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SHANGHAI ROLEX MASTERS

October 16, 2010

Andy Murray

SHANGHAI, CHINA

A. MURRAY/J. Monaco
6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In the context of the match, how important do you think was the moment when your string popped and you were able to obviously win that point?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, obviously the match, I managed to get the break that game. It's obviously a lot tougher to break when you're down 30-Love than 15-All. But I was feeling good. I played one bad game on my serve at the end of that set. I missed one forehand by a mile. I missed a backhand by a mile. I served a double-fault.
You know, just needed to focus. Like the next game, I chased a lot of balls down. He made a few mistakes. But points like that can sort of change matches a little bit. But I was still feeling quite comfortable even at that stage.

Q. As a week, is this what you were expecting or has it come as something of a surprise after the way things have been the last few weeks, illness and whatnot?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I think each match I felt better. The court, this is a court or a surface for me that is very good. You know, the ball bounces relatively high. I feel like I move well on these courts and I can still get my serve through the court to get enough free points.
No, it's just a good surface for me. But, yeah, it had been a couple tough weeks, last week in Beijing. Sort of getting ready for Beijing was tricky.
But, yeah, it's probably a better result than I expected at the start of the week.

Q. I know you don't like to put percentages on your fitness, but how did you feel in the match against Ljubicic compared to how you felt out there tonight?
ANDY MURRAY: I felt, movement-wise, night and day. I think I moved really well today, and in the last round as well. I was moving very well, which to me is very important to my game. I have a feeling on the court if I'm running around, chasing a lot of balls down, I feel good.
In Beijing, I felt slow and sluggish, out of breath quite quickly. So it's quite a big change.

Q. To digress from the match. You've been here now for a week. I'm curious if you know now why this event was voted the top event on the 1000 level by the players last year? As far as the amenities, the way they treat you, is there a noticeable difference here from other events?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, I mean, I said it right at the start of the week. The facility here is the best I think out of all the tournaments of this level. The hotel's great. You know, they've got so many courts to practice on. Sometimes that can be an issue for players getting enough practice time. Sometimes you have to share courts. Here they've got like 40 courts outside. The locker rooms are great. Food's really nice. I mean, everything's pretty much perfect.
If it does rain, you've obviously got the roof, which I think I'd be right in saying none of the other tournaments at this level have.
The only thing, it's just if the hotel was a little bit closer, that would be nice, but everything else is absolutely perfect.

Q. We'll find out in a few hours, but any preference for tomorrow, Novak or Roger?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I do really enjoy playing Roger. You know, it's obviously a great experience every time you get to play against him. So I wouldn't mind playing Roger. But, I mean, I wouldn't like to pick a winner of the match. I mean, Novak has played great. Last week he didn't drop a set. He didn't drop a set this week. Obviously the US Open, he got to the final and beat Roger. It's tough to pick a winner. But I wouldn't mind playing Roger.

Q. Back to the Australian Open earlier this year, the final. What did you learn from that and how have you improved as a player since that match?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, there's certain things you need to keep improving on. I've come up in the slams a few times - well, twice against Roger in two finals. I thought I played better this time than I did the first time. You know, obviously Rafa at Wimbledon this year, it was a really close match for me, but one where they just played a bit better than me towards the end of the sets.
That was something that I knew after Wimbledon I was going to have to take my chances better, make them feel like they're under pressure a little bit more. And I think when I played Roger in Toronto, I played a lot more aggressive, didn't give him many chances to really dictate the points, especially on my serve. That's something that I need to do against them in the future if I want to beat them.

Q. You mentioned Toronto. Roger said this surface here in Shanghai is similar to Toronto and the situation is almost the same. You're in the final now. You're waiting for the winner of either Djokovic or Roger. Would you find any relevance to that tournament and does it help you to know you won Toronto?
ANDY MURRAY: The surface is similar definitely. You know, I think it does play slightly different, you know, in terms of the conditions here. But the surface is similar.
Like I said, I feel like I move well. The ball bounces high. I mean, yeah, it's different for me. Physically I felt like I moved well in these matches. I haven't played any long ones yet. That's something that maybe tomorrow, if I want to win, I'm going to have to play a long match. I don't know how I'll respond, but normally in finals the adrenaline gets you through.

Q. You gave a pretty good rundown if it is Roger. If it's Novak, the head-to-head is pretty definitive in that he won the first four and you've won the most recent three. That kind of suggests that he had your number early on and you worked out how to play him. Is that a fair comment?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, he was a lot better than me. The first time we played, it was in Madrid, the indoors. Novak was up easy. I think he was up 6-1, 3-1 or something and I lost. And then the next year he improved a lot. I didn't improve as much as I would have liked, so he was better than me then.
I feel like the last couple of years, I mean, I feel like I improved my game. You know, Novak is obviously still playing great. To beat him, I'll need to play an unbelievable match. But I think it's pretty 50/50 on a court like this. I think it should be very close.

Q. You said aggression is important against Roger and Rafa. Is that same aggression necessary against Novak or do you play him a different way?
ANDY MURRAY: I think you need to get like the balance right against him. He's very solid off both sides. You know, he obviously moves great.
Against Rafa, he plays a little bit further behind the baseline. Roger plays closer to the baseline, but he doesn't, you know, hit as many winners off his backhand. You obviously need to try to keep the ball away from Roger's forehand, whereas Novak, he can hurt you from any part of the court.
You need to kind of balance your attacks a bit more. There's not one side to go to more than the other. You need to kind of change the pace of the ball, use some slice, try not to let him get in too much of a rhythm because when he is in a rhythm he changes the direction of the balls so well, he can dictate the points. You need to really play a smart match against him.

End of FastScripts

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