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LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMESAugust 4, 2012Andy MurrayLaura RobsonLONDON, ENGLAND MURRAY‑ROBSON/Kas‑Lisicki THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Could you ever imagined when you were sitting there as a group of eight a couple weeks ago that you'd be sitting here in the mixed doubles final? ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah, I mean, I didn't know for sure if I was going to play at that stage. Yeah, obviously decided around the weekend. Yeah, it's been obviously a great decision. I've enjoyed the whole week. Yeah, to be guaranteed a couple of medals going into the last day is excellent. Yeah, I mean, I wasn't expecting that. Maybe in one, but certainly not two. LAURA ROBSON: Yeah, I had no idea I was even playing singles at that point. So it's been an amazing week for me. You know, uhm, I'm super excited for tomorrow and I'm sure we're going to do well. Q. You seem to be making a certain specialty of winning match tiebreaks. Is there any particular secret to that? ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, to be fair, we played really, really well at the end of the match tiebreaks. In all of the matches when it's been tight, we just played really well, hit some great returns. Laura at the end came up with I think seven, six points, a couple of reflex shots. I served well in the super breaker. Hit a couple of aces at maybe 5‑4 or 6‑5 or something. Yeah, just played really well. There's definitely nerves. You're nervous in those moments 'cause anything can happen. It was very windy on the court. But, yeah, whether it's luck or whether we've just been both playing really well at the same time at the right moments, I don't know. I don't know why that's happened. Q. Andy, you said last night that you weren't feeling tired in the slightest. How are you feeling now? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I feel all right. I'm a bit stiff. But like today, it's sort of different. When you play singles, you know, I'm sore in the same places. When you play doubles, it's a bit different. You're trying to be quite explosive at the net. Quite quick points. Yeah, other things hurt a little bit more. But, I mean, I'll do everything right tonight, yeah, make sure I'm in best possible shape for tomorrow because it's a big day and I want to do well. Q. As a preparation for a massive match tomorrow, how would you compare it to what happened a month ago? ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah, it's very, very different. For me both matches are very important tomorrow. You know, I'd love to win two golds. I'd obviously prefer one gold than two silvers. Yeah, it's very different preparation than what I'm used to. That's the beauty of this competition. You never see really singles players playing mixed much at the slams. Yeah, I'm sure tomorrow will be a great day. Hope I play well. Q. Andy, both of you seem to be loving it, laughing at the end, enjoying the experience. ANDY MURRAY: I enjoyed winning, yeah, at the end. Yeah, I had my game face on when we were playing the match, that's for sure. Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, yesterday when I won the match, I was very emotional. Today I was very, very happy with both wins. Obviously both of us were, 'cause it's a new experience for the two of us. Again, keep going back to it, but in tennis we're so used to thinking the next week we have another chance. With the Olympics you're not guaranteed another chance. It's such a long way away. Anything can happen with your career. That's why every match is important here. Q. Andy, Roger said yesterday that after a busy week, this tournament was ending for him like a slam, play a semifinal on a Friday, Saturday off, Sunday final. It's obviously very different for you. Do you feel in a way it's an advantage at all to have been busy today and not to be preparing for the final? ANDY MURRAY: I have no idea. I mean, I don't know. I mean, obviously, you know, it's been another fairly long day at the courts. It doesn't feel like a slam to me. It feels like a different event entirely. So, I mean, I wouldn't prepare like this for a slam final. But it's the Olympics and it's different, so I'm fine to play two mixed today and have no problem playing five sets tomorrow. Q. Is there any particular gold medal that you've watched that British athletes have won that has particularly inspired you or you've enjoyed? LAURA ROBSON: I liked the shooting. That was good. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, the shooting was good. LAURA ROBSON: Anything pretty much. ANDY MURRAY: The rowing. LAURA ROBSON: Cycling. ANDY MURRAY: There hasn't been one. I've enjoyed watching all of them. Jessica Ennis looks like she's probably going to win gold tonight. Enjoyed watching a bit of her. Yeah, any gold medal is great. Anytime anyone wins any medal for the country, it's good. There's a lot of people complaining after the first few days that it hadn't been a good Olympics, they were worried whether we were going to win a medal. Now I think we're third in the medal table. I hope we can contribute to that tomorrow. Q. A few days ago John Lloyd was saying back in those very dim days when he used to win mixed doubles titles, there was an unwritten code that the male player wouldn't really hit the big, big, big shot at the lady player. Does that still apply? LAURA ROBSON: Uhm, well, I'm sure if someone has an easy volley, they're not going to aim at my head. But I'm expecting them to hit it hard at me and I'm ready for it. I'm also expecting Andy to hit at the girl, because that's how you win the point sometimes. You know, he's not going to hit it as hard as he can. ANDY MURRAY: I might. If it means winning a gold medal or losing one (smiling). LAURA ROBSON: Sometimes I'd like him to hit it harder at the girl, but he's too nice. ANDY MURRAY: I think it's something that maybe has changed a little bit over the last five or six years. I know when I first played mixed doubles, it still felt a little bit like that. I think with the girls getting bigger and stronger, hitting the ball harder, they'll take your head off if they've got the chance, as well. I think you need to play the way to win the points. You're not ever trying to hit a player. But sometimes hitting‑‑ Lisicki today hit a lot of returns off Laura's serve straight at me and it is very hard to react. It's sometimes a hard shot to play. But yeah, you never want to hit anyone, but it happens in doubles. Q. Do you feel in some way the mixed doubles perhaps sums up the Olympic spirit more than any of the other four events? ANDY MURRAY: Than the other tennis events? Q. Yes. LAURA ROBSON: I don't think. I think the singles and the doubles is just as exciting. I was definitely pretty pumped at Andy's match yesterday. I think it's completely different, like if you're watching at home you're going to get just as nervous for the mixed as you were for the singles. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think, like I said, both matches for me are equally as important tomorrow because I'm sure if I won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon, that would be great, but winning the singles at Wimbledon would be a much, much bigger deal. Whereas for me here, winning either counts for exactly the same in the medal table. I'd obviously love to beat Roger tomorrow, as well. But either match, you know, would be great to win. I'm going to give it my best in both. Q. Andy, could you give us a sense or compare how you would feel before the eve of your home Wimbledon final as to your home gold medal final on Centre Court tomorrow. ANDY MURRAY: Well, the thing is, with the slams, like Wimbledon, after I won my match on Friday against Tsonga, you have all Friday night to think about it, all Saturday, then Sunday morning as well. Whereas, it's 6:00 just now or something. I have just this evening to get all my stuff done, watch some of the sport, and I'll be back here early again tomorrow to get ready. It's very, very different. There's less time to think about it. Yeah, just want to go away, do all my recovery stuff, try to feel as best as possible for tomorrow. Yeah, it's going to be a tough day, but looking forward to it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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