TENNIS ATP TORONTO – 6th of August 2014. A. Murray d. N. Kyrgios 6-2, 6-2. An interview with Andy Murray
Q. Was there an aspect of your game you were particularly happy with out there today?
ANDY MURRAY: I thought I did most things like pretty solid. I didn’t make too many errors. I moved well. High first serve percentage.
And, yeah, it was a solid match for a first match back after sort of four and a half, five weeks. I was happy.
Q. With the back surgery that you had, are you starting to kind of feel like your old self again? How long did that take really to kind of…
ANDY MURRAY: I started to feel good, actually, like just before the French Open. My back started to feel good. Back felt fine throughout the French Open and through the grass court season.
The only problem was that kind of before that I was able to practice but not sort of train off the court, do the stuff in the gym that, you know, makes you physically strong. That’s something that, you know, these days you need.
So when I was coming up against the better players, I was just lacking a little bit. But after Wimbledon, I went over to Miami and I really trained like I used to for the first time since the surgery and I felt much better.
Q. Is there an appreciation for just how tough it is to remain in that kind of top 4, top 5? Did you maybe gain an appreciation for that just kind of, like you said, that if you’re not able to do everything off court training and all that, it’s kind of easy to maybe slip it down a few spots?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, to be honest, I knew how hard it was because I knew the amount of work and effort to get there. I was there for the last five or six years, and, you know, it was tough to stay there. It’s one thing getting there, but staying there is challenging.
Then, yeah, with the way that, you know, tennis works, you know, with the ranking system and stuff, if you miss periods of the year it’s incredibly difficult to maintain your ranking.
And on top of that, the players get better. The time that you’re away from the court everyone is improving, and, you know, the younger guys are getting a little bit older, more experienced and better. So it’s tough. That’s why it’s so important to stay healthy.
Q. How optimistic are you about this hard court season leading to the US Open as compared to the first part of the season? I mean, do you feel like you’re reaching a new level?
ANDY MURRAY: Like I said, I felt I played pretty well at the French Open. The semis of the French is a very good result for me.
You know, Wimbledon, you know, I was obviously disappointed to have not done better, but I did play some very good tennis at Wimbledon and especially in the first week.
But then, yeah, then all of the tournaments I was having a bit of a letdown or playing one bad match, and I just need to find that consistency again.
But, you know, if I can get myself physically stronger, then, you know, even when you aren’t playing your best it’s, you know, easier to tough matches out and to track more balls down. You can’t feel great every single day, so on your bad days, that’s when it’s important to really try and find a way to win. I haven’t done that so much this year.
Q. Novak commented on the draw when it was made that it was a terrible section, partly obviously because you were in his quarter. I know you’ll say that you only look one match ahead at a time, but do you ever allow yourself to look at the overall picture of the draw? And do you agree with him, that it is a very difficult segment?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, for me, as well. I mean, I’m in the section with the No. 1 player in the world.
But upsets happen, so, you know, I could lose my next match and then maybe Novak thinks the section is better or, you know, vice versa.
You know, it only becomes relevant if we end up playing each other in the quarterfinals, because if one of us loses, then you might say, Well, this section is more open.
But, yeah, I mean, being in the section of the draw with the No. 1 player in the world, that hasn’t happened the last few years based on the seeding and being in the top three or four players.
Yeah, I have had a couple of times this year like in Miami we played in the quarters, as well, so it’s a tough draw, but, you know, it’s also good to play against someone, you know, like a Novak if you get that opportunity in the buildup to the US Open. You really see where your game is at.
