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ROGERS CUP MEN

August 14, 2010

Andy Murray

TORONTO, ONTARIO

A. MURRAY/R. Nadal
6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've won four of the last five on hardcourts against Nadal. What do you think, if anything, the surface gives you an advantage over him?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, it's just the surface I feel most comfortable on. You know, on clay, you know, it's obviously his best surface, and, you know, there are certain things -- I think I move better on the hardcourts than on the other surfaces. And I don't know if, you know, there are certain things that the surface allows me to do against him that maybe on the others I can't.
But, you know, I've always played my best tennis on hardcourts since I came on the tour, and that's probably why.

Q. Yesterday David said that you played more aggressively than he's used to seeing you play, and today obviously, as well. How much of a conscious effort do you have to make, to play offense?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, no, I think, you know, it's something that, you know, I enjoy -- I enjoy playing that way. You know, when I have played against Rafa and when I have needed to against, you know, the best players, I've always tried to play more aggressively. You know, I just know I just want to -- I want to enjoy, you know, playing my game, sort of express myself on the court how, you know, how I want.
You know, obviously I'm without a coach just now, and so it's a little bit -- you know, it's a little bit different. I've been enjoying myself out there and obviously playing well.

Q. With Nadal being the No. 1-ranked player in the world, people are bound to call this a bit of an upset. Do you see it that way, or when you play the way you did today, do you feel this is the result you should achieve?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, you never expect to, you know, to beat, you know, the best players in the world, but I think if I play my best tennis like I did today, I have a very good chance against all of them.
But the margins are so small in tennis. You know, against like in the second set today he had a couple of chances to go up a break at 5-3, didn't take them, and then I just managed to break in the next game, and, you know, the momentum shifts can come very quickly, and, you know, the game where he broke me at 3-3, I think he hit three forehands onto the line. Some days they will go in; some days they go out. You don't expect to win against them.
But I understand that if I go on the court against them, I need to play great tennis to beat them and that's what I did today.

Q. You say your quarterfinal win was probably one of your best wins of the season. Was this performance today a little bit better than that?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think there was, you know, longer rallies. You know, I think David made quite a lot of mistakes yesterday.
It's just a different match. I had to play a slightly different game style, but I played very well today, too. I had won of my best matches of the year. I played very well against Rafa in Australia, as well. You know, I just -- I like playing him on hardcourts.

Q. Your concentration on court looked, I don't know, better than it normally does. I mean, you didn't go off or scream or anything. You just kind of moved from point to point and showed a little disappointment when you would lose a point, but actually it seemed like you were very focused. Is there any truth to that?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I felt good. I think it's something that, you know, when I have played my best tennis, like in Australia this year and at Wimbledon this year, I've, you know, I've always, you know, kept a pretty level head on the court.
I think, you know, for me something that makes me feel mentally good is if I prepare well for the tournaments, and I go in feeling like I practiced all the things I wanted to practice and done the stuff in the gym like I feel I need to. I go on the court, you know, a lot clearer in my head.
And this week has been different. I had a pretty clear game plan the last couple of matches, and it's a lot easier to like have -- it's a lot easier to get rid of any doubts in your mind when you know exactly what you want to do out there.

Q. You were mentioning that on one end of the court you had to make sure to hit it flatter because the wind was tricky. Which end of the court was that?
ANDY MURRAY: It was to the right of the umpire. I mean, it wasn't like really windy, but it does -- when you play against someone like Rafa or the guys that play with a lot of topspin, you know, they can make you do a lot of running when they're playing with the wind.
So I didn't want to hit too many high balls, because the ball will float in there a little bit more, and it was on the right side of the umpire's chair.

Q. You say you're having fun and coming in with the right game plan, and you don't have a coach right now. Are you tempted to go it alone for a while?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, I said I'm not gonna rush into hiring a coach unless I feel like it's the right person, because it's a big commitment, you know. It's 30, 35 weeks of the year you travel with them and spend a lot of time together. There's a lot of pressure, you know, at the high or the top end of sports. You need to make sure you get on with them very well.
But, you know, I don't want to just pick someone or choose someone right before the US Open and make a mistake. I'd rather, you know, play like I'm playing just now and have people around me that I know and enjoy being with so you can have -- so you're enjoying yourself, for one. Then I will sit down after the US Open and think about what I want to do.

Q. You've had quite a few high-profile victories against Rafa really over the last two years or so, Majors especially. What do you think it is about your game that seems to frustrate or halt Nadal pretty often?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, yeah, I don't know. I think having a double-handed backhand helps. You know, I think, you know, his forehand bounce is very high. It's quite difficult if you have a single-handed backhand to control the ball when it's up high there.
With a double-hander, that's obviously a little bit easier. You're a lot stronger with two hands.
I watch him play a lot. I watch Rafa play a lot, so I see, you know, where he's gonna play the ball a little bit. I think I know his game pretty well.
But we've played, you know, I don't know, 13, 14 times on the tour now, and we practice a lot together, too. So we know each other's games well. So that probably helps a bit.

Q. I guess your record against Federer isn't as good as Nadal, especially in Majors. If you are facing Federer tomorrow, game plan? How can you beat him?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I've beaten him six times and lost five on the tour, so, you know, I feel confident if I play well that I can win against him. You know, just -- I'm just gonna have to play good tennis like I did today and take my chances, play aggressive and not let him dictate the points.
But he's obviously a very tough guy to play against, because, you know, he's got one of the best records ever in the game, but, you know, I think if I play like I did today I'll give myself a chance of winning.

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