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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2011

Ryan Harrison

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

M. CILIC/R. Harrison
6-2, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You had two breaks in the second set, and then you were broken pretty quickly after. Was it concentration or what was going on?
RYAN HARRISON: The concentration and competing is the only reason I had a chance. I played pretty bad from the beginning of the match. I felt really poorly serving and really poorly hitting the ball.
But the competing and concentration, all the tangibles, are what gave me a shot to serve for two sets.

Q. Are you disappointed that you were out there the first match of the day and the crowd wasn't really there yet, wasn't really into it?
RYAN HARRISON: I don't know. I mean, I guess it's a first-round match at a slam. You're just trying to compete. You're trying to play well and get through it.
You know, one way or another doesn't matter if you're on Court 30 or Armstrong doesn't matter to me. I'm just happy to get through it. The thing I'm disappointed with is the way I played.

Q. Was it the wakeup in the morning didn't feel good, warmup wasn't good?
RYAN HARRISON: No, I felt good this morning. We got up like 7:00. Got up in plenty of time. Ate breakfast, was hydrated, ready to go, prepared correctly, and did everything correctly.
You know, sometimes you just get out there and it just doesn't feel right, whether it be the way he's hitting the ball or way the sun is changing your toss, whatever it is. I mean, sometimes X, Y, and Z you can't control when you get out there.
A lot of sports is just management. You're trying to manage everything and the conditions and whatever you're thrown. I didn't do as well as he did today.

Q. I didn't see it all, but did your volley let you down?
RYAN HARRISON: I didn't -- I mean, I didn't come to the net a whole lot. That was probably one of the things I could have done better. You know, I guess the volleying is kind of a finishing shot from the groundstroke and my positioning was pretty far back.
That was partly due to the fact I wasn't feeling very good hitting the ball so I wasn't feeling like I was able to step up and hit my shots the way I normally would. I just wasn't feeling as clean as I was.
But, you know, the thing about my game that allows me to compete and to be competitive even whenever I'm not feeling good is, you know, I have different ways of backup plans where I can compete and, you know, just use my speed and athleticism to give myself a shot, which is why I felt I played poorly but I still served for two sets.

Q. Considering how you performed here last year and the year you've had since, is it a particularly tough performance today?
RYAN HARRISON: Um, I mean, yeah, it's obviously pretty disappointing to be out of here, you know, when half the people haven't even arrived yet with the hurricane. So it's obviously disappointing.
But there's a lot of positives, you know, from last year. It's one match, you know. That's what I tell myself now. You know, I look back and analyze the match and I try to learn what I can from it and figure out what I did wrong, figure out what I can do a little bit better.
Just keep working, keep moving forward. You know, your ranking is based on a 12-year [sic] performance, and that's obviously how -- you know, nobody really remembers just one event where you did well unless you won a Grand Slam.
So it's just a matter of me moving forward and proving and trusting that what I can do is gonna get me to the top.

Q. Martina and Mats Wilander seemed to be saying on TV they thought you were too passive and thought you could be more aggressive. Do you agree with that?
RYAN HARRISON: It's true because I wasn't feeling good. So you're passive and you're playing defensively and behind the baseline whenever you're not feeling good, you know. If all the guns are firing and you're feeling great and inside the court and I'm seeing the ball like a watermelon and I can step up into the court, yeah, I'm gonna be right on top of the baseline. That's where I want to be.
But if I am feeling like the ball is getting on me quickly and I am feeling like my timing is off, of course I am gonna back off, I'm gonna give myself a little bit of extra time to try to get in rhythm.
And like I said, I mean, I felt terrible from the first point till the last point the way I was hitting ball. So to think that I served for two sets against a guy who is such an established player as him, there are a lot of positives I can take from it.

Q. You have completed now four major championships for the year. Are you satisfied with the year? Is it a plus for you? How do you feel about the year?
RYAN HARRISON: Um, you know, I'm excited that I've put myself into position where I know that I can beat these guys. I know that I can realistically -- if I play correctly and if I play the way I know I can, I'm capable of beating anybody, which is something I can be excited about.
I've had a lot of, you know, I wouldn't say an excessive amount of top wins, but I've had five or six wins with guys in the top 50 and couple in the top 30.
So I've had good performances here and there, and I've put myself where my ranking is inside the top 70. It's obviously a step up from where it was last year.
It's a progress [sic]. It's about moving forward. I'm not satisfied or happy with everything. I wish I could have done a lot better here; could have beaten Ferrer at Wimbledon.
You know, I just had different chances I could have come through at, so just obviously looking to move forward and finish the year strong.

Q. You talked about the management of your intensity, too much, too little. How did you feel your match was today? Your emotions seemed to be pretty frustrated early on in the match.
RYAN HARRISON: Yeah, I was frustrated just because I knew I wasn't feeling the ball well from the beginning. I got broken three times in the first two sets, and I got broken serving for the set in the third set.
So obviously you're not gonna feel good whenever that is going on. I didn't break any racquets; I didn't say swearwords on court. It could have gotten better and I could have been better. I didn't really go nuts.

Q. Mary Carillo mentioned that you had a talk with Billie Jean King this year, and that Billie Jean was really high on and you gave you some good advice. What was that like to talk to her and what did she tell you?
RYAN HARRISON: Whenever you talk to older people like that the conversation just stays between you and them.

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