WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2005

Andy Murray

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. The first question for Andy Murray, please.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, it was good. I played pretty well. I wasn't feeling too good towards the end of the second set. I was sick when I woke up this morning. I had bad head and sore throat. I started to feel like a little bit tired towards the end of the second. But once I won the second, I got a bit of, I don't know, a bit more energy from that, and then I managed to go on and win. I was pretty happy with the way I played.

ANDREW MURRAY: (Smiling). I didn't do anything that well today. If you watched the match, I didn't make that many mistakes, but I didn't hit that many winners. I just played the right match and he made all the unforced errors. I didn't do anything special, I don't think. I served pretty well and sometimes I was returning well, but not always.

ANDREW MURRAY: Well, I was very happy because I was a little bit disappointed with him at the end, 5-3, because he was trying to put me off. He was like staring in my face when I missed the ball, then he started doing the thing with the net. He was just trying to put me off. When I got net cord at 5-4, I was gonna do it back to him. I was really happy that I'd won because he'd done that. Because if I'd lost, then his plan would have worked. But unfortunately for him it didn't.

ANDREW MURRAY: He was just trying to put me off. Everybody told me before the match like he's gonna try a bit of gamesmanship, and he ends up looking a bit stupid because he lost.

ANDREW MURRAY: Tim had just finished when I was walking onto court. Uhm, I really wanted to win because, obviously, it wouldn't be so good for the support if there was no one left. I think I went out and did my job pretty well.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, I watched -- watched the end of the fifth set. I hadn't really seen that much of it before because I was practicing and stuff. But I thought he'd lost it when he was 40-15 down, the other guy serving, then he got nervous. But I don't think Tim played a really bad match, but the other guy came up with some big shots at the end.

ANDREW MURRAY: No, it wasn't nerves. I wasn't really nervous at all. Maybe it was something I ate yesterday night or, I don't know, maybe it was from the heat because I had to play doubles yesterday as well. I woke up early and then I went back to sleep, and when I woke up I was feeling much better.

ANDREW MURRAY: I don't know. I'll see when I wake up (smiling).

ANDREW MURRAY: I don't know. I didn't -- didn't affect me in my match today, so hopefully tomorrow will be the same.

ANDREW MURRAY: I don't know. I think maybe because when I go out in my matches I try to get them involved and I show a lot of passion on the court. I think a lot of them -- a lot of them like that. Whereas Tim -- Tim and Greg are more relaxed than me maybe on the court. I don't know. I think maybe it's better for the fans. I just like am not going to change the way I am to try and be more relaxed. I think they enjoy the way that I was today.

ANDREW MURRAY: No, not really. I have a lot of belief in myself, but I wasn't coming into the tournament with very high expectations because I was injured last week and didn't get so much practice. But I think the way I played in the last two matches sort of shows that I don't really -- I don't really feel any pressure. I just enjoy myself when I'm out there. I think that's why I'm playing well.

ANDREW MURRAY: At the US Open last year I was like that. But it's much different playing in front of a crowd like that than going and playing some of the tournaments that I've been playing when there's maybe five or six people watching. It's very difficult. I've always had a pretty bad temper on the court, but I find it difficult to get pumped up to play in the smaller tournaments.

ANDREW MURRAY: I wouldn't mind playing on 1 again. I played pretty well today. I think I'm playing against Nalbandian next. I don't know if he's finished or not.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, so he was a Wimbledon finalist. I think he's maybe seeded 10. So, yeah, maybe I could get on centre. I hope so.

ANDREW MURRAY: I'll lose my next match. If I play against Nalbandian, he's Top 10 in the world, he's been to a Wimbledon final. I've won two matches at Wimbledon, two matches at Queen's, and I'm only 18. I've got no experience playing in these matches. It's gonna be very difficult for me. I'm not expecting to win my next match.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, but today I don't think Stepanek played very well. I didn't make so many mistakes. He pretty much gave me the match. So I'm sure my next match will be a bit different because Nalbandian is much more consistent than Stepanek.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, probably (smiling).

ANDREW MURRAY: I had chicken curry (laughter).

ANDREW MURRAY: No, it wasn't.

ANDREW MURRAY: My mum's cooking's not that bad.

ANDREW MURRAY: I don't drink.

ANDREW MURRAY: "Cool"? Come on (laughing). No, my mum's very good because she understands tennis and she played herself. Obviously, she coached me from a young age. She tries to stay out the way and she lets my coach do the work. But she helps with a lot of things. She's very positive about my tennis, and she helps me a lot.

ANDREW MURRAY: Well, Top 100. I think -- I was trying to work out with the points, I need to make quarters to get into the Top 100 so I need to win two more, and then I might be good enough to beat some of the players.

ANDREW MURRAY: I think I'm about 210 maybe, around about that. I'm almost inside 200.

ANDREW MURRAY: I don't know if I'll play the Juniors now. The Juniors actually starts on Saturday. So I just need to decide what I'm going to do. Maybe I won't play because I find it tough to get up for the Juniors and also it might be worth taking a rest week before playing the two challengers after Wimbledon. So I don't know, I might not play.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, I don't know. I thought once I got the second set that his head went down quite a lot and I was quite pumped up and the crowd were getting on top of him and he wasn't really enjoying it that much. I think maybe in that match I was sort of the man of the court. But I just enjoy playing in front of big crowds.

ANDREW MURRAY: I don't actually have a girlfriend. I actually read in The Sun today, I can't even remember what it said, but basically that was my girlfriend two months ago and she's not anymore. So, no, I haven't spoken to her.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah, as long as I won one of the other Grand Slams. But I think what Tim's done at Wimbledon has been unbelievable. I think he made four semis and four quarters in eight of the last nine years, which I think's incredible and he doesn't get enough credit for it. He had so much pressure on him every year, and he's done so well. But if I was to do the same as that, then, yeah, I'd be pretty happy. But I'm sure everybody's who's watching wouldn't because they want someone to win.

ANDREW MURRAY: Well, I don't know. It's difficult to say because everybody seems to expect him to win when he's really not the favorite now. He's been very unlucky because when he started his career, he had Sampras around, who's the best player ever, and then Hewitt was playing very well, I think he lost to him. Now Federer. So it's very difficult to say that Tim should win. So I don't know. I'd just try to explain to him that he's not the best player on grass, so he's never the favorite.

ANDREW MURRAY: I do.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah. I'm Davis Cup player so I get in.

ANDREW MURRAY: A little bit embarrassed, actually. It doesn't quite feel right yet. It's not really sunk in, being around those guys yet. I've spoken to a few of the guys, Grosjean. I think all of them are really nice guys; it's just I don't really feel like I belong like being around them yet.

ANDREW MURRAY: Yeah. It's just not -- it's just not right because I'm still not even inside the top 200, so it just - I don't know, it doesn't feel right being around them.

ANDREW MURRAY: No (smiling). I wasn't even listening to him at the end. I don't like him.

ANDREW MURRAY: I just said "bad luck" to him and didn't really listen to what he was saying.