Sir Andy Murray

[Ranger]

W porównaniu do Feda i Nadala to bardzo słabe to jest.

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An Interview With: Andy Murray

Spoiler:

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. I'm from Germany. What are your expectations for next year?

ANDY MURRAY: I think they will do better than people expect. Yeah, I think we have got a pretty good team.

Q. How about the cavaliers? How do you think they will do with LeBron now?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I would expect them to be one of the favorites. Whether they win it or not in the first year, I don't know. They have got a pretty solid team.

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. That was an interesting day you had yesterday with Rory and then the basketball. A slight departure perhaps from your usual preparation? Does it reflect the sort of confidence in how you feel? Could you sort of tell us what the day was like?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was fun. I have never been to watch golf live before. So, you know, for a first experience, you know, watching the best player in the world was a pretty good experience, and, yeah, I really enjoyed it. I guess it's like pretty much any sport. When you watch them up close, you know, it's impressive. And then, yeah, I didn't hit any balls yesterday. I took yesterday off. I trained for five days in a row, so I took yesterday off. Then in the evening, yeah, I went to watch the basketball at Madison Square Garden. I love watching basketball. But to sit that close again and see -- I mean, those guys, they're huge guys, but just unbelievably quick, great athletes. Yeah, it was a fun day for me.

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. Will you be watching?

ANDY MURRAY: No. Probably not, no.

Q. When is the last time you saw her dance?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't believe I have ever seen her dance, to be honest. I don't think I have ever seen her dance. It will be interesting.

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.

Q. You were one of the first to take this ice bucket challenge.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.

Q. Seems like the whole Team Murray has a lot of fun now. Does it seem different to what it was before with Ivan Lendl, or is it pretty much the same?

ANDY MURRAY: No, it's very similar. We all had good fun with Ivan. I actually saw him just now. I hadn't seen him for a few months. I actually saw him just now when I came off the court, which was nice. But, yeah, I have good fun with the guys I work with. It's a very important part of what we do. We spend a lot of time together, and you try to have fun while you're working hard. Otherwise the days and weeks on the road becomes long and tough. But I have good fun with them. It's been a nice few weeks.

Q. The training block you did, does that still mean you're going into this Grand Slam with more confidence than the earlier ones?

ANDY MURRAY: I feel confident. I don't know whether more or less than the other ones, but physically I'm better prepared than I was for the other slams just because, you know, I got -- the Australian Open I was obviously not going to be perfect. I hadn't played a match for like four months going into it, so, you know, that was kind of normal. But I got my best training block I have had since before Wimbledon last year down in Miami. Trained hard and, yeah, I feel ready. Yeah, because of that, I feel confident and I'm looking forward to the start.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interv ... 35020.html

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US OPEN 2014
MURRAY PREPARED FOR TRICKY US OPEN DRAW
New York, U.S.A.

Spoiler:

It has been nearly two years since Andy Murray stood on Arthur Ashe Stadium on a windy Monday night in early September and hoisted his first Grand Slam trophy.

With a new coach and new hardware in his trophy case, the Scot returns to the US Open with a newfound perspective, but his objective remains the same and his hunger to return to the winners’ circle is as fervent as ever.

“I feel good,” said Murray. “I have had a great practice week, had good fun on the court, enjoyed it and worked hard. I have had enough time on the courts now to prepare. So to get underway on Monday is good…I’m happy. I feel ready to start the tournament. We’ll see what happens when we get underway.”

The No. 8 seed opens play against Robin Haase on Monday, the second match on Louis Armstrong Stadium. This is their third straight meeting in a Grand Slam tournament. They met in Flushing Meadows in the second round in 2011, with Murray coming back from two sets down to beat the Dutchman.

Watch Murray Feature


Murray enters the final major of the year coming off consecutive quarter-final finishes at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 stops at the Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open. The 27 year old succumbed to eventual champions Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer in Toronto and Cincinnati, respectively. Despite failing to halt his 13-month final drought, he says he is more confident now than he has been all year.

“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,” added Murray, referring to his defeats to Tsonga and Federer. “I was obviously not happy with how the matches ended. I was very disappointed. It’s something that you need to learn to be able to move forward and not be too hard on yourself. Make sure it doesn’t eat into your preparation time or any mental energy. I can’t do anything about them now. Got to look forward.”

The Dunblane native has a tricky path to the final, with a potential rematch with Tsonga in the Round of 16 and a duel with rival and top seed Novak Djokovic in quarter-finals. Third seed Stan Wawrinka and Emirates Airline US Open Series champion Milos Raonic are potential semi-final opponents. Murray believes he is ready for any challenge.

“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. I feel ready.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... urray.aspx

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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qapHnzJ ... zhlX7X-pg5[/youtube]

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Wywiad z Andy Murray`em po wygranym meczu I rundy US Open 2014:

Spoiler:

Q. That was hard to watch. How hard was it to play?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was tough. I was just saying to Russell out there that, you know, sometimes it happens. Normally it's kind of a gradual thing, but after maybe two-and-a-half, three hours maybe you start to feel like that. Just it came extremely early on and in a stage where, you know, sometimes nerves can bring it on. I certainly wasn't nervous at the beginning of the third set after just winning a tough second set. So, yeah, it was tough.

Q. We spoke to you on Saturday. You emphasized just how good you're feeling physically. When something comes out of the blue like that, were you quite concerned about finding out what the underlying issue is between now and your next match?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, well, I can't worry about it too much. There's nothing I can do. This is the shape I'm in for the tournament. I feel or I felt extremely good before the match, and I did train very, very hard to get ready for the tournament. For me it was unexpected, and therefore, quite difficult mentally to deal with, because, like I say, sometimes it can happen one area of your body. But when it starts to kind of go everywhere, you don't know exactly where it's going to creep up next. When you stretch one muscle, something else then cramps, too. It was tough. Yeah, like I say, very unexpected, as well, especially after an hour and a half, an hour and 40 minutes. So it's unlikely, I would say, that it's down to maybe poor physical condition, because I have trained and played matches. Like in Toronto against Tsonga was longer than that and I felt absolutely fine at the end. I don't know if it's something I have done in the last few days that's been wrong or not, but I need to try and find out why.

Q. Robin said that it sort of caught him by surprise how quickly the match started because the women's was so quick. Was that the same for you?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, the match went quickly before, but I was ready when I got on the court. I mean, I started off and I was 4-Love up I think pretty quick. I started the match well. I don't think that had anything to do with it.

Q. He said you sort of didn't have a chance to eat enough. That wasn't the case for you?

ANDY MURRAY: I ate before the match. Maybe I could have eaten more, but, I mean, I don't always eat loads before matches, you know. I had only had breakfast a couple of hours beforehand, so, you know, I don't think it was anything to do with that.

Q. What's your level of concern physically going forward? Are you confident that you and your team can get yourself straightened out in the next couple of days?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't know. We won't know until the next match or until I'm pushed and in those sort of conditions again. Like I say, I was very surprised when it happened. Then it's hard because you want to be able to just, okay, focus your energy on trying to win the match, but you need to then have tactics as to how you're going to deal with how you're feeling. You know, do you try to finish the match in three sets after I had gone a break down at the beginning of the third? Do you try and conserve energy? It becomes tricky, and you start to think about the cramps rather than just actually what you're trying to do on the court, which is obviously win the match. But, yeah, I managed to get through in the end.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I'm happy about that because I could have easily lost that match. I was very close to losing the match. I don't think if it would have gone to five sets I would've been -- I certainly would have been the favorite if it had gone to five sets. I'm happy about that.

Q. I suppose one of the puzzling things is you have actually been out here for kind of seven weeks, haven't you? You have had the whole post-Wimbledon period in Miami. Does that add to the surprise of how the state of affairs has come about?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I was surprised about that, and I trained very hard, so I don't know exactly why it happened today. I need to just try and find out what went wrong, because, yeah, the conditions in Miami were significantly hotter and more humid than it was out there today. I mean, it was hot today, for sure, but I don't think it was particularly humid. It felt very dry or fairly dry, anyway. And, yeah, at the time it happened I didn't feel like -- I wasn't exhausted. I didn't feel incredibly tired or anything. And, yeah, it just happened. The fact that it was the whole body would suggest that maybe it was something to do with my eating or drinking, because if it's through fatigue in one part of your body, then, yeah, that would probably be down to conditioning. But cramping in my left forearm? I mean, I didn't use my left forearm a whole lot today compared with other parts of my body, so I would expect it would be something to do with what I have eaten or something or not eaten.

Q. Did you consider retiring at any point?

ANDY MURRAY: No.

Q. Did you think that your experience playing matches in the past in quite a bit of discomfort...

ANDY MURRAY: Well, cramps, it hurts. It hurts a lot. And like I say, when it is the whole body, that's when it -- I mean, it's not really scary, but it's just like, you know, you don't want to go into certain positions, because when the muscle totally goes into cramp, then it's very, very painful. It's very sore. So, yeah, just glad it didn't really get to that stage where I actually couldn't move.

Q. How much did your experience in the past through pain help you get through?

ANDY MURRAY: It's happened before. It's not the first time it's happened. I'm sure all of the tennis players have experienced it at some stage. But like I say, it was just weird that it happened after like an hour and a half or an hour and 40 minutes. Because, I mean, even if I was in bad shape I would still be fine normally after that amount of time.

Q. So much has been made of your physical condition after winning Wimbledon. Is there a mental piece as you try to get back to a final after doing the greatest thing somebody from Great Britain can do?

ANDY MURRAY: Mental in terms of what?

Q. Getting excited about doing it all over again, just getting through it and winning the tournament?

ANDY MURRAY: To be honest, the slams and stuff I have played -- I mean, I've played pretty good in the slams this year. You know, Wimbledon, my match in the quarterfinals was not good, but I played well. Like in Australia I played pretty good, and the semis at the French for me is -- I had only done that one other time in my career before. So I played well at the French and the first week of Wimbledon. So, no, I am still been pumped to train and get myself ready for the biggest events. But, yeah, I know they are very, very difficult tournaments to win. You need everything to be going well to win them.

Q. You didn't call for the trainer today. Was that because you didn't feel there was anything the trainer could do for you? I know you said in the past you feel sometimes players abuse the rules for having treatment just for cramping.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I didn't think you were allowed treatment for cramps. I mean, you can get the trainer on and say it's something else, but it was pretty clear what was happening. And at that stage it was like, well, what does he come on and treat? I mean, my quads, my forearms, and my lats. One treatment I don't think he would have been able to help. You just try to get as much fluid and eat as much as you can at the change of ends.

Q. Do you know what you will do to check it out? Will you have tests or anything like that you can do? Just go on in your preparation?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, maybe speak to a nutritionist and look at what I had eaten the last three, four days. I don't think I was that dehydrated, because I needed to go to the toilet when I got off the court. And not to be too graphic, but it wasn't like it was like brown. You know, I was fine. I wasn't particularly dehydrated. I don't know exactly what happened, but I will try to get to the bottom of it before I play again.

Q. You mentioned having to change tactics because you knew you couldn't do certain things. What were you trying to do? What do you think you did that was most effective that got you through?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know, actually. I don't really know. Obviously couldn't really get my free points on my serve. Obviously when you're tired and struggling you want to be able to do that, but I couldn't. Like my left lat was cramping, so I was struggling to throw the ball up and keep my left arm up. Just one of the things you need to do well in the serve. I mean, I tried to play more upright. I wasn't using my legs as much. But, I mean, tactically when I got the chance to finish the point I just tried to go for a winner. When he missed the first serve I tried to be very aggressive on the second serve returns. That was it.

Q. Is that the worst you have ever felt on a tennis court? If so...

ANDY MURRAY: It's not the worst I have ever felt necessarily, but it's the worst I have ever felt after an hour and a half of a tennis match. That's what was worrying about it, is it came after such a short time. I don't think I felt like that after hour and 30, hour and 40 minutes on a tennis court before. I mean, I played four-and-a-half, five-hour matches and felt pretty awful afterwards. But, yeah, not after an hour and a half.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was good. Yeah, could have very easily gone the other way. It was pretty much looking like that at the end of the fourth set. I think he served for the set? Did he? Did he serve for the set? Yeah, he served for the set, and then, yeah, 6-5 game I was serving, as well. He had maybe a few -- he had a few breakpoints in that game. So, yeah, it was a good effort to come through.

Q. I want to know if you have any approach to the smart tennis racquets to measure your groundstrokes, gives you statistics.

ANDY MURRAY: Were you asking if I'd used one? Yeah, I haven't tried them yet, but I know it was pretty big in other sports. I know baseball and golf and stuff like that used them, and, you know, I think a few of the racquet manufacturers have put them in their racquets. I haven't tried them. Haven't tried them yet. I think as the technology gets better, it's definitely something that I'd look at.

[Lucas]

Wywiad z Andy Murray`em po wygranym meczu II rundy US Open 2014:

Spoiler:

Q. Very different conditions tonight. Were you happy with how you adjusted to it?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, it was extremely windy today. That was the hardest part about the conditions. Yeah, just very, very breezy. Difficult to play sort of close to the lines or anything like that. But I hit the ball well considering, served better, and obviously I moved a bit better today, as well.

Q. Any repercussions from the other day? All behind you now?

ANDY MURRAY: I hope so. I hope I feel better every day now. I felt fine the last couple days. Had no problems, you know, on the Tuesday or Wednesday. I practiced well and didn't have any problem. Tonight was fine, too.

Q. Any reaction to your opponent's costume change? Did you think about that at all?

ANDY MURRAY: I wouldn't describe it as 'a costume.' It wasn't a fancy dress (smiling). No, not really. One of the colors, it can be quite hard to see on the court, if someone has like a neon yellow color, because it's similar to the ball. So that sometimes can be a little bit distracting. But not tonight.

Q. Looked like you were enjoying the atmosphere out there, the guy that was dancing and the Aussie guys that follow you are here as well. Are you aware of that?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, I heard them the other day. Obviously tonight. They normally come at the Australian Open. Got them tickets a few times. I don't know if anyone sorted them tickets here. But if they're hanging around, try to get them to come to all the matches.

Q. I think they've been to both your matches.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, yeah. I heard them both days as well.

Q. Have you got to the bottom of what caused the cramp?

ANDY MURRAY: No. You never know, to be honest. It's very difficult to know exactly why that happens. Sometimes, you know, you can train as much as you want, drink as much. You know, I could have just missed something with my eating or drinking. That's definitely a possibility. Maybe I could have eaten a bit more before the match. Maybe the couple days before in the lead-up. I don't know. I mean, a few of the players have had some issues the last few days. So I don't know if it was purely down to the conditions or not. But I played in hotter, more humid conditions than that and have been fine. So I don't know.

Q. Do you feel like those conditions, even though they were windy on the Ashe Stadium, maybe they helped you later on in the match?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't mind playing in the wind. I like it. You have to play slightly different tennis than usual. But I've always enjoyed it. I grew up playing in the wind a lot. I don't have a problem with it.

Q. In terms of a percentage improvement on Monday, looked dramatic. Looked like you were hitting the ball great tonight.

ANDY MURRAY: To be honest, in terms of hitting the ball, it was okay on Monday. I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball that badly at all. But when you can't move and your body's not functioning properly, it's difficult. I mean, physically I thought I was fine tonight. But I guess that's normal in those sort of conditions. Yet that was the main thing, to make sure I recovered well from Monday, and I did that.

Q. You have Kuznetsov up next. What do you expect?

ANDY MURRAY: He's had a couple big wins in the slams this year. He beat Ferrer at Wimbledon and obviously today against Verdasco. I've never played him before. I don't know his game that well, but I've seen him play a little bit. He hits the ball pretty flat. Likes to go for his shots a lot. This court's fairly quick, so that will probably help him, as well. But I'll watch a little bit of video tomorrow evening, try to understand his game a bit better.

Q. Not to dwell on Monday too much, but how easy is it to put that behind you and forget about it, not think about the fact that it possibly could happen again?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, you just take each day as it comes, to be honest. I mean, you never know what's going to happen from day to day. You know, Monday was very, very hot, humid conditions. And tonight, it was pretty cool at the end, extremely windy, different court. Each day, you know, in tennis things change. So you just got to move on, trust the work that you've done, get ready for the next match.

Q. Have you been following the debates about Scottish independence?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, very closely.

Q. Could you see yourself playing for Scotland in Rio 2016?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, if it happened where, if Scotland became independent, then I imagine I would be playing for Scotland, yeah.

Q. Excited about the opportunity?

ANDY MURRAY: I haven't thought that much about that yet because I don't think it's looking too likely that it's going to happen. But if it did happen, then it would be pretty much the first time in my life that I would have ever -- I was just telling Ben that ever since I started traveling to tournaments since I was 11 years old, always played under Great Britain, always traveled to team events or overseas, and we were always under Great Britain. That's normal to me.

Q. Did you watch the debate?

ANDY MURRAY: I watched like 45 minutes of the second one, yeah. But I didn't see the first one.

Q. What do you think?

ANDY MURRAY: I'm not going into that. I don't want to talk about politics in here. I'll worry about my tennis.

[Lucas]

Wywiad z Andy Murray`em po wygranym meczu III rundy US Open 2014:

Spoiler:

Q. That wasn't the easiest of matches today. Was he a little bit tougher than you imagined?

ANDY MURRAY: No. I mean, I expected him to play well. He obviously would have been confident from his last match. The first couple sets were pretty good. And then I started a bit slow in the beginning of the third. He gained confidence from that and he definitely started hitting the ball better in the third set. Almost got myself back into that, had a breakpoint at 4-All, hit net cord. I don't know why I didn't run for the ball. I thought it was just going to drop over and it didn't. Obviously got broken the next game, so... It was a tricky match. But came through well.

Q. Seemed to be coming in a fair amount. Was that sort of a deliberate thing?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, you try to pick the right moments to come in. I won most of my points up at the net the other night with Bachinger. Today I thought I came in at the right times and won most of the points up there, especially the first couple of sets. I didn't come in as much in the third and fourth sets. But in the beginning I came in well.

Q. What are the discrepancies between playing on Armstrong and Ashe?

ANDY MURRAY: The wind swirls a lot on that court. It can be windy on Ashe, but normally it goes in one direction. I mean, as a player, when it's windy it's nice to know that if you're playing into the wind, which is normally the harder end to play from, you tend to have to do a bit more running. You know when you sit down at the change of ends you're going to have the wind with you the next time. But on that court sometimes you can play four games in a row into the wind because it changes so, so often, changes during games. That's tricky. Also it's a very tight, tight court as well. There's not much runback compared with Ashe. I don't know, outside the lines there's not that much space.

Q. You appeared to get a bit cross.

ANDY MURRAY: I wasn't cross. I certainly wasn't cross. I was just making a point. I almost ran with my knee straight into the camera at the back of the court.

Q. Quite a solid object?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. If I was a spectator, and a player had to stop because he got hit by a camera that was too close to the back of the court, then I would be annoyed if I was watching that. So, yeah, you certainly wouldn't get that an Ashe because there's much bigger runback.

Q. Tricky matches out there. Is it difficult not to think about that or...

ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, well, it depends what's tricky. Obviously I've had a couple of bad experiences there obviously. The other day on Monday was not a great experience. That's hard to put out of your mind. But I've also had matches like that on Ashe and on the Grandstand court as well since I've been here. Today I wouldn't say was tricky, but maybe for you watching maybe it was. It didn't feel that way to me.

Q. You're playing Tsonga next. How do you see this match after the battle you had with him in Toronto?

ANDY MURRAY: It will be a tough match. We played each other a lot of times. He's obviously playing well right now. He had a great week in Canada. Yeah, he's played some good tennis so far here. Obviously it will be a tough match.

Q. Anything you will change compared to the last match?

ANDY MURRAY: Not really. I played a good match. I was up a break in the third set and didn't manage to close it out. So obviously if I get myself in that position again, hopefully I'll do a better job of that. But I don't need to change too much.

Q. Do you think your game generally matches up well against his?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I've had a lot of close matches with him. But I've won a lot against him, as well. So, yeah, I mean, I would say it matches up well. But he's obviously playing extremely well just now. And, yeah, I'm aware it's going to be a very tricky match.

Q. You've spoken before about your love of travel. Aside from Great Britain and your American base in Miami, when you travel, what are your favorite cities or countries that you like?

ANDY MURRAY: I always enjoy going to Australia at the start of the year. I enjoy going there a lot more than I do coming back. Normally the trip back I don't like much. But I always enjoy visiting Australia. Very nice people there. Very friendly. I went to Mexico this year, Acapulco. I absolutely loved it there. Never been before. I really enjoyed Acapulco. I enjoy going to a lot of places in Europe. All the big cities we go to in Europe are very nice places. Paris and Rome are great. I obviously spent a lot of time in Barcelona, as well. I like it there, too. Yeah, I enjoy traveling. I don't dislike really any of the places we go to.

Q. You talked about being up and down this season. Is that something that is still concerning you or do you feel you're in a bit better position after your training camp?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I wouldn't say that training camp necessarily would fix that. You know, it's doing it in matches is what you need to be able to do. I did a good job of it my second round. I was doing a pretty good job of doing it in my first round, as well, until I started having the issues that I had. Like I said, today it could have been a bit quicker if I got that breakpoint at 4-All in the third set. But, you know, each time I had a slip, I did a decent job of getting myself back into the sets, you know, getting a break straightaway. Even when I got broken at the end of the match, I broke the next game. When I was down 4-1 in the third set, I got myself back into the set. That's really what you need to do. You need to give yourself opportunities in every set and in matches. Then, yeah, it will start to become natural again.

Q. I read an interview with Mauresmo where she mentioned before Wimbledon she was advised not to read the British press because there would be a lot of coverage of your new relationship. I'm wondering how much scrutiny from the outside, if at all, has affected the young dynamic between you?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't think it's affected it at all. I mean, I think the first few days were definitely different. I mean, obviously the time of the year was always going to be tricky. But, yeah, after the first few days, and certainly when we got away from Wimbledon, were able to just, you know, have some privacy, spent a couple of weeks together in Miami, yeah. I haven't read much about it since Wimbledon. It's been going -- well, it's been going well from my side anyway. I've enjoyed it. And, yeah, hopefully it will keep going.

Q. Do you read your mom's columns ever?

ANDY MURRAY: No.

Q. Just on Amélie. At Wimbledon you said it was too soon to judge. How much of an effect do you think she's having on your game?

ANDY MURRAY: I think it takes longer than just a couple months. I said the same thing with Ivan, as well. I think it takes five, six months before you can really change much. Since Wimbledon we've only had actually two weeks of practice, and practice is really where you can start to make changes to your game if there's things you want to improve. The way the tennis season works, you know, you obviously train a couple of weeks, then you have tournaments. It will be nice by the end of this year, we'll have a few more practice weeks, and then also the off-season where you can spend three weeks, three or four weeks, together. So I would hope you'd start to see some changes, things I'm trying to work on, see them really improving by the Australian Open. But there's no reason why I can't have good results right now and she can't influence things right now. In terms of actually making changes to your game, it takes more than two weeks of practice.

Q. Do you think the cramping issues from the other day are completely behind you now?

ANDY MURRAY: I hope so. I hope so. You never know. But today was much better than Monday. It was obviously cooler today. May have been a little bit more humid. I'm not sure. It felt pretty humid on the court. It was quite cool actually by the end of the match. Yeah, I hope it's not a problem for the rest of the tournament. Like I said before the tournament started, you know, I feel like I'm in very good shape. I trained extremely hard in Miami to get ready for this period of the year. Yeah, shouldn't be a problem.

[Lucas]

Wywiad z Andy Murray`em po wygranym meczu IV rundy US Open 2014:

Spoiler:

Q. You think you're gathering a little bit of championship form as you progress? Do you feel it coming together?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah. I mean, today was a good match for the most part, but, yeah, I mean, you never know, to be honest. I feel like I'm playing well. I'm going to have to play extremely well to win the event or even just to get through the next match. You never know what can happen in a couple of days. A week ago I didn't feel great at all. Obviously after the first match was a big concern, you know, and now a week later I'm now in the quarters. A lot can happen in a few days.

Q. How badly do you feel you needed this win today over a player like Jo?

ANDY MURRAY: For what?

Q. Just, you know, for your confidence and going forward. You haven't had that many big wins since last year.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, obviously winning matches does build confidence. I mean, I played against some very good players this year and lost a few close matches. How big it is? I don't really know, to be honest. I hadn't thought that much about it. But, yeah, I'll just try and take the confidence that I gained from a win like this into the next round, and hopefully put on another good performance.

Q. You seemed to be having quite a little success in the first set kind of teasing his backhand, giving him some low slices, slightly more looping shots. That seemed to kind of fall away after that. Was there any particular reason?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. You make adjustments during the match and do the best, I guess, tactics to win the match really. I mean, I could explain in a lot of detail if you would like (smiling), but basically if you -- if I was to hit 100 balls in a row to your backhand side, you would start to anticipate it and maybe start moving to that side a little bit sooner, which then creates more space into the open court and into the forehand side. I think that was the case. There seemed to be more space after the beginning of the match into his forehand side. On a few big points when I broke back in the second set hit a big forehand crosscourt winner on that point, and that was the reason why it changed a little bit.

Q. You mentioned before the start of the tournament that you thought you had been playing fairly well but hadn't been really closing out matches. Did today feel like that sort of match that maybe recently hadn't been the kind of match you were winning?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. To be honest, it was -- yeah, I don't know. I mean, like I said at the start of the week, I hadn't closed out those matches, whether it was against Jo or whoever. You know, it happened a few times this year, but I have also won quite a few matches this year, as well. It wasn't like every time I stepped on the court I couldn't close out a match. It was just happening from time to time - and a few times too often this year - so it was nice to win another one with no stress.

Q. Late in the match you seemed to be bending over quite a bit. I know you grabbed your back or you stretched out. Was there a problem at all?

ANDY MURRAY: I think I had a slight issue with my stomach. I think after what happened on Monday -- well, last week -- and the conditions the way they were today, I maybe went a little bit overboard with how much I was drinking at a few of the change of ends, at the beginning of the second set. Then after I went to the toilet the end of the second set I felt a bit better.

Q. The conditions are obviously difficult out there today. Bouchard struggled a little bit. Novak looked pretty exhausted. Is it especially the humidity that is really difficult to play in combined with the heat?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. It was obviously extremely humid. But like I said, sometimes depends on the day. I mean, I don't know if the conditions today were harder than they were last Monday. They felt harder. It felt more humid today. Sometimes, yeah, like last Monday I had just a terrible day. I don't know exactly what happened. I don't know why it happened. Yeah, obviously a lot of players have struggled since then. Conditions have changed a little bit from day to day. Sometimes it's been a little bit cooler but extremely windy. Today was much, much calmer, as well. There was really not much breeze at all. So, yeah, it was challenging conditions. And I think on Armstrong, as well, there's no shade on the court at all. So if you're out there for a few hours it's going to be tough.

Q. Were you surprised that with a game like Jo, as big as his game is, he hasn't been to more than one Grand Slam final? He seems to lose quite a few matches where it's a point here, point there, that kind of thing.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, maybe. I just know from experience how hard it is to win one of these tournaments. I know how hard it is to go deep in them consistently, as well, because the level of the game just now is extremely high. Yeah. I mean, he's lost to some very good players, as well. In slams he has been fairly consistent. I would say he's been unlucky with a few injuries, as well. But over five sets, you know, I would say he plays a very explosive style of tennis. He serves aces; he goes for big shots; sometimes goes for maybe too low a percentage of tennis. Over five sets and over two weeks sometimes that will catch up with you.

Q. You have played Novak obviously many times. How much confidence do you take from the two finals that you played against him?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, they obviously will help. It's more -- I wouldn't say in terms of getting confidence more. It's just having that experience of playing those matches. They were both very long, tough matches, as well. So I know that I can last those matches against him. But, yeah. I mean, I have said it a number of times: anything can happen in a couple of days. I just do everything properly and hope on Wednesday I play a good match.

Q. You get Novak in the quarters. You have had a pretty good rivalry the last few years. He's won here; you've won here; you each won Wimbledon. You get sort of, not a thrill, but you get a charge out of going against the other top players?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I think that's really why we play the game. You know, that's what you put the work in for, so that when you come to these events and you do have to play against the best players that you're ready. And, you know, as much as it's incredibly tough and challenging, the match, that's what you enjoy. You know, playing on Wednesday, Wednesday night against the No. 1 player in the world is exciting. If you aren't getting motivated or pumped for those matches, then that's when there's a problem and it's time to maybe stop.

Q. You won both the juniors and men's titles here. Do you think winning the juniors helps win the men's title, especially at a slam, especially at the same slam?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I haven't really looked I don't know the stats really of that particularly well. I know at the time when I won the juniors it seemed like, you know, a big deal. It gave me a lot of confidence. You know, when you see the names of some of the players that have won junior slams it does give you confidence, but I don't think it necessarily translates into winning the tournament as a senior. I know how much work there still is to be done from playing junior tennis to getting through to the seniors. You can't make that transition unless you put in a lot of hard work and a lot of hours.

Q. When you face Novak, what are the biggest tactical keys to your matches? How would you describe your respective styles of play?

ANDY MURRAY: I would say we play a fairly similar style, and I think that's why a lot of the matches have been long games, long rallies, long points, because we do a lot of the same things well. I mean, obviously there's tactics that you go into the match with, and then there's things, like I was saying earlier, that you make adjustments when the match starts. And also depends on the conditions. If it's windy, that changes things, as well, the way that you approach it and sort of shots you're going to try and hit to. So I don't know exactly what I'm going to do on Wednesday, but by the time I get on the court I'll have a good idea.

Q. Do you feel that this is a significant win and that your best tennis is not too far away?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I hope so. I mean, I don't feel like I'm that far away from playing my best tennis. You know, it's still obviously a long way from trying to win the tournament, but, you know, it's only nine sets now, three matches, and just try and take it one set at a time. You know, maybe five, six days away from potentially winning another Grand Slam. I know there is a lot of work to be done between now and then. But putting everything out there on the courts, last slam of the year, yeah, hope I can play well.

[grzes430]

US OPEN 2014
MURRAY: "DJOKOVIC WAS BETTER PHYSICALLY"
New York, U.S.A.

Spoiler:

“Physically he was better than me in the end,” admitted Andy Murray after losing a brutal four-set contest with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open quarter-finals on Wednesday night at Flushing Meadows.

The Scot, who underwent back surgery nearly 12 months ago, did an intense training block after Wimbledon in an attempt to ready himself for the harsher conditions of the North American summer, but was left flummoxed by unexplained cramps in his first-round match against Robin Haase in New York.

And, when it came to the crunch against Djokovic, under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Murray said he struggled to match the Serb in terms of physicality.

Buy Tickets | TV Schedule | Watch Live Online

“I'd say definitely physically he was fresher, but towards the end I tried to hang in as best I could in the fourth set,” said the Scot. “The pace of my serve slowed significantly towards the end of the third set. Over the course of the match he was a little bit more solid than me.”

Victory for Djokovic in their 21st meeting saw the Serb improve to a 13-8 FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Murray. It’s always a physically demanding match-up, explained Murray, more so than his exchanges with Roger Federer.

“Physically it's extremely demanding,” said Murray. “We have had a lot of tough battles, mainly in the slams, but even outside of them, as well. We have played some finals in Miami when it's been brutally hot. Finals in Shanghai when it was three hours for three sets. Most of the time when you play against him you need to be on it physically and mentally for a long period of time if you want to beat him.”

Question marks over physicality aside, Murray recognised the high level of tennis he had been able to produce. When the dust settles on his disappointment, the Scot will look to build on that as he works towards hopefully securing one of the elite eight spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

“I played well,” said the Dunblane native. “Especially in the first couple of sets there was some good tennis. It's extremely late. I'm tired. I don't feel particularly proud right now. I feel disappointed. But, I think there was some good tennis. Hopefully I can build on that.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... ction.aspx

[Lucas]

Wywiad z Andy Murray`em po przegranym meczu 1/4 finału US Open 2014:

Spoiler:

Q. Was it the case in the end that the effort of the second or third sets just took so much out of you that you had nothing left towards the end?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I'd say definitely physically he was fresher, but towards the end I tried to hang in as best I could in the fourth set. But, yeah, he was definitely -- well, he appeared fresher than me. Whether he was or not I don't know, but maybe he does a better job of hiding it than me. The pace of my serve slowed significantly towards the end of the third set.

Q. You had that period late in the second set where you were smashing your forehand very effectively. Seemed that you really had initiative then. Was it the effort of that that maybe led to you having a bit of a slow start to the third set?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, in matches when you play against him or anyone at that level there's going to be periods in the match where, you know, they're going to play better, your level is going to drop a little bit. It happened to him as well a couple of times in the first set and in the second set, as well. Just over the course of the match he was a little bit more solid than me. Yeah, definitely was fresher at the end, as well. That helped him.

Q. Are you able to take any encouragement on how you were able to dictate against the top seeds?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I played well. I mean, especially the first couple of sets was some good tennis. I played a poor tiebreak in the first set definitely. I didn't play a very good tiebreak. Yeah, I was down in the first set and I fought back. I was down in the second set and a break and I fought back. So, you know, I fought hard. I played some good tennis. But, yeah, it wasn't enough.

Q. I know you hate to lose, but is that the best you've played in quite a while? Do you not take a lot from that performance?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, right now I'm obviously disappointed. It's extremely late. You know, I'm tired. I don't feel particularly proud right now. I feel disappointed. But, yeah, I think there was some good tennis. I obviously haven't, you know, analyzed the match or had time to think about it yet, but I think there was some good tennis there. You know, hopefully I can build on that.

Q. Was there an issue with your back at the end or just fatigue?

ANDY MURRAY: I got stiff in my hips and my back towards the end of the third set. I don't know exactly why. I mean, it was certainly coolish, you know, but I'm certainly not injured. I didn't hurt anything. You know, it was just I think fatigue and I stiffened up towards the end of the third set.

Q. I know it's always a good atmosphere here. Seemed a perhaps a little bit more unruly than usual, people calling out.

ANDY MURRAY: No, not really. I mean, towards the end a little bit, but over the course of the match it was fine. But I think, you know, when you finish this late and when there was a delay going on to the court, as well, it gives the crowd time to get a few drinks in as well. By 2:00 in the morning you'd expect that, although I don't even know what -- is it 2:00? 1:30, 2:00, whatever it was. I don't know.

Q. Race to London. Beijing or Tokyo, are you thinking about tailoring your schedule to make sure you qualify?

ANDY MURRAY: No. To be honest, it was not a massive goal of mine. I mean, it's obviously nice to qualify for it. It's a good tournament. I played a number of years, you know, and enjoyed it. But, yeah, I don't want to overplay. I'll play the right schedule. I'll likely play probably a tournament before Shanghai. I'm not sure exactly which one yet. I mean, I won't expect to overplay just to try to qualify.

Q. How would you describe the physical and mental demands when you play Novak?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, physically it's extremely demanding. You know, we have had a lot of tough battles, you know, mainly in the slams, but even outside of them, as well. We have played some finals in Miami when it's been brutally hot. Finals in Shanghai, you know, when it was three hours for three sets. Just, yeah, most of the time when you play against him you need to be on it physically and mentally for a long period of time if you want to beat him.

Q. What do you think was the difference for you in this match?

ANDY MURRAY: I thought physically he was better than me in the end.

Q. Given how hard you worked after Wimbledon, training, getting physically fit in your training block, were you surprised or disappointed at all with how your body reacted?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, a little bit. I was a little bit disappointed, to be honest, because I did train very hard. I think what happened on the first Monday, that was strange. I don't think that was anything. I think that was down to conditioning. I obviously messed something up with my eating or drinking. But, yeah, obviously, you know, you do the work for these matches, you know, so I would have liked to have felt a little bit better towards the end.

Q. Do you think you'll reflect in a few days on a good tournament, that played as well as you possibly could and pushed the No. 1?

ANDY MURRAY: I think I can do better. I mean, yeah, it was a good tournament. Played some nice tennis at times. Definitely a few things I can do better to keep working on and improving. But, yeah, I mean, it's a shame. Obviously, you know, the slams are over for this year, so I have to wait a few months before the next one.

Q. Talking about the training block you did and maybe it didn't bring as much endurance as you hoped, is that still a question of how long it takes to build up each stage when you're coming back from a serious operation?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. To be honest, I have honestly only been through it once in my career. Maybe, you know, I haven't played enough matches at that level this year. I mean, it's obviously different playing at that level -- well, playing against the No. 1 in the world and the way that we play against each other, you know, it's just an extremely physical match. Whereas maybe when I play against Roger, for example, it's quicker points. You know, so physically that's not as demanding, but when me and Novak play against each other -- you obviously see a very tight, long rallies. Both of us do a lot of running. Yeah, maybe I'll gain a lot from playing a match like today. Because it doesn't matter how much training you do, when you get on the match court it's different. It's hard to -- I can't practice with the best player in the world, so it's tough to practice at that intensity.

Q. You didn't play on the tour after this tournament last year. How big of a goal are the two Masters 1000s?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I haven't really -- I set my goals up to now basically and did everything after Wimbledon was to prepare for now, for the US Open. Then, yeah, I'll take a break now for a couple of weeks and then decide what the goals are and what I want to do between now and the end of the year:

[Lucas]

Murray Awarded Shenzhen Wild Card

Spoiler:

World No. 11 Andy Murray has been awarded a wild card into the 2014 Shenzhen Open. The inaugural edition of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament will be played 20-28 September at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Center, a state-of-the-art facility with more than 20 outdoor match courts.

Currently No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Race to London, the 27-year-old Murray will be looking to gain points in the upcoming weeks to join Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals, featuring an elite eight-player singles field.

Murray said. "I am looking forward to competing at the Shenzhen Open, a new event on the ATP World Tour, and starting my first match of the Asian swing in China. I’m looking forward to a busy month in Asia and playing in front of the passionate fans out here.”

“We are so happy to have Andy Murray joining the tournament,” Tournament Director Allon Khakshouri said. “It will be an amazing tournament with great players for tennis fans in China.”

As one of the co-organisers, Grand Gemdale Tennis Club General Manager Zhang Chi expressed his welcome. “As a Grand Slam and Olympic winner, Andy Murray has chosen Shenzhen Open to begin his battle in China and show his love for the city and his recognition towards our tournament,” said Zhang Chi. “It is unique to have a super player field with Murray, Ferrer, Gasquet, Robredo, Bautista and Simon, among others, in our ATP World Tour 250 series event. Hereby I would like to wish all players their best performances in Shenzhen and delivering an unforgettable experience for our tennis fans.”

For more information of the tournament or tickets, you can visit Shenzhen Open official website at www.shenzhenopen.com

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... -Card.aspx

[Lucas]

Andy Murray przestanie reprezentować Wielką Brytanię?

Spoiler:

18 września w Szkocji odbędzie się referendum w sprawie odłączenia kraju od Wielkiej Brytanii. Urodzony w Dunblane Andy Murray wyjawił, że jeżeli Szkocja przestanie należeć do Zjednoczonego Królestwa, on nie będzie reprezentował brytyjskich barw. - Jeżeli Szkocja odłączy się od Wielkiej Brytanii, będę reprezentował Szkocję - zapowiedział tenisista.

- Odkąd skończyłem 11 lat i zacząłem podróżować po całym świecie, zawsze reprezentowałem Wielką Brytanię, to było dla mnie naturalne. Ale jeżeli dojdzie do tej zmiany, stanę się reprezentantem Szkocji - dodał.
Murray, który w igrzyskach olimpijskich w Londynie w 2012 roku zdobył dla Wielkiej Brytanii dwa medale (złoty w grze pojedynczej i srebrny razem z Laurą Robson w grze mieszanej), a w 2013 roku został pierwszym od 77 lat brytyjskim mistrzem Wimbledonu w grze pojedynczej mężczyzn, przyznał, że jego decyzja nie ma nic wspólnego z polityką. - Nie chcę zajmować się polityką. Zależy mi tylko na grze w tenisa.

http://www.sportowefakty.pl/tenis/46691 ... a-brytanie

[Lucas]

MURRAY WEIGHS IN ON INDEPENDENCE VOTE; COMMITS TO BRITISH DAVIS CUP

Spoiler:

Andy Murray has weighed in on the issue of Scottish independence on Wednesday, but has committed to playing for Great Britain’s Davis Cup team regardless of the referendum's result.

The Wimbledon champion has refrained from commenting on the highly discussed political issue of Scotland’s secession from the United Kingdom, but yesterday sent a tweet that has been largely interpreted as an endorsement of the independence push.

“Huge day for Scotland today!” tweeted Murray. “No campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. Excited to see the outcome. Lets do this!”

Others celebrities who have made statements about the issue include actor Sean Connery, singer David Bowie, author JK Rowling, and football star David Beckham.

Despite this announcement, the 27 year old has committed to representing Great Britain in Davis Cup in 2015, as no changes as a result of the vote would be implemented until 2016.

"I will be playing for Great Britain in the Davis Cup next year, that is for sure," Murray told the Daily Mail. "I will be there in March. As far as I'm concerned the vote doesn't change anything in that regard."

Still to be determined is which country Murray would represent in the 2016 Summer Olympics, to be held in Rio, should Scotland secede from the United Kingdom. Murray is the reigning Olympic champion, having defeated Roger Federer in straight sets to become the first British man to win a singles gold medal in 104 years.

In the 2015 Davis Cup World Group draw, released today, Great Britain has drawn the United States in the first round, hosting the Americans in a rematch of their 2014 first-round battle in San Diego, won by the British.

Top seeds France and Switzerland have drawn Germany and Belgium, respectively, in their 2015 first-round ties, while the third-seeded Czech Republic will host Australia and fourth seed Serbia will host Croatia.

Also in the first round, Japan will face Canada - this time on North American soil - in a rematch of their 2014 first-round tie, claimed by Japan 4-1.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... -Vote.aspx

[Spain07]

[Samurray]

Player To Watch: Andy Murray Murray



Murray is attempting to finish the season in the Top 8 and earn a spot in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the seventh time. (Murray qualified but didn’t play in 2013 due to injury.)

Murray enters Shenzhen with a 38-15 record (22-9 on hard) on the season. His best results came in the semi-finals at Acapulco and Roland Garros. This is Murray’s first tournament since falling in the US Open quarter-finals to top seed Novak Djokovic.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... -2014.aspx

[Lucas]

MURRAY HOPES TO BUILD ON RECENT FORM

Spoiler:

Andy Murray is hoping to build on his recent good form during the Asian swing to improve his chances of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

“I want to build on the momentum I started to have in New York [at the US Open],” Murray told reporters on Tuesday at the inaugural Shenzhen Open. “The tennis I played against [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga and [Novak] Djokovic, in periods of the matches, was some of the best tennis I have played this year.

“I want to try and get some energy and try and win one of these tournaments. I want to get to the semi-finals and finals and get the winning feeling back. That was a reason why I added this tournament to my schedule.”

Murray is currently No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Race To London and is hoping to claim one of five remaining spots at the season finale, to be held at The O2 from 9-16 November. Should he lift his first title this week since his Wimbledon triumph in July 2013, he would add 250 Race points. Murray (3,155 points) started the week 355 points behind Tomas Berdych in the eighth position (3,510).



Three years ago, Murray won three titles in a row at Bangkok, Tokyo and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai.

“You have to try and approach these tournaments wanting to win the event," he said. "I managed to do that once before, a few years ago, in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai, when I played three of the best weeks of tennis that I have ever played. I am not expecting to do that this time, but I am going to try.”

The 27-year-old Scot has compiled a 38-15 match record on the season. Murray will play Somdev Devvarman in the Shenzhen second round on Thursday.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... eview.aspx

[Lucas]

#29) Shenzhen 2014



R1 wolna runda
R2 S Devvarman 63 63
QF L Lacko 63 75
SF J Monaco 26 63 60
W (4) T Robredo 57 76(9) 61

[grzes430]

SHENZHEN OPEN 2014
MURRAY SAVES 5 MATCH POINTS FOR SHENZHEN CROWN
Shenzhen, China

Spoiler:

Andy Murray saved five match points as he ended a 15-month title drought with victory at the Shenzhen Open Sunday. In a grueling contest, the Scot fought hard for a 5-7, 7-6(9), 6-1 victory over Tommy Robredo.

Victory for Murray is an important step for the Scot in his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. With the addition of 250 points, Murray now moves up to 10th in the Emirates ATP Race To London, just 105 points behind the eighth-placed Tomas Berdych (3,510).

"It's been a long time since I won a tournament," said Murray. "The way that the match was won doesn't happen very often. It's rare to win a match like that. I was very close to losing. It was an emotional week for me. I managed to fight my way through it, win the title, and hopefully I can win another one before the end of the year."

Murray is bidding to qualify for the season finale in London for a seventh consecutive season and now looks to continue his strong Asian swing when he competes at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Beijing and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.

Murray’s challenge looked to be over as he trailed 2-6 in the second set tie-break against Robredo. But the Spaniard was unable to convert any of his initial four match points and squandered a fifth chance when he led 7-6 as Murray came fighting back to level the match. With Robredo wilting physically in the testing conditions and barely able to run shots down, Murray raced through the decider, claiming victory in two hours and 30 minutes.

"Today was obviously an incredibly tough match, the conditions are so hard to play in," said Murray. "I got lucky, basically, at the end of the second set. I fought hard, tried my best and thankfully managed to turn it round. Tommy had a great tournament; he probably deserved to win the match today. He had the opportunities in the second set, but sometimes that happens in sport. I just tried to fight till the end.

"[On the match points] I tried to get as many balls back in play as I could. I missed three or four balls in the tie-break by very little. I was frustrated to be in that position, but thankfully managed to turn it around. In those situations you need some luck."

It is Murray’s first title since his historic triumph at Wimbledon in July 2013 (d. Djokovic). The 27-year-old Scot captured his 29th tour-level crown and improved to a 29-14 finals record.

The 32-year-old Robredo was contesting his 21st ATP World Tour final and, like Murray, was bidding for his first title since July 2013, when he won the Umag crown. The Spaniard finished runner-up for the second time this season, having also lost in the Umag final (l. to Cuevas).

"When you finish second in a tournament it's always great," said Robredo. "In a match like today that was so close, it's tough to accept it. But Andy did a great job. He was pushing right till the end and in the end, he deserved it. It was a good experience to learn from. I will keep working and hopefully next time I can win. It was a good week and hopefully next week I can be ready to play as well."

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MURRAY CONFIDENT AS FORM IMPROVES

Spoiler:

He may have fallen to Novak Djokovic in the China Open semi-finals Saturday, but in a two-week span that saw him win seven of eight matches, Andy Murray is hopeful that a return to top form is not far away.

The Scot has endured an up and down 2014 campaign after returning from back surgery at the start of the season. Having fallen out of the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since June 2008, Murray started to right the ship last week at the Shenzhen Open, where he saved five match points against Tommy Robredo to end a 15-month title drought.

After a strong showing in Beijing, where he dismissed US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets in the quarter-finals, Murray is up to No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To London. He is looking for another strong week at the Shanghai Rolex Masters to boost his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

"I feel I'm playing well," said Murray. "My body's responded pretty good to playing an eighth match in ten days, so that's positive. I got a lot of matches, some momentum. Obviously, I would have liked to have done a little bit better here. But I lost to the No. 1 player in the world. There's no disgrace in that.

"You always want to try to do a little bit better. Hopefully I can make some improvements next week. I've always enjoyed playing in Shanghai. I played some of my best tennis there. I hope I can do the same again. If I play well, I'll give myself a chance at getting to The O2."

Seeded 11th at next week’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, Murray is due to open his campaign against a qualifier, with a possible third-round clash looming against fellow London hopeful, David Ferrer. He could face Djokovic again in the quarter-finals. Certainly playing the Serb in China is no easy feat. Undefeated as yet in Beijing, Djokovic will travel to Shanghai as the two-time defending champion and has never lost prior to the semi-finals.

"Novak obviously plays extremely well in these conditions on that court (in Beijing)," said Murray. "It's slow, pretty heavy conditions. You feel like you can really go for your shots. You aren't going to make errors. In these conditions he obviously moves exceptionally well. It's tough to get many free points or hit winners. Over the course of the match, that builds up a bit.

"I was doing a decent job of it myself, but I just made a few too many errors today. I played some good stuff. But the period in the middle of the first set, and the beginning of the second set, I could have done better."

While Djokovic is arguably the fan favourite in China, Murray too does not lack for support. One journalist managed to elicit a sly smile from the Dunblane native when it was suggested he was “cute” and that the Chinese fans loved his smile.

"I've never been described as 'cute' on the tennis court before. That's a first," laughed Murray. "When I'm on the court, my whole career I've been working more towards being more like myself off the court. Sometimes I can get too negative and down on myself.

"But I do always try to fight as hard as I can when I'm playing. That's something that I've done from a young age. But often when I'm playing, I'm way, way too hard on myself. That doesn't always help. It's something that I'm working on all the time, trying to be more like myself off the court when I'm playing tennis, because I'm a lot calmer when I'm away from the court."

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[Lucas]

Player To Watch: Andy Murray

This will be the third straight week Murray is in action. Ahead of this week's play in Shanghai, Murray won the inaugural Shenzhen Open (d. Robredo) and advanced to the China Open semi-finals (l. to Djokovic) in Beijing. The last time Murray played in three straight Asian tournaments was in 2011, when he captured titles in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai. Murray, who did not play in Shanghai last year due to a back injury, has a 12-1 tournament record. He won back-to-back titles in 2010-'11 and reached the final two years ago (l. to Djokovic after holding five match points). Murray is attempting to finish in the Top 8 and qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the seventh season.

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