Australian Open - Murray: Serve the key to Slams

World number four Andy Murray admits he still needs to improve his serve if he is to break his Grand Slam duck at the Australian Open later this month.

The Scot, who was beaten in the final at Melbourne Park by Roger Federer last year, begins his 2011 season on Monday at the Hopman Cup, where he and Laura Robson will represent Britain in the mixed team event for the second successive year.
Looking fit and strong after a month of training in Miami, Murray said the form of world number one Rafa Nadal and 16-times Grand Slam champion Federer meant it would be even tougher to win one of the sport's four biggest events.
"Last year's Australian Open was one of the best events I've played in my life," Murray said.
"I played some of my best tennis so I'll have to play even better if I want to win because Rafa and Roger are playing so well just now."
Murray, whose other Grand Slam final appearance came at the US Open in 2008, said he had been focusing on particular areas of his game in the short off-season.
"I've worked a lot on my serve and I'll keep working on it the next couple of weeks," Murray said. "I think from the baseline I've matched up well with Roger and Rafa in the past, but I'll need to serve well and return well against them if I want to beat them."
Murray will take on Potito Starace of Italy in his Hopman Cup opener on Monday and will also play France's Nicolas Mahut and American John Isner in his other round-robin matches.
The Scot said the way he played in his last match of the year, the semi-final of the ATP World Tour Finals against Nadal in London at the end of November, had given him plenty of confidence with which to start 2011.
"It was a great match, one of the best matches I'd played in during the year, said Murray, who lost out in a final set tiebreak.
"I think both of us played a really high standard and it was a good way in many ways to finish the year.
"It would have been great to have won the match but at the same time having lost I realised that I played a great match but I still need to get better if I want to beat Rafa and Roger in the Slams."

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/02012011/58/ … slams.html

Fitness still a worry for Murray in Australia



Despite several weeks of hot-weather training at his base in Miami during December, Andy Murray is still appearaing to scratch for fitness as Britain crashed out of title contention at the Hopman Cup.

While the Perth event played indoors, that still doesn't keep out the humidity - and the Brit admitted after a loss to France that he is still struggling with form.

"I'm a little bit stiff and sore but it's to be expected. I've been off the court for five or six weeks, so it's good to be back on it, but yeah my body is feeling it a little bit, said the No. 4 who reached the final of the mixed team event a year ago with Laura Robson.

Murray cut it close as he arrived in Perth only a day or so before the nation's opening match, a loss to Italy. "I trained outdoors (in Perth) and maybe I overdid it a bit," he confessed. "I'm just trying to acclimatise as quickly as possible so I've got to get outdoors as much as I can.

"I was breathing so hard after four or five games but that will improve over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully that will improve over the next couple of weeks. That's the goal - to try and beat those guys in the big events, and try to win my first grand slam."

The Scot is counting in a week of training in Melbourne and a possible practise match at the high-profile AAMI Classic at Kooyong club to bring him up to fighting form as he begins the major where he lost in a disheartening final a year ago to Roger Federer.

http://tennistalk.com/en/news/20110106/ … _Australia

Top two look too hot for Murray

British tennis fans will be hoping that the Australian Open will finally see Andy Murray lift his first Grand Slam title, but the big problem he has is the same one he faced last year - he's up against the two greatest players of all time.
Nadal goes into the tournament at the same level he was at last year - if not higher - and Federer is certainly better than he was at this time last year; so it doesn't look good.

Last year Murray was clearly the best player apart from those two going into the tournament, but Djokovic has rediscovered his form too, which is bad news.

However, the Australian Open is as good a chance as Murray has amongst the Slams. The surface suits him and he works extraordinarily hard in the off-season which can also bear fruit.

Andy probably works harder than any other player on tour and he's in as good shape as he was last year.

He played phenomenal tennis last year and I was optimistic going into the final but Federer, just as he has done in finals in the past, raised his game against Andy.

It must be so frustrating for Andy and I know he was shattered by losing to Federer. It took him time to get over that, but by the end of the year he was back playing his best tennis again.

I feel he is going to be play really well in Melbourne, but the problem is Federer and Nadal are playing unbelievably well at the moment and until he is able to beat them both in a Grand Slam, I don't think he can win one.

I do think, even after what happened in Australia, that he believes he can beat Federer on almost any occasion - but I'm not sure he goes in believing he will beat Nadal. Has he still got that mindset when he takes on Federer? I hope he has.

However, I do still see Andy as the next best bet after Nadal and Federer.

I think we're roughly at the same stage we were last year - I'm no less hopeful, but it's a very tough call to say that he can win it.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/si … icle/5432/

Wywiad przed AO

Q. How is the training going? You in as good of a spot as you were last year?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, you never know how you're going to feel once the tournament starts. But trained well in Miami. Then last week or so I think has been quite tough for everyone because of the weather.

But, you know, we've managed to get some decent practice indoors and practice outside the last couple of days. The court plays very different outside.

But, no, it's been good, a good month and a half.

Q. What's the difference with the court speed compared to when the roof is shut?

ANDY MURRAY: The ball moves a lot quicker. Obviously, every court here is going to feel slightly different pace wise. I think Laver is perhaps a little slower. I practiced on the Margaret Court one today, which felt pretty quick.

But I think when the roof's on, it definitely slows the ball down. I played, you know, my first round I remember against Kevin Anderson, who hadn't been broken the whole time through qualifying. I played him the first round. The ball just wasn't going anywhere, which worked to my advantage.

It's definitely quicker when the roof's open.

Q. What do you know about Karol Beck?

ANDY MURRAY: He's been around a long time. I think he plays like a lot of the Slovak, Czech players: very flat hitter of the ball. He's talented. He's been a very good player in the past.

He had some problems off the court a few years ago. But, you know, he's obviously got a lot of experience. So it will be a tough match.

Q. You never played him. Have you spoken to anyone that has?

ANDY MURRAY: No. But I've seen him play quite a bit. I haven't spoken to anyone that played against him. I never practiced with him either.

It will be, yeah, one of those matches where you don't really know your opponent particularly well. Have to work a few things out once you're on the court.

Q. How do you feel you're an improved player compared to this time last year?

ANDY MURRAY: Experience obviously helps. I played quite a lot of big matches last year. I went through some very tough patches last year, as well, especially after the Aussie Open. That was something I had to come back from and I learned from. So I think mentally, you know, I'm probably in a better place. Physically I've worked hard again, so physically I should be good.

In terms of my game, I work on things a lot in practice, things that are hopefully going to improve my game. Then you just need to go out there and try to put them into the matches when you get the chance to, so...

Q. Do you feel this is a place where you're going to have that win?

ANDY MURRAY: I have no idea. I don't think any of the players do. I'm focusing on my first match. Got a tough opponent in the first round. You know, that's what I'm focusing on just now: trying to win my first match.

Q. What's the main emotion coming back here? Is it having played so well last year or having got so close?

ANDY MURRAY: It's a little bit of both. I mean, you know, I have very good memories from here. I have some bad ones, as well. I've had a couple of very tough losses here in the past. Obviously last year I played some of the best tennis of my life throughout the tournament.

But I do always enjoy playing here. I think it's a very fun place for all the players to come. Everything's incredibly easy. I always enjoy coming back. We're staying the same place as we stayed last year. Everyone enjoys it.

So, yeah, it's kind of mixed emotions.

Q. Because of its place in the calendar, is it the most difficult Grand Slam to get a sense beforehand of how you feel you're going to perform?

ANDY MURRAY: You have to trust the training that you've done and believe in it. That will get rid of some of the doubts.

But, yeah, you won't really have played a big, big match for, you know, quite a long time. No one's played that many matches. The conditions are very different here to what we were playing right at the end of the year in the indoor tournaments.

Yeah, no one ever really knows exactly how you're going to play. There's always been a few guys getting deep into the tournament normally that haven't done that well at slams in the past. You just have to, you know, try and focus on every match and not get too far ahead of yourself 'cause you're probably not going to play your best right at the beginning.

Q. Would we be wrong to interpret the fact that you're practicing so much with Novak for the two of you to get that little bit up to Roger and Rafa?

ANDY MURRAY: I used to practice with Novak a lot, as well. A lot of it is depending on tournaments that you're playing and stuff, if you're around at the same tournaments.

But, no, I've said it quite a few times. You practice with one of the other guys that are ranked high, especially when the weather's been bad, it's a lot easier to get practice courts. You get, yeah, kind of priority, and that helps.

I haven't practiced with Novak to try to beat Roger and Rafa, but he's obviously a great person to practice with because he's, you know, No. 3 in the world, and an incredibly, incredibly tough player.

Q. With all due respect, you don't exactly come from a place that's a stronghold of the game. Are you a cricket fan?

ANDY MURRAY: I never played it when I was growing up in school or anything. Cricket and rugby are two of the sports, two of the real British sports, that I haven't really followed that much. But I did watch the game last night.

I like Twenty 20 compared with test matches.

Q. Perhaps it's a bit too obvious, but did what happened in the Ashes, could that inspire you at all?

ANDY MURRAY: No, like I say, it wasn't something that when we were over in Miami, we were training and stuff. It's not something you really watch or have sort of on on the TV.

It's obviously a great achievement. I think the Aussies were ranked No. 1 in the world. So, you know, it's obviously a great achievement.

But, yeah, it's never been a sport that I've watched that much.

Q. Are you tempted to go tomorrow night?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I'll be in my hotel room. We don't actually know when we're playing yet. Could be first up on Monday. So, yeah, no plans.

Q. Are you pleased, after the talk of you falling to No. 5, then you get in the same quarter with Soderling, do you feel that sort of defused all that sort of speculation and is a nice place to be?

ANDY MURRAY: To be honest, I don't really care. Like last year, I was seeded 5 here and made it to the final. Been 4, lost in the third round of slams.

I don't think it really makes a whole lot of difference where you're seeded. You know, you have to play maybe one of the top guys maybe a round earlier.

But, no, all of those guys are incredibly difficult to beat. It wasn't something that I was worried about or thinking about when the draw was getting done.

Q. Was your Miami training the same sort of stuff as usual? Did you try anything new?

ANDY MURRAY: I did most of the same stuff. I did a lot of running on the track, running on the beach. Yeah, just the usual weights, core stuff, movement work on the court. Yeah, nothing too different to normal.

Q. Do you have any thoughts on who deserves to be favorite in the event?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I think Roger and Rafa are the two guys that have played the best in the slams the last few years. So I'd probably say between those two, you know, they'd be the favorites.

But I think there's a lot of guys that can win against them if they play their best. It's going to be an interesting tournament.

Q. The running you do on the track, is it 200s...

ANDY MURRAY: We do 200s, 400s, 800s are the only distances we run.

Q. What is your worst and the best?

ANDY MURRAY: 400 repetitions are probably the most painful 'cause you've got to run pretty quick. But it also is, you know, a long enough distance, it starts hurting a lot towards the end.

800s are quite tough on the legs, but you're not running as fast. I don't mind that too much.

200 is probably the least painful one, I would say. But 400s I don't like. But that's the distance that I'm good at running. Kind of not ideal (smiling).

Q. In his online blog today, Nick Bollettieri has suggested you might be changing your management company.

ANDY MURRAY: I got told about it just before I went in. And, yeah, it was news to me. So, yeah, I don't really know where that came from. I've definitely got a contract for a couple more years before I'd have those remarks come up.

Q. He doesn't pick you in the tournament either.

ANDY MURRAY: I always get on quite well with Nick. And when I see him, he'll probably tell me that he thinks I'll win, so...

Yeah, I don't know. Have to wait and see.

Q. Do you have a view on the question of, if Rafa wins here, whether you should call it a Grand Slam? Do you think it not being in the calendar year in any way belittles the achievement?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't think it does at all. Really, yeah, I don't think it does. If you hold all four of them, I think it's one of the greatest achievements I think almost in sport.

You know, I think now, because of the depth in the game and because you have to win seven matches against, you know, always different players, a different day. You turn up and play a bad match, because of depth you can lose.

To me, I think if you hold all four Grand Slams, it's one of the best achievements in sport. And I really hope he doesn't do it (smiling).

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 42257.html

AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 2 rundzie

Q. It looked easy, but how hard was it?
ANDY MURRAY: There were parts of the match that were tight. Obviously the beginning of the second he started well. I was a little bit tentative. But I played well. A lot of the close games, a lot of 30 All games, deuce game, and I served well when I needed to really. That was the difference.

Q. 16 aces. Got yourself some free points, didn't you?

ANDY MURRAY: I got a lot of free points on the first serve, which is important because from pretty much the first game he was swinging quite big on first serve returns and second serve. You know, I think once it got close, he started to miss more, because I didn't feel like I hit my second serve badly. A few of them I looked, the ball was bouncing so high, he was really trying to take them on. When it got close, he started missing a few more. But he was going big on the returns on first and second. It was important to get free points off the serve.

Q. You mentioned after the first match how comfortable you felt on Hisense and enjoyed playing it. Isn't there a bit more fun to be had out there with a tight knit crowd?

ANDY MURRAY: No, it's great. The atmosphere on that court is great. It's one of the best in tennis I think. You know, I think Davis Cup crowds aside, for a slam, the atmosphere on that court is probably one of the most fun to play in because everyone gets into it. There was a lot of Brits supporting. It did feel like a Davis Cup match, which is nice. It definitely helps.

Q. You feed off that, as well?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I mean, I think it's a good atmosphere to be involved in. I played a match there last year. I played well. You know, it can get tricky in there because the wind will swirl a lot. It can be a tough court to play on, as well.

But in terms of the atmosphere, it's excellent.

Q. Your former coach, Brad Gilbert, is now working with Kei Nishikori. We Japanese are excited about that. Can you talk about Gilbert, what you learned from him, what kind of coach he is.

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, he's obviously had very good results with everyone that he's worked with. He's a very tactical coach, not so technical. Obviously, you know, because of the way he played the game, he's very good at that. It definitely helped me when I was sort of coming onto the tour, you know, to learn how to win matches, even if it didn't look like you were playing great tennis, doing enough to win.

So I'm sure he'll help Kei a lot.

Q. Do you take time out to watch Rafa and Roger, their matches, keep an eye on what they're doing?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't normally watch the whole of the matches. Obviously, you know, I need to be taking care of ourselves. But, yeah, I mean, if they're on the TV and you're in the hotel, yeah, you're around, you'll definitely sit and watch some. You can learn a lot from those guys.

Q. Did you watch last night all the way through?

ANDY MURRAY: I didn't watch all of the match, but I was watching a bit of Djokovic and then I watched from sort of the middle of the fourth set to the end of the match with Federer.

Q. Do you think that tight run he had last night changes anything in the tournament at all?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I don't think so. I mean, last year he had quite a few tough matches early on in the tournament. Didn't really affect him. So I don't think it has a huge bearing on the outcome of the event, no.

Q. You played your next opponent once at Queen's. Anything in particular that makes him stand out in your memory?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, he's playing very well just now, the last sort of seven, eight months. I think, you know, his ranking has got a bit higher. He's getting seeded in the slams now. He beat Rafa at the end of last year in Bangkok. He's had a big win there.

He's a very solid player. He does everything well and he's improved his game on hard court. So it's going to be a tough match.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 66767.html

AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 4 rundzie

Q. You must be rather contented with that performance today.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was very good. Again, like the first few matches, I started very well. I started hitting the ball very cleanly right from the beginning of the match. There was a few games where it was tough from one of the ends. Doesn't feel it when you're watching, but all the players will tell you from the far side of the court, it is difficult. I came through a couple of tough service games from that side.

Yeah, when I had the wind with me, I dictated a lot of the points, returned very well, served well in the second and third set. So it was very good.

Q. When you see someone who can be so difficult, throwing his racquet down, getting out of sorts, confidence wise does that put you at a high level that you know you got this guy?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if it helps or not. But, yeah, I was really just focused on my side of the net today, what I had to do. I wasn't worrying too much about what he was doing or saying. Yeah, I just played my side of the net and played it very well.

Yeah, he did get frustrated. That might have showed a bit in his game. But, no, I was just focusing on what I was doing.

Q. Obviously you've had straight forward matches. How are you feeling with your game, yourself, physically?

ANDY MURRAY: I feel good. The matches are definitely going to get tougher. I'm not expecting to go through, you know, the tournament winning matches like that, with that score line. So, you know, I'm ready for that mentally when it does get tough.

Whether there has been tight moments, like today it was right at the beginning of the match, went up a break, got broken straight back. I managed to break him in the next game, so I've been staying strong. I've been moving well. Today I hit the ball the best I had done of the first few matches.

It's been a very good start, but it's going to get much tougher.

Q. Will you comment a little bit on the next opponent.

ANDY MURRAY: I know a little bit about him. I played him once before. He's got a very unorthodox game, very different to most of the guys on the tour. Yeah, he's starting to put everything together. He's playing well, taking chances. Yeah, it's just different. He has a game that can make you play strange shots or, you know, not play that well. So you need to play, you know, as solid as you can against him 'cause if you start playing sort of inconsistent, a bit up and down, that's when he plays his best.

If you can keep making a lot of balls, chase everything down, not give him many free points, I think he can start to miss. But he was playing well today.

Q. I didn't hear all of the post match, but have you meet Billy Connolly?

ANDY MURRAY: I met him after the match. But I hadn't met him beforehand.

Q. What was that interaction like?

ANDY MURRAY: I've never been to his shows. When I used to like travel around, most of the tournaments we went to were in England, so we used to drive Scotland down to England. We used to listen to him on like cassettes.

So, yeah, I've never been to see him live. I might try and go see him this evening if I've got time. But, yeah, I mean, he's obviously a very, very funny guy. He's very normal, too. It's not like he was trying to be funny. He's just a funny guy.

Q. Do you have a favorite Billy Connolly joke?

ANDY MURRAY: No. That's the thing. We used to listen to it all the time, from maybe like 10, 11 years old until I was up to 15, 16. Then I haven't seen that much of his stuff for a little while. I'm hoping I'm going to be able to go along and see it. We got a few little tidbits when we were talking to him.

My mum and dad were pretty lenient with that stuff. Probably why my language is so bad on the court (smiling).

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 58092.html

AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w ćwierćfinale

Q. What's the most difficult thing about playing him?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, he's just unorthodox, very different to how most guys play. Obviously it's tough to get into a rhythm. But he's also a very, very good player, definitely not someone to be underestimated. He's had some very good wins this week. He had a good week last week. I'm sure he'll give a lot of players problems in the future.

So, you know, he was very good.

Q. That was your toughest match of the tournament so far. Were you happy with your game, how you overcame his unpredictability?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, I mean, I played well. I wouldn't say I was necessarily in trouble at any stage. I was ahead in most of the sets. Getting ahead early in the fourth set made a big difference.

But I thought I dealt with his game well. It was, yeah, just difficult to get into a rhythm. Did quite a lot of running. He won a lot of free points off his first serve. You know, it was a tough match. I thought I dealt with it pretty well.

Q. Where is your game compared to when you played here last year?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I think I'm hitting the ball bigger than I was last year. You know, I think a lot of the things, you know, can be quite subtle differences. I don't think there's any major change. I don't see many major changes in any of the guys really at the top of the game. But you just try to become more consistent, have less weaknesses. I think this year I'm a little bit more solid.

Q. How do you brace mentally when you see who's left in the tournament? There's a lot of great players left.

ANDY MURRAY: Great players left. Yeah, some of the best of all time. So it's exciting to be part of it. You know, I hope I can come through. But I'll just be focused on my next match. I'm sure they'll have a really good match tonight. Rafa and David are both great competitors. They're both in unbelievable shape. It will be a very tough match.

Q. Rafa spoke the other day in the early days of his career not really feeling like he belonged. Did you have a breakout match that you can think of?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, actually when I played Rafa here, I think it was in 2006, maybe. I could be wrong. 2006, 2007. Yeah, it was five sets. It was probably the first time I played against one of the best players in a Grand Slam and made it very tough for them. It was a great match. So that was probably the first time I felt like I could go on and compete with them in the big events.

Q. How do you feel now compared to then?

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I feel just way more experienced. I know how to deal with playing deep into Grand Slam events now, how to get prepared for them mentally and physically. It's something that I'm a lot better at.

But, yeah, I mean, it's always you know, it's always very tough when you come up against those guys. You need to be on your game physically and mentally if you want to beat them. So that will be the case in the next match.

Q. I read some article which says maybe when you were 13 or 14 you played Rafa in a junior tournament or something. You lost. That's when you decided to go to Barcelona. Is that a true story?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I actually didn't play against him. I never played against him until we were both on the tour. But I was playing like a team competition. Yeah, we were playing racquetball. I just asked him who he was practicing with in Spain. He said he was practicing with Carlos Moya, who was like top 10 in the world, and I was practicing with some guys that if I told you a name, you wouldn't know who they were. So that was really why I decided to go and train over there.

I went over when I was 15. I think it was a good decision.

Q. You made it to the semis pretty smoothly. Do you feel you have an extra gear that you haven't used yet?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, you have to wait and see. You know, I've played very, very well. When you play against the best players at the end of the tournament, you know, you need to play your best tennis again to give yourself a chance of winning.

So, yeah, I just have to wait and see how I respond when I play against them. But I have played very well so far.

Q. Do you feel like the pressure is off given that Roger and Rafa are Roger and Rafa and Djokovic is in such good form? Do you think this is a time that no one is putting the pressure on you?

ANDY MURRAY: No. I think there's pressure. I mean, you know, I'm sure the next match might be a bit different to today, the pressure. But, you know, I obviously want to try and reach the final, and if I get there, go on to win the tournament.

Unless you've been in those positions before, you know, you can't explain what the pressure's like. You expect a lot of yourself. You want to perform your best right at the end of the event. I'll be putting pressure on myself to play well.

Q. Does the burn get greater to want to win one the longer the time goes?

ANDY MURRAY: I think it's still the same as when I first was giving myself chances to win slams. It's still exactly the same as it was then. But it's not something that I lose sleep over. It's something that I work very hard towards, the reason why I train hard, you know, train away from home in December.

But, you know, this is obviously for me what my job is. You know, tennis is very important to me. If things don't go well on the tennis court, I've got very good friends and family to fall back on.

Q. You were talking to yourself a lot out there today and gesturing. What were your thoughts? What were you saying?

ANDY MURRAY: I was trying to get myself pumped up. It was very slow, cool conditions out on the court. You need to make sure you're moving your feet a lot when you're out there. And, yeah, because he's a very unpredictable player, you can't switch off. He goes through periods in matches where he plays great tennis, and you have to sort of hang on a little bit. Then he can go through periods where he makes some mistakes.

You need to sort of urge yourself to play a solid, sort of stable match, not make too many mistakes, and in the end hope that, you know, he'll make a few more mistakes than you.

I was just trying to get myself as focused as I could for the whole match.

Q. Not including this tournament, you've earned $14 million in your career. Royal Bank of Scotland is one of your sponsors. Do they manage your money?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I do bank with them, but they don't manage it. I have an accountant that does that.

Q. Do you invest in property in Scotland?

ANDY MURRAY: I do invest in property, not in Scotland. I do invest in property, yeah.

Q. Where?

ANDY MURRAY: Where? I have a place in Miami. I have a place in London. And then a few sort of projects in central London, as well. But, yeah, I'm pretty conservative. Don't make any bad decisions.

Q. Do you feel the support you have here? Seem to be a lot of people on your side.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, there's a lot of Scots here, a lot of Brits here. Actually, most all of the years I've come, I've had very good support. And, yeah, it does make a big difference in your matches when it does get tight or, you know, when there's a bit of sort of, I don't know, where the atmosphere's a little bit flat, and there's a group of guys that sing all the songs and stuff, get everyone into it. It does make a big difference.

Q. Did you go and see Billy Connolly last night?

ANDY MURRAY: I did.

Q. Did he make any reference to you in his act?

ANDY MURRAY: No, he didn't.

Q. Should he have?

ANDY MURRAY: I wouldn't have minded. I don't mind people making jokes about me. It's not a problem.

Q. Can you compare the win against Rafa at the Australian Open last year against the loss at Wimbledon to him?

ANDY MURRAY: In terms of?

Q. How you played.

ANDY MURRAY: I mean, the surfaces are very different. But, again, I mean, I was up a couple of sets and a break when he stopped. Like at Wimbledon, it was a lot of close games. Both of us had chances in both matches. It just comes down to who plays them a bit better.

I played better here and he was better at Wimbledon. It wasn't a huge difference in the way the match went. They were both pretty close. You know, hope I can play another good one in the semis.

Q. You've talked about having a lot of British support here. Do you think you're starting to win over some of the neutrals in Australia?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't know. But the support I've had in all my matches has been very, very good. I'm sure it won't be if I play against Rafa or Roger. I'm sure the majority of the crowd would be behind them.

But, no, I have good support here. I'm happy with how it is. I don't need any more or less.

Q. And what about Dolgopolov? Do you think you're going to be encountering him at this stage in tournaments in the future?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, with his game style, he's going to give a lot of guys problems. He might be a little bit inconsistent from time to time. But when his game's on, I'm sure, yeah, he'll get deep into Grand Slams and the big tournaments just because of how tricky his game is.

Q. Most people say that the depth in men's tennis is always increasing. In most slams maybe all four of you four guys at the top are in the semis. What is your explanation for this? There is still quite a big gap.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, Novak's consistency has been very, very, very good the last few years. Yeah, Roger and Rafa obviously speak for themselves. They play their best tennis at the big moments.

You know, I think the depth is very, very strong in the men's game. But I think, as well, because it's become very physical, it's also difficult throughout the whole year, because it's a long one, to play your best tennis the whole year. So I think sometimes, you know, guys like Roger and Rafa, they have losses in those events that maybe Roger didn't have before because I just think the game's become very physical. It's tough to sort of peak the whole way throughout the year. That's probably a reason why they lose a little bit more than they used to.

But the depth is still very strong. You know, the guy I played today was ranked 45 in the world. He's a lot better than that. He's a very, very tough guy.

Q. Does that give you the confidence that you can beat these guys in front of you at any given time?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I think I've played well against Roger, Novak and Rafa. I've had a lot of close matches with Rafa. I've had a lot of good wins against Roger. I actually haven't played Novak for quite a long time. But, I mean, I think everyone does beat everyone. I think Roger and Rafa have been better in the slams. That's something that me and Novak want to, I'm sure, try and change.

You know, Novak managed to beat Roger at the US Open last year, and I managed to beat Rafa at the Aussie Open. Hope that changes this year.

Q. Yet at the 02 when you played Rafa in the semi, you sat in your chair as long as he sat in his chair. You weren't standing up at the net waiting for him. Are you going to adopt the same policy? Every other player appears to spend half an hour hanging out in the corridor or in the chair.

ANDY MURRAY: Yes, I mean, I played him a lot of times. There's no point in getting yourself ready and waiting. So when they ask you, Are you ready to go, I always take three or four more minutes. I just warm up like a little bit later than I normally would. Yeah, I always stay in my chair until he's up and about because, well, that's just the way it is.

But I don't mind it at all. I don't really notice it. But it's just something you're ready for before you play against him.

Q. Do you think he's playing mind games with his opponents or that's just what he does?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I think that's what he does. I think he's done it since he was very young. I think he's very particular. You know, I just saw him getting ready for his match, you know, just now in the locker room. You know, he takes his time over everything, doing the grips on his racquet, doing the tape on his fingers. You know, he has the things with his bottles on the court. That's just the way he is.

I'm sure, even if he didn't do that, he'd still be an unbelievable player. I don't think it makes really a huge difference at all. I don't think he's playing mind games. But if you can reverse it a little bit, then you might as well try.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new … 87107.html

3 wielkoszlemowy finał Murraya



Andy Murray zagra w finale Australian Open 2011. Będzie to już 3 finałowy występ Szkota w Wielkim Szlemie. W dwóch poprzednich podejściach najlepszy brytyjski tenisista przegrywał z Rogerem Federerem: 26 57 26 na US Open i przed rokiem właśnie w Melbourne 36 46 67.

MURRAY VOWS TO KEEP WORKING HARD


Andy Murray was trying to win his
first Grand Slam title.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray lost a major final for the third time on Sunday as he fell in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open championship match. However the Scot insisted that he will deal with the disappointment and continue to work as hard as he can to end Britain’s 75-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion.

“I want to keep working hard, try and improve,” said Murray. “But I said before the final, it's not something that I lose sleep over at night. It's going to be tough for sure for a few days. I want to try and win one, of course. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm just working as hard as I can.  I train very hard. I take tennis very seriously.

“But I love my life away from tennis, as well. That's why maybe this year, compared with last, I'm very, very happy off the court. I'm enjoying myself. There are other things to look forward to, too."

The 23-year-old Murray was beaten in straight sets in all three of his major finals, also losing to Roger Federer in the 2008 US Open final and finishing runner-up to the Swiss in last year’s Australian Open title match. Asked if that made the defeats any tougher to digest, Murray replied it only served as motivation to work harder and improve.

“I don't think it changes that much,” said the Dunblane native. “Obviously if it's sort of a five-set match, you feel like you're very, very close to winning, I'm sure that's very difficult when you get so close. I wasn't particularly close tonight. I could have played better this evening. I'm going to need to improve. Obviously I lost in straight sets, so I'm going to need to get better.”

After losing out to Federer on the Rod Laver Arena 12 months ago, Murray was visibly distraught and went on to endure a lean period on the tennis court, reaching only two quarter-finals before rediscovering his best form at Wimbledon. Following his impressive run over this past fortnight, though, the Scot’s overriding emotion is one of pride and optimism.

“Obviously right now there's disappointment because you just lost the match.  But when you look back over the tournament there's not many people that can say they've made slam finals. So I'll be very happy with the way the tournament went. But I would have obviously liked to have gone one step further.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … -Hard.aspx

Rusedski: Murray needs proven coach

Beaten Australian Open finalist Andy Murray needs a proven coach in his corner if he wants to break his Grand Slam duck, according to former world number four Greg Rusedski.
Rusedski, the last British player to reach a Grand Slam final before the 23-year-old Scot, said he could do a lot worse than get on the phone to no-nonsense Australian Tony Roche as he mulls over his thrashing by Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
"That's three Grand Slam finals and he hasn't won a set yet," Rusedski told Reuters by telephone.
"Yes, he's lost twice to Roger Federer and now to Djokovic so it's no disgrace but he's got to do things better out there and maybe it's time for a few changes.
"I think someone like Tony Roche would be a great thing for Murray. He is a great guy and was a great player himself.
"He coached Ivan Lendl who was number one, he coached Pat Rafter who was number one, he coached Lleyton Hewitt who was number one and he coached Roger Federer, so that's not a bad record is it?
"Murray cannot expect to win a Grand Slam final being a counter-puncher. He has to take the bull by the horns and Roche is an aggressive sort of coach who knows all about coming forward and serve and volley.
"He's a no-nonsense sort of guy who has that experience and I think that would be beneficial for Murray having someone with him who's been there and done it."
Murray ditched his full-time coach Miles Maclagan last year and now works part-time with Spaniard Alex Corretja and uses best friend Dani Vallverdu as a hitting partner while his mother Judy also has a big input.
However, Rusedski doubts whether the current set-up can get Murray over the next hurdle.
"Maybe he needs someone a bit stronger," added Rusedski, the runner-up at the 1997 US Open to Rafter.
"His mum Judy does the video analysis and she does a good job in those things but then he's got Corretja as his coach who didn't show up (at the Australian Open).
"For me it's about having someone to get you in the right frame of mind because last year was very similar for Murray. He needs to change his mentality. He needs someone in his corner who can tell him how to handle a grand slam final.
"We are talking about the final hurdle, the guy is a great player but we are talking about that half per cent and that's all that is missing. It's very small margins."
Rusedski, who also threw the name of Swede Magnus Norman, previously working with world number four Robin Soderling, into the frame, said Murray would continue to challenge for majors but it would not get any easier.
"It becomes harder every time you miss out," he said. "This time it was not even Federer in the final, it was Djokovic who is a week younger than him and someone he's grown up with.
"Djokovic has stepped it up. Don't forget, he had just won the Davis Cup for his country which is probably the most pressure packed tennis you can ever play.
"Murray is the best British player of the Open era. You don't win six Masters Series and reach three Grand Slam finals without being a great player but you need that little bit that's going to make the difference. He doesn't want to look back at his career and think I could have, I should have, I would have."

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/02022011/58/ … coach.html