Andy Murray: “Some of the stuff that was said about me I thought was completely unfair. Yeah, the other night kind of proved it” - UBITENNIS
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Andy Murray: “Some of the stuff that was said about me I thought was completely unfair. Yeah, the other night kind of proved it”

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TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN – 23rd of January 2015. A.Murray d. J.Sousa 6-1, 6-1, 7-5. An interview with Andy Murray

Q. I couldn’t quite hear the conversation on match point. Was he suggesting you should challenge because he didn’t have any challenges left?

ANDY MURRAY: I didn’t know what was happening when I went up there. I didn’t know he had no challenges left when I went up to the net. And he asked me, and I thought the ball was out. I was like, Sorry, but I think the ball was out. And then the umpire said that he didn’t have any challenges left, so that was it. Nothing more than that.

Q. What was your reaction to Roger going out?

ANDY MURRAY: I literally just saw it, the match point, when I went out to cool down. It’s obviously surprising, but upsets happen in sport daily. So, yeah, it’s just something that, I don’t know, maybe because of the consistency of some of the guys in tennis people make a huge thing of it. But in sport in general it happens all the time, and pretty much on a daily basis. Obviously it’s surprising. I didn’t see the match. I don’t know if Roger played badly or in Seppi played unbelievable. I don’t know. But if Roger was not playing so well, quite easy to lose at this level.

Q. You have Dimitrov next. He obviously beat you at Wimbledon; you beat him in Paris. What are your thoughts on facing him in the next round?

ANDY MURRAY: It will be a tough match obviously. He’s played well in the slams the last year or so. Yeah, he’s obviously a talented player. You know, he’s one of the young guys trying to make a breakthrough, so he’ll be motivated. Hopefully I can play a good match and make it tough for him.

Q. Are you hoping that match will be on Laver to get used to the conditions over there?

ANDY MURRAY: To be honest, I don’t mind so much. I think for me Hisense and Rod Laver are quite similar. Margaret Court is quicker, in my opinion. Yeah, slightly different conditions to Rod Laver and Hisense. Thought the atmosphere on Hisense today was great. From what people have been saying, the players have been saying, is I guess because it’s such a big stadium and you don’t need tickets to get in, you get all kind of the diehard fans. That made for a great atmosphere. I think with Roger losing, there’s more of a chance we’ll play on Laver. There’s obviously some Aussies left and Rafa, so who knows.

Q. Has the intimidation factor of a Roger or Rafa, has that changed in the locker room in the last few years?

ANDY MURRAY: I don’t know, to be honest. I’ve always quite enjoyed playing against them. Obviously they’re both incredible players and extremely difficult to beat. But, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t speak to the other players really about Roger and Rafa or really anyone. I don’t really speak to many of the players about tennis or that sort of thing. But whatever intimidation that they would have, it would certainly be earned because of their performances over the years.

Q. You mentioned on court about how nice it is to conserve as much energy as possible. How are you feeling physically after the first three matches?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I feel good. Obviously I think today was my longest match. But, yeah, I feel pretty good. You know, normally towards the latter stages of this event, tend to play more matches in the evenings, but so far I played three matches pretty much in the heat of the day. Yeah, thankfully they’ve not been too long and it hasn’t taken too much out of me.

Q. Your tweet yesterday about the reaction to Rafa’s win, was that something you’ve been itching to get off your chest?

ANDY MURRAY: No, it wasn’t something I’ve been itching to get off my chest at all. Yeah, I just remember what it was like for me when I came off the court at the US Open when I was in a lot of trouble, a lot of bother. It was very uncomfortable and quite painful. Some of the stuff that was said about me I thought was completely unfair. Yeah, the other night kind of proved it. I didn’t watch the whole match the other night, but clearly Rafa was struggling pretty badly. It was a great effort to come through it, which rightly is what everyone was saying. But that certainly wasn’t the case at the US Open when I was in a similar state. And, yeah, I just don’t understand why that would be the case.

Q. Is that stuff that’s being said in traditional media or social media?

ANDY MURRAY: I try not to read social media during events. I go on it, but I don’t read what people are saying. But often I get feedback from either people I work with. And, yeah, people come up to you and stay stuff. Did you see what that guy said? Yeah, so you do hear about it. Yeah, that was I thought pretty unfair last year in New York because I was in quite a lot of pain in that match. Being told that I need to see a psychologist because of it I felt was a little bit unfair. I didn’t hear anyone calling for Rafa to see a psychologist the other night.

Q. Do you think Roger could still win another slam?

ANDY MURRAY: I have no idea, to be honest. I mean, if I had to bet, I would probably bet that he would win another one. He’s obviously played great tennis at Wimbledon last year. I played him here last year and he was playing very, very well. Obviously I had an interesting experience against him at the end of the year at the O2. And, yeah, he’s still playing great tennis. But, like I said, I mean, Roger knows more than anyone how difficult these competitions are to win. And I think obviously when he was playing at his peak, he made it look extremely easy, but it’s not. It’s not an easy thing to do. And, yeah, if he had an off day today, then, yeah, you can easily lose against guys, you know, that are in the top 100 in the world. They’re all very, very good players. But, yeah, Roger was one of the favorites at the start of the event. Obviously the way he played in Brisbane and finished last year, he’s definitely still got chances to win Grand Slams.

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Wrist Injury Threatening To End Holger Rune’s Olympic Dream

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Holger Rune will have a second medical opinion on Monday before deciding if he is fit enough to play at the Olympic Games, according to his team. 

The Danish world No.17 recently retired from his quarter-final match at the Hamburg Open due to a knee injury. The hope at the time was that his withdrawal would be just a precautionary measure ahead of the Olympics. However, he is also dealing with a second issue that appears to be more serious.

According to TV 2 Sport, Rune has been struggling with a wrist issue and underwent a scan on Sunday which his mother Aneke says ‘doesn’t look promising.’ Aneke is also the manager of her son’s career. Rune’s Olympic dreams now rest on the outcome of a second medical expert that he will visit tomorrow who has a better understanding of the sport. 

“Unfortunately, it does not look promising after the first medical opinion after the review of the scan of the wrist,” Aneke Rune told TV 2 Sport.

“We are waiting for two tennis-specific doctors who will give a second opinion tomorrow (Monday). Tennis wrists look different from regular wrists, so we’ll hold out hope for one more day.” 

Rune is one of three Danish players entered into the Olympic tennis event along with Caroline Wozniacki and Clara Tauson. The country has only won one medal in tennis before which was at the 1912 Games when Sofie Castenschiold won silver in the women’s indoor singles event. 

So far this season, the 21-year-old has won 27 matches on the Tour but is yet to claim a title. He reached the final of the Brisbane International and then the semi-finals of three more events. In the Grand Slams, he made it to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. 

It is not known when a final decision regarding Rune’s participation in Paris will be made.

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Hubert Hurkacz Undergoes ‘Knee Procedure’ Ahead of Olympic Bid

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Poland’s top player on the ATP Tour is not giving up on his dream of winning a medal at the Olympic Games despite recently undergoing a medical procedure.

World No.7 Hubert Hurkacz suffered a knee injury during his second round clash at Wimbledon against France’s Arthur Fils. In the fourth set tiebreak of their clash, Hurkacz dived for a shot but landed badly on his knee and required on-court medical attention. He then played two more points before retiring from the match. 

In a social media post published on Wednesday, the  27-year-old confirmed he underwent a procedure on his knee earlier this week but didn’t provide any further details.  Although Hurkacz has stated his intention to play at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, where the tennis event will be held on the clay at Roland Garros. 

“I had a knee procedure this Monday, but I’m feeling better already and my team and are dedicating extensive time each day to the rehab process.” He wrote on Instagram. 

“It’s a dream for every athlete to represent their country at the Olympics, and I want to make sure I am fully fit and ready before making the final decision to step on court. The aim is not only to participate, but to win a medal for my country.”

So far this season Hurkacz has won 34 out of 48 matches played on the Tour. He won the Estoril Open in April and was runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Halle. 

The Olympic tennis event is scheduled to begin a week Saturday on July 27th. Poland is yet to win a medal in the event but expectations are high with women’s No.1 Iga Swiatek also taking part. 

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Motivation, Pressure And Expectations – Novak Djokovic Targets History At Wimbledon

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image via x.com/wimbledon

Novak Djokovic has broken numerous records throughout his career but he still feels the pressure of trying to make history in the sport. 

The world No.2 is through to his 10th Wimbledon final where he will play Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him at this stage of the tournament 12 months ago. There is plenty on the line for the Serbian who could equal Roger Federer’s record for most men’s titles won at SW19 and break the overall record for most major singles won in the sport if he triumphs over the Spaniard. Djokovic currently has 24 Grand Slam trophies to his name which is the same as Margaret Court, who won some of her titles before the Open Era started. 

“Obviously I’m aware that Roger [Federer] holds eight Wimbledons. I hold seven. History is on the line.” Djokovic said on Friday after beating Lorenzo Musetti.

“Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectations.”

Coming into Wimbledon, there had been doubts over Djokovic’s form after he underwent surgery to treat a knee injury he suffered at the French Open. However, he has defied the odds to reach the final. His run has also seen him beat Alexi Popyrin and Holger Rune before getting a walkover in the quarter-finals from Alex de Minaur, who sustained an injury during the tournament. Then on Friday, he overcame a spirited Musetti in three sets. 

Despite the challenge, Djokovic has insisted that his expectations to do well are always high no matter what the situation is. During what has been a roller-coaster first six months of the season, he is yet to win a title this year or beat a player currently ranked in the top 10. Although he will achieve both of these if her beats Alcaraz on Sunday. 

“Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99% of the matches that I play.” He said.

“I always have to come out on the court and perform my best in order to still be at the level with Carlos [Alcaraz] or Jannik [Sinner] or Sascha [Zverev] or any of those guys, Daniil [Medvedev]. 

“This year hasn’t been that successful for me. It’s probably the weakest results the first six months I’ve had in many years. That’s okay. I had to adapt and accept that and really try to find also way out from the injury that I had and kind of regroup.”

Djokovic hopes that a Wimbledon win will help turn his season around like it has done in the past for him. 

“Wimbledon historically there’s been seasons where I wasn’t maybe playing at a desired level, but then I would win a Wimbledon title and then things would change.” He commented.

“For example, that was the case in 2018 when I had elbow surgery earlier in the year, dropped my rankings out of top 20, losing in fourth round of Australian Open, I think it was quarters of Roland-Garros, and just not playing the tennis that I want to play. Then I won Wimbledon and then won US Open and then later on became No.1 very soon.”

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Alcaraz is hoping to stop Djokovic in his tracks. Should he defend his title at Wimbledon, he would become the first player outside the Big Three to do so since Pete Sampras more than 20 years ago. He has won their only previous meeting on the grass but trails their head-to-head 3-2. 

“I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me,” said Alcaraz.

“But I’m ready to take that challenge and I’m ready to do it well.”

When the two players take to the court to play in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic will be 15 years and 348 days older than Alcaraz. Making it the largest age gap in a men’s Grand Slam final since the 1974 US Open. Whoever is victorious will receive £2,700,000 in prize money. 

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