|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP QUARTERFINALS: SERBIA v U.S.A.April 5, 2013Jim CourierSam QuerreyBOISE, IDAHO S. QUERREY/V. Troicki THE MODERATOR: Question for Sam and Jim. Q. Sam, just talk about what happened there in the fourth and fifth sets. Seemed like you were missing a lot of shots in the second and third, and then all of a sudden getting a lot in the fourth and the fifth. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I stayed positive and kept with the game plan and played aggressive. That fourth set served extremely well and was fortunate to get two breaks, and that gave me a lot of momentum going into the fifth set. The 1‑2 game was huge. I didn't make many first serves, but battled through and won that game. Then I felt like I was always in on his service games, and then finally there at 4‑all, be able to get a break and then close it out. Q. What is a match like that like in Davis Cup, five sets, coming from behind, all that that goes into a match like that? SAM QUERREY: You know, it feels great. It feels great to help the team out, to tie it up. I think the match in Jacksonville for me, it wasn't acome from ‑‑ you know, I wasn't down two sets to one but just a set. I think the pressure of that match helped a little bit out here today. You know, it just feels great. I'm feeling confident. I think the rest of the team can feed off it. I think Bob and Mike will be ready to go tomorrow. We're right back in it. Q. Jim, assess both matches. Just feelings overall. CAPTAIN COURIER: Sure. The first match I thought both players came out a little bit tight, a little bit nervous, and the quality of play early wasn't great. Then Novak really tightened it up; had a high percentage of first serves. John didn't quite get off the blocks with his power game. You guys have seen him when plays the way he can. He's moving in that direction. He's been practicing great this week, and I think we'll see a different John come Sunday. Sam's match, you know, he grinded through the first set; lost a little bit of momentum in the second set when he had it; and then he just buckled down and never wavered. I think the strength that he gained in Jacksonville winning those two matches was on full display there in the end. Look, things are tough. If we're down 2‑0, it's a long way home for any team, and particularly a team as deep as Serbia. Q. Were you telling the guys, Go for your shots, go for your shots all day, or were you telling Sam at times play a little bit steady and wait until you get your forehand? CAPTAIN COURIER: You know, we have a lot to say on the bench. Depends on the moment. Sometimes not saying nothing is the best advice. Q. Sam, seemed like the crowd fired you up pretty well and maybe you needed that a little bit. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, you know, I'm a pretty mellow player generally, and the crowd was awesome today. Winning that fourth set, they're on their feet and cheering. Then that fifth set, every game on my serve, on Troicki's serve, when it was a 30‑All or a deuce point, they were loud and vocal, and it helped a lot. Q. Sam, Jim talked about to go down 2‑0 in a match like this. Did you feel that pressure sort of building on you a little bit? SAM QUERREY: Yeah, maybe a little bit. I mean, anyone knows that when you're down 0‑2 in Davis Cup it's a long way back, like Jim said. It was a crucial match, but every match is crucial. Every point is worth the same value. So they're all as important as the next. But to go down 2‑0 is tough, and I'm just happy I was able to tie it up for us. Q. Jim, focusing on tomorrow and the doubles, Djokovic made it sound like he was in the mix for doubles in his press conference. Troicki also played a long five‑setter in the first round and went on to play doubles. What are you expecting? CAPTAIN COURIER: We'll find out one hour before match time when you guys find out. Don't really know, and doesn't really matter to Bob and Mike. They're obviously extremely experienced and they have their mindset as to what they're going to do out there. They'll adjust, and we'll be ready for whatever comes. We'll be understandable if Viktor doesn't play given the effort he had to put in today against Sam. The good news for the Serbians is that they have a player of Novak's quality available. If he choses to play or if the captain puts him in, I'm sure he'll be very good. No doubt about that. Q. The Bryans, you know, they have obviously been around for a long time and are the veterans on the team and always come to play. You make a sacrifice having them on the team, right, in terms of singles. Talk about the value if having... CAPTAIN COURIER: It's no sacrifice to have the Bryans on your team. It's a luxury. We have a lot of confidence in them. They've earned that. We have full trust that they'll go out there and deliver a great performance. It's not a guaranteed victory, but you feel good as a team being able to put them forward. I mean, they're the greatest. Period. We'll roll with that. Q. Your first break in the fourth set, the game kind of was going back and forth for a while. Did you get a sense of if you won that that would really give you the momentum? SAM QUERREY: Yeah. You know, any time you can win those deuce games that are five, six, seven deuces where you fight off game points for him he and fights off game points for me, winning a game like that sometimes can be a game changer. I don't think that one game turned things around, but that set definitely gave me momentum. The first break was the start of it. I was feeling good after that. I was feeling like had it back in control. Q. Jim, your thoughts on the environment out there? Was it what you were hoping it to be? CAPTAIN COURIER: Yeah, Boise turned out nicely for us. We're really happy with the energy in the building. Atmosphere was Davis Cup. Now you have a taste of it. Q. Sam, the match had its ups and downs. Seemed like a very emotional experience. Talk about that. SAM QUERREY: Yeah, I broke him kind of early in the first set and tried serving for it, but that didn't go so well. Did a good job of regrouping and winning the tiebreaker. Second, and third sets just one too many errors and let him back in it. But then that fourth set I got the early break and felt like I had the momentum back in my favor. Played a great fourth set and great fifth set, too. Just happy to get through it. The crowd helped a ton; my teammates helped a ton. We're back to even now. Q. Jim, discuss so much of the difference of 1‑1 as opposed to 2‑0, how important that is going into tomorrow and the rest of the week. CAPTAIN COURIER: Everyone intuitively knows that, Sandy. Of course when you lose the first match the pressure does shift onto Sam's shoulders, but he handled it beautifully. He was relaxed in the locker room, confident on the court, and he kept his head in there the whole way through. We're real proud of him as a team, and he should be real proud of himself for that effort. 2‑0 for any team is very difficult; 1‑1 when you have the Bryans feels like you almost have a little bit of a lead. Q. Sam, Viktor mentioned he felt like he was slowing down a little bit in the fourth and fifth sets and got tired and you sensed that and went for shots. Did you sense that out there, that he was starting to lose it a little bit? SAM QUERREY: Not a whole lot. He was still running balls down from start to finish. I just stuck with my game plan and didn't change much. If is the ball was there to hit, I was taking a swing at it. I was tired too in the fifth set. Most guys will get a little tired there. I didn't switch up my game or do anything out of the ordinary. Q. Jim, following up about the Bryans, did you see tomorrow as a must‑win? CAPTAIN COURIER: No it's not a must‑win. We won't be eliminated, nor will Serbia no matter what happens tomorrow. I mean, you probably haven't been in too many press conferences with me, but I keep things fairly between the lines. We certainly want to win. There is no doubt about that. It's an important match for both squads. We'll have two singles players ready to fire on Sunday. Q. Sam, we know your match is gonna count on Sunday, so talk about the match with Djokovic and what you need to do to prepare, and your mindset. SAM QUERREY: I'm not going to do anything different in preparation. Just normal warmup, normal routine. Just go out there just like I did today and try to play aggressive. He's No. 1 in the world. You got play great to beat him. If I'm going to win that one, everything is going to have to be working. But I'm confident after this match; I was confident going into it; I'm just going to go out there and lay it on the line. Q. Jim, you've been through it as a captain, but for those of us watching for the first time, how do you stay so calm on the bench when everybody is cheering around you? CAPTAIN COURIER: It's a long day for the captain. I have to watch both matches like you guys do, and I need my energy to be able to evaluate what's going on and have input on the change of ends, which is where I can really make an impact, whether it's not saying anything or a tidbit here or there. I don't like to waste a lot of energy cheering. I don't clap. It's not my thing. I'm here if help these guys on the change of ends and provide support for them. They're the ones that have to hit the shots. I don't need to be moving all over the place. That doesn't do anybody any good. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|