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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 16, 2013Sam QuerreyMELBOURNE, VICTORIA S. QUERREY/B. Baker THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Brian since he got... SAM QUERREY: No, I walked in with him, but I didn't even talk to him then. He didn't want to talk. Just, it was on the court and it didn't look very good. Q. Do you know what happened? SAM QUERREY: I didn't see what happened. I hit a ball, and then he hit a ball long. I was looking at the ballkids to grab balls for my serve, and then I looked back and he was on the ground. And then just asking him, he said he kind of just felt his knee almost buckle and kind of heard like a pop or a snap. He didn't know if it was bones or a tear, but he couldn't straighten it, couldn't walk. I feel awful for him. Q. He's had a rough time, hasn't he? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, he's the last person that deserves anything like that with his five or six surgeries already. He does everything right, treats his body great, just trying to come back, and then something like that happens, it's just so unlucky. Q. What was he exactly saying to you when you were sitting down? He was taking his shaking his head and talking to the trainer and the doctor. SAM QUERREY: Just kind of asking him, What do you think it is? He was just kind of just describing what happened and he was just kind of going, I just can't believe it. He just kind of had his head down just like, Why is this happening to me? That was kind of it. Q. He had been playing pretty well up to that point, right? SAM QUERREY: Yeah. Pretty good quality first set, I thought. We exchanged a couple breaks early, maybe a little sloppy those two games. Then I had a break at 4‑All; he played an unbelievable point and hit a great pass. You know, he was playing great. I mean, those courts are fast. You can kind of catch up to the return and hit through the court. He was playing well, and, you know, I was hoping to come back and, you know, just such a bummer for him. Q. Still don't know what the injury is, but do you worry at all that like a serious injury could send him into a sort of virtual retirement? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I'm not sure how bad it is, if it's an ACL or an MCL, something of that magnitude. You know, a lot of times that takes over a year to fully get back. You know, if that's it, though, if there's anyone that can do it, he's the guy. It just takes a ton of positive energy, being strong and rehab, rehabbing well. I hope it's not that bad, but if it is, he's the guy that can come back from it. Q. I don't know if you really knew him at all before last year, but can you talk about just what his return presence has added to the American team, if you can call it that. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, it's been great. The more Americans in the top 100, the better. He really rose up quickly and has kind of established himself as a‑‑ you know, in my mind he's a top 50 player and he can beat guys who are top 20, top 10. It's great to have him in there. You know, he deserves to be in there. He's good enough. He has been so unfortunate in the last six years, seven years. So, you know, I think if he can heal quickly or if it takes a year, I think he can get right back where he is right now. He's talented; he's good enough. No matter what happens, I still think he can come back to where he is now. Q. Have you ever played against someone or seen someone tear an ACL on a tennis court? SAM QUERREY: No. And I don't know if that's what it is, but, no, not that I can think of. Q. Moving ahead, Wawrinka, the last time you played him it was a pretty long five‑setter at the Open. Do you remember that? SAM QUERREY: Yeah. Q. Just talk a bit about him. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I mean, if he wins, last time we played was tough. These courts are a little faster. I'm going to come out and play a little more aggressive than the last time. I feel like I'm a better player than at the US Open 2010 when I played him. So I think I probably serve big, hit my forehand big, I like my chances. But he has to get by Kamke first, who hits the ball low and flat and hard. On these courts, it's so tough. Q. You're feeling overall the courts are playing super fast? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I feel like they're very fast. Q. Faster than ever? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, the fastest I've ever seen at a Grand Slam. Q. Faster than the US Open? SAM QUERREY: Yes. Q. Even Ashe? SAM QUERREY: See, I can't really compare ‑‑ the outer courts here are faster than any court I have ever played on, even Ashe. I haven't played on a showcourt here yet, so I don't know if those are a little slower. But the outer courts are definitely very fast. Q. So you're happy about that, I would guess. SAM QUERREY: I like it. I like it for my serve. I don't love a fast court. I like the ball to sit up in my pocket a little more so I have a little more time. But, you know, I don't hate it. I mean, I guess I would like it a little slower if I could make a perfect court. Q. Will you check in with Brian again later today? SAM QUERREY: Yeah. I mean, it depends ‑‑I don't know what his schedule is, what the process ‑‑ you know, what happens, if he has to go to the hospital or what. I'll definitely check in with him, with his family, and see how he's going. Q. You said you're a much better player than 2010. Fitness‑wise, if you get into five sets against Stan, do you feel like you're fitter? SAM QUERREY: Fitter than back then? Q. Yeah. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, definitely. I take care of my body much better now. I travel with Casey Cordial, who is a chiropractor, and, you know, we do tons of work with acupuncture and massage and just making sure everything feels great every day. That's key. I didn't do a whole lot of that back in 2010. I would do it maybe a general stretch and the occasionally massage, but now every day for the last ‑ since June ‑ I do it. So I think that's key. And, you know, fitness‑wise off court I have done what I've always done, but I feel I can go five sets. I'm not worried about fatiguing at all. Q. Percentage‑wise how much more of that recovery type of work are you doing now than, say, two or three years ago? SAM QUERREY: 500% more. (Laughter.) I spend two‑and‑a‑half hours on the table every day stretching before practice, stretching after practice, you know, recovery drink. When I go back now I'll do, you know, I'll do a massage and acupuncture, loosen up the neck. We've got these new boot things we put on that kind of pressurizes the legs. So tons more. Q. Boot things? SAM QUERREY: I don't know if they're called ‑‑I don't even want to talk about it because I will sound stupid. Q. So acupuncture. How long have you been doing that and how frequently do you do it? SAM QUERREY: I've done it for the last six months, and I don't do it every day. Couple times a week. Sometimes we will just do spots. You know, if my elbow or shoulder is sore, Casey will stick a few needles there. Other days I will lay there and he'll put in 30, 40 needles over the whole body. But I'd say two or three times a week we will do some type of acupuncture treatment. Q. You feel it works? SAM QUERREY: Yeah. I feel great after. I don't know if it's working well or not, but I feel great after. So I'm just going to say, yeah, it's doing its job. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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