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BRISBANE INTERNATIONALJanuary 5, 2013Andy MurrayBRISBANE, QUEENSLAND A. MURRAY/K. Nishikori THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. When did you get an idea that he may be struggling? ANDY MURRAY: Just right at the end of the set when he got the medical timeout. I didn't notice beforehand. Q. Do you go and do bit of practice now? ANDY MURRAY: I don't think so, no. Obviously played three days in a row, so won't hit any balls. Just try and rest up and get ready for the final. Q. You watched the end of Dimitrov's match against Baghdatis, or a lot of it? ANDY MURRAY: Well, I watched from pretty much the end of second set, because we were obviously warming up in the gym and you're following the score to see whether you need to get ready. So I saw end of the second set and most of the third. Q. What is your take on his level? You haven't played him since 2011. Did he show you something today? ANDY MURRAY: I will find out exactly tomorrow. It's sometimes hard watching on the TV because you don't know how hard some of the balls are coming or how low someone slices or how it's coming through the court. So you really find out once you get on the court with him. He's obviously played well this week. I think he served pretty well the majority of the week. You know, it's obviously a big, big win for him today. Q. He's a guy that has been tipped to be a big player for a while. Do you think he's the kind of player that the tour needs to come through as the next generation? ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I don't know. From my point of view, I hope that there isn't people coming through because it means that I'll be one of the ones that's losing out on a spot. That's it every time. There are loads of guys that are very, very tough players, all with different games. Grigor plays with a lot of variety as well. He can play a lot of shots. He's one the few guys coming through that's got a single‑handed backhand as well, so he uses a lot more slice than the others. You just have to wait and see. You need to give them time physically. The game has changed a lot. When you play in the slams obviously in really hot temperatures, that's when physically you need to be extremely tough. That's when you'll find out about them, when they get through some tough, long five‑set matches. Q. You think the physical evolution is kind of more than the mental? ANDY MURRAY: I think it's a bit of both, because when you're used to, you know, in the juniors winning, and the shots that you're hitting in the juniors that are winning shots, when they're coming back three, four, five times, mentally that's tough. You need to adjust your game a little bit. Also, yeah, physically you need to get much stronger so your ball is coming through the court much harder and so that shots that are winners against you aren't winners anymore and it takes three or four shots to get it past you. It takes time now. Q. What's your take on the umpires being more proactive with the time violations? Marcos got two or three today. ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I'm for them being more strict with the time, but I think they maybe should have increased the time allowed first, because 25 seconds goes by pretty quick. We were told the reason for them changing the rule is because of the Aussie Open final last year, which I think everyone agrees was a classic match. Right now, that match is getting shown whenever there is a delay or someone has pulled out or something, so it's not like the TV hated the match and they're never going to show it again. Yeah, I also think tennis also has changed as well since the time cameinto, you know the time in between points. The rallies are much, much longer, so therefore it takes longer to recover. I like that there is a time violation in there. I think it'll be good. But I think starting off with 25 seconds at the beginning was a bit too much, because players just aren't used to playing at that pace. It's a huge advantage for the returner, not for the server, I think, because the returner can just get to the line and just stand there and say that he's ready; whereas the sever server, 99% of the players bounce the ball three or four times before their serve. That's when guys are getting the penalties, when they're actually bouncing. I got one the other day whilst I was bouncing a ball. I like the idea behind it. I just think they could have adjusted the time in between the points a little bit. Q. Do you think the umpires are going to have to have a lot of the discretion, like the duration of the match? The conditions? ANDY MURRAY: No, because that's where I think it's wrong that people say they have to give a bit of leeway if there is a long point. I don't agree with that. I think that's when the person who is physically stronger gains an advantage. They should be recovering in a certain amount of time, but I just think they should have adjusted the time slightly to maybe 30 seconds, because 25 seconds goes by really, really quick when you're on the court. All it takes is a shoelace to come undone and you're out of time. Guys have been getting warnings when they change their racquet for breaking a string or whatever. That's also not right, I don't think. Q. How well do you think you're playing at the moment? ANDY MURRAY: I'm playing okay. A bit up and down. I served pretty well for the majority of the tournament. I've moved better every single match. Returning could have been better, and my groundstrokes, I think with more matches I'll start it hit them cleaner. When I've come up to the net I've volleyed relatively well. There is stuff for me to work on, but I think the things that I normally do well in matches, the strongest parts of my game, haven't been that solid so far. My return, like I say, could get better, and also my groundstrokes a bit cleaner. Q. For Grigor, nerves, how much a factor do you think they'll be in his first final? What was it like for you preparing for your first final? ANDY MURRAY: I played Federer in my first final in Bangkok, so there is nerves, but also I went into that match with not much pressure because you're not expected to win. For him, I'm sure he'll enjoy it. He's going to be incredibly pumped up. Everybody deals with certain situations differently. I have no idea whether he'll be nervous tomorrow or whether he'll really enjoy the occasion. We'll find out tomorrow. Q. You've played some different players this week. How does that fit in with your preparation? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's always good to play a variety of different opponents with different styles, because in the slams you don't often come up against five, six guys that play the same. You know, it's good to see what things you're doing well, what things you aren't doing well, and have a good idea at the end the week the things you need to work on next week building up to the Aussie Open. Q. It's clear that the slams are considered by the players and most people the most important events in the world. Sometimes we have situations in the last couple days with Victoria and the Nishikori where they feel like they want to protect their body at all costs to make sure they're okay for Melbourne, but maybe hurts the tournament they're in. Talk about that. ANDY MURRAY: It is, it's a tough situation for the tournament and also for the players. When you're coming up to the slams, you know, they need to take priority for you. I mean, I don't really know what else I can say on that. They're our biggest events, most prestigious. But our goal as players in tournaments we enter is to be in the best possible shape for them. That's why the players have complained about too many tournaments. Because I think people want to see great tennis and want to see players playing their best. Sometimes if there is a lot of tournaments, you know, that's when you often find guys pulling out or not playing particularly well, and the players are criticized for that. Sometimes it's hard to play well four or five weeks in a row in tough conditions. Now, first week of year there has been a lot of guys getting hurt in the Hopman Cup. I know Isner pulled out, Tommy Haas got hurt, and I think one other maybe got hurt as well. So it does happen a lot in the beginning of year. It's unfortunate, because it's bad for the tournament and the people that come to watch. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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