TENNIS US OPEN 2014 – 24th of August 2014. An interview with Andy Murray
Q. Does coming into a tournament you have already won take a little bit of the pressure off your shoulders?
ANDY MURRAY: I think it helps if anything, yeah. I don’t think it’s a negative in any way. I don’t know if that’s due to pressure or, you know, experience or whatever, being comfortable in these surroundings and having good memories. I think it’s a combination of everything really.
Q. Obviously you spent a lot of time in Miami. How has the departure of LeBron James changed your status as a season ticket holder?
ANDY MURRAY: Status is the same. We don’t do that. In the UK you don’t change teams when someone leave.
Q. How are you feeling form- and confidence-wise?
ANDY MURRAY: I feel good. I have had a great practice week, had good fun on the court, enjoyed it, and worked hard. Yeah, been playing well. I feel good.
Q. You have obviously played a lot of Grand Slam finals and finals before breaking through with the title. For other players who are trying to break through, too, do you see them probably needing to get a lot of experience before they win a title the way the field is now, or do you see someone winning at all without first getting in the semifinals and finals?
ANDY MURRAY: You never know, to be honest. Everyone is different. You never know what’s going to happen in sports, especially individual sport. You know, someone could easily break through at this tournament. But, yeah, I could also see why it might take a bit longer for some guys. But you never know. No one knows what’s going to happen. You just have to wait and see.
Q. Your first match, playing on Monday, in the past sometimes you have had to wait until Wednesday. Will that be a good thing, to get underway straightaway?
ANDY MURRAY: Again, you never know. I mean, I have been here long enough to be used to the conditions and stuff now. I think for some guys that are coming in late, you know, playing on the Wednesday may help, but I have had enough time on the courts now to practice and prepare. So to get underway on Monday is good.
Q. You’re playing a guy that’s kind of familiar, especially here. What do you remember about him?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was a tricky match. Windy conditions that day, and, yeah, very up and down. He obviously started well. I think maybe — did I win the fourth set 6-Love, third or fourth set 6-Love? Yeah, I was a break up and he came back. It was a strange match. It wasn’t a particularly clean tennis match, but I found a way to get through.
Q. What do you think about your mum on Strictly Come Dancing?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, if it makes her happy, then I will support her. I’m not really into those shows, but she loves it. I mean, she watches it all the of the time, talks about it all the time (smiling). So, yeah, if she enjoys it, then I’m happy for her.
Q. Do you think the only thing missing from your game right now is the confidence of having back-to-back big wins?
ANDY MURRAY: Maybe. I mean, I have been playing well the last few weeks. You know, I lost to guys who had won the events, and had quite big opportunities in both those matches. I feel like I’m playing well. This week has been very good preparation. I’m happy. I feel ready to start the tournament. Yeah, we’ll see what happens when we get underway.
Q. When was the last time you felt this ready, this prepared, this content?
ANDY MURRAY: For a slam, probably, I mean, any of the ones — I mean, Australian Open last year, Wimbledon last year, you know, would have been the last two. Obviously I missed the French last year. My back was not great during this event last year. Yeah, this year would be the best prepared I have been coming into a slam. I got a great training block over in Miami done, so physically I’m where I would want to be. My body is pain-free, which is good. Yeah, I feel ready.
Q. You mentioned those missed opportunities against Tsonga and Federer. Do things like that stay with you after matches? Do they carry over into the next tournament?
ANDY MURRAY: I think one of the most important things in sport is to not be too hard on yourself after matches, to be able to move on. You know, I was obviously not happy with how the matches ended. I was very disappointed. But it’s something that you need to learn to be able to move forward and not be too hard on yourself. You know, make sure it doesn’t eat into your sort of preparation time or any sort of mental energy or that you might need going into a tournament like this. So, you know, I was very relaxed when I got on the practice court here. Like I said, I have had good practice, had good fun on the practice court, and worked hard. I feel ready for the tournament. Obviously I would have liked to have won those matches. I can’t do anything about them now. Gotta look forward.
