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
Connect with us

ATP

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

Published

9 years ago

on

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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

ATP

Team World One Win Away From Victory in Laver Cup

Team World take a huge 10-2 lead over Team Europe heading into the final day

Published

1 week ago

on

24/09/2023

By

Image via Laver Cup twitter

After losing the first four editions of the Laver Cup, Team World look set to win the event for a second time as the event reaches its conclusion tomorrow.

 

Team World Captain John McEnroe was thrilled with the day’s results but warned against complacency: “We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. The job’s not done but we’re pretty close.”

American duo Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe both earned straight sets wins over Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz, while Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton beat Hurkacz and Gael Monfils.

“I want to play well for the guys,” said Tiafoe after his singles victory. “I played really well tonight. Just being in a team environment is so foreign to us as tennis players, it’s such an individual sport.”

After winning his third singles match in three appearances at the Laver Cup, Fritz was also motivated to do well:

“Yesterday, all the guys played really well. I felt that and wanted to come out on court and show what I can do. That definitely motivated me. Any type of team environment, I feel like it always elevates my game. I feel like my record in team events is really strong because I have a team cheering for me. I get pumped up. I’m excited to play for them. It just adds more pressure and fire to it. I think I play better in those situations.”

The doubles was a typically dynamic and feisty affair, and after the match Shelton was full of praise for his partner:

“It’s amazing, when you play with a guy who serves and returns like Felix, is as athletic as him, and goes back for the overhead as strong as him, it’s a fun time,” said Shelton. “We call him ‘Laver Cup Felix’ because he turns into something special this week, just glad I got to share the court with him at least once.”

Auger-Aliassime returned the compliments: “The best comes out of me when I’m playing not only for myself but for team-mates. Ben carried me through the end of that match, it was tough for me to get it done.”

Casper Ruud, meanwhile, beat Tommy Paul for Europe’s only points so far.

Matches on the final day are worth three points each – meaning that Team Europe would have to win all four remaining matches to prevent Team World from winning the trophy.

Results:
T. Fritz def A. Rublev 6-2, 7-6
F. Tiafoe def H. Hurkacz 7-5, 6-3
F. Auger-Aliassime & B. Shelton def H.Hurkacz & G. Monfils 7-5, 6-4
C. Ruud def T. Paul 7-6, 6-2

Continue Reading

ATP

ATP RANKINGS UPDATE: Novak Djokovic, No.1 once more

Published

3 weeks ago

on

11/09/2023

By

After the US Open the Serbian champion reclaims top spot. Alexander Zverev is back in the Top 10

 

By Roberto Ferri

“Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion”

Rudy Tomjanovich coined this maxim just after his Houston Rockets won the NBA championship in 1995. He was paying homage to Akeem Holajuwon. It perfectly suits the heart of Daniil Medvedev, who proved 99% of tennis fans in the world to be wrong, convinced as they were that he would lose the semifinal to former No 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

But his dream to win a second US Open, after his triumph in 2021, was shattered by another champion, whose heart and class is even greater: that’s Novak Djokovic, who affixes his seal on his return to No.1, equalling Margaret Court Smith’s record of 24 majors.

Djokovic dethroning Alcaraz is not the only change in the top 20: Sascha Zverev is back in the top 10 after almost one year and Ben Shelton, great protagonist of the Us Open, debuts in the top 20 best players in the world.

TOP 20

PositionPlayerCountryPts+/-
1DjokovicSerbia117951
2AlcarazSpain8535-1
3MedvedevRussia7280
4RuneDenmark4710 
5TsitsipasGreece46152
6RublevRussia45152
7SinnerItaly4465-1
8FritzUSA39551
9RuudNorway3560-4
10ZverevGermany30302
11TiafoeUSA2690-1
12de MinaurAustralia26851
13PaulUSA26601
14Auger-AliassimeCanada23401
15KhachanovRussia2135-4
16HurkaczPoland20351
17NorrieGB1985-1
18MusettiItaly1925 
19SheltonUSA173528
20DimitrovBulgaria1735-1

A few comments:

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrei Rublev and Alexander Zverev gain 2 positions.

Ben Shelton devours 28 positions.

Sinner, Tiafoe, Norrie and Dimitrov lose one.

Casper Ruud and Karen Khachanov, runner up and semi-finalist respectively  at the 2022 US  Open, drop 4 positions.

One step forward for Fritz, de Minaur, Paul, Auger-Aliassime and Hurkacz.

ATP NITTO FINALS

From 12 to 19 November the 8 best players of the ranking based on the points earned in the ongoing solar season will be playing the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Will Novak Djokovic succeed in winning a second straight title? He appears to be heading in the right direction.

RankPlayerCountryPts+/-
1DjokovicSerbia89451
2AlcarazSpagna8175-1
3MedvedevRussia6590 
4SinnerItalia4365 
5RublevRussia36401
6TsitsipasGrecia3570-1
7RuneDenmark3055 
8ZverevGermania3030 
9FritzUSA3010 
10RuudNorway2625 

Thanks to his triumph at the US Open the Serbian overtakes Alcaraz also in the Race to Turin.

Jannik Sinner holds fourth spot while Andrei Rublev overtakes Stefanos Tsitsipas and is now fifth.

The eighth position is occupied by Alexander Zverev.

Last year runner up, Casper Ruud is currently 10th. This means he would feature in Turin as a reserve.

ATP NEXT GENERATION FINALS

The Next Gen Finals, dedicated to the best under 21s, (8 effectives and 2 reserves) of the season will take place this year in Gedda, Saudi Arabia.

The 2022 winner, Brandon Nakashima, will not be defending his title, since he was born in 2001.

PositionPlayerCountryPtsYOB ATP rank
1AlcarazSpain817520032
2RuneDenmark305520034
3SheltonUSA1455200219
4MusettiItaly1300200218
5FilsFrance953200444
6Van AsscheFrance597200469
7StrickerSwitzerland576200290
8MichelsenUSA4922004117
9MedjedovicSerbia4852003121
10CazauxFrance4552002130
11CobolliItaly4052002132
12Llamas RuizSpain3702002133

Taking for granted that Alcaraz and, most likely Rune, will be playing the ATP Finals, we have included in the chart the 12 current top under 21s.

BEST RANKING

Besides Ben Shelton, other 11 players have achieved their career highest this week.

We tribute a double applause to the four players who are making their debut in the top 100.

The 25-year-old Croatian Borna Gojo, 22-year-old Australian Rinky Hijkata and the Swiss next gen Dominic Stricker all reap the reward for their brilliant runs at the US Open. Seyboth Wild, the Brazilian who stunned Medvedev in the first round of Roland Garros leaps to No.76 after winning the Challenger in Como last week.

PlayerPositionCountryProgress
Shelton19USA28
Jarry22Chile3
Baez28Argentina4
Fils44France4
Arnaldi47Italy14
Altmaier49Germany4
O’Connell53Australia16
Seyboth Wild76Brazil30
Gojo77Croatia28
Watanuki78Japan7
Mmoh81USA8
Hijkata83Australia27
Stricker90Switzerland38

Translated by Kingsley Elliot Kaye

Continue Reading

ATP

COMMENT: Novak Djokovic Proves His Greatness At US Open

Published

3 weeks ago

on

11/09/2023

By

Love him, or hate him. But respect him.

 

No tennis player has ever been better than Novak Djokovic.

Even Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have to take their hats off to Novak, and admire him.

Now that Rafa and Roger have left Djokovic on his own stage at least for now, tennis fans love Novak.

DJOKOVIC WENT ONE STEP FURTHER

Djokovic’s performance on Sunday evening in the U.S. Open final was simply amazing. Daniil Medvedev also played his heart out, but Djokovic went one step further. He was sensational.

It was a thrill-a-minute three-set match. It lasted well into the night after starting at mid-afternoon. The second set alone lasted 104 minutes.

Djokovic was the winner, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, but New York still loves 2021 champion Medvedev.

A FOURTH AND 24TH TITLE, AND A 24 TRIBUTE

At 36, the oldest U.S. Open men’s champion ever, Djokovic obviously has a special place in his heart for the number four. It’s the number of times he has won this tournament and the 24th time he has won a Grand Slam title.

The number 24 also was displayed prominently on the white jacket. Novak, his team members and family wore for the victory celebration as a tribute to the No. 24 jersey of deceased friend Kobe Bryant.

Djokovic lost his footing at least three times in the tight second set, stumbling to the surface once, apparently due to the length of the rallies.

Djokovic could look like he was almost completely wiped out of it physically one minute, and then play like Superman the next minute.

THREE POINTS MAY HAVE BEEN DECISIVE

Both men played great tennis, especially in the thrill-a-second second set in which Medvedev gained one set point in the 12th game before Djokovic recovered to force a tiebreaker.

Medvedev appeared to be in charge after out-playing Novak to win one of his drop shots to take a 5-4 lead in the tiebreaker. The match may have been decided on the next three points, all won by Djokovic on errors by the 6-6 Russian.

The big question now is what happens next January in the Australian Open. Right now, Djokovic probably wants to play . . . and win what has been his favorite tournament as far as success. But things can change quickly for players in their mid-30s. Just ask Roger or Rafa.

—

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending