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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

November 21, 2010

Andy Murray

LONDON, ENGLAND

A. MURRAY/R. Soderling
6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andy.

Q. Is that about as good as it gets really?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think tactically it was a great match. I think I played very smart tennis today. And, you know, even when obviously it was getting tough in the second set, a lot of long rallies, you know, I was on the defensive quite a lot, stuck to my tactics well and managed, yeah, to come through.
But it was a good match.

Q. You know how tough it is in these round-robins. But to come through in straight sets, dropping six games, that must be especially pleasing for you.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, Robin is a great player, a big guy. He's played I think most of his best tennis indoors. Most of his tournament wins have come indoors. So, yeah, to win with that score line is obviously great.
But still, the second set especially, still very tough. But you need to, yeah, have strategy in all of the matches against the top guys. You know you're not going to play the same way against everybody, and you need to make adjustments whilst you're in the match as well.
I was most happy with that part, that I stuck to my game plan well.

Q. Especially your backhand slice under pressure, you had to stay in a lot of rallies, especially in the second set. You confused him a lot of times with your slice and spins.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I moved well today. Like I said, second set I had to do a lot of running. You know, the slice worked well. I passed smart, as well. Didn't always go for the lines. I hit a lot down to his feet, just made him play a lot of, yeah, uncomfortable shots.
But I had to do a lot of running. But against someone like him, who is a big guy, big hitter of the ball, you're going to have to do that. So I didn't panic when I was on the defensive.
Like you say, I managed to hit a lot of good slices, kept myself in a lot of rallies.

Q. Your return of serve, especially of the second serve, was exemplary today. Any particular things you tried on that?
ANDY MURRAY: No. I think indoors, you know, if you get a good hit on the second serve, it can be difficult for the guy that's serving because, you know, the ball is on you very quickly. So, the first set, he missed a lot of -- he would hit a second serve, I would hit a solid return, he made quite a few mistakes on the second shot.
But, no, return's always been a strong part of my game. I managed to return well, which I knew I was going to have to against someone that serves as well as him.

Q. What did you think of the speed of the court, particularly compared with last year?
ANDY MURRAY: I think it's slow. But it's low-bouncing, so you can -- you know, like, yeah, I mean, like today, I was on the defensive quite a lot. But the slice stays low, so you can keep yourself in the rallies. It can be tough to hit winners off the low balls. Yeah, I think you can come into the net because obviously it's a lot harder to pass when the ball is low.
But I don't see a huge difference, you know, to the court from last year.

Q. There is a possible matchup against Roger on Tuesday. How much do you take that you beat him the last two times you played him?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, every time you play against him, it's tough. It's obviously good to win against him. But, you know, in tennis, like, every match is completely different.
It's a new days. You know, I played great today. I could play horrible on Tuesday.
So I need to make sure I practice well the next couple of days, give myself the best chance to play well. If I do that, I'll have a chance of winning.

Q. Robin said he felt that he wasn't really there in the first set. Were you surprised the way he came out today?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't know. I mean, I just had my game plan when I focused on what I was doing. He did make a lot of mistakes. Like I said, when he had a second serve. He made quite a lot of mistakes.
But, you know, he came up with a few huge serves in the first set, as well. Yeah, maybe he made a few more mistakes than normal, but I think I played smart, played the right way.

Q. (Question regarding the crowd.)
ANDY MURRAY: It's a huge tournament. I think all of the players want to play their best tennis here. It's a big win, to beat someone that's ranked higher than me. The guy's No. 4 in the world. He's a very, very good player.
I think when you beat someone as good as him in a tournament like this with that score line, it's normal to be pretty excited about it.

Q. Did you have any input into the new kit you're wearing today?
ANDY MURRAY: No. But I like it.

Q. It's like the Lendl style, the old style?
ANDY MURRAY: That's what everyone has been telling me, yeah.

Q. Last year the fact you didn't get a straight-sets win counted against you. How important do you think it is to get that today?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, the most important thing is to win the matches. So, you know, I need to try and win the next match. If I do that...
Yeah, last year I was unlucky. It came down to one game or something. I don't know exactly. Be surprised if that happens again or if it's ever that close again. So, no, I mean, I was obviously happy to win in straight sets. But I wasn't thinking about what happened last year.
In the next match, I certainly won't be thinking about last year either. I'll just try and get another win.

Q. Soderling praised your defensive game in this match. You have agreed now that you were defending. Are you planning to keep defending in the next matches? Is that going to be your style during this week or are you planning to attack more?
ANDY MURRAY: It depends. If I feel like I have to attack, then I'll attack more. You know, if I feel like I can play like I did today and win, then I'll play like that.
It depends who you're playing against. A lot of guys with very different game styles. Ferrer plays completely different to Federer. Depends kind of who I play against, how the match is going.
But I'll have a different game plan, I'm sure, for all of the matches. And today's was to play smart tennis. I think I did that.

Q. To jump to the No. 1 position in the world, will you have to attack more?
ANDY MURRAY: I think against certain guys. When I played Roger and Rafa the last few times I played them, I played very aggressive tennis. That's what you need to do against them. Against some guys you need to defend more.
You know, if you play against a guy that serves 140 miles an hour on the first serve, you can't attack. So you need to balance it depending on the opponent, depending on the match, the stage of the match.
I think I've improved that side of my game. I've worked on serve-volleying, you know, in some matches the last few weeks. I think I've attacked a lot better towards the end of this year than I was at the beginning.

Q. How happy were you with your serve today?
ANDY MURRAY: I think I served probably better in the first set than the second. But my second serve was good today. That's one of the most important things in tennis. You know, if you're winning a lot of points behind your second serve, you're under a lot less pressure.
And then the one breakpoint he had, I served an ace. I think I served well when I needed to. My second serve was good. But I probably served better in the first set than the second.

Q. As a player, how different is the experience playing here compared to the Centre Court? Obviously a different surface. Is one more appealing to you than the other?
ANDY MURRAY: They're obviously completely different. I wouldn't say one appeals to me more than the other. I think Centre Court Wimbledon is probably the most special court in tennis. The atmosphere here is obviously different. It's more sort of like a concert, you know, with music at the change of ends, having the big screen there, showing replays of the points. They were firing - it was so loud - those things they were firing on the court today. Yeah, I didn't know what was going on at first.
Yeah, it's just different. It's more like a basketball, concert atmosphere. Whereas Wimbledon is obviously a bit quieter. But the atmosphere on the Centre Court, unless you've played on it, it's quite difficult to explain. It's an amazing atmosphere, but it's a lot more quiet than here.

End of FastScripts

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