	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WIMBLEDON

July 2, 2016

John Millman

London, England

A. MURRAY/J. Millman
6‑3, 7‑5, 6‑2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How was the overall experience.
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, it was good. Centre Court is a special place for a tennis player at Wimbledon. Yeah, it was special.
I left it all out there. Andy was too good. But, yeah, I will remember it for a long time.

Q. Talk us through the second set. You had a few chances. You served quite a lot of break points, set points. Epic 11th game?
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, I thought the second set was pretty high quality stuff. You know, just very physical. You struggle to really suck in the oxygen, playing one point after the other after the other, and that's why Andy is so good. I think he doesn't let up. You know, he's always pressing you and always making you do just a little bit more.
And you feel that. You know, you feel that level of intensity, and it is a very high level of intensity and exposing yourself to that puts you in good stead.
But, yeah. I knew that obviously coming down from two sets to love down against Andy is a tough task, so, you know, I left it all out there. I couldn't give anything more to try to really, you know, send that one to hold serve and go up 6‑5 and maybe apply the pressure.
I thought I did well to break when he was serving for it. Yeah, I tried to take my chances, but I pulled up a little bit short, and Andy was a little bit too good. Yeah, I thought I hit the ball pretty well.

Q. The moment when the Djokovic score flashed up...
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, it was hard not to, because the crowd started cheering. It wasn't because I was drinking my water in some special way.
You know, obviously that was a big upset. Yeah, for me I was, yeah, probably a bit more in the moment, though. Obviously you can see what's happening.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, I mean, I don't know if that has anything to do with anything, you know. I thought I played a relatively good game to break Andy. Obviously it's a big upset, and the crowd, you know, obviously enjoyed a little bit of an upset, probably because he eats the turf or whatever.
But, yeah, I think the key thing is you have to try to stay in the moment. I don't think it really affects anyone too much. You know, you've got this game in hand. I know Andy is extremely professional. I'm sure that, you know, he went about his business and I just went about mine, too.

Q. If Nick gets through his game, he obviously plays Andy next. What does he have that can trouble Andy?
JOHN MILLMAN: Nick's obviously got a massive game. It's no surprise that he can literally hit players off the court. He's got weapons on both sides, and I think he's got one of the better serves in the world on his day.
Like I say, he's got weapons. He can hit people off the court. Doesn't matter who it is. If he's feeling it on the day, he can play some great stuff.
There's no doubt, and he'd know this, too, if he gets through, that he'll have to play some great, great, great tennis to beat Andy. But, you know, this surface, grass is obviously you get a fair bit of value for your shots. You know, if you're seeing the ball pretty well, you know, anything can happen in sport. That's what score board pressure is.
It would be a good match if it eventuates. I think he's got a pretty tough task against Lopez first and I'm sure he's not getting ahead of himself.

Q. They said on TV they couldn't find you beforehand. Was that true?
JOHN MILLMAN: No. I don't know.

Q. They said they were looking for you?
JOHN MILLMAN: I don't think so. I was just in my north locker room. Yeah, I wasn't in the seeded locker room, obviously. So that's the fancy one. I'm just up the top.
But Wimbledon is a great place, but any locker room will do me. I love the place.
But, no, I don't think so. They knew where I was. Yeah.

Q. You had a couple of more rain delays. That's been the case throughout the week. But being on Centre Court and having the roof, what were the discussions between yourself and...
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, it was a little bit strange. Obviously they thought after that girls' match they were going to get a pretty good patch of sunshine.
It's actually pretty tough. It is challenging. I think we stopped again at 6‑3, 15‑Love my serve, and it was right on the brink.
You know, I think we were off 15 minutes. But even coming out at 15‑Love that first one, you kind of cool down a fair bit, and that's actually pretty challenging for me.
Yeah, that's tough. We don't get a warmup after that first one, and you're coming out to serve. So I knew that, you know, Andy would be up for it straightaway. That was challenging.
Then obviously we played two points and it starts raining again.
I think they made the right decision in the end to close the roof, and I think that's what everyone wanted. Everyone wants to see, you know, play uninterrupted, especially when you've got that roof. I mean, yeah, it's a beautiful roof, it's a beautiful court. May as well use it when the weather is a little bit patchy.

Q. Do you think he will win now, Andy?
JOHN MILLMAN: There is a long way to go, isn't there? I know Djokovic is out, but you've got some very, very good players still in. I'm sure everyone senses it's a slightly better opportunity just because of the high standards that Djokovic has set this year, or not just this year, but the last few seasons.
But obviously Andy has won this before, and I think that really helps. Might not be, I don't know. You'd have to ask Andy, but there might not be quite as much pressure.
I'm sure there is always pressure when you're playing at home in front of a lot of people, but I think when you win once before, you know, you kind of tick that box.
I'm sure all those top professionals sense it is a pretty good opportunity. But that's just because of how high the bar is that Djokovic has set.

Q. What if the matchup is Lopez?
JOHN MILLMAN: Lopez, I have only played Feliciano in the doubles, but I'd say Feliciano is most comfortable on the grass. He has a great lefty serve. He wants to get in. He wants to volley, wants to finish off the points.
You know, just in my opinion, what Andy does great is he's a very good returner of the ball, and, I mean, he's a tremendous retriever. I mean, he has everything. He can attack, and he attacked me plenty of times today.
But also, when you're coming at him, too, his wheels and the way he can defend is incredible. I'd say, I mean, I haven't played Novak and I know Novak is known to be unbelievable defending as well as offending. But Andy has got to be up there, too.
Both times I have played him now, it's something that you really notice, just how you feel like you have to win the point about 17 times, you know, just to get one of them. He's a great player.

Q. You said how proud you were to be going to the Olympics.
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah.

Q. Are you slightly disappointed in other athletes who have pulled out?
JOHN MILLMAN: I think that there is plenty of athletes obviously who have pulled out for all their own reasons.
You'd have to ask them what exactly their reasons are. But for me personally, for me, it's the greatest honor to be able to represent my country at the Olympics. For me, I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be able to.
So, yeah, obviously everyone has their own reasons why they didn't play or why they are choosing to do something else. And that's fine. It's not just in tennis where people have pulled out.
You know, we've got a few golfers who have pulled out. Rory has pulled out. I think we have seen it. There might be plenty of different reasons, but, you know, I don't go up and ask them, Why are you pulling out? Why are you pulling out?
All I can comment is I will be very proud when I'm stepping onto the court representing my country. It will be the first time. I like to represent my country whenever I play, here today, wherever, and all the people back home.
But, yeah, to be able to play in the Aussie colors under the Australian flag is going to be fantastic.

Q. I wonder what Andy has got against Australians because he seems not have lost to any of you apart from Kyrgios in Hopman Cup.
JOHN MILLMAN: I just think he's bloody good. I mean, I don't think any of the Australians have anything against Andy (smiling). I'm sure he doesn't have a grudge against us, but he's a very, very, very good player.
It's a real treat to have been able to play on Centre Court, compete to the best of my ability against one of the world's best. It's been an honor. I hope I can create more of these memories, but I'll hold this one with me for a long time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297