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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 10, 2012Ryan HarrisonINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA R. HARRISON/V. Troicki THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You've had some sets you were serving for that didn't go your way, but tonight you kept your composure and came out on top. RYAN HARRISON: Sounds good finally, huh? Yes, definitely. It's not ideal to get broken serving for sets, but it's something that happens to everybody. You're notplanning for it to happen. It wasn't from like a lack of concentration or anything. Just one of those things that didn't go the way I wanted. But like you said, I kept it together, and that's why I was able to pull it off. Q. Good to get a win over a seeded player. Substantial player, consistent. Talk about your level overall. RYAN HARRISON: Well, you know, I think that it's a really good thing that I was able to beat a player of his caliber and look back on the match and think that there was a lot of things I could have done a little better. It wasn't by any means a lights‑out performance. I was able to control things on my service games and keep the pressure on him enough to where, you know, I felt like I played definitely a solid match, but it wasn't one of those matches where I came off saying, Wow, I played unbelievable, you know. He definitely could have played better as well, but I'm just glad to be through. Q. In a way, it means you might have another gear and will probably get to face Murray in the next round. RYAN HARRISON: Definitely. Andy is obviously a proven player and he's done a lot of great things in this sport and been in contention for slams in the last few years. I was able to get a chance to play him in Australia. You know, I think that I showed that I can play that type of tennis, and it's just a matter of sustaining it. I did it for like an hour; I have to do it for two hours, maybe longer, if I'm going to have to beat him here. You know, I definitely have the expectation of winning. I believe that I can do it. It's going to be about playing that type of tennis I started out with in the first set against him in Australia. Q. Do you feel like in that match you made some key adjustments that you couldn't readjust to later in the match? RYAN HARRISON: Against Murray? First time? I think that I came out with a great game plan and then he adjusted and I didn't make the adjustments after that to continue to stay on top. The last three sets were fairly routine, but they weren't a blowout by any means. I was definitely still competing and still close. So, you know, he's got a tough match tonight against Garcia‑Lopez. It's not a walkover by any means. He's going to definitely have a tight one with him if Garcia‑Lopez plays well. I'll look forward to the opportunity if I get to play him again. Q. Ana Ivanovic was talking about being motivated by revenge. You're playing someone who obviously beat you in Australia. Is that something that motivates you at all, the revenge factor? RYAN HARRISON: You know, it's something that I'm motivated if I'm playing anybody, to be honest with you. The fact that I lost to him is something that obviously‑‑ it's not necessarily revenge, but it's more like excitement to get the opportunity to play him again because he's such a proven player. Playing someone a second time is always‑‑ I've always done better playing people after I've played them the first time, because I think on the court. I'm very good at reading players and reading their styles. Usually whenever I have played someone I can go out with a better idea and a more comfortable player than I did the first time. Q. Talk about that kind of self‑talk during the match. If you can, sort of talk about what goes through your mind in terms of emotions and tactics. RYAN HARRISON: Well, I think that's one of the biggest things that's been helping me the last three months compared to previous years of my career. Now my thought process is, you know, if I play a bad point, it's all right. Continue what you're trying to do. Stay with it. Trust yourself. Because in the long run you keep playing the points the right way you're going to win. It's that belief that, you know, even if I play a bad point or I hit a dropshot that turns into a lob like it did in the tiebreaker in the first set. I don't know if anyone saw that one. It's just about continuing what you're trying to accomplish and trusting that the work you've put in is going to get you where you want to go. Q. Do you ever get really angry at yourself? RYAN HARRISON: Ah... (Smiling). I definitely have before in the past, but it's something that I can honestly say I'm able to control in a positive way now, something that in the offseason. November and December it was the biggest focus for me, learning how to control my energy into a positive mindset. Now, even if I do, you know, get a little frustrated at times, I'm able to channel it in a way that's going to help me. Q. How was your meeting with the Eagle Scout Andrew Davis set up yesterday, and what motivated you to write a check for I think $500? RYAN HARRISON: Uh‑huh. Well, you know, I'm a big supporter in the patriotic things that people do, and I think that he is doing a great thing trying to build something with the World Trade Center piece that's going to be a monument. I'm not exactly sure where it's going to go. I was talking to him, and he said he was trying to raise money. I just figured if I could help, that's something I wanted to do. Hopefully if I have a continued successful career, I can do a lot more things like that to help people, because I'm definitely aware of how fortunate I am to be in the position I am where I can be playing this sport, a sport that I love, for a living. And hopefully on down the road I can do a lot of things that maybe change some people's lives. Q. Could you talk about your Davis Cup experience? It must have been a real learning experience both from Courier and just being with the team and of course playing. RYAN HARRISON: It was awesome because we obviously won, which was great. That was cool (smiling). Just the professionalism of the team, the way that Jim runs everything, it's a head‑to‑toe, top‑to‑bottom just professional environment. There's nothing about it that you can say isn't a total Grand Slam class, because that's what Jim brings to the table. Being able to work with him ‑‑ and also Coach Jay Berger is there, as well, and he's definitely a proven player and a proven coach himself. And so the whole atmosphere is just something that you can learn from, because you're obviously playing an away tie on red clay against Federer. So there are literally just stacks of reasons you can say ‑‑ you can get negative and have a bit of negative energy going in. But our entire mindset ‑‑ we knew going in that we were going to play with the expectation to win, and that's something that I'd like to bring to the rest of my career. Q. One of the things you said after you lost to Andy in Australia is you wanted to get physically stronger. Have you had a chance to work on that side of things? RYAN HARRISON: I have. I definitely have. It's something I have been able to work on since the Australian. I'm eating a lot better than I ever have before. On the nutrition of side of things is something I didn't pay as much attention to in the last several years and, in the last six months it's been getting more important. I actually hate broccoli, and I was sitting there with my coach at dinner two, three nights ago, the night before I played Cipolla, and he started laughing. He said, If you eat that broccoli you're going to win. I was like, You promise? He was like, Yeah. So I ate it, I played a great match, and so then I ate broccoli again last night. Looks like I'm going to be eating it for a while until things don't go well. It's unfortunate I have to eat it, but I'll take the W. Q. Have you gone gluten free? RYAN HARRISON: Not gluten free. I'm not as crazy as Novak yet. And that's a joke, by the way. He's obviously doing it for a good reason. He's made the commitment, and that's obviously paid off for him being able to play a high level of tennis for six hours, which is unheard of before. I'm working my way toward that sort of thing. But, you know, I still like my good foods, and I'll eat something to treat myself every now and again. Q. You've gone up against a lot of top players and pushed them, you know, held your own. Where is your level of excitement? Where is your level of frustration? You haven't really had that big breakthrough yet. RYAN HARRISON: I would say every single time I go in it's exciting because I'm looking forward to the opportunity. And like you said, I have played some tight matches and some good matches against those guys. But it's about a consistent, you know, consistent performance over a course of a career that's going to get your ranking up, and your ranking is a reflection of your results. So having like one big win is obviously really exciting, but it's about the consistent basis of play throughout a year that's going to make you successful. So, you know, it's not so much that I'm just frustrated in general, but I'm just excited, you know, and disappointed at the same time when I don't get it done that I haven't moved on in a tournament. It's not necessarily, you know, I guess, who I'm playing that I'm disappointed about losing to, because I'm always disappointed when I lose. Q. What's the most tough singles stroke that you've faced of all the different players you've... RYAN HARRISON: Toughest stroke to play against? Well, I think Isner's serve is definitely one of the toughest ones you can handle. But just like a baseline shot, I would say Federer's forehand is definitely one of the most penetrating shots. Q. You haven't had that many occasions in your career where you had points to defend, and you do have that here this week. Does it make you feel any different for you at all? RYAN HARRISON: Well, going into this tournament, you know, I was like, Okay, I've got 90 coming off here, and that's when I said‑‑ and my dad goes, No, you have an opportunity to get more. I was like, Actually, you're exactly right. I have an opportunity to get more. That's kind of‑‑ I'm fortunate to have the good people around me ‑ dad, coach, physio, and all the people who support me that keep me in the right frame of mind. That's one of the biggest assets I have. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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