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U.S. OPENSeptember 8, 2012Andy MurrayNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK A. MURRAY/T. Berdych THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Have you ever played in conditions quite that strange? ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, it's probably the toughest I have played in. I played Rafa in the final of Indian Wells once, and that was also not much fun. Played in Vegas once as well when it was really, really windy. For such a long period, you know, it was pretty much four hours, the match, and it was brutal. There was a few games in the fourth set where it calmed down a little bit, but very, very tough conditions to play in. Q. Have you ever had a bag blow off a chair and go into the court like that? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, have had that happen. I'm surprised it didn't happen more. It was so, so windy on the court. Yeah, that's happened before. Q. When you got your teeth into the match and got control, were there times when it did become fun to be in those conditions? ANDY MURRAY: You can't really sort of allow yourself to enjoy it because anything can happen. The match turns around so quickly. He serve‑volleyed a couple times, came to the net more, and played a couple of good points. All of a sudden, you know, you're back tied at 3‑All when you've been in total control for two hours of the match. You can't allow yourself to lose focus. If you do, it can get away from you quickly. Q. Can you cast your mind back four years and say how different you feel getting to the final this time to when you got to the final then? ANDY MURRAY: I'm obviously a lot more mature. I have had a lot more experience in these sort of situations, you know, than obviously then. It was my first slam final. It all came round very quick. After playing Rafa and going from Armstrong to Ashe and then, you know, playing the next day, it seemed to go by very, very quickly. You know, I hope I deal with it better tomorrow. Q. It was a long match. Does it feel physically any harder because you're having to adjust maybe to the ball that... ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's different. You know, mentally it's tiring playing in those conditions for so long, you know, for the reasons that I explained. Physically in some ways it can be easier, but, you know, from one of the ends you can't control the points. You know, you can't hit through a wind that's as strong as that, so you have to do a lot of the running from one of the sides. So you need to make sure that when you're on the good end that you're sort of dictating. I mean, physically it was not the most tiring match I have played, but it was hard for other reasons, as well. Q. With the strong likelihood that the second semifinal won't get completed today and your match for the final will be on Monday, how much will that day off mean to you after this tough match today? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, obviously we have to wait and see what happens tonight. You know, I have been in the position before when I played in the final where, you know, I didn't get the day off and, you know, maybe it hurt me a little bit. You know, Novak and David are very, very experienced, so, you know, I'm sure they will deal with the situation better than I did back then anyway. But, yeah, it would be nice to get a rest tomorrow and also, you know, to be able to practice and get your rhythm back. Because, you know, some of the shots I was playing out there today I certainly won't be playing if it comes down. Q. When you were a kid back in Scotland, I know you spent a lot of your time indoors... SIR SEAN CONNERY: Excuse me for interrupting, but I just wanted to make a point. Where's Alex? (Applause.) I don't know where your mother is. There she is. ANDY MURRAY: Thank you very much for coming. Are you going to be around tomorrow? SIR SEAN CONNERY: Come on, Judy. Judy, Judy, Judy. ANDY MURRAY: You smell of wine. (Laughter.) JUDY MURRAY: He made me have wine. He's just been telling me that Scotland invented the world. SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Been coming here the last three years to New York, and I explained how Scotland invented the world; today we invented the wind. (Laughter.) SIR SEAN CONNERY: Today they conquered the world. SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Very good. Fantastic. ANDY MURRAY: See you after the match tomorrow. SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Continue your interview. Q. I was wondering, when you were a kid in Scotland you were indoors a lot, but did you ever have to sort of practice in gales like that? ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I did practice in tough conditions, because obviously it can get incredibly windy, though. But nothing like it was today, that's for sure. Looks like they just suspended that match, as well. Q. What does it feel like to have those sorts of guys come and watch you? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's great. You know, that's the first time I've met Sir Alex and first time I met Sir Sean, as well. So, yeah, that's obviously nice, you know, to have their support. Hopefully they'll be back for the final, as well. Q. Did you feel you were robbed of a point when your hat blew off? ANDY MURRAY: No, I was actually just saying‑‑ I said to Tomas, you know, the referee was going to give me the point. I went up to the umpire and up to Tomas and I said, Are you sure 100% sure it came off ‑‑obviously I didn't know. I knew my hat had come off and then I looked 'round, but I didn't know whether the ball has bounced twice or not. I asked him if he was 100% sure, and if he was I would replay the point. He said he was sure. We saw on the replay, and I think it looked like it came off almost as I hit the ball. Q. All things considering, the weather, Olympic champion, Wimbledon final, now the US Open final, it's been a heck of a two months. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's been great. You know, obviously at the beginning of this tournament as well I haven't actually played great tennis so far. So some of the matches just found a way to get through them. And, yeah, to be in the final and get the chance to play for a Grand Slam is great. You know, the year obviously is not over yet, but this is, you know, probably the last big match I will play this year. Looking forward to it. Q. How much do you feel the Olympic win will help here going into the final? ANDY MURRAY: I think all experiences like that help. You know, in some ways maybe took a bit of pressure off me, you know, but I do think that even having played here and lost in the final, that is also, you know, a good experience to have gone through. You know, having to deal with all this sort of different weather conditions and matches getting suspended. Obviously now I will have a day off. You know, mentally you're preparing to play Saturday/Sunday. I've had quite a lot of breaks during this tournament as well, so it has been hard to stay in a rhythm a little bit. Yeah, all of those big matches and all of the slams and Olympics and stuff, they all help in the long run. Q. In a way, do you think winning a big tournament like that sort of reinforces to you that you're doing the right thing, that you're going in the right direction? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I think, you know, my results in the slams over the last couple of years have been very good. And obviously this year in the major tournaments, you know, along with the Olympics, it's been my best year. Never made two Grand Slam finals in a year, so that's obviously a good sign that I'm playing better and still learning. And the Olympics was the biggest win of my career by far. You know, it meant a lot to me, too. Whatever happens in the final, it's been a great year. But, you know, all I want to make sure I do in the final is that I give 110%. I know how hard these opportunities are to come by, and, you know, I will give it everything. Q. You obviously don't know who you're going to play yet, but can you just talk a little bit about either Novak or David? It's been postponed, by the way. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, Novak, you would think now ‑‑I'm sure the weather will be a lot calmer tomorrow. Probably from that position still he's probably the favorite to win. David makes it very, very hard. He makes it very physical. He's in great shape. He's playing the best tennis of his career this year. I have played him many times, and, you know, unbelievably tough match with him at Wimbledon. I lost to him at the French Open; the previous year I played him in the Aussie Open, as well. That was also a brutal match. It was very, very tough. You know, both guys are going to be very, very tough to play. Q. Getting back to your hat, you just couldn't keep it on and decided just to ditch it? ANDY MURRAY: If it happened the second time I would have lost the point. Obviously I got broken. I should have ‑‑not should have‑‑ but, you know, I won the point with the dropshot because the hat came off. I then obviously had to replay the point and got broken the next point, so, you know, I didn't want to take the chance of that happening again and losing the point. It would have been stupid. Q. If you're playing Novak, obviously there is the history of another Grand Slam final and a very tight semifinal. What would it like to play him again in another final? ANDY MURRAY: Well, I handled a big match against him well in Australia this year. It was a great match. I think both of us played very well. It came down to a couple of points. You know, I know how much the Olympics meant to all of the players, and winning against him in the Olympic semifinal, you know, was a big win for me. I know how tough it is to beat the top, top players in big matches. You know, I have had, yeah, some tough losses against him, but also had some big highs against him, as well. So obviously will be an unbelievably tough match. I mean, he moves very well on the hard courts. He's a top, top player, one of the best players that's played. You know, the year he had last year is incredible. If it is him, I know it's going to be very, very, very, very tough match. Q. Was there any attempting conversation to talk to the four of you of whether you'd split courts today? ANDY MURRAY: No. I mean, we kinda got told a little bit, but, they said it was going to start raining around 6:30. But because it was so windy, you know, they didn't know exactly how long it was going to take for that storm to come. You know, yeah, I mean they said when it came basically that was the day done, so I was glad that I was going to be able to get my match in. But, yeah, we were told they were planning on canceling the women's final first before they would have split the courts. They were going to try to get the two men's semis played today. Q. Since they discussed that with you, do you think it was not the best decision then to not put you on simultaneously, the two semis? ANDY MURRAY: Well, I think the last time it happened ‑‑the reason they stopped is for a tornado. I don't think it's for the rain. Q. Did they tell you at 6:30, that was going to be the day, do you think they should have put both semis on at the same time? ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I was in that position, you know, a few years ago, and that was, yeah, a tough situation to be in obviously. You know, there is people that are there to make those decisions, so you'd obviously need to ask them the reasons behind that. But, you know, who knows? Who knows what the right decision was? You know, I'm just glad that I was the first match today and got it done. It's been a long day today. I'm just happy I'm through. Q. Tomas said maybe, you know, it wasn't the best match because of the conditions and maybe there should be a rule like with rain that if it gets to a certain point you don't play. ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, there are certain rules in tennis that, you know, were broken many times today. Took us a long time to hit serves. It was sometimes two minutes between points because it was taking so long for us to throw the ball up and stuff. You know, maybe those rules should be enforced a little bit or not play the matches. But, you know, I don't know if they stop in other sports for a lot of wind. When there is a tornado around then that's pretty serious. Yeah, I think that's the right time to stop. You know, there is a skill to playing in the wind. I have never played in it when it's been that bad, but, you know, people like to watch professionals struggle when they're in tough conditions. (Laughter.) You know, Ivan always says he likes watching the golfers when it's blowing really hard, because it makes them hit bad shots and makes them feel a lot better. I think people enjoy watch professionals playing in tough conditions. Q. So many people want this for you, want you to win a final. It's an absurd question, but can you tell us how much it sits with you and how much you want this thing to finally break through? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I obviously ‑‑it's the last thing that I really want to achieve in my career, so that's why it's obviously very important for me. You know, like I said, winning the Olympics did, for me, take a bit of the pressure off. I did feel a lot better after that. Maybe had less doubts about myself and my place in the game just now. But, yeah, winning a major is the last thing that I really want to do. Yeah, it means a lot to me. You saw obviously at Wimbledon how much that meant to me. You know, it's obviously not easy to lose another slam final, so I hope this one is a different story. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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