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WIMBLEDONJuly 7, 2013Andy MurrayLONDON, ENGLAND A. MURRAY/N. Djokovic THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. I don't need to tell you the name of the player or the score. Questions, please. Q. Many congratulations. You said to us before that nothing would probably top the US Open. Are you changing your mind on that at all? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I also said that, you know, winning Wimbledon I think is the pinnacle of tennis. I think, yeah, I mean, the last game almost increased that feeling. You know, if I had closed it out at 40‑Love‑‑ I worked so hard in that last game. It's the hardest few points I've had to play in my life. And, yeah, it was a different match to the US Open. Yeah, winning Wimbledon, yeah, I still can't believe it. Can't get my head around that. I can't believe it. Q. At the end it looked like you didn't know whether to smile or cry. Has it sunk in yet? If not, when do you think it will? ANDY MURRAY: I mean, who knows. I think just how that last game went my head was kind of everywhere. I mean, some of the shots he came up with were unbelievable. I maybe played one bad point at deuce. I remember missing a forehand in the net. But he came up with some unbelievable shots in that last game. Yeah, I think that's why at the end of the match I didn't quite know what was going on. Just a lot of different emotions at that time. Q. The word 'disbelief', to watch you when you got the trophy and going through the halls, you had this look on your face. Can you describe the disbelief that's gone on? Are you aware that you're the first Brit to ever win this tournament in shorts? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, the last sort of 30 minutes have been a bit of a blur really. I mean, yeah, from 4‑2 down in the third set to now, I don't know‑‑ I don't really know what to say just now. It was just an amazing finish to the match. I was glad I managed to, you know, see all of my team and stuff afterwards. They saw what it was like last year after the match. It was a completely different feeling this year. And, yeah, I still, like I said, can't believe it's happened. This one will take a little while to sink in, I'm sure. Q. It was a straight‑sets win, but it must feel like one of the toughest five‑setters you've ever played. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, so tough. I mean, it was so hot, as well. I hadn't played any matches in the heat of the day. And also since the clay court season, since I missed the French Open with my back, it had been cool. I hadn't played at all in those sort of conditions. The first few games were brutal as well. It was like 30 minutes, the first four games, so it was a physically incredibly demanding match. And the end mentally, that last game will be the toughest game I'll play in my career, ever. Q. Dunblane was absolutely deserted today. Any message for your hometown? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I spoke to my grandparents on the phone just now. They were watching the match at the local sports club where I grew up playing. It was absolutely packed in there. Yeah, just thanks for always supporting me. I'm glad I managed to win this one for them. Q. Is your biggest achievement making Ivan smile? And what did he say to you at the end? ANDY MURRAY: He just said that he was proud of me, which obviously coming from him means a lot. You know, he doesn't smile in public too much, but when he's away from the crowds and the cameras he's a very different character. Yeah, I just think for him, obviously ideally he would have won it himself, but I think this was the next best thing for him. I'm saying it seriously. Yeah, I mean, I think he believed in me when a lot of people didn't. He stuck by me through, yeah, obviously some tough losses the last couple of years. He's been very patient with me. I'm just happy I managed to do it for him. Q. In terms of a day‑to‑day thing, what difference do you think he's made to you working with you? ANDY MURRAY: He's made me learn more from the losses that I've had than maybe I did in the past. I think he's always been very honest with me. He's always told me exactly what he thought. And in tennis, it's not always that easy to do in a player/coach relationship. The player is sometimes the one in charge. I think sometimes coaches are not always that comfortable doing that. But he's been extremely honest with me. If I work hard, he's happy. If I don't, he's disappointed, and he'll tell me. And, yeah, when I've lost matches, last year after the final he told me he was proud of the way I played because I went for it when I had chances. It was the first time I played a match in a Grand Slam final like that. He's got my mentality slightly different going into those sort of matches. Q. The moment you won you seemed not to turn to your players box. You seemed to turn to others in the crowd. We couldn't quite work out who. Was it anyone in particular? ANDY MURRAY: No, it wasn't anyone in particular. I was staring in the direction of quite a few of the guys in the press (smiling). I think, yeah, there's a subconscious part of me. Obviously I've had a difficult relationship at times over the years. The last few years have been much better. I mean, I know for you guys it's important that I win this tournament. You know, I tried. Obviously tried my best. I worked as hard as I could to do it. Yeah, I wasn't thinking before the match point if I win this I'm going to look at the press, but I finished the point and, yeah, that was just what my eyes were kind of fixed on. Q. What was going through your mind in the break before the final game? A lot of thinking time to consider that you just have to serve it out and you win Wimbledon. ANDY MURRAY: I was thinking, honestly, where I was going to serve my first serve. Often in games when you're serving for matches, you know, the first point of the game can be crucial. So I was thinking exactly where I was going to serve. That was pretty much it really. I wasn't thinking anything else. But, yeah, I won the first three points, and it was the hardest game ever. Yeah, that was it. I really wasn't thinking about much else. Q. You managed to shut out the occasion? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think I did. I mean, I felt okay. I didn't feel great after the 40‑Love to deuce. Then I started to feel nervous and started thinking about what just happened. Very rarely will you get broken from 40‑Love up on grass and when you're serving for Wimbledon. There's a lot of things you're thinking of at that moment, but at the change of ends I was okay. Q. You've had an incredible progression in your career. Could you talk about what has been the key to your growth and success? ANDY MURRAY: I think I persevered. That's really been it, the story of my career probably. I had, yeah, a lot of tough losses, but the one thing I would say is I think every year I always improved a little bit. They weren't major improvements, massive changes, but every year my ranking was going in the right direction. I was always going a little bit further in the slams. I kept learning and I just kept working as hard as I could. When I lost those matches sometimes I dealt with them badly, but I think the last few losses that I've had in slam finals I've dealt with them a lot better. That's kind of been it. Q. Now that you've had the release of the win, can you speak a little bit about what it's like to be the standard bearer of British tennis at Wimbledon and how you've endured it through all these years, how difficult it is? ANDY MURRAY: It's hard. It's really hard. You know, for the last four or five years, it's been very, very tough, very stressful, a lot of pressure. The few days before the tournament, really difficult, as well. Yeah, I mean, the last two days are not easy. Because it's just kind of everywhere you go. It's so hard to avoid everything because of how big this event is, but also because of the history and no Brit having won. It's been very, very difficult. I think I felt a little bit better this year than I did last year. But it's not easy. I think now it will become easier. I hope it will. I hope it will. Q. Were you surprised how much Novak dropshoted you today? ANDY MURRAY: No. He started doing it a lot in the third set. He didn't do it that much I didn't think the first couple of sets. It was working and he was hitting them well, and that was probably why he continued to do it. You know, I don't know how tired he was, if he was tired. But it's a way of shortening points. And when you hit them as well as that your opponent's running and you're just standing there really, so it worked well for him. Q. Back to Ivan. At the end of the match when you went up to the player box, I think Ivan was the first person you went to. As you were going up there, were you thinking he was the one person you want to congratulate, to share it with first, or were you thinking should I go to Kim, your mother? ANDY MURRAY: For me it's not like that. I mean, all of them, all of the guys that are up there, have played, yeah, different roles and different parts in my career. I've said it was nice to win because Ivan having not won here. I know, yeah, he would have loved to have won here. But, like I said, it's the next best thing. The other guys have been with me for the last five, six years, as well, and have been very patient and have worked very hard with me and have gone through a lot of losses or whatever. There was no thought in my head, I'm going to go to Ivan, Kim, or one of the fitness trainers. Q. Nobody has ever heard noise like that at Wimbledon before. Did that surprise you? Was it like the Olympics? Is that an indication of how people warm to you? Do you think it will change things in your life? ANDY MURRAY: Look, I don't know. I don't know how it will change my life. I hope not. I hope not too much. But, yeah, I mean, the atmosphere today was different to what I've experienced in the past. It was different to last year's final, for sure. And then, yeah, the end of the match, that was incredibly loud, very noisy. I've been saying it all week, but it does make a difference. It really helps when the crowd's like that, the atmosphere is like that. Especially in a match as tough as that one where it's extremely hot, brutal, long rallies, tough games, they help you get through it. Q. Was it more like the Olympic feeling than a normal Wimbledon? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think it felt a bit different today. I mean, it was the best atmosphere I played in here. That makes a difference. Q. I think you had a couple of glasses of champagne after the US Open. Are you going to have a few more glasses tonight? How are you going to celebrate? ANDY MURRAY: We have to go to the ball, so I'll be doing that. Then I don't even know what the time is just now, but, I mean, I'll finish doing all of these things. We have drug tests to do. Yeah, have fun with the team. Q. What would you tell Fred Perry if he was alive now and will you start wearing his shirts? ANDY MURRAY: Look, I don't know. I mean, he's someone that I've obviously never met, but is quite relevant in my career really. He's someone that, you know, I've spoken to a lot of people about. I've met various people from his family and obviously used to wear his gear. Yeah, it's a weird one. It's a name that, yeah, I've heard so much over the course of my career. It's a shame that I never got to meet him. Q. I doubt that you knew Fred Perry, but I knew Fred, and every year I'd come to cover Wimbledon and I'd say, Is this the year? He'd say, I don't think so. It went on like that for several years, and finally Fred couldn't make it anymore. So he said, I won't make it, and you don't look too well yourself. Anyway, he kept hoping this day would happen. I'm glad to report that it did happen. ANDY MURRAY: Thank you. Q. During this cycle, where was the point you felt the most negativity and doubt? Do you feel vindicated? Did you always feel this was going to happen, this day? ANDY MURRAY: No, I didn't always feel it was going to happen. It's incredibly difficult to win these events. I don't think that's that well understood sometimes. It takes so much hard work, mental toughness, yeah, to win these sort of tournaments. I didn't always think it was going to happen. I didn't doubt myself so much after last year's final. It was the best I'd recovered from a Grand Slam loss. I mean, maybe a couple years ago when I lost in the semis to Rafa. I was up a set, maybe a break as well, or had breakpoints, and didn't get that. That was a tough, tough one for me. Q. Now that you've achieved your long‑term goal, have you had any thoughts about perhaps settling down, having a family, popping the question to Kim? ANDY MURRAY: No, I haven't thought about that yet. Q. Tough question to follow. You were asked about being the standard bearer of tennis in British tennis. Do you worry that in 77 years the top British player is going to be asked what Andy Murray would say to him or what he would say to Andy Murray? ANDY MURRAY: You never know, but I would hope that it wouldn't be that long again. Like, again, it was an incredibly difficult tournament to win, so it's possible that it could take a long time. But, yeah, I think with the amount of sort of money that's invested in the sport in this country, then it shouldn't take another 70 odd years. Q. What do you tell Miss Bartoli at the ball tonight about the Franco‑Scottish alliance at Wimbledon? ANDY MURRAY: It will be nice. She's a very, very nice girl. I've spent little bits of time with her over the last few years. You know, she works extremely hard. You know, a lot of people kind of questioned her sort of methods, the ways that she plays. I was really, really happy for her that she managed to win yesterday. I'm sure she'll be good fun tonight. She's a funny girl. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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