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U.S. OPEN

September 11, 2011

Oliver Golding

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

O. Golding/J. Vesely
5-7, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You must feel very happy with the way you finished that match.
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, I didn't think it was gonna be that easy, to be honest. I played a really good game. He made a couple of errors at the beginning of the game which helped me out, but just was trying to think, just keep playing the same way you have been playing the whole match and you'll get through it.

Q. How did you keep your composure? You had those four set points at 5-4 in the first set on his serve and then you didn't do it, yet you were able to keep the momentum going.
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, it was tough. I didn't really have much of a chance. Maybe on the first one I could have been a little more positive with the way I played it, but, you know -- and fourth ball he made a first serve. So, you know, I didn't really have that many chances.
I played a loose game at 5-All to give my serve away, and then from then on I was happy with the way I kept my composure after that.

Q. What does it mean to you to win a junior Grand Slam?
OLIVER GOLDING: It's kind of something I have been working for for a long time, and, you know, feels unbelievable. I don't have the words.

Q. Where did you find the energy from to play today?
OLIVER GOLDING: I have no idea. You know, it's been a really tough few days. There has been so many matches. You know, he was obviously pretty tired, as well. We both were.
But considering the circumstances, I think it was pretty high-quality match.

Q. Taking all that into account, how much confidence does that give you going forward knowing that you can cope with big matches in successive days in this kind of atmosphere of a Grand Slam?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, I mean, I played seven matches now in three days. I think my body has held up pretty well. I try and keep recovering after all the matches to the best that I can. Yeah, I think it's only gonna get tougher when you start playing best-of-five sets.
But I thought I handled it pretty well this week.

Q. Are you planning to celebrate?
OLIVER GOLDING: I haven't thought about that one yet. I'm sure I'll come up with something. I have a pretty flight early tomorrow morning back home, so...

Q. Maybe you can stay up all night.
OLIVER GOLDING: I'll think of it. I'll probably be too tired.

Q. What's your future with the juniors? Are you going to leave the juniors behind?
OLIVER GOLDING: That was the plan before this week, which was going to be my last junior tournament. I mean, I've got to look at the rankings, because maybe there will be a chance now of me finishing the year No. 1.
So that's something we will think about, but probably I won't play another junior tournament.

Q. You've played a few senior events. How have you found that, playing seniors compared with juniors?
OLIVER GOLDING: You've got to be a lot more disciplined and focused within the matches. You can't kinda give away anything, otherwise they sort of grab it with both hands; whereas in juniors you can afford to play a couple of loose games sometimes.
Maybe not in sort of the last matches today. You know, that was almost kind of like a senior-level match. I think, you know, I got some good experience, particularly at Queen's this year and Wimbledon quallies.
I was feeling pretty good about my game there. Didn't have a great Wimbledon, but, you know, couple of tough things going on off the court which sort of didn't help.
Yeah, just the last couple of months I felt like my game has improved a lot. I thought physically I've got a lot better and I'm starting to get the rewards now.

Q. If you're not going to play juniors, what was your plan for the rest of this year?
OLIVER GOLDING: To play futures. Actually, I was going to play one in Nottingham next week, and I imagine I might give that one a miss and probably start the week after in Sweden.

Q. Where?
OLIVER GOLDING: Sweden, I think.

Q. It's an individual sport, of course. But in terms of having a group of players now who can bounce off against each other and enjoy each other's company, boost each other, do you think that's a good sign for the progress of all of you?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yes, it's great. I mean, I'm sure, you know, after the final in Australia, we were all sort of thinking, Okay, we want to get past Jiri. After Liam did well at Wimby, we were all thinking, we were all thinking, Okay, we want to get past Liam. We were always sort of kind of dragging each other along.
It's great. Off the court we get on really well, as well. It's a good sort of spirit amongst us.

Q. How did you manage to cope as it came towards the end of the match and you saw all the cameras coming in? How did you cope?
OLIVER GOLDING: It was kind of a bit weird. Like when I sat down at the changeover at 5-4, I looked up and there was like a load of cameras in a line. I was like, Jeez, I'm close to the finish line, but I tried to sort of get it out of my head.
When I was walking up to serve for the last game, I was trying to think, This is just another game. Just completely forget about the situation, and, you know, just try and play each point as it comes.

Q. Are you equipped to deal with what might happen to you now, you know, after a certain Scot won this title back in 2004 and, you know, obviously the comparison you'll be drawn? Are you quite philosophical about what might be happen?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah. I mean, I don't think that's gonna phase me too much. You know, I had a little bit of a taste of it at Wimbledon last year. Obviously I did quite well there.
You know, I think that it's also important to keep the profile of tennis big in England. Yeah, just want to keep doing what I'm doing and try and keep focused every day.

Q. Without harping too much on your stage career, obviously shyness not an issue, so that will obviously help you in what might come up, mightn't it?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, I've obviously been in front of big crowds before doing things. There's been pressure on me in that respect before, and I think that's going to help a lot me in the future when I will start playing in front of bigger crowds.
Yeah, and I'm looking forward to what's gonna come -- sort of the opportunities that will come out of this and try and, yeah, try and kick on.

Q. What do you feel like you need to improve to take your game to the next level?
OLIVER GOLDING: I think physically I can still get a lot better. I have been working on that quite a lot recently, but I still think there is a lot of room for improvement there.
And just sort of tactically as well, get a little bit more aware and sort of get better coming forward into the net.
But, yeah, I think I'm going the right direction at the moment, I feel.

Q. Is there any player you look to to sort of model yourself on?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, sort of Robin Soderling.

Q. You have obviously had quite a few changes in coaches. Do you think obviously having had a pretty good spell now with the chap from Argentina, don't remember his name, are you sort of looking at settling down with him a bit?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah. There were a couple of circumstances that weren't really my fault with what went on before, and I had a lot of different things going on. You know, I sort of start -- got in touch with Horacio a little bit after Wimbledon.
So, yeah, I think it's gone really well so far. Obviously I have had the best week of my life this week, so, yeah, it's going great.

Q. You're joining a fairly elite group in winning that title: Roddick, Tsonga, Andy, Nalbandian. Are you confident you can join that kind of company, and do you feel any burden of expectation at all?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not really. I've just gotta try and sort of focus on training hard day in and day out, and then hopefully -- you know, I know now I can take a lot of confidence from this, knowing that I've got the level to do this sort of thing, and really just keep working hard, I think. That's the main thing.

Q. A question on nerves. How does it compare going out on a stage to going out on a tennis court in the big match?
OLIVER GOLDING: I think tennis means a lot more to me, and so probably there are a few more nerves there. Also, I did the acting when I was quite young. Didn't register that I was about to walk out in front of quite a lot of people.
You know, I think that, you know, I handled it pretty well today. In the end I was just trying to imagine that I wasn't in the situation I was in. I was just playing another practice set.

Q. This is obviously a special day in New York. What memories do you have of 9/11?
OLIVER GOLDING: Um, I remember I was going to school, and I just like -- the event kind of unfolded while we were at school. It was just terrible what happened. You know, obviously it's the 10th anniversary today, and you can see there is a lot of emotional stuff going on.
You know, it's kind of surreal to be here 10 years after that. Doesn't feel like 10 years. Yeah, obviously I think New York's kind of a little bit sad.

Q. Which theater did you appear in front of the biggest audience, and how many would that audience have been?
OLIVER GOLDING: I don't know, to be honest. Reasonably small part in Madame Butterfly, which was at the Albert Hall; I was in Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang, which was at the Palladium.

Q. You sang or just acted or... Give us a rundown on your acting.
OLIVER GOLDING: I did a little bit of everything, really. I was onstage, and also I did a couple of small movies, as well.

Q. Who is the most famous actor or actress?
OLIVER GOLDING: Probably Christopher Lee.

Q. Could you tell me where you're based with your Argentinian coach? Where does the training take place, and what is his surname?
OLIVER GOLDING: Sort of anywhere and everywhere, really. I don't think it's going to be a fixed place. Just be sort of training sort all over the place but with the same coach.

Q. You don't have a base to which you return to?
OLIVER GOLDING: Um, at the moment probably London. I'm sure that, you know, that will change and, you know, I'll just sort of move around a little bit.

Q. Which court do you use in London, for example?
OLIVER GOLDING: A little bit in Roehamton, at the NTC quite a bit, and a couple of other sort of just clubs around that are around near where I live, Danbury Club and Dukes Meadows, things like that.

Q. What did you like better about tennis than the acting?
OLIVER GOLDING: Just sort of in general quite a sporty person. I like being outdoors. And just the feeling of hitting tennis balls, you know, I love doing it. It's great to be able to -- hopefully I can make a good living out of this sport which is something that I enjoy doing from day to day.

Q. Who did you have out there in terms of friends and family?
OLIVER GOLDING: I had my sort of manager's brother and his son, but I didn't have many people out there. Mostly my coach and his girlfriend.

Q. (Question regarding his mum.)
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, I don't know if you're allowed to say that. Did she get in trouble? She was going to come, so it's a bit unfortunate.

Q. Have you spoken to her?
OLIVER GOLDING: I have, yeah. I haven't actually spoken to her since I finished because there has been a bit of a flurry of things going on.

Q. Have you had lots of messages from friends?
OLIVER GOLDING: I have a lot. My phone has run out of battery now.

Q. What is your coach's surname?
OLIVER GOLDING: Rearte.

Q. Do you have much to do with Andy?
OLIVER GOLDING: Not much. Say hi to him and things like that, but I haven't really practiced with him that much.

Q. Do you take inspiration from what he's done, knowing that he won this title, too?
OLIVER GOLDING: Yeah, definitely. So far he's had an amazing career. He's definitely good enough to win a Grand Slam, and I'm sure at some point he will.
So, yeah, if I could have his career, I'd definitely take it a hundred times over.

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