good couple years, I think.

Q. What's your favorite memory from having been a child actor?
OLIVER GOLDING: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was good.

Q. What about Keira Knightley?
OLIVER GOLDING: I was a bit too young to remember that? Yeah, Christopher Lee, the first time I saw him, he just went, like, You've got the face of a very naughty young boy.
Yeah, that was good memories. I think I was a bit too young to remember Keira Knightley. I think I was like five when I was in it with her, so...

Q. You were in the Vauxhall Astra advert?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah.

Q. Were you the one that goes (making sound)?
OLIVER GOLDING: No. I was one of the other babies in the background who started clapping.

Q. How satisfying is it to have given some good news to British tennis? Obviously, last week all negative.
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, it's great. I mean, there's a lot of guys doing a lot of hard work. So I think it's fair that they get some recognition. Not everything is bad in British tennis. I think there is a good future.

Q. You're hopeful there are people who are coming through that can improve things?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, definitely. There's a lot of us in this sort of age group. Yeah, I think there could be some good results in the future.

Q. After all the attention this week, can you tell us what a typical week for you entails?
OLIVER GOLDING: It will probably be like training once in the morning, then fitness. Yeah, tennis training in the morning, then fitness, then another bout of tennis, then some days another session of fitness. Some days just one.

Q. And it's possible in the next couple of years there would be Davis Cup openings. How would you feel about representing your country?
OLIVER GOLDING: I'd love it. I think it's one of the highest honors you can get, is to represent your country. I'd love to.

Q. Where will you be watching Andy?
OLIVER GOLDING: I'll probably just go home and chill I think now. I've had a tough week. I'm pretty tired. But I'll be watching it.

Q. Has he said anything to you this week?
OLIVER GOLDING: A little bit. He said 'well done' to me. I saw him in the changing rooms after the quarters. He said 'well done' to me. I haven't seen him that much.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297