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LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMESAugust 3, 2012Andy MurrayLONDON, ENGLAND A. MURRAY/N. Djokovic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Have you ever experienced a match like that before, the atmosphere, the occasion, the significance of what was hanging on it? ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't think so. I mean, you've probably covered more tennis than I since I've been around. And, yeah, the atmosphere is unbelievable. Different to pretty much anything I've been in before. I obviously played in big matches, night matches US Open we always said was the best atmosphere, but it's not even close to what it was today. Obviously playing with the home support, that helps the atmosphere. But, yeah, that was unbelievable. Q. Less than a month before you lost to Federer, but within a month you are playing against each other in the Olympic final. Do you think this is the time to taking revenge? ANDY MURRAY: Well, I want to try and win. I don't think going into matches trying to get revenge for something that's happened in the past really helps. I think you need to try and focus on the future. The one thing I hope on Sunday, you know, he's not played for the gold medal in singles before, and most times when I played him, you know, he's experienced the situations way, way more times than me. He probably played eight Wimbledon finals or something like that. For me, it was my first one. It's so rare for him to be in a position, you know, where he's trying to do something new because he's achieved so much in tennis.  I hope that will even things out a little bit. It's going to be a tough match. Obviously I'll need to play great tennis to win. I hope it's a great match because I think the way the matches went today, I think the tournament deserves a great final. I hope we can provide that. Q. You said the atmosphere was the greatest you've experienced. Would you rank your performance up amongst the finest of your career, as well? ANDY MURRAY: I think first set I played really well. I hit the ball really well. It was windy conditions. Second set, you know, there wasn't that many rallies in comparison to the first set. There were some great points in the first set, not so many in the second. But I served well when I was down. He had a lot of breakpoints in the second set, and I served really well on those points, hung tough in those moments. And, yeah, just managed to get the break in the end. He made mistakes in the last game. But the conditions were very tricky today, very windy on the court. That's probably why he made those mistakes. But first set I played really, really well. Q. You have a final to play on Sunday, but will you give yourself a moment to enjoy the fact that whatever happens you're going to go home with an Olympic medal? ANDY MURRAY: I think that's why you saw even Federer today was very emotional after his win. It was an amazing match, really long match. But, yeah, just to have guaranteed yourself a medal. Because, you know, coming into semifinals, when you had Djokovic, Roger and Del Potro, there was definitely no guarantees of winning one. So to get through and guarantee yourself a medal was great. That's what I wanted to try and achieve before the tournament started. But, yeah, now I'm in the final, chance to win a gold medal. Not have that chance for another four years. So I'll give it everything I can to try and do that. Q. Simple question. What would it mean to you to win it? ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. You can't say until those things happen. I mean, I know how much winning tonight meant to me. It was, yeah, one of the biggest matches of my career, one of the biggest wins of my career. Yeah, it was one of the most emotional I've been after a match, so happy to win. You don't see me smiling that much normally. I haven't stopped smiling since I came off the court. I mean, even afterwards, like all the volunteers and staff are just so, like, pumped, so happy. All the people that obviously came to watch and have hung around outside, it's so different to what we normally experience in tennis. It's so, so different. We normally just get the people, you know, on our team congratulating us after we've won a tournament. It's so, so different at this event. Q. Was there ever any moment in that match when you felt you were too fired up and wondered whether you would have to calm down or did you want to keep the adrenaline pumping all the way? ANDY MURRAY: I think because a three‑set match, it's not a bad thing, you can probably maintain it. Over a five‑set match, you need to be a bit more reserved and try and conserve your energy a little bit. I don't feel tired at all right now. I don't know if that's just 'cause of the adrenaline. But, yeah, you know, it was a two‑hour match. Obviously, like I said, in the first set a lot of long rallies. Mentally I feel really fresh right now. I don't feel tired physically at all. Normally after playing a match with Novak, you will feel a bit fatigued. I feel fine. Q. Does knowing you've already got a medal take the pressure off a little bit for Sunday or do you go in with the attitude of gold or nothing? ANDY MURRAY: I think you have to go into any final with the attitude of I'm going in to win the match. I don't know. I've never been in this position before, so I don't know whether I will feel less pressure on Sunday or more. I know how much winning tonight meant to me, so I'm sure winning on Sunday would mean more than tonight. But, yeah, there's a long way to go in the event. I've got mixed doubles to play tomorrow, as well, with a chance obviously to win a medal in that as well. That's why I'm playing mixed, to try to win one. It's a great position to be in. Q. Which one is more important to you, an Olympic gold medal or a Grand Slam title? ANDY MURRAY: Well, if you asked me before the tournament, I would have said, you know, within tennis, a Wimbledon title, a slam title is the most important thing to do in your career. But within sport, a gold medal is, for sure, the pinnacle. Everyone understands what a gold medal is. After what I experienced tonight, I mean, it would be right up there with anything else that I could achieve in tennis. So it's impossible to say because I've never won a slam before. I haven't won a gold medal before. But winning a silver medal at least feels really good. And losing in the final of a Grand Slam felt terrible (smiling). It's different. I can't say. Q. You've had some trouble in the past bouncing back from big defeats, Grand Slam finals. Why do you think you've been able to play so well almost right away again here and lift your level? ANDY MURRAY: I think because the Olympics was coming up. I know when I lost in the Olympics last time how tough that was for me. I was really disappointed. I know we don't get this chance very often. A lot of times after the slams when I'd done well, in Australia, there's quite a long break before there's any more of the big tournaments again. Also after US Open, as well. I think the guys around me, having someone like Ivan around, having him to talk to, I think that's probably helped with it. And also the support I got after Wimbledon I hadn't also had in the past. That made me want to get on the practice court and get in the gym again, because normally after I lost tough matches it had taken me a good few weeks or months before I wanted to get my head back in a gym or on the practice court. I did it almost straightaway. It took a few days to get over, even when I got back on the practice court. With this event coming up, with the support I had after Wimbledon, that is why I think I played well again. Q. When you play the ordinary Wimbledon, you are always on the front page the whole fortnight. During the Olympics, you may find yourself on page 22 or 16. Does it make any difference in terms of pressure? I know you don't read the media much. ANDY MURRAY: I do. I just don't read your stuff (laughter). Q. You are one of the possible gold medalists and there are so many already. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think the thing that's different about it is, yeah, I mean I said it a few days ago, when you play at Wimbledon, yeah, you're the only person‑‑ I'm not the only person, but the only competition that seems to be talked about, it's the biggest sporting competition at that time. Obviously I get a lot of coverage over that period. But I can actually turn the TV on and watch all the other sports. I don't have to hear anybody talking about me. I can support all the other athletes. That's what's nice about it. You know, in the locker room, it's great. We watched rowing today. We watched some of the heptathalon. Watched some of the judo. We watch sport, and I love sport. It's been really nice to have that distraction in a way to keep your mind away from the tennis. But the pressure of trying to win a medal and be part of the team and try and help out the country's medal count, that's pretty great. Obviously, when you play in atmospheres like that, of course there's pressure. But it's fun, as well. Q. You said earlier how a defeat in Grand Slam finals has left you feeling terrible. Surely there must be part of you that feels fantastic to get Roger back on the same court where he upset you last time around? ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah. I mean, anybody that knows me knows that I won't go into the match on Sunday happy with just having a silver medal. I go into the match 100% trying to win. I'll give everything I can on the court. Yeah, I mean, playing against Roger is always tough.  I've had some good wins against him and I've had some tough losses against him. I will have learnt, you know, a bit from the Wimbledon match, as well. I'll look and talk with the guys about that match and the tactics for going into Sunday. But, yeah, there's obviously huge motivation to try and win a gold medal. Obviously, winning against Roger in a match like that is obviously fairly significant, as well. So, yeah, I mean, I'll be desperate to win on Sunday. Q. You already lost a few major titles. Do you think from the mental side it's a little advantage going into an Olympic final, not in a major final? ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't think so. I mean, I lost to some pretty good players in the slam finals. You know, Roger has won 17 slams. It's been tough guys I've lost against. You know, last few years I played really well in the slams. I've never lost matches really that I probably should have won. I just haven't managed to win against Roger in a final of a slam. Obviously lost to Novak in Australia. Yeah, I've had some tough losses. But I've always tried to come back. I haven't ever, you know, let it get me down for too long. I've always used it as a motivation to try and get better. One of these days I'll do it. Q. When you look back on the Wimbledon final four weeks ago, you go into this one on Sunday, do you expect to do anything different? Do you need to do anything different to the way you played in the Wimbledon final? ANDY MURRAY: I mean, there's a few things I'll maybe do differently. But tactically, I was pretty good in that final. I had my opportunities in the second set. I went for my shots on those chances. Just maybe didn't make the best shot selection. So, yeah, there's some things I'll try and do a bit differently. But I did play very well in that final. Didn't play a bad match. Roger played some great tennis. You know, I think he played great when we went under the roof. That was the difference. I played at a high level throughout. He just raised his level in the middle of the third set. So, you know, I'll keep with similar tactics, but there will be a few things I'll probably do differently. Q. You talked about the atmosphere, the volunteers being pumped up. Do you think perhaps this is maybe the most enjoyable tournament you've ever played? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I think in terms of, yeah, just enjoyment, yeah, it's probably the most fun I've had probably at a tennis tournament. You know, the only thing I would have liked to have done is to stay at the village. But, you know, it was not going to work. Like tonight, you know, after the match, I had to go back there, then obviously I think we're playing mixed at 12 tomorrow. It wouldn't really work out. But it's been great fun just because everybody's so together really. You don't get that. Like I said, you don't really get that in tennis much. So it's really nice to be part of this team, to be part of the whole event 'cause I think they've done a great job so far. Yeah, really, really enjoying it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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