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ROGERS CUP MEN

August 11, 2010

Andy Murray

TORONTO, ONTARIO

A. MURRAY/X. Malisse
7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are your thoughts on that as a beginning of your defense of your title?
ANDY MURRAY: It was decent. I mean, it was a difficult match. He's, you know, everyone knows, a very talented player and he -- he was hitting the ball very well at the start of the match, very flat with his forehand and didn't really give me that many chances.
I had I think three break points maybe his first service game, didn't take it, and then he started playing a lot better after that and just managed to hang in at the end of that set, came up with a couple of good shots at 5-4 and managed to turn it around.
But I guess I got better as the match went on, but it was tough.

Q. You turned it around actually very quickly, didn't you? You played that terrific game to break back, and it seemed to alter the whole feeling of the match.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, that can be the case sometimes. You know, it was -- I think he was up 5-4, 30-Love, and played a couple of very good points, and then, yeah, after that he played a bad game at 6-5.
I didn't really have to do much for the break there, but yeah, that changed the momentum, and then I carried on at the beginning of the second.

Q. Playing a very good game, that one at 4-5, I mean, do you sort of think about trying to do that beforehand or does it happen? How did it come about?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, like I say, he was playing very well, and I needed to get a bit more energy into my performance, but sometimes it's difficult when a guy is hitting big balls, lot of winners, not that many long rallies. Just in that game I came up with a couple of very good passes.
There was a few long rallies in that game, and, yeah, that just does make you feel better when you start, get into more of a rhythm when you're hitting more balls. Yeah, just kind of settles you down a little bit, because the first match for anyone in any tournament is always difficult, and you don't normally feel that comfortable. Once I got that break, I settled down a bit.

Q. When was the last time that you feel you could turn a match around just quite so quickly as that?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, well, I don't know. It happens more than people think. It can be -- you know, when you're a break down, you get the break back, it's almost -- you know, when I played Querrey at Wimbledon, for example, I was up 5-4 serving for the first set and then got broken back and I was down Love-40 in my next service game.
Then after I hung on there to, you know, to fight back, I felt just way more comfortable, a lot more relaxed. It happens more than you think, but I don't know when the last time it was.

Q. After this win, what is your confidence level going into the third round of play?
ANDY MURRAY: I feel good. I mean, today could have been a little bit better from the start, but, you know, the first round is tough, and I was playing against a very good player.
I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow, but I've got a difficult match against Monfils.

Q. Just a question about Nadal. You played him a lot of times. What are the two or three biggest differences between playing him on clay and playing him on hardcourts?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, well, I mean, it's the surface that makes it different, not necessarily the way that -- the way that he plays. You know, he -- he dictates -- it's easier for him to dictate points on clay with his forehand, and it's easier for him to return, as well.
So he gets into more long rallies. When he gets into long rallies is when he's -- you know, that's when he's the best in the world. Against him it's important to try to keep the points as short as you can, and it's a lot harder to do that on the clay compared with on the grass and the hardcourts.

Q. You said you could be a bit better. You said you felt good. Was there anything in your game today that you felt you need to improve for the rest of the tournament with such a strong field in front of you?
ANDY MURRAY: I felt I needed to move better. The start of the match, I didn't feel like I was moving that well and my footwork wasn't that good. Once I started moving better, you know, and got into a few longer rallies I started to feel better. So, you know, the movement does tend to help most of your game. You'll start to hit the ball a lot cleaner and feel a lot more comfortable on the ball if you're in the right position. If you feel you can chase down a lot of balls, you know, you'll feel more comfortable on the court.
So I did move better in the second set, but that's the one thing I'll need to do well in the next matches.

Q. What is it that influences whether you move well or not?
ANDY MURRAY: It comes from just playing matches. You start to move better, but, you know, like I said, I need to have a little bit more energy maybe right at the beginning of the match, you know, need to get a bit more -- just be more energetic from the start. That normally helps.
Sometimes when you aren't feeling your best, you need to force yourself to move and really, you know, put emphasis on your footwork and your movement, and I'll probably do that tomorrow.

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