THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 29, 2022

Andy Murray

Press Conference

J. ISNER/A. Murray

6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Andy, tell us how you're feeling right now.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, pretty disappointed.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That was the first time John has been able to beat you. What was different about the match?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I think first few sets I didn't serve well. I was serving, like, I think -- saw it come off the board, I don't know if it was after two sets, but 47% first serves. That certainly didn't help me the first two sets. He was serving extremely well, as you would expect.

Then in the fourth set probably lost a game on my serve I shouldn't have, up 30-Love. Missed one or two shots in that game, especially the one on the deuce point, I had a backhand that should never really have missed.

Yeah, when I had my opportunities, he served extremely well and didn't give me lots of chances. When I did get them, I didn't get many looks at second serves on important moments on his serve.

Q. You said in the past the reason you're playing tennis is because you want to get to the latter stages of majors. Do you still feel you can do that, that's possible to do here at Wimbledon?

ANDY MURRAY: Are you asking because maybe my opinion changed based on tonight's match?

Q. Has it changed?

ANDY MURRAY: Based on tonight's match, no. I mean, I think most of the players on the tour would tell you that a match like that was won or lost based on a few points here and there. I didn't play well enough on those points tonight.

Like I said, I certainly didn't serve well enough at the beginning of the match, which I think is understandable. Yeah, look, he's a difficult opponent to play against. Like you say, I obviously played well against him in the past.

Yeah, tonight's match, I don't see why it should change that, change that view really.

Q. I wonder if there are any positives you can take away from this week. Recovering from the injury is harder as you get older generally. You seemed to get back from that pretty well. Is that a positive you can take?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, it was frustrating, and it didn't help. I was in a really good place physically and my game was in a good spot. Look, it didn't help.

The serve and return are the two most important shots in the game. I, yeah, was not able to serve for essentially 10 days off the back of Stuttgart. My ab was absolutely fine during the match, during the tournament, and the last couple of days in the buildup.

Yeah, it's frustrating because I was in a good place with my game. That didn't help. I mean, the positive is that physically I was fine during the matches. It was touch and go kind of on the Wednesday, Thursday before the tournament in terms of how I was going to be. But I felt good physically on the court.

I just couldn't quite get the win today.

Q. When you're playing someone with such a monstrous serve, what are you telling yourself in between each point?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I've played many times against those players and found ways to get enough balls back, make enough returns to turn the matches, whether that's been against Karlovic, Isner, Raonic, those sorts of guys. I've done well against them.

It's just trying to read the serve a little bit better or try and think a little bit about the patterns that they've been serving, whether you can maybe guess a little bit.

But tonight he served well and he served very close to the lines in important moments. When he does that, doesn't always matter what you're trying to do. Not easy.

Q. This one clearly hurts, understandably. Could you compare the feelings now to the loss here in the third round last year, whether the feelings are any different because of different levels of expectation?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, last year was difficult for different reasons. I was obviously really looking forward to playing at Wimbledon, but at the same time I didn't feel like my game was in a position to do well.

Physically I was not in a good place coming into the tournament last year. I was really frustrated and questioning, like, whether all of the work that I was doing was worth it because my body was still not in a position to feel like I could be competitive against the best players.

Whereas this year my game was certainly in a better place. Physically I felt good, barring the sort of 10 days post-Stuttgart, which was, like I said, frustrating.

I could have had a good run here. One of the reasons why improving your ranking and trying to get seeded is important, avoid playing top players and dangerous guys like that early in tournaments.

Yeah, it's one of those matches that, had I got through, who knows what would have happened. Yeah, it's frustrating for different reasons.

Q. Serena was here last night and she was asked, Will you be back next year? She said, That's a question I can't answer. Hearing you talk now, it seems you're very confident you will be back. Is your intention to push on and still show us what you've got in the years ahead?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, yeah, I mean, it depends on how I am physically. Physically I feel good, then we'll try to keep playing.

But it's extremely difficult with the problems I've had with my body in the last few years to make long-term predictions about how I'm going to be even in a few weeks' time, never mind in a year's time.

If physically I'm in a good place, yeah, I will continue to play. But it's not easy to keep my body in optimal condition to compete at the highest level.

Q. Do you think you might be slightly undercooked? Tennis is a game of fine margins. His serve was so good. If you might have been quicker here or there, you might have won those key points.

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I wasn't undercooked in terms of I had lots of match play and I got to practice a lot. I didn't serve particularly well tonight. That could be something to do with not getting as much reps in pretournament. It could be nothing to do with that. I could have served badly regardless of that. I'll never know.

So, yeah, I didn't feel like I was undercooked coming into the tournament. I felt like, like I said, physically I was in a good place. I played enough matches. I was ready to do well here.

But, yeah, the margins are fine at the highest level.

Q. You've discussed his serve. Beyond that, what was most impressive to you about John's performance and his strategy in winning against you for the first time?

ANDY MURRAY: The most impressive thing for me was the serving. Then there was a few periods, I think it was in the second set when I had a few chances, he hit a lot of very good sort of low volleys, kind of drop volleys, which he can volley well. I mean, he's a very competent volleyer, has done extremely well in doubles. But usually against guys of his height, when you get the ball down low, it's tricky for them down there.

There was a period in the match, at the end of the second set, where he came up with some really, really good volleys and tough shots around the net. That was a key part of the match really.

Q. What are your plans for the next month or so? Where are you planning to play?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know exactly, to be honest. I really want to try and improve my ranking to a level where I'm getting seeded in slams. That was a goal of mine sort of post Miami.

I've spoken to my team a lot about that, and that's something that I want to try and put my position -- put myself in a position hopefully come the US Open. If not the US Open, then going into the Australian Open next year where I'm seeded again. That means obviously I'll need to be out there competing and winning matches because it does make, like I said, things trickier.

I was coming into Wimbledon feeling like I could have a deep run. If you're playing against top guys right at the beginning of the event, obviously makes it a little bit more challenging. That's kind of what my goals are between now and the US Open.

Q. The way you're feeling right now perhaps being different to last year, when was the last time a loss felt like this?

ANDY MURRAY: I was pretty angry after the US Open last year. I was pretty angry after that match. Probably more so than I am just now.

I feel disappointed right now. Obviously I wanted to do well here. I love playing at Wimbledon, a surface that I feel like I can still compete with the best guys on. It definitely, definitely hurts.

But, yeah, US Open last year was certainly on a par with this if not worse.