Andy Murray

US Open

September 3, 2008



Q. How does it feel to be in the semifinals?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's great. You know, obviously after a match like that it makes it feel even better.

But, yeah, it's a nice feeling.


Q. There seemed to be a little wobble there.

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, for me, like I said in all my other matches, I don't care what happens throughout the course of the match as long as I win.

I played the big points great. In the first two sets I played really well in the tiebreaks.

And then, yeah, when I broke a string on my racquet I started to serve a few double faults and lost the rhythm on my serve a little bit.

But I was really happy with the way I managed to come back. You know, it was a long match, and it would have been easy to get down on myself, but I didn't do that. I was really happy I came through.


Q. Did the match go as you hoped tactically?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I knew it was going to be a tough match. I mean, he's won however many matches, over twenty matches in a row. The guy's feeling unbelievably confident, so I didn't feel like I was the definite favorite for the match. I knew it was going to be really hard.

I knew that I was going to have to fight a lot, change the pace of the ball, because he's really solid from the back of the court. And my tactics worked quite well.


Q. Are you pleased with your fitness?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.


Q. Can you recover okay, you think?

ANDY MURRAY: I got two days, so I'll be disappointed if I'm not recovered.


Q. How did you regroup? What was going through your mind? It must have been a difficult mental challenge.

ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, I was in the driver's seat; I was up two sets. You know, I have been in situations like that before. I didn't get too flustered and kept my focus.

It was really tough to play from the far end of the court. Both of us struggled. That was where I lost I think ‑‑ I don't know how many service games I lost, maybe seven or eight. But I think the majority of them were from that far side. It probably didn't feel it, but it was very windy on the court, and we both struggled serving from end. I knew that I was going to get some chances to break him, and I obviously did in the end.


Q. Are you as calm inside as you've given the impression you are, both on the court and now, or are you getting a little bit excited? You don't seem tremendously excited to be in the semifinals.

ANDY MURRAY: No, I'm excited to be in the semifinals, but the tournament is still going. Again, I said at the start of the tournament, I want to try to win it. I don't want to lose in the semifinals.

When I watched the opening of the tournament on the first night session, and you see all the winners of the US Open, you know, you realize that winning is what really, really counts. That's what I'm going to try and do.

I understand getting to the semis is a great achievement, but I want to go a little bit further.


Q. Do you have a preference about who you play?

ANDY MURRAY: Fish obviously has never been in that position before. Nadal is the No. 1 player in the world. I guess playing Fish is definitely an easier match.


Q. Can you compare the atmosphere to the Gasquet atmosphere?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it's just very different. Wimbledon it's ‑‑ for me the biggest difference is in the middle of the points. At Wimbledon it's so quiet, and then at the end of the points it kind of erupts. Here there's a lot of noise going on in the middle of points, and a lot of shouting out during points.

Yeah, just a little bit more laid back, the atmosphere here. But both were great.


Q. You always get a very good reception when you come on court. Generally the crowd here are generally very supportive, even though you're not American. Do you feel you have sort of a rapport with the people here?

ANDY MURRAY: I think they enjoy my game style. You know, I think it's a bit different to how a lot of the guys play nowadays, and I think they just enjoy the way I play, and show emotion on the court, and that's what Americans like to see.


Q. If you were to play Nadal in the semifinals, what did you learn the last two matches you played him?

ANDY MURRAY: The one thing that I need to improve, if I play him, is to return better. The first couple of times I played him I returned very well. The last two or three matches I didn't return well at all. That's the only thing that I need to do. I need to do better.

I've had a lot of the ‑‑ the match at Wimbledon, if I take that one away, the times I played him on hard courts, I've had quite a few close sets, really tough matches.

You know, it comes down to who returns better and who gets the breaks of serve. Normally that's the best part of my game. The last few times I've played him, I've not done that.


Q. Can you talk about the conversation with Del Potro at the end of the match.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, we obviously ‑‑ I think quite early on in the match there was sort of a feeling of respect between us in terms of, you know, our games and stuff. There was no arguing over line calls or anyone trying to get in anyone's face.

I think a lot was sort of made of what happened the last time I played against him. I said it wasn't going to be a problem. And just at the end of the match he said, "I'm sorry for what happened before."

I told him it was a great run he had been on. I'm sure we'll have some great matches in the future. That was it.


Q. You've got good eyesight but your challenging tonight was a little ‑‑ well, you didn't win many, did you? Are you surprised that sometimes what you think is a good call on your part seems so far out or so far in?

ANDY MURRAY: No, because for me 75% of the time when I challenge, I do it a lot of time on breakpoints or big points where I just want to see where the ball was. I don't care if I get the challenges wrong. Makes no difference to me. It doesn't change my attitude towards the way that I challenge.

Every time I challenge I don't do it just because I think the ball is in. I just want to see how far out it is. Or sometimes the Hawk‑Eye can be wrong. So that's why I do it.


Q. Will you spend the next two days thinking about the semifinal or trying not to think about it?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I won't think about it much. I'm sure the night before the match I'll think about it a bit. You know, and then the day off I'll obviously speak to my coach and talk about the game plan and stuff.

But, yeah, I don't think it's ‑‑ I don't want to be worrying about it or thinking too much about it before I go out there.


Q. How tough an opponent would Mardy Fish be?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, he's playing really well so far. He's got a huge serve. He made the final last week in New Haven, and the final of Indian Wells, too. Beat Federer there. He can play some great tennis and very aggressive.

Serves I would say 60, 70% of his serves are over 130. Comes to the net a lot, and he's a tough guy when he plays his best tennis.


Q. Do you think he's a good match‑up for you tactically then, his aggressive style?

ANDY MURRAY: The court is pretty quick out there. I would have thought someone like Monfils would have been a tough guy for him to play against, and he went through him pretty quickly. Obviously the match‑up is not a bad one for me. It really just depends on how you play on the day.


Q. Juan Martin, his press conference couldn't continue, he broke down in tears and had to be led out of the room. He was very disappointed. He's 19 years old and he reached his first Grand Slam. Can you relate to those emotions? Because one would think perhaps he would be quite pleased with his performance in the tournament here.

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I've never done that before after matches. I mean, yeah, like you say, it's a great achievement to make the quarters at his age. He's been ‑‑ I think when you've been on a run like he has, I guess when it ends it's pretty emotional because ‑‑ and it's pretty tiring as well to keep winning matches like that.

You know, that's what makes sort of Federer and Nadal's achievements unbelievable because of how tough it is to keep doing that. I mean, he's probably upset that he had his chance to get back into the match and didn't quite take it.

I think physically he was struggling a bit at the end, so it's probably a whole combination of things.


Q. What's your view about the semis and the final being back to back?

ANDY MURRAY: I think it's better if they play Friday/Sunday. It's been like that for ages. You know, it's more I think for the fans more than anything.

You know, the players should, you know, be able to, you know, give it their best shot. It's a Slam final, so they're going to get up for it.

I just think as a fan, if a guy plays a 7‑6 in the fifth match and plays for four and a half hours and the other guy plays for an hour and a half, I know who I'd be putting my money on the next day.

It kind of makes it ‑‑ I think for the fans you're not going to see the best tennis of the guy that's played the long match.


Q. You've always set yourself different goals each year. Improving Grand Slam performances was a key one this year. Are you taking deep satisfaction yet that you improved your form, or are you going to wait until Sunday?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I wanted to try and make the Masters Cup this year, and I obviously missed that by one match last year, even though I missed three and a half months with the wrist injury.

So I'm happy that I'm pretty sure I confirmed myself in the Masters Cup. But, yeah, I think how you do in Slams is how you're remembered in tennis, and I wanted to improve my record in them.

Yeah, definitely done that this year. Hopefully I can keep it going in the next match.


Q. A big day for your brother tomorrow. Will you come in and watch him?

ANDY MURRAY: I might so, yeah. I'm going to come in and obviously practice myself. But, yeah, good chance ‑‑ I might not go out on the court, but I'll be here for when he's playing for sure.


Q. What was the situation with the screen?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, just at the start of the match, in the middle of the points they were showing ‑‑ it was just the score. Then towards the end, I don't know if it was the first or second set, I can't remember, they were showing what was happening on the court.

It was just ‑‑you know, you could see something moving at the top all the time because they were obviously showing the points. I didn't know if that was intentional or not, and I just asked them if they could turn it off. He said no, and I said that's absolutely fine.


Q. You spent a lot of time at this US Open Grandstand Court and Armstrong Court. Part of what you saw on the screen, perhaps was part of that a little bit of unfamiliarity? If so, how good does it feel to be establishing yourself on center court?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, there are so many things going on on that court that, you know, something like that, which is right at the top of the stands, is the last thing that's sort of, I guess putting you off. I love playing on that court.

For me, the atmosphere there is awesome. I've had great support, and I played two really good matches. I look forward to playing hopefully more matches on there in the future.

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