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Q. How did you feel the match went from your point of view? He plays a pretty good game.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, he's very solid. I've seen a little bit of him before. Watched a few videos of him the last couple of days just to see what his game was like. But, yeah, he doesn't give you many free points, especially early on in the match. You have to kind of, well, get him to work hard before he starts making mistakes. I was a little bit nervous at the start and making some bad decisions. Then once I calmed down, felt better the middle of the first set, and started hitting the ball a little bit better. But second and third sets were good. I was hitting the ball pretty clean.
Q. Why the nerves?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, try being a British player going into a Grand Slam. It's not easy (smiling). You know, there's obviously pressure playing in these events to start with. Then, obviously, you know, when you haven't played the guy you're playing before, it's a match you're expected to win, there's obviously going to be a bit of nerves. But I'm happy with that. You know, if I'm going in and not nervous, you know, there's something wrong with you if you're going into a slam not nervous. So it was good to get it out of the way. Played better as the match went on. Hopefully next round will be better.
Q. Did the fact that you had to wait an extra day, does that prey on your mind a little bit? Do you have too much time to think about starting off?
ANDY MURRAY: It doesn't make a huge difference. But, I mean, whereas I guess if you sort of play Monday, Thursday, or a Tuesday, Friday, if you have a really long match you got a long time to recover. Whereas if you have a long one, you know, if you get a Wednesday start, you know, you've only got the day. So you want to try and, if possible, conserve energy. You're prepared to play a long one. So obviously wanted to get through the match as quickly as possible and maybe was rushing a little bit at the start. Once I settled down and started to play some longer points and stuff I played better. Yeah, the Wednesday start, it didn't make a difference necessarily to how I was preparing. But just I think it makes more sense to have Monday, Tuesday starts.
Q. How is the court? Is it slower than last year?
ANDY MURRAY: No, it's similar. There's not a huge difference. I think the conditions make a huge difference, 'cause when I practiced first couple of days I got here it felt slow. But it was pretty cold and cloudy and heavy; whereas today it was obviously warm. So it felt quick.
Q. How did you cope with the heat out there?
ANDY MURRAY: The heat was fine. About 20 degrees less than what I was practicing in in Miami.
Q. You said before about try being a British player going into a Grand Slam. Is that an added burden for you?
ANDY MURRAY: It was a little bit of a joke, a little bit of truth in it. I think for anyone that sort of wants to go on and win a slam or, you know, feels like they're in with a shot, you know, I think it's natural to start. You know, you put a lot of effort and preparation into getting ready for these events and, you know, you don't want to get off to a bad start or whatever. I think nerves are a good thing. I think it shows you care and that, like I say, I put a lot into getting ready for it. I hope my game's going to be there and the hard work pays off.
Q. What are your thoughts on Hasse?
ANDY MURRAY: He's tough. He's a tough player. He nearly beat Rafa a few years ago at Wimbledon. Got to be ready for that one. He's talented. Has quite a big game. He'll start off very fast, very flashy. He likes playing on the big courts. Also played a close match with Roddick, I think, at the Australian Open. Had him struggling a little bit. He's tough and he'll definitely come out swinging, so I need to try and weather that, play a solid match.
Q. Nice red shirt as well, mix it up a little?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I liked it. Thought it was quite good. Yeah, I mean, normally I'm just in the whites and blues. I think it was all right, yeah.
Q. After the second and third set, you go away thinking everything is pretty much working as you want it to?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I think I definitely can play better, and that's important. You know, I don't think you want to be playing your best tennis right at the beginning of the tournament. I think that's something that over the years I've got better at, sort of understanding that, you know, I would get very frustrated maybe in matches if I wasn't playing great right at the beginning. But today I didn't start the match great. But I actually calmed down more as the match went on and fought my way out of a little bit of a tricky situation in the first set. So I'm happy I can still improve. Yeah, it's all about just winning. That's all that matters at the end of the day.
Q. In Canada you were suggesting your preparation hadn't been quite what you wanted, you had heavy legs or something. What's the difference now? Have you done something different?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I prepared differently for Canada than what I had done in the past few years because I played really good tennis there and come to the US Open and been a little bit flat, low on energy. I didn't go into Canada preparing like I played there. I did want to do better. I did want to make sure that each week I was playing a little bit better; when I came to the US I was feeling fresh. I think I feel better this year than I did last year, and that's important.
Andy Murray, po awansie do 3 rundy US Open 2011, jest pewny występu w londyńskich finałach ATP.
BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS 2011 MURRAY BECOMES THIRD PLAYER TO QUALIFY FOR 2011 BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS
Andy Murray has qualified for
the season finale for the fourth
year in a row.
For the fourth straight year Andy Murray has qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. After his five-set, second-round win over Robin Haase on Friday at the US Open, the British No.1 became the third player to qualify for the season finale, to be held November 20-27 at The O2 in London, featuring the world’s Top 8 players. Murray joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the other qualifiers.
“Each year, one of my goals is to qualify for the season finale in London, so it’s great to have made it again,” said Murray, who reached the semi-finals last year, falling to No. 1 Nadal in a third-set tie-break. “I’ve had some really good matches at The O2 in the past, especially my semi-final against Nadal last year. Hopefully I can do even better this time around. The support I get from the home crowd has always been incredible and I’m really looking forward to playing there again.”
Murray captured his 17th career title last month at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown. He defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final. He opened the season with his third career Grand Slam runner-up finish at the Australian Open and in June, he won his second career AEGON Championships title at Queen’s Club in London (d. Tsonga). Murray also advanced to the semi-finals at Roland Garros for the first time and at Wimbledon for the third straight year.
The 24-year-old Murray has a 7-4 career mark in the season-ending championships. Along with his semi-final showing last year, he reached the semis in his debut in 2008.
The top three teams in the 2011 ATP Doubles Team Rankings have also qualified for the year-end finale: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, Michael Llodra - Nenad Zimonjic and Max Mirnyi - Daniel Nestor. All six players are past champions in the season-ending tournament.
The Bryans have finished as the No. 1 team in six of the past eight years. This season they have won six titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Llodra-Zimonjic are a first-time team this year and they have won two ATP World Tour titles (Washington, Montreal). They also reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Mirnyi-Nestor teamed briefly 11 years ago and this season they have reunited to capture titles in Memphis and Roland Garros.
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is the world's biggest indoor tennis event, where each of the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams are drawn to play a minimum of three round-robin matches to determine which four players and teams advance to the knockout semi-finals.
MTT: Tytuły (8): US OPEN 2012 -debel, Sztokholm 2012, Australian Open 2013 - debel, Abu Dhabi 2014, Barcelona 2014, Australian Open 2016 - debel, Marsylia 2018, ATP Finals 2018 - debel
Finały (8): US OPEN 2013, Monte Carlo 2014, Umag 2014, Rotterdam 2015, Sydney 2016, US OPEN 2016 - debel, Winston-Salem 2018, US OPEN 2018 - debel
(September 2, 2011) Andy Murray rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat 41st-ranked Robin Haase of the Netherlands
6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 6-4 at the US Open Friday.
Murray said his slow start had a lot to do with his movement, which he described as “really bad.”
“I was moving really badly the first couple of sets. That meant I was making a lot of mistakes I don't normally make,” Murray said. “My legs were not getting me round the court like they normally do and I was out of position for a lot of balls.”
That was reflected in that he hit 34 errors to 26 winners and he was also broken four times in the first two sets. Murray said he had to force himself to move better to stay in the match.
“Once I really just forced myself to get to as many balls as possible, kind of hustled a few points and got the break in the third set. I kind of started playing better, was moving better. That's really a big part of my game, so I think it was down to that,” he said.
His improved movement made a huge difference in his effectiveness. He hit only 14 unforced errors in the last three sets, while the volatile Haas hit 41.
Despite the disparity, Haas made the last set interesting.
Murray raced to a 4-0 lead, but the Dutchman brought it back to 4-4. Murray broke Haas’ serve to go up 5-4, and he served out the match after a close game.
"It's just one of those matches where anything could have happened at the end," he said. "I just stayed a little bit tougher than him and got the win."
The Scot moves on to face Feliciano Lopez, who beat Canada’s Vasek Posposil 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5).
Murray will like that match-up, as he’s beaten Lopez in all five of their previous encounters.
“I like playing against him. I always enjoy playing lefties. Have a good record against him in the past, and hopefully that will help me out,” Murray said."
Konferencja prasowa po zwycięstwie w drugiej rundzie Us Open 2011
Spoiler:
An Interview With: Andy Murray
Q. How did you turn that match around?
ANDY MURRAY: Don't know. I started moving better. I was moving really badly the first couple of sets. That meant I was making a lot of mistakes I don't normally make. My legs were not getting me round the court like they normally do and I was out of position for a lot of balls. Once I really just forced myself to get to as many balls as possible, kind of hustled a few points and got the break in the third set. I kind of started playing better, was moving better. That's really a big part of my game, so I think it was down to that.
Q. What do you put it down to, that slow start?
ANDY MURRAY: It happens sometimes. It just happens. You know, you don't want it to. I'll make sure in the next match I try and really sort of get myself going, like right at the beginning get the emotions into it. Because at the end I started moving better when I was getting more fired up and not getting frustrated that I wasn't really moving well. I really forced myself to move. Yeah, that's all you can do. But you have days like that sometimes.
Q. Was his injury a turning point as well, do you think?
ANDY MURRAY: No.
Q. Seemed almost bemused at the end of the match.
ANDY MURRAY: I seemed bemused?
Q. Yes. Net cord, laughing. Quite unusual.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, the thing was, I just said to Jonathan out there, that's when I felt my calmest, in the fifth set. Even when he started coming back I wasn't panicking, I wasn't getting frustrated. I just stayed focused and managed to turn it around. Yeah, it's just one of those matches where anything could have happened at the end. I just stayed a little bit tougher than him and got the win.
Q. Do you take confidence knowing you came back from two sets down a few times before?
ANDY MURRAY: It does help to know like physically you can get through the match. That's really the main thing. You always feel like you can sort of turn the match round in terms of the tennis because the standard my standard of tennis was pretty bad, I think, for the most part, especially for the first sort of two and a half sets, and then I started to play better. You've got to try and find a way of playing better tennis and just changing a few things. You know, I managed to get through in the end. But, yeah, having physically come back from two sets to love down definitely helped.
Q. What was going through your mind in those first two sets?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, there's a lot of things that go through your mind. You're on the court kind of like for an hour and 45 minutes, so many, many things go through your head. You try to stay in the present, but it's also difficult, you know, if you're getting frustrated. You're not hitting the ball well. You're not moving well. You just have to try and find a way of turning it round. I did that.
Q. Do you maybe feel a particular pressure here because of what's happened the last two years?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, you know, it happens sometimes. You know, the guy I played is a very tough player. He's a very streaky, talented player. You know, Novak, last year in the first round, nearly went out to a similar sort of player to Haase. It does happen. You know, the guy 's nearly beaten Rafa at Wimbledon. He plays well. Whether there's extra pressure on me here or not, I don't know. I'm just happy I managed to win.
Q. You seemed really relieved moments after the match.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, you are. Well, it was an unbelievable ending to the match. Of course you're relieved to get through a long one like that, especially when you're behind. I don't know how relieved I am, but I'm just glad I'm in the next round and get a chance to improve and play better and give myself a chance.
Q. The lights came on about halfway through the final set. The sun was very low in the sky. That's about the time that the 13 game streak came to an end. Did that affect you at all?
ANDY MURRAY: No. Normally it helps when the sun goes away because there's nothing sort of getting in the way of your vision. Sometimes when the sun kind of goes down behind that stadium there's kind of shadows on the court. The sun's kind of right in the corner of your eye and it can be quite difficult to see. It's normally a good thing when the sun goes away. But when the sun's gone and it's cooler, the court plays slower. So whether it changed things or not, I don't know.
Q. Coming through a match like that, fighting back, did it sort of give you a spur for the next match, a bit of a lift?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I'm going to need to play better on Sunday or I'll be going home. You know, you can't come through four or five matches like that. You know, I'm going to need to play better, for sure. Physically I'm good. I feel fine. No pain or aches or anything. So that's a huge positive. I'm sure on Sunday I'll play better.
Q. López obviously somebody you played a few times before, good record.
ANDY MURRAY: I like playing against him. I always enjoy playing lefties. Have a good record against him in the past, and hopefully that will help me out.
Q. How are you going to celebrate tonight?
ANDY MURRAY: Definitely not. I'm going to go back to the hotel, jump in the ice bath, go to bed, and think about how I'm going to get better for Sunday.
Q. Do you find the New York crowd really makes a difference to you? They really seem to lift you at the end and support you.
ANDY MURRAY: They love emotion and they love sort of a bit of drama, and also kind of long points, someone fighting their way back. I've always enjoyed playing here, so I need to try and make sure I get my like, I guess, sort of my emotions right in the next match, make sure I get the crowd involved a bit, show some fist pumps and c'mons. That's what I always did when I was a kid, and that's when I felt like I always moved my best, when I enjoyed playing tennis the most. I enjoyed the end of the match, and I think that showed.
Q. Do you think it's beneficial early when you can get through a match like this?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, it's big, because if I didn't get through the match today I'd be going home. So to come back from two sets is a difficult thing to do. Any player will tell you that. And I just feel because of the way I was playing, that's what was more impressive, because I wasn't playing that well. So I'm sure in the next match I'll play better, I'll strike the ball more consistently, and I'll move better. That's just what I've got to focus on. Take one match at a time, 'cause if I play like that then, you know, I'm not going to win the tournament and I won't give myself much of a chance. So I'll need to improve.
Konferencja prasowa po zwycięstwie w trzeciej rundzie Us Open:
Spoiler:
An Interview With: Andy Murray
Q. Have you brought a trainer in with you just in case?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I haven't, no. No, I should be all right.
Q. That was a bit of a different start to the last match.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was better. Very tough conditions at the start, as well. It was pretty windy. Had to get the feet going early. Yeah, I mean, you know, when you can get an early break, I mean, it can kind of set the tone for the rest of the match. Tonight that was the case. And it was important, because obviously after having a long match the other day, you don't want to sort of -- especially playing late at night -- if you don't have to play, you know, a three-, four-hour match because it's not that easy to recover.
Q. What is it about his game that seems so comfortable for you?
ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, I don't know. I mean, it's not like he's -- he's not an easy guy to play against. Like the second set he had a few chances; I had quite a few chances. He makes it very difficult for guys because, you know, he comes up with big serves. He serve and volleys sometimes. He does make quite a bit of mistakes at times. But he just plays so different to anyone else nowadays. I've always quite enjoyed playing against guys that have come forward against me. But, you know, I think for a lot of other players it's different 'cause you don't see it very often. That's why he's been a difficult guy for a lot of players over the last 10 years probably.
Q. You're now sort of experienced navigating your way through Grand Slams. Are you sort of feeling where you want to be at this stage entering the last 16?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think sort of the first two matches were not great. I played some good tennis towards the end of the first match; the second match, like I said the other day, was poor. I didn't think it was great, but I found a way to get through. And then tonight was good. But, you know, so much can change in a couple of days. You just need to make sure you stay focused, you know, on the next match. It's a big match for me because obviously what happened earlier in the year. But I think energy wise I'll be feeling good going into that one hopefully for a long second week.
Q. You said to Gimelstob on the court that you were looking for revenge. Are you the sort of guy that wants revenge?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. Yeah, I do, yeah (smiling). I was in a pretty bad place probably around Indian Wells, Miami time. It was a tough, tough part of the year for me. It's more sort of not so much revenge against Donald, it's more for the situation I was in there and making sure that, you know, I can kind of move on from that. Winning against Bogomolov in Cincinnati was very important for me. The match against Young won't be any different.
Q. What are the challenges of playing late at night like this?
ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, I've always quite liked playing late. I don't mind that. But it's more like if you get through the match, like the recovery and making sure you do everything properly because, you know, by the time I get to bed tonight it's going to be probably past midnight. Then, you know, that can throw off your timings and stuff a little bit. So you just need to make sure you're pretty prompt, do the right things at the right time, and it should be fine. But the conditions at night are completely different to during the day. It's much slower, as well. That's something that you need to make sure, like tomorrow, to go out and hit enough balls. I think it might even rain tomorrow. But during the day, if it's hot, just to get used to the conditions again because it's quite a big change.
Q. Did you see what happened to Rafa before?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I saw a little bit on the TV.
Q. Odd? Did it look odd?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I don't think it's odd that someone's cramping. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people were surprised because it was him that was cramping, but Rafa's human. I think some people forget that sometimes. And, yeah, I was saying, you know, you never know why it could've been. It was incredibly human today. I think around midday loads of people were struggling with the heat. He very rarely plays that early, you know, plays matches early. So if you mess up like your eating or get it wrong or you're drinking wrong before the match -- and from the parts of the match I saw today he did quite a lot of running, as well -- you can get yourself in a bad way in these conditions. I'm glad he's all right, but I'm sure it was a bit of a shock for him.
Q. You must have been particularly pleased not to drop a set today.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, I served a bit differently than I had in my other matches. Served a high percentage, didn't go for big serves all the time, and served smart, which I worked out quite early in the match that was going to pay off if I did that. So I was happy I did that.
Q. Is that a tactic you might keep with?
ANDY MURRAY: No. It won't work with other guys. You play against someone like Rafa or Novak and you serve like 105 miles an hour, the ball is coming back about a millimeter from the baseline every time. Doesn't work against the better returners.
Q. What sort of player is Young in your mind?
ANDY MURRAY: He's talented, so he can hit winners from all parts of the court. He comes forward pretty well, he volleys good, he's got nice feel around the net, and he's got quite easy power which, you know, can be sometimes difficult. Guys look like they're not winding up to hit a big shot, and he can create quite a lot of power. He's got a big first serve when he goes for it, but he can be a little bit inconsistent, as well. He can come and go in matches a little bit. A bit like Haase in some ways. That's why he's flashy. Can get on a roll, plays well. He's tough.
Q. When you start as well as you started tonight, does it make you wonder a little bit why you didn't start well in the previous two rounds?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, no. I mean, the first round is always going to be similar to that. I mean, it's happened many times to guys. You know, like I said, the nerves, the buildup to the tournament, just getting started can sometimes take a little bit of time. Your legs feel a little bit heavy so you're not moving as well. You know, then you might rush a little bit. Then the second match, it was just one of those days where I wasn't feeling great on the court. Had to just find a way to win and come through it. It does happen sometimes, and you just have to find a way to deal with it. But I knew tonight, after coming through the last match, I was going to feel better on the court than I did in the previous round. Getting off to a good start was going to be important. So I was moving well early on. Had good intensity early in the match. That's something that I'll keep with the rest of the tournament.
Q. You put a message on Twitter about all the retirements. Are you convinced it is the length of the season?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's -- you know, I think a lot of guys got sick. I don't know whether it was food poisoning or whatever. But, yeah, I mean, the season's too long; too many mandatory events. It's maybe not the length of the season, but there's so many mandatory tournaments you have to play. You basically have like 16 mandatory events now during the year. It's just too long. And then obviously, like with Davis Cup, it always comes pretty much the week after the slams, too. You know, it's quite a long stretch. I mean, like after here, I won't have been home since two, four, five, six, seven, it will be like nine weeks since I've been home. That's quite a long stretch, and it happens quite a few different times of the year. I just think, yeah, guys get tired. If you don't look after your body properly and you don't have the right people around you. Like I'm lucky now to be in a position to have guys with me all the time. But when I was younger, it's the same. If you don't have that luxury of being able to have guys, then it's going to be difficult to keep your body healthy throughout the year.
Q. Roger Federer sort of implied that some people were pulling out maybe when they didn't necessarily have to.
ANDY MURRAY: It's not so much -- I mean, the pull outs, yeah, you can go -- I think I stopped one match when I couldn't hold a racquet. You always got to try and give it a go if you can. But I'm sure, you know, Roger thinks as well the season's a little bit too long, as well. So whether guys are pulling out too quickly or not doesn't change the fact that the season's too long.
Konferencja prasowa po zwycięstwie w 4 rundzie Us Open 2011:
Spoiler:
An Interview With: Andy Murray
Q. I know the conditions have been tough out there. We just spoke with Nadal, and he said the problems as he saw it, it had not to do with the officials, but representation. What does he mean by that? Do you think changing representation would change the rain policy out here at all in the future?
ANDY MURRAY: The official representation?
Q. He said the representation of the players here in the tournament, and that that should change.
ANDY MURRAY: Oh, I just think -- I think because we have the ATP and the ITF, and they don't like each other very much, that there's always going to be some issues with Davis Cup, the schedule, the Grand Slams, and things like what happened yesterday.
Q. Well, how do you think if that was different that might change the rain on the court, calls like that?
ANDY MURRAY: The rain on the court?
Q. I think he was talking about how he was upset, all three of you were.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, the difference is that for at the ATP tournaments, the ATP tournaments, not this one, we have like ATP representatives, we have like an ATP Tour manager, like ATP referees, so they're sort of there looking out for the players is what they're obviously there to do. Here we have an ATP Tour manager who was in the locker room with us beforehand yesterday, and he was saying, it's still raining out there, guys. You shouldn't go out there and play. And then the referees here, it's different. You know, it's the ITF. They want us to go out on the court. If it was at an ATP tournament we wouldn't have been on the court, but because it's not, the ATP don't run the Grand Slams, then it's not always up to us.
Q. Do you think commercial interests trump player well-being?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.
Q. Do you think it's more so here than in other tournaments, particularly Grand Slams?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I don't know, to be honest. I mean, because in Australia and at Wimbledon they have a roof now. You know, Wimbledon, maybe in the past, a lot of times, you know, the guys would go on for 10, 15 minutes at a time sometimes. And even when Roger and Rafa played the final there, you know, the conditions were still pretty bad and whatnot. But I think now it's kind of you see it maybe a little bit more here because there is no roof or anything. There is a lot more pressure to get matches on regardless of what the weather is like; whereas at Wimbledon and Australia you're guaranteed tennis now. So there is not as much of a panic to get matches on.
Q. Are the players frustrated with the fact they haven't had a roof put on? This seems to be the same conversation.
ANDY MURRAY: No, it's not the roof. It's not the roof that's the problem, I don't think. It's, you know, having a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday first round doesn't help. Having the semis on Saturday and Sunday I don't think helps. Some basic covers I would think would do for now. I don't think the roof is necessary.
Q. What kind of reaction have you gotten from other players for the stand that you and Andy and Rafael took? Some people are saying it's a watershed moment in terms of players actually standing up for themselves.
ANDY MURRAY: I think after the tournament is done, probably a good time for a lot of the players to kinda sit down and have a big discussion about just the tour in general, because right now we're looking for a new CEO. And also with obviously the problems that we've had here, I think it's probably now a good time to sit down and discuss how we would like the tour to be run and who we would like to run tennis. You know, I feel like we, the players, understand that it's not just about the players, but there's many other things that go into it. Having a commissioner that wasn't biased to one side or the other, you know, towards the players or the tournaments or the TV I think would be a step in the right direction. But the thing is everyone needs to agree on it. If you have two or three guys agreeing on it and two or three guys disagreeing and then half of the tour aren't really bothered and some are, I don't know. And also the women's tour I think needs to come into it, too. I think that would help.
Q. You're facing the prospect of four matches in four days. Is that daunting or does that not enter into your mind?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, it's not ideal, but that's kind of what you have to deal with just now. You've just got to get on with it. Like obviously the last few days haven't been great, but also, there's nothing -- it was raining anyway. There's nothing we could have done about it at the time there's no covers and whatnot. So you've just got to try and embrace the situation and do all the right things to get yourself ready if you have to play four matches in four days. But I'm still a long way from having to play four matches in four days.
Q. What do you think about the fact that the top half of the draw are playing their quarterfinals today?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I was saying I hope it rains tonight, you know, because then everyone is then in the same boat, really. (Laughter.) Yeah, I hope it rains. Then there can't be any -- I mean, we're still having to play four matches in four days rather than three in three. But, yeah. I mean, it's clearly an advantage. Anyone that plays sport will tell you that.
Q. Now that you've won, can you sympathize with him at all for having a big moment here? He got some momentum here, which has been hard for him to do in his career, and he's got to wait two days. Did you feel any sympathy for him, or do you think that played any kind of a role in his performance today?
ANDY MURRAY: No. Well, I don't know whether it played a part in his performance or not. He's not young anymore. He's 22 years old, 21, 22 years old. Everyone has to deal with those situations, and maybe me and a few of the other guys will have had more experience in dealing with those situations. So if he struggled today and if it was a little bit because of that, then yeah. But there's nothing any of us could have done for the guys as well that are, I think, here to try and win the event. There's a lot of pressure to try and get matches done quickly. And also because, like you say, playing four matches in four days is a bit pressure not to have, you know, a brutal match, so it was tough for everyone.
Q. There has actually been some suggestion that they could play best of three just try to get it in on before Sunday at some stage.
ANDY MURRAY: No, I'd rather just go for it now and try and get it done in a way. I think if something happens to a player or something, you know, the final turns out to be an absolute, you know, dead match because someone's so tired, I think it would show up -- yeah, obviously a lot of flaws have shown up, but it would be time to say, Look, this is meant to be the biggest match or one of the biggest matches in tennis, and it's messed up because of schedule. I think we should just try and play the best of five, try and get through it. Hopefully everyone will be okay, and then after the tournament sit down with whoever and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Q. What are your thoughts on the opponent, possible opponent for the next match?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I've only played John once or twice, and Gilles I played quite a lot. I have had good results against Gilles. I've always quite enjoyed playing him. He's a tough guy to play because he doesn't give you anything. You need to play a very solid match and a smart match, because he can be, as you saw winning against Del Potro the other day, he can frustrate a lot of players. He makes it very difficult. I mean, John, he's got a huge serve and can hit big forehands and is a little bit erratic and doesn't give you much rhythm. So they're completely different matchups.
Q. Given the situation, how pleased were you with the way you handled things out there and the way you played?
ANDY MURRAY: I thought I was hitting the ball well from the back of the court. I would've liked to have served better. I was a little bit frustrated in the middle of the second set, because I was returning well, hitting the ball well from the back of the court and was kind of giving him chances that I shouldn't have been giving him just because of serving not well enough. That's the only thing I would have liked to have done better. But I thought I had good intensity from the start of the match and made it difficult for him to get any free points.
Q. How dramatic a stand do you think the players would take for the future to make the US Open kind of go in line with the other slams in terms of having a day between semifinal and finals, et cetera?
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know, because it isn't just about this tournament. It's about all of the slams and just tennis in general, I think, rather than just this tournament. There is a lot of things that need to be changed aside from just maybe some of the scheduling here. There are many things that could get better. So I think, like I said, once this tournament is done I think it's a good time maybe after Davis Cup because there are a lot of big Davis Cup matches coming up as well for some of the guys to try and get together maybe in Asia, The Masters Series over there, and try and sort of work something out. But I think the sooner it's done the better for everyone.
Q. Six months ago you were in a bit of I slump; no doubt about that. You lost to this guy, Young; today you owned him. Where did you get the inner strength? Where was the support coming? When did you finally know that you were going to get this game of yours back?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, on the practice court and many hours of training hard, working on my game, and then, yeah, just the guys around me. A lot of them I've had with me for four or five years. Family always helps. Yeah, it was a tough moment for me. You know, and obviously it's not only are you playing badly, but you're not happy either when you're playing like that. I wasn't practicing particularly well. I went through like a coaching change, too. So there was quite a few things going on. It was kind of when I got to the clay in Monte Carlo I had done a little bit of work with Darren Cahill just before Monte Carlo, which helped. Went into the clay court season with a really good attitude. Spoke to a few people in the buildup there that gave me kind of a different perspective of things, and that was it. I mean, most of it's hard work. And so much of sport is mental, as well.
Q. Has going through that made you stronger today?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, I think going through tough moments definitely helps, and the last couple of years I have had quite a lot of highs and quite a lot of lows. There hasn't been that much sort of just average tennis or just middle ground. It's been pretty up and down. Right now I'm happy that I'm playing well again. But I think, yeah I do think it helps if you can go through moments like that and come out the other side and be a better player.
Q. If someone, another player, came up to you and said, I want to start a players' union totally independent of tournament directors who you're kind of in league with at the moment, a complete separate players' union which has been tried before, would you support that?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I think so, yeah. I think a lot of the players would now, as well.
Q. Because it has been tried before and there just wasn't the unity to do it.
ANDY MURRAY: I think, yeah, that's the problem a lot of the times that there might be a few guys that maybe don't think it's the right thing to do. But, you know, the players I think need to have more of a voice, and the only way to do that is by starting a player union and coming to an agreement with tournaments and the ITF and stuff. Because if not, the same things will keep happening and nothing will change.
Konferencja prasowa po porażce w półfinale Us Open 2011:
Spoiler:
An Interview With: Andy Murray
Q. Bad luck. Beginning of the fourth set, was it crucial to the general outcome? You've come back so well in the third. You had chances.
ANDY MURRAY: I think the first two sets were probably more crucial, you know, because I had chances to break and go up a break in the first and the second sets, and didn't. And then, yeah, I was playing better in the third and fourth sets. I had a chance to go up in the fourth. Didn't quite get it. Obviously then, yeah, I managed to hang on relatively well right until the end. Yeah, it was a tough match because I think both of us had quite a lot of chances.
Q. You went to the net 44 times.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.
Q. Won 33 points.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.
Q. Was that reacting to the circumstances, or was it a conscious strategy that you had worked out before?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, he was slicing a lot of returns at the start of the match, and then so when I went down I started serving and volleying a little bit more. Then once he started seeing I was serve volleying, he was hitting over the returns more -- or as much as he could. Then it becomes harder to serve and volley against that. But, yeah, I was trying to come in. The first two sets I just wasn't coming in on the right shots, and then I started picking my moments much better on the third and fourth sets.
Q. The Rafa you played today, how does he compare to other chances you've had against him? People have talked about, you know, he hasn't won as many titles as you this year.
ANDY MURRAY: He's playing well, yeah. He's playing well. I mean, he's had an incredible year, and I think he hasn't lost a set in this tournament until tonight. That would suggest he's playing pretty well.
Q. Did you feel you had feel the momentum at the start of the fourth?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I was playing better and I was starting to get into more rallies and playing, I think, smarter tennis. I was maybe going for too many big shots at the beginning of the match. And then the third and fourth sets I started being more patient, and, yeah, like I said, started picking the right moments to come forward. When you win a set and when the guy's been up, then -- you know, a bit like when I played against Isner yesterday. He probably had more of the momentum in the fourth set, but I managed to hang on.
Q. The Djokovic/Federer match, I presume you saw Djokovic's forehand on match point down deep in the fifth.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.
Q. Have you ever seen at crunch time in your experience on a big stage a shot quite like that where he unleashed and handed out that incredible winner?
ANDY MURRAY: I have seen Roger and Rafa hit some unbelievable shots over the last four or five years. I mean, I don't know what Novak said about his shot, but it's one of those where he just went for it. You know, out of ten you'll probably make two or three. Yeah, I was watching the end of the match. He looked like he started shaking his head. It was more out of frustration than anything. He caught it clean and hit an unbelievable shot and managed to turn the match around. I have seen those guys that are at the top of the game hit some unbelievable shots the last few years.
Q. You talked about the need to be patient after the last match.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.
Q. What sort of made you go for it a little bit too much?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, it's tough, because when you played a long match the day before, you need to sort of get a balance right. Anyone playing Rafa, you're gonna play a lot of long rallies. So if you can get some opportunities to try and shorten the points, then it would be good to do that. And then, yeah, once I went behind, realized that kinda wasn't working. I was playing more longer rallies. Physically I felt decent considering the circumstances. We had quite a lot of points and long games. It was like three and a half hours. So, yeah, I just needed to, you know, especially in the second set I needed to be much more patient.
Q. Was the back a slight issue?
ANDY MURRAY: No, not until right at the end of the match. But it wasn't -- I didn't feel it at all until middle or end of the fourth set. It was just sore from playing a lot of tennis on the hard courts. I'm sure everyone has problems right now. You know, obviously with playing three best of five matches in three days you're gonna feel things sort of stiff and sore.
Q. Was it difficult at all to keep the belief that you can go out and beat Rafa on a stage like this?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I have beaten him before twice, so, no, it's not the belief that's the problem. I just need to play the right way. You know, yeah, I feel like on the hard courts is my best matchup against him. On the grass I definitely need to improve, and on the clay I definitely need to improve a lot to win against him. So I don't feel like I'm far off on the hard courts.
Q. Tomorrow a lot of us will write about Andy Murray, the best player never to win a slam. Is that the kind of thing that bothers you? Is it an unfair media story? Do you have the confidence it's gonna happen in 2012?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, for me it's something I want to try and achieve, but if you -- I mean, if you want to judge someone's whole career based purely on slams, I would have had a terrible career. But I don't really feel like I have. So, you know, there have been other things I've done well, and I've still got hopefully three or four more years where I'm playing the tennis in my peak. I need to stay healthy and, you know, improve. Because if I don't, then it's gonna be difficult to win one. But if I do, then I'm getting a little bit closer each year. This year was the best year for me in the slams. Yeah, there is a few things I need to get better at to do it.
Q. Are you at all frustrated by the last few days of having to play those three days in a row and what it meant for you in terms of chances of winning a slam?
ANDY MURRAY: It wasn't ideal. Everyone like in my half of the draw would say it wasn't ideal. But you just gotta deal with it, because that was the situation we were in. We knew it was gonna be like that for a quite a few days, and just tried to get through it and deal with it the best way we could. But it was never going to be easy.
Q. Do you feel like you will be fit to play Davis Cup?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. Yeah.
Q. Is there something about Novak's game you think that matches up well against Rafa as compared with anybody else?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, like last year, I mean, Novak had never won against Rafa in a slam or in a final. But then, you know, things change, and a bit of confidence makes a huge difference in this sport. He's obviously beaten him what, five times this year? So, I mean, Rafa can obviously still win against him, but Novak this year, he's playing much better tennis than he did last year. That's something I have to look at and say, you know, It's not like it's impossible to improve, you know, at this stage and get better and turn those sort of results and head to heads, to turn them around. So, you know, I'm sure the final will be a very good match. I don't see anyone as a major favorite.
Q. What does it mean to you to be able to go back and play in Scotland in a week's time?
ANDY MURRAY: It's nice. Yeah, I mean, it's not something I'm thinking about too much, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it again and enjoy being with the team. I always enjoy playing Davis Cup. I'm sure it will be fun again.
Q. Sam was saying before you that the city feels different this week because of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 tomorrow. Do you have a slightly different perspective of tennis and life playing just the day before the 10th anniversary?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, tennis, at the end of the day it's just a game. That's why, you know, tomorrow and the day after you have to be more happy that we get the chance to do that for a living. You know, I have like a great family and a lot of very nice friends. You know, obviously what happened 10 years ago -- well, yeah, I mean, it was shocking. More for me -- more the last couple of days rather than the whole week I think has been a bit different, especially around the tennis, a lot more security. It seemed maybe a little bit quieter around the city, I guess. But, yeah, only the last couple of days, I think.
Q. What's your plan for the week now? When are you heading home?
ANDY MURRAY: I will probably leave tomorrow and then go straight up to Scotland. I might even fly directly there, because I think the team's meeting up tomorrow evening. I'll go as soon as I can.
Murray believes he has Grand Slam title chances Despite going down to Rafael Nadal in a fifth loss over the past ten months with a US Open semi-final defeat, Andy Murray insists that he has plenty of chances to crack through his personal Grand Slam barrier.
(Winning a major) is something I want to try and achieve," said the Scot who has been beaten in all three of his career finals at the elite level, including New York in 2008 by Roger Federer and twice at the Australian open by Federer and Novak Djokovic.
"If you want to judge someone's whole career based purely on slams, I would have had a terrible career.
"But I don't really feel like I have," said the winner of 18 ATP trophies. "There have been other things I've done well, and I've still got hopefully three or four more years where I'm playing the tennis in my peak.
"I need to stay healthy and improve. If I don't, then it's gonna be difficult to win one. But if I do, then I'm getting a little bit closer each year."
Murray called 2011 "the best year for me in the slams," after reaching the semi-finals of all four. "There are a few things I need to get better at."
Andy Murray is hugely unfortunate to be playing in the best era the sport has ever seen, but now he may at least be able to content himself with leading Great Britain to another crucial Davis Cup win.
Britain take on Hungary this weekend with the winners of the tie set for promotion to Europe/Africa Group I in 2012, and with Murray leading the team it is a golden opportunity.
It has been speculated by some that Murray could find a new level as a result of his Davis Cup exploits in the same manner as Djokovic did, but I think the Scot is already at his optimum.
Murray continues to talk about getting even fitter and to deal with his slightly erratic body language on court, but I don't think there is any more he can do.
Somewhere along the line, Murray will get lucky at a Grand Slam and secure a title that has eluded him thus far.
The danger is obviously that Murray is not able to play in a tie, as that would be effectively curtains for Britain, but he is committed right now.
The Scot is clearly going to be disappointed after his exit in the US Open semi-finals, but he was more gutted to have been defeated at Wimbledon and his response was superb after that.
Murray's loss at Flushing Meadows was less heartbreaking than at SW19, and he looks to be in terrific shape coming into this tie.
I think he will have no trouble whatsoever in coming through his two matches comfortably, and Britain should have the tie wrapped up as a result.
It is a big fillip for coach Leon Smith that Britain finally have an established number two to Murray, and James Ward has been performing superbly of late.
I would back Ward to prevail in each of his two matches also, and Britain should win promotion as a result of a team win.
It would be a real success for Smith, who has thrived in the role of coach and has performed very well since being appointed.
Perhaps Smith's greatest success was in persuading Murray to commit to the team, and as a result Britain sit on the verge of sealing promotion.
Murray is the key to every success Britain has in the competition, and with the Braehead Arena set to provide incredible support once more, it should be a fantastic weekend.
The Scot produced a hugely impressive and very emotional performance in the previous round, and I would not be surprised if he plays even better this time around.
I expect a convincing victory for Britain, and it represents another chance for Murray to show everyone once again how much playing in the competition means to him.
World No.4 Andy Murray began his rise at the Thailand Open in 2005. He defeated local favourite Paradorn Srichaphan in the semi-finals for his first-ever ATP final before losing to then No.1 Roger Federer. He made his other Thailand Open appearance the following year and is returning to Bangkok for the 2011 tournament. Here the Briton talks about tennis and his life in an interview ahead of his arrival tomorrow.
Andy Murray made his Thailand Open debut in 2005.
Do you have any special message for your Thai fans?
I haven't been back there for a while but I look forward to it. When I played there in 2005, it was the first time I made the final and I played [Paradorn] Srichaphan there in the semis and it was absolutely packed. Hopefully we will get some fans to come out and watch the matches this year.
Do you have any superstitious rituals before a match?
I listen to some music normally before I go on court. It changes every week but I always try and listen to a few songs before I go on the court.
You are in a karaoke bar and have to sing. What song do you choose?
I play SingStar Pro on the PlayStation with my friends and the only song I can sing is Losing My Religion from REM, and I don't even sing that well but I know all the words.
Who is your hero or inspiration (not necessarily in tennis)?
I would say Muhammad Ali is someone I follow a lot, kind of like for the last five or six years. I have watched a lot of his fights and I just think he is an amazing man. He's got a very strong personality and he obviously had to come through quite a lot to get to where he did.
You've been runner-up in three Grand Slam events. What do you think you have to do to win one?
I think it's just playing that little, sort of five or 10 percent better. In the final, there is a small sort of margin when you get there between beating the best player and losing, and I haven't quite played my best tennis in the final yet so that's what I need to do.
You are now number four in the world rankings. Is getting to No.1, one of your career goals?
Yeah, I think getting to number one is everyone's goal once you get up there. You know it's a tough thing to do just now because it's so competitive right at the top of the game but I think that definitely is a goal, something I want to try and achieve.
What is the best thing about being a top tennis player?
I think, you know, it's kind of a positive in a lot of ways and a slight negative too. The travelling that we get to do is great and we get to go to a lot of great cities. I have seen many things and been to all parts of the world.
I started travelling when I was 12 and that is probably something I would have not got to do if I hadn't been playing tennis. But with that it means you spend a lot of time away from your family and friends and that is one of the sacrifices you have to make.
What is your career goal?
I think getting to No.1 and winning Slams is really the main goals for now.
Beside tennis, do you play any other sports?
I play football, I play golf, I play any sport that is around, I don't mind. Sometimes when I'm in Miami, I play a bit of basketball but I'm terrible at that.
What would you share with kids who want to be as successful as you?
I think just working hard and enjoying it. When you're young it's not about winning all the time, it's about enjoying yourself so that when you get to sort of 16 or 17 years old you're still enjoying it and it hasn't become stressful from a very young age. Working hard is always important if you want to become successful.
Do you ever get tired of being a tennis player?
No, I don't really get tired of playing. With tennis the travelling is difficult but I don't really get tired of doing it.
When you are in really intense moments in a match, what do you tell yourself to deal with the situation?
You just have to trust the work that you have done and the preparation. That's really the one thing that you need to keep doing. As soon as you start doubting yourself in big moments you are going to start making mistakes.
Who was your inspiration to become a tennis player?
It wasn't one thing in particular. I just always loved competing and I've played since I was a kid and I played loads of sports when I was growing up but tennis was pretty much the only one that I was good at so I enjoyed competing and that was it.
How old were you when you decided that you would be a professional player?
I was probably about 15 or 16 when I went to train over in Barcelona. That was quite a big sacrifice to move away from home at that age and be away from my family. I had to decide then that I was going to put as much as I could into it. I didn't stop to do as much studying and my tennis kind of became the priority. So, yeah, that kind of age.
How does fame affect your private life?
You try and do the same things that you would normally do but when you're in supermarkets and walking round I don't really feel that comfortable, I don't really like being stared at. So that's probably the only thing I don't like about it. ~ Bangkok Post
Andy Murray has made the effort to tone down the rhetoric about possible strike action form tennis players, saying that only a few minor changes are needed to fix the ATP calendar. The Scot got off to a winning start at the Bangkok Open, then tried to calm the waters after first bringing up the subject of possible industrial action this month at the Davis Cup.
"We're only proposing small changes, a few less mandatory events and some more rest periods. Tennis is in a great place right now and no one is yet talking about a strike. There are just a few minor things we'd like to see changed.
"We hope to sit with the ATP and other officials and discuss them. Two or three more weeks off a season is what we are thinking of. I never said anyone wanted to strike, we do want some small changes"
Murray had originally proposed a player summit to discuss the issue at the Shanghai masters starting a week from Monday. But with Roger Federer missing that event to rest and injured Novak Djokovic looking increasingly unlikely to play, the talks would have to be put back.
The next best option could be the Paris Bercy Masters indoors in early November.
Andy Murray set up a final showdown with American Donald Young with his three-set ouster of No. 3 seed Gilles Simon.
Both men put on a good show in this semifinal match. France’s Gilles Simon was able to snag the middle set from the tournament top seed, but for most of the match, Murray was simply the better player.
As usual, the Scot’s return game was on point, but his down-the-line forehand was his most intimidating weapon in the match.
Murray’s serving in the first and third sets was good enough to hold off Simon completely. The Frenchman’s only break point chances came in the middle set, both of which he converted.
Though the world No. 4 dropped a set, he never seemed in danger of suffering an upset.
Murray will take on the red-hot American Donald Young in Sunday’s final.
Andy Murray is mounting a campaign to seize the No. 3 ranking from idle Roger Federer, with the Scot hoping to overhaul the Swiss by the end of this season.
Murray confirmed his big plans as he continued his advance at the Thailand Open, where he lost the 2005 final to the Swiss.
"These weeks in Asia are an opportunity," said Muray. "There‘s not a huge margin between us (a few hundred ranking points) and it‘s something I‘d like to do by the end of the year.
"After the US Open I set a few goals and done of them is to try for No. 3. The other is to do better at the World Tour Finals in London. I need to win some matches in the coming weeks, I can't just go through the motions. My goal really is to finish inside the Top 3."
Federer is missing the ATP Asian circuit, preferring to rest after the US Open and a winning Davis Cup effort in Sydney which immediately followed the major by a few days halfway around the world.
Murray meanwhile, is pushing on as he works to nudge his No. 4 ranking up a notch. One of his best chances will come at the Shanghai Masters starting a week from Monday, which he won last year over the Swiss, picking up a valuable 1,000 ranking points.
World No. 4 Andy Murray was too good for Donald Young on Sunday in the PTT Thailand Open final, denying the 22-year-old American his first ATP World Tour title with a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
"In terms of the way I’m playing it’s very good to get off to a start like that on this stretch and hopefully I can continue that through Shanghai," said the Scot, who is targetting a Top 3 finish to the season. "It’s a very good start. Roger [Federer] always plays very well on the European indoor courts, so I’m sure I’m going to have to win a lot more matches if I want to finish No. 3. That’s the goal and I’ll keep working hard to give myself a shot at doing that."
Murray reached his first ATP World Tour final in Bangkok as an 18 year old in 2005, finishing runner-up to Roger Federer. Victory over Young saw him clinch his 19th ATP World Tour crown and his third of the season, adding to victories at the AEGON Championships (d. Tsonga) in London and the Western & Southern Open (d. Djokovic) in Cincinnati. He is the fifth player this season to win at least three titles.
As winner of the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament, Murray received 250 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points. The Scot has already secured his place at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
After his breakthrough week, Young will crack the Top 50 for the first time at around World No. 43 on Monday. The American, who was contesting his first ATP World Tour final, received 150 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points.
"He played well. I couldn’t do much and it showed in the score," admitted Young. "It was great play from him. It was my first final on the ATP World Tour; I’ve had a semi and the fourth round of a slam, but there’s nothing like your first final. It’s great. I beat some high calibre players and I played well.
"It was definitely great to win four matches and I’m into the Top 50 which is great for me; it was one of my goals at the start of the year. I just hope I can build on that and have more tournaments like this."
In a thoroughly dominant display, Murray led 4-0 before Young had the chance to get on the scoreboard. The top seed converted all five of his break points and surrendered just eight points on serve as he completed the rout in only 47 minutes.
"I just played really well," said Murray. "Towards the end of the first set he started to play a bit better, but once I got up in the second I hardly made any mistakes. Felt like I was moving well, so it was difficult for him to hit any clean winners. I served very well throughout and didn’t give him any opportunities. It was a great match."
It was the pair’s third meeting of the year. Young caused a shock when he defeated Murray at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, shortly after the Scot had suffered his third Grand Slam final defeat at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic). Murray avenged that loss with victory over Young in the fourth round at the US Open.
The 24-year-old Murray has now won 16 of his past 17 matches. After winning the Cincinnati crown he reached the US Open semi-finals, losing out to Rafael Nadal, before helping Great Britain to victory over Hungary. He has a 45-11 match record on the year, including reaching at least the semi-finals in all four Grand Slam championships, and next competes at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo next week.
Andy Murray refuses to get carried away after winning his third 2011 title at the Thailand Open, with the Scot keeping his expectations for this week's ATP event in Tokyo down to a minimum.
Murray crushed American neophyte Donald Young with the loss of just two games in the Bangkok final, but he will have to deal with Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, this week in the Japanese capital.
"It's a big change of surface and Tokyo's not that close," said Murray, referring to jet lag. "I may have to be realistic in my expectations a bit. But this was a great week for me and it helps to begin the Asian swing like this."
Murray remains keen in his goal of trying to pass Roger Federer for third in the rankings by the end of 2011. The Swiss is not playing the autumn Asian swing, instead resting and clearing up some unspecified minor injuries.
"Roger always plays very well on the European indoor courts, so I'm sure I'm going to have to win a lot more matches if I want to finish as No. 3," said Murray. "That's the goal and I'll keep working hard to give myself a shot at doing that."
Andy Murray gets his fair share of criticism for not having won a Grand Slam, but he should be cherished for his unrelenting consistency.
It was a very good move from Murray to go to Thailand, and none of the other top players followed suit, so it proved a very fine opportunity to gain silverware and points.
The world number four took just 48 minutes to thrash Donald Young in the Bangkok final, and I'm sure there was a very lucrative reward for him too.
Murray is playing incredibly well at the moment, and his consistency should be admired and respected by everyone because he has sustained it for so long.
The Brit bounces back every time he gets a knock, and he always responds well to a disappointment, which makes him the player that he is.
An example is the way in which he was absolutely distraught at having lost in the Australian Open, and that hit him really hard.
But there is always a way back for him, and he refuses to let high-profile defeats get him down or have a lasting effect on his form.
I think Murray manages to hit his peak form at just the right times, and that always stands him in good stead at Grand Slams.
It just happens, that Murray is very unfortunate to be playing in the best ever era in the sport with three true greats above him in the rankings.
No matter what the Brit does on the big stage, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer always find that tiny bit extra to have the edge.
Does the fact that Murray consistently reaches the latter stages of Grand Slams, only to be defeated make him a frustrating player? Absolutely not.
Murray is incredibly good at sustaining a high level throughout every tournament he plays in and that is why his ranking will always do him justice.
There are those who say that he will get lucky at one Grand Slam with the top three players having a poor tournament if he keeps his standard at the same level, but I don't see it like that.
Murray has enjoyed his fair share of luck at Grand Slams, but he is just not at the same level to the top three when it comes to the very biggest games.
The Brit may be the world number four, but his consistency is to be greatly admired and it is about time that we all gave him credit for this admirable characteristic.
It will be a very long time until we see a player of his calibre come from this part of the world.
Put simply, Murray should be cherished.
Simon Reed
It was a weekend of surprises. Agnieszka Radwanska battered down some erstwhile WTA No. 1s -- all of them Grand Slam-less, mind you, including Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka -- to win the Tokyo title. Janko Tipsarevic punched through to win his first ATP Tour title in five tries and, most stunning of all, but in a good way, Donald Young Jr. made the final at Bangkok.
The only predictable element of the weekend was Andy Murray's triumph over Young, although that 6-2, 6-0 score had to make you wince. I guess Murray is getting a little bit tired of young Donald nipping at his heels. This was their third meeting of the year, and Young's win over ATP No. 4 Murray at Indian Wells was not only a painful blow to the ego of the then-swooning Scot, but it also helped launch the resurgence (if that word can be used to describe the career of a mere 22-year-old) that has vaulted Young up to No. 43.
They might have called this one "Microcosm Weekend," because it seemed to put the present, different nature of the two tours into sharp and accurate perspective. On the men's side, the big four (working bottom to top in the rankings: Murray, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and No. 1 Novak Djokovic) do an excellent job hogging the glory (and beating up on each other) whenever they enter a tournament.
Thankfully, that's often. One or another of them is usually around to play sheriff when the cowpunchers get a little bit too rowdy. So though it's nice to see a popular guy like Marcos Baghdatis get back into the limelight (as a finalist in Kuala Lumpur) and to witness Tipsarevic, the poor man's Novak Djokovic, grab that maiden ATP Tour win there, it's even more comforting to get a good sense of just where they fit in the pecking order.
The contrast with the WTA situation is instructive. The big takeaway from Tokyo is that it's just like the ATP -- or would be, if you locked Djokovic up in a tower, shackled Nadal to the mast of a ship, buried Federer in sand up to his chin and marooned Murray on a desert island.
Serena Williams is frequently out of commission, and despite legitimate injuries, she knows she can play as much or little as she wants and get away with it. Justine Henin is so long gone she may as well be locked up in a tower. Kim Clijsters is injured (or on a hiatus, or a paid leave, or a sabbatical ... whatever). Fashionista Maria Sharapova has never been accused of cross-dressing, but she may be the Andy Murray in this WTA crowd.
Give Sharapova credit: She's the only one in the WTA quartet cited above (loosely, they comprise a generation) who is out there plugging away on a daily basis. If she hadn't gone down with an ankle injury in Tokyo, she might have asserted her authority and positioned herself even more favorably to unseat Caroline Wozniacki -- one of the weakest No. 1 players the WTA has ever produced.
But even with Sharapova down, neither Wozniacki, nor No. 3 Victoria Azarenka, nor 2010's two-time Grand Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva, nor U.S. Open champ Sam Stosur, nor Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, nor former No. 1s Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic -- all of them and more, including former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, were entered in Tokyo -- was able to (wo)man up and win this Tokyo thing. The title went to No. 13 Radwanska.
A little unpredictability is a good thing. A lot of it merely spells C-H-A-O-S.
Peter Bodo
