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QATAR EXXONMOBILE OPENJanuary 1, 2014Andy MurrayDOHA, QATAR F. MAYER/A. Murray THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You said there would be some bumps along the road coming back. Was this a bump? ANDY MURRAY: I didn't have extremely high expectations, because I haven't obviously played a match for a long time. So like I say, you don't know exactly how your body is going to respond. I was playing pretty well. He came back well in the second set, and there were a few tight games middle of the second where he broke me at deuce, and then I had breakpoints at 3‑2 to go back up a break, and then he broke me at deuce I think in the next game. Then he started to play better. I felt like I slowed down in the second set, service speed and movement. It wasn't, you know, a particular area that was sore. Just, you know, more joints rather than muscles, just a bit sore from changing direction and playing at that level. But I was playing well. I played some good tennis today. I moved well at the beginning of the match, so that was a positive, and I did say the only way to feel better is by playing matches. So today was a start. Q. He said it was normal what happened, given your lack of match practice and that you played very well, and he was sort of amazed by the way he played. ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, I thought in the second set he played extremely well. I think in the first set I played better than him, but still, you know, it was a lot of good rallies. You know, he's a fun player to watch. He has a lot of variety, and he makes it tricky for you. Yeah, in the second set when he got the break back, he definitely started to play some really good tennis. Yeah, from my side, I was happy with the way I was striking the ball.  I just need matches. I need to play. Q. Coming back and playing in the doubles, just to get that movement back again, you were doing a lot of kind of jigging around. Is that just to loosen yourself up a bit and get that feeling back again? ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I'm obviously not‑‑ I don't feel great right now. You know, just pretty stiff and sore just now, so that's to be expected. You know, today was a good day for me. I lost two matches, but it's good I got through without any sort of, picked up any injuries or niggles. Just general sort of stiffness and soreness, getting used to the impact again of playing matches on a hardcourt, because it doesn't matter how much stuff you do in training or practice, you know, it's just a different intensity, and I needed to play matches. Q. Do you think on reflection that the draw didn't do you any favors in that you didn't have much of a contest in your first‑round match? ANDY MURRAY: I don't think that had any real bearing on today's match, because I started the match extremely well and was comfortably ahead and had chances to go further ahead. So I don't think it had any bearing on that. But personally, for me coming back from a surgery, I would have liked to have played two competitive, proper matches. It would have helped me a bit more, but, you know, at least I got a three‑set match today, couple of doubles matches, and some good practice before the tournament started in Abu Dhabi and here. So I need to use that and hopefully still get a bit better. Q. In terms of getting matches, is Sydney or Kooyong a possibility for you? ANDY MURRAY: Most years I played a match at Kooyong. I wouldn't imagine I would go to Sydney. I can't see myself doing that. I haven't played the week before a slam for about six, seven years, and my preference is to get there early and practice on the courts and get used to the conditions there. You know, a lot of the top players don't play the week before and so you can get some good quality practice against those guys to sharpen you up before the tournament starts. I would imagine I would go to Melbourne and then play a match at Kooyong. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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