Sunday, August 16, Juan Martin Del Potro Post Match Interview

A. MURRAY/J. Del Potro

6-7, 7-6, 6-1

An interview with:

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  How did you feel in the third set?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  So tired.  Well, I felt my chance in the second set, tiebreak second set, and I didn’t take them.  I was trying until the final, you know, but it was so complicated for me.

Andy is a good player.  I think he’s a very good winner of this tournament.

Q.  Was it just a question of accumulation of a lot of tennis from Washington to here and so many matches, or was it just the sun of today?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes, yes.  It was very tough for me.  I was playing against Andy, I was thinking about my physic, and it was very tough, this match.

Otherwise the weather was very hot for me, and I feel ?? I feel that, but when I have my chance in the second, I played bad in the important moments, and Andy has very good experience.  He’s a good winner.

Q.  Physically did you have a shoulder issue?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes.  Just tired, you know.  I not have any problems, but I feel it the matches since Washington.  It’s normal.

Q.  How close to the top three or four players do you think you are?  Do you think you’re on the same level with them right now or not?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  No, I don’t think so.  I need to work hard to be like them.  I can play against them, but I need to improve my game a lot if I want to be top four or top two or top one for many years.

Q.  What did you learn from this experience?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  A lot.  I never ?? I never play a final in Masters, and the crowd and this tournament and everything, it’s so good for me and for my future.

I’m very happy to be in the final.  I lost, but I’m happy.  I don’t have to think in the past and now see the future.

Q.  Were you surprised that the crowd seemed to be on your side today?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, it was 50 and 50.  But when the crowd saw me very tired, it was good.

I did my best.  I never tire for respect for the crowd and Andy also.  I fight until the final, and sometimes you cannot do nothing, and that’s what happen in the third set.

Q.  Do you regret at all calling for the trainer in that second set?  It seemed to cut the momentum a little bit for you.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, I call the trainer because I feel bad, you know.  That’s was the reason.

Q.  You felt like dizzy or was it your shoulder?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  No, no, my body.  I feel a little headache, but it was normal.  I was hot, but I don’t feel too good with my body.  I feel tired.

Q.  Are you sure you will play Cincinnati?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes.  I fly tomorrow to Cincy, and maybe I will see there what can I do.

But I have two days to recover.  We play Wednesday.  So if I feel good, I will play.

Q.  Did you hear anything the last week or so from Nalbandian or any of the other Argentine players?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  No, no.

Q.  Do you think you could win the US Open?  I mean, you played some very high?level tennis.  You beat some very good players.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, I don’t know.  I have many players thinking like me, you know.  Murray is a great favorite; Roger, Rafa.

It’s my dream.  I want to win that tournament.  It’s my favorite Grand Slam, and I have chance, but they are very strong, too.  So it will be very tough.

Q.  Can you talk about your match in Spanish, please.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  (In Spanish.)

Sunday, August 16, Andy Murray Post Match Interview

A. MURRAY/J. Del Potro

6-7, 7-6, 6-1

An interview with:

ANDY MURRAY

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  How do you compare the barrage of when he was at his best during that match with similar barrages you’ve had from other top players?

ANDY MURRAY:  The thing that’s tough with, I mean with him, because of his height, you know ?? I  mean, he’s obviously got a big serve.  You know, if he comes with a big serve, it’s very tough to get the ball sort of away from him because he’s got such a long reach.

You know, he hits the ball so clean from the back of the court that he makes it very, very tough for you and you end up doing quite a lot of running.

You know, he’s ?? well, he’s a top player now.  Obviously he wins a lot of matches.  He very rarely loses to guys that he shouldn’t lose to, and you know, he’s going to be around obviously for a long time.  He’s got a very good all?around game.

Q.  When did you know you were physically the fresher of the two players?

ANDY MURRAY:  Well, I mean, before the match.  I mean, I felt like I was probably going to be physically stronger.  You know, you can always ?? you know, he’s played a lot of matches.  You can always sort of find your way into a match, and when you have sort of a big serve like him, that can always keep you in when ?? you know, I felt like I was playing better than him from the back of the court for a lot of the match.  But he was hitting ?? he got a lot more free points off his first serve, the first two sets.

The beginning of the second, I mean, he looked like he was tired, but then, you know, he starts swinging at shots, and then all of a sudden you’re on the back foot and it’s tough to play against someone when they look really relaxed, especially in a big match like that.  It was probably the beginning of the second set I felt like physically he was struggling a bit.

Q.  Were you still worried that you would run out of time in that second set, that he wouldn’t falter enough?

ANDY MURRAY:  No, I don’t think it was through his faltering why I won the second set.  And the tiebreak I ?? you know, I hit maybe three aces, you know.  I came up with one really good lob, sort of pickup at 4?3 to, you know, to ?? well, to get the mini break back.

I mean, he was just making it really tough because of the way that he was playing and serving, and you know, he was always giving himself a chance.  I had to keep fighting and believing in myself, and that was enough in the end.

Q.  What were your thoughts at the time of his medical timeout?  You looked upset at that moment.  Did you think he was milking it to be…

ANDY MURRAY:  No, the thing that I was disappointed with ?? I mean, it’s not the best time to have an injury timeout, no question about that, but you know, if the guy is struggling or is injured, then obviously I don’t have a problem with him taking the timeout.

It was just the umpire didn’t tell me that he was taking a medical timeout, especially at sort of that stage of the match.

You know, the first I heard was when he announced it to the crowd, and normally he lets you know that the trainer has been called to the court.  I didn’t get told.  I didn’t see Juan asking for the trainer.

So I just would have liked to have been told in a little bit more time, because it’s quite an important period of the match.

Q.  How much confidence does this win here give you towards the US Open?

ANDY MURRAY:  Well, it’s good.  I mean, the thing is obviously I wanted to get matches this week, was important.  Obviously to win the tournament is great.

The US Open is still a couple weeks away, and you know, I’ll focus on Cincinnati and try and play well again here.  You know, I feel like I’ve got a good chance of doing well at the US Open, but each week is a different week, and you know, I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself.  You know, I’ll just focus on Cincinnati.

Q.  Did the fact that you secured a spot, the No. 2 spot in the ranking yesterday, did that help a little bit or make you a bit looser?

ANDY MURRAY:  I don’t know if it helped.  I mean, sometimes when this sort of ?? I guess it’s not like a distraction, but you know, where you’re not totally focused on the match if something else like that has gone on beforehand, you know, sometimes you can lose a little bit of focus, but it didn’t bother me too much.

You know, I thought I played well today.  I kind of put it to the back of my mind, and I’ll enjoy that for the next couple of days.

Q.  What will you remember more from this tournament?  Getting to No. 2 in the world or actually winning the event?

ANDY MURRAY:  Actually I got asked that yesterday.  It’s a tough one.  I love winning tournaments.  It’s great.  Every player will tell you the same thing.

But it’s just tough, because I’ve never been to No. 2 in the world before.  It’s something that I’ve never done.  That’s new to me.  You know, I’ve won a couple of Masters Series now, so it still feels great, but the No. 2 is just ?? maybe because it’s something different that means maybe a little bit more, but I mean, winning a tournament here is still great.

Q.  How much of your success here do you attribute to the fitness regime you’ve undertaken that built up preparation in Florida?

ANDY MURRAY:  That’s obviously important.  The thing that’s quite tough in the Masters, it’s hot the last ?? pretty much every day, and I played every match between 1:00 and 3:00 I was playing, so it was in the hot part of the day, and that makes a difference.

I’m sure if I came over from the UK, you know, and training in cold weather or indoors sometimes, I don’t think I would have been able to come out and play well here.

Q.  What was it like playing in front of this crowd here in Montreal?

ANDY MURRAY:  The crowd is the whole tournament.  I thought they were unbelievable, like the attendance was great.  You know, very few of the Masters Series get that, you know, attendance each day.  So that was awesome.

They obviously ?? they enjoy their tennis.  I think the atmosphere was very good in the match, and they were good all week.

Q.  Can you talk about what Alex Corretja brings to your tennis?

ANDY MURRAY:  It’s not one thing in particular.  The reason I’ve got Alex working with me is sometimes it’s nice to have just fresh ideas for practice and for training.  You know, Alex and Miles get on really, really well, so it’s a good sort of combination.

You know, it’s not like I employed Alex to, you know, do something that Miles can’t.  It’s just the season is very, very long.  You play a lot of matches.  In between the tournaments you’ve got to make sure you’re motivated for the practice and for the training.  Just sometimes having, you know, a different face, different input, maybe a few different views on things helps.  There’s not just one thing in particular.

Q.  After the first two close sets, what worked for you in the third to win it?

ANDY MURRAY:  Well, he obviously was tired, and I just made a lot of returns which I hadn’t really been doing.  His serve slowed down a little bit, and I made more returns.  I served well at the beginning of the third set to make sure I stayed ahead, and that was really the only difference.

Q.  When you’re in London, do you still work a bit with Coach Louis Cayer, who is from here and worked a bit with you two years ago when you came back when you were injured?

ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I haven’t done any work with him for about a year and a half now, but I spent ?? I spent quite a bit of time with Louis, did some work at the beginning of last year and towards the end of 2007 when I was coming back from my wrist injury, because, you know, it was a pretty tough time for me.

Again, it was just nice to have sort of different input, you know, different things to work on in practice to keep you motivated, because I couldn’t really play that well because my wrist was still hurting me when I came back.  He’s a very, very experienced coach.

Q.  How satisfying is it to have this win after I guess a little bit of disappointment in the semifinal of Wimbledon?

ANDY MURRAY:  Um, well, it’s a perfect way to come back, I guess.  I mean, I got asked that after Wimbledon, What you going to do?  Obviously you’re going to be a bit disappointed and stuff.

You know, it goes one of two ways.  Losing to Roddick, there’s no shame in that to start with.  You know, I’d rather go away and become a worse player and not work on anything or go and practice harder, train harder and become better so the same thing doesn’t happen the next time around.

You know, I was happy I won and worked out in Miami after that, and I think improved my game.

Q.  Are you definitely going to Cincinnati?  Will there be any thought of this being ?? you sort of grabbed your hip a little bit near the umpire’s chair after the match, after the presentation.

ANDY MURRAY:  No, I’m stiff, I think.  You know, I would hope that I would have been able to play for another couple of hours, but it’s just, you know, as soon as ?? it was a pretty intense match and first tournament back for ?? well, first tournament on hardcourt for so long.  The hardcourts are the most brutal on your body, I guess.

I’m just a little bit stiff just now.  No, I plan on going to Cincinnati tomorrow and try and defend my title.

Q.  Was this a record for autograph signing this week, you think?

ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, maybe.  Wimbledon can get pretty hectic, but yeah, I signed a lot of autographs this week.

Q.  In Wimbledon you can get away from the crowd.  Here the crowd is very…

ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, they catch us kind of on your way back out.  Yeah, it’s a lot easier to sign autographs when you’re winning.

Saturday, August 15, Andy Roddick Interview

J. DEL POTRO/A. Roddick

4-6, 6-2, 7-5

An interview with:

ANDY RODDICK

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  How would you assess your performance tonight?

ANDY RODDICK:  Overall it was pretty good.  I thought we were both hitting the ball very well.  Obviously I think I’m going to remember that game at 5?All.  I just played a terrible game.  It’s the first time I’ve played a loose game like that in a long time. You know, it’s unfortunate that I had to end it that way.

Q.  On the match point that you had, you were speaking to the umpire and you were calling something out.  I was just wondering your issue.  Were you just not ready?  Was there a noise from the crowd?

ANDY RODDICK:  No, I was ready.  Just as he tossed the ball up there, a couple of flashes from the same area right behind where he’s serving and they snapped them mid?toss.

I still hit a pretty good return.  I just missed it, yeah.

Q.  You did have a couple of match points even though your serve wasn’t 100%.

ANDY RODDICK:  Match point.

Q.  You had one match point?

ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah.

Q.  Do you have a positive you can take away from the match?

ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah.  I mean, I thought I served probably better overall tonight, you know.  He takes away a lot of the potential aces just because he’s got ?? he’s got quite a bit of reach.

But yeah, I feel like my game is pretty good.  I feel like my serve is certainly better than last week, and it probably got better by the match.  It’s just a matter of kind of getting your arm back in shape after a little bit of a break.

Yeah, so I mean, as far as ?? I’m very disappointed with result and the way the match finished, but as far as preparation for the US Open goes, which is kind of the point of this whole swing, I feel pretty good with where it’s at, especially, you know, post?Wimbledon and kind of having a month without competition.

Q.  You’ve lost two very tight matches to Del Potro the last week.  What is it about his game that is difficult?  What do you think makes him as good as he is?

ANDY RODDICK:  Well, there’s two parts.  There’s the forehands and backhands of someone that makes someone good.  I mean, obviously he hits the ball very big, returns second serves very well.  I feel like he’s been serving well.

You know, normally I think ?? I think he’s serving a much higher percentage of first serves right now.  I think that’s helping him; plus, confidence.  I mean, he’s stepping up at 30?All and hitting the shot without even thinking twice.

You know, that’s certainly the sign of a confident player.  You know, I feel like I’ve lost to the best version of him the last two weeks and had very, very legitimate chances in both of them.

I’m disappointed but, you know, like I said, as the push towards the US Open comes, I feel like, you know, I like where my game is heading.

Q.  Before the last game, it feels like you talked to your box, maybe your coach.  Is there anything you said  or you were just frustrated?

ANDY RODDICK:  If I did, I was talking to him.  If I did say something, I was talking to him, not everybody.

Q.  I have a lot of people who listen to ?? I do radio.  They love hockey; they love football.  They don’t necessarily know that much about tennis.  If anyone can draw a parallel, it might be you because you come from the Longhorn state.  Is there any kind of commonality between football and tennis you can draw?

ANDY RODDICK:  Football and tennis?

Q.  The kind of mentality you bring to the game, just for people who aren’t really into tennis but might want to learn about it.

ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah, I don’t ?? I don’t see ?? it’s more of a rah, rah, rah, team go, you know, type deal.  In football it’s ?? I think it’s more of a team, obviously more of a team deal.

I don’t know.  Besides the obvious, you know, competition and, you know, hard work and yada, yada, yada, I don’t know if that’s going to be good material on your radio show, though, or if that is considered good material, then that’s probably not.  (laughter.)

Maybe if we start knocking each other’s teeth out or something, come in minus molars or something, maybe we’ll do that and change it up.  We need more fighting in tennis.  (laughter.)

Q.  That’s a parallel with hockey, not football.

ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah, it’s kind of ?? the question was hockey and football.

That was a good one to end on.

Saturday, August 15, Juan Martin Del Potro Interview

J. DEL POTRO/A. Roddick

4-6, 6-2, 7-5

An interview with:

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  I think it’s your first Masters 1000 final?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yeah.

Q.  Just tell us how you feel now that you’ve got through to probably the biggest final of your career.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yeah, will be my important final tomorrow, and I’m very happy.  To beat Andy one more time in two weeks, it’s very tough for everyone, and I did.

So tomorrow I have my chance to win another tournament.  I hope to do my best and try to win.

Q.  What was the key for you for that win today?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, the serve was the key until the final.  We weren’t serving very good, and I take my chance in the 5?All.  He miss a serve.  He did a double fault, and then in the last game I did a good point with rallies, and the last point was an ace and was very, very close match, anyway.

Q.  In recent times you’ve really ?? you just talked about your serve.  You’ve improved your serve and your mental game.  What do you think are the reasons for that, causes for that?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, I just was thinking about ?? I don’t look to the other side.  I just play my game, and I always keep fighting.

If I win, better.  If I lose, anyway, you just fighting until the final, and that’s what I do today and the other matches, also.

Q.  What’s your feeling about facing Murray who has also played very well this week?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes, he’s playing much better than anyone and will be good for me.  I like to play with players better than me, and I think he has the pressure for tomorrow, but I will try to do my best in my first final, and I want to enjoy it.

Q.  Do you think it’s going to be an interesting match for fans?  Because you’re a big server and he’s probably the best returner in the game.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yeah.  Yes.  I hope so.  The fans ?? I like when the people enjoy the match or the crowd.  Hopefully the stand will be full.  Andy and me, we want to do a very good show.  So I hope to win, but it will be very tough.

Q.  Murray got to the No. 2 position today.  What do you think you need to do ?? you’re No. 5 right now, No. 5, 6.  What do you think you need to do to get to that spot yourself?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Keep working.  Sometimes the tennis is strange, because Rafa, he won everything since Australia until his knee issues, but now he will be the No. 3 in the world.  So maybe if you win some good tournaments you keep No. 6 or No. 7, and then you move to another position.

But the key is work hard and try to be better every day.

Q.  Do you remember when you played here two years ago against Dancevic in the first round?  Then you see ?? you can see all the progress that you made since that time?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, I progress a lot.  But sometime it’s good to think the past, and you look ?? I was playing a session then because I played a Canadian, and maybe now I play session now because I’m top 10.  You feel a difference.

But it’s the tennis, I dream every day with these moments, so I enjoy it a lot.

Q.  Would you say at this point in your career hardcourts are your favorite surface, or do you still prefer clay?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes, yes.  I like this surface better than…

Q.  Why is that?  Why do you like it better?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Because my game is better in this surface.  I can play with my serve, with my forehand.  I don’t like to run too much, and I don’t like the low points.  So I prefer hardcourt.

Q.  What surface did you grow up on in Argentina?  Was it clay?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Clay, yeah.

Q.  You did not like it or you liked it?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes, I learned tennis in clay courts.  I can play them, but I prefer hard.

Q.  How is your shoulder?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Good.  Thanks.

Q.  Can you just wrap it up in Spanish, please?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  About today?

Q.  Yeah.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  (In Spanish.)

Q.  You said you grew up on clay, but did you also play some hardcourts or you played no hardcourt?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  No, I always ?? when I come to US tournament or indoors I played hardcourts, but I always train in clay courts.

Q.  When was the first time that you played hardcourt?  What age were you?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  11, 12.

Q.  So before that, always clay?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yeah.

Rogers Cup, Day 7 Action: Finals Preview, Andy Murray vs. Juan Martin del Potro

Montreal—The long week of slugging it out, toe-toe, from the baseline and abroad, is almost done. A 56-man field has left behind its two most disciplined warriors. There have been story-lines and upsets along the way, but when it’s all said in done the two best players have made it to the finals. Although the Canadian fans will miss out on a pre-tournament prayer for a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal clash, the-eleven-thousand-plus in attendance on Sunday will be treated to a delightful day of tennis.

The future of tennis awaits Stade Uniprix on Sunday.

Preview:

No. 3 seed Andy Murray vs. No. 6 seed Juan Martin del Potro

H2H: Murray leads 3-1 on the ATP World Tour. The Scot also leads 2-0 when matches are played on hard-courts. Del Potro won the pairs last encounter on the clay-courts in Madrid, earlier this year.

New found glory will be the name of the game come Sunday afternoon. Both players are experiencing “firsts” and will look to take their joyous week in Canada one-step-further.

Murray is tennis’ new No.2, largely in part to his unbreakable form all week (well, almost unbreakable, he’s lost serve twice). The Scot is the 12th member of the elite “No.2 Club” and he certainly deserves what he’s got.

From his first round encounter against Jeremy Chardy, I was impressed with how relaxed and fluid Murray was playing. Usually when players come back from a long lay-off they show visible signs of needing a match-or-two to perform well—not Murray.

His Florida training provided the exact blend of hard-work and relaxation that is needed to stay balanced on tour. Murray has yet to lose a set this week, proving he is at ease with game. I haven’t seen Murray look rushed on a single shot all week.

The Scots opponent on Sunday will be an equally calm and cool youngster. Juan Martin del Potro has been on tear thus far in the US Open Series, based on tremendous ball-striking and supreme mental clarity.

Del Potro has been equally impressed throughout the week. He’s dealt with every obstacle that has been thrown his way and bounced back with the utmost grace.

His ability to brush aside Nadal in convincing fashion was a very mature effort, and his come-from-behind win against Andy Roddick showcased the future super-star fighting spirit.

Once again, men’s tennis is in a good place.

The meat and potatoes of this match will be as follows: Both players have stronger backhands. Del Potro can take the ball slightly earlier than Murray, with the Scot possessing better touch at net.

Del Potro can rev-up the mph on his serve, but Murray is not far behind.

Murray has a better return; del Potro compensates with reach.

If we’re looking at sheer intangibles here, Murray does hold the experience card. He is ranked higher, has won Masters 1000 events (three in total) and holds a two win H2H lead.

But before we get ahead of ourselves and declare the Scot the winner, I’m not too sure all of the check marks in Murray’s corner matter that much at the moment.

Del Potro is playing perhaps the best tennis in the world right now. He has no visible weakness and does hold a distinct x-factor over Murray—clutch serving.

The Argentine has repeatedly dismissed break, set and match points with precise nonreturnable serves. If I had a quarter for every-time some said “del Porto is done here”, I’d be…

What I admire most about the Argentine is that exudes hard-work and determination. He fights for every match he and displays the ultimate trait of a true champion never happy when losing a point. Remind you of someone?

With that being said, Murray is one tough hombre in Masters finals. He has really made a strong claim to being the best hard-court player (outside of the slams) and will not be defeated easily.

When going into the Federer-Nadal Wimbledon finals of years past, I was pressed to come-up with a clear-cut decision? I’ve fallen into the same dismal, undecided hole.

Before the start of the tournament I picked Murray to win the title. Being a man of my word, I must stick with my guns.

Although it’s quite possible that del Potro may blow my predication and Murray straight off Stade Uniprix.

Pick: Murray in three sets

Please check back later on Sunday, I will have a complete finals wrap-up which will include some thoughts from the champion and finalist.

Stay tuned tennis fans, some wonderful tennis awaits.

Saturday, August 15, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga Interview

A. MURRAY/J. Tsonga

           

6-4, 7-6

         

An interview with:

         

JO?WILFRIED TSONGA

         

            THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

 

            Q.  Can you talk about your decision not to go up to the net more?  Is that because of Murray’s ability to hit very good passing shots, or did you want to go to the net more?  Is it better to stay back?

            JO?WILFRIED TSONGA:  I went to the net more than my last match, and I’m happy with that.  Of course, I can go more and more every time, but it was okay.  And Andy’s a very good player and it’s tough to go to the net every time against him.

            That’s fine.  I’m okay with that.

 

            Q.  Andy has moved to No. 2 in the world.  What makes him difficult to play?

            JO?WILFRIED TSONGA:  He’s difficult to play because he defend very good, and he’s really, really quick, because after his shot he’s going directly to the other shot, and it’s tough to put him far off the ball, you know.

 

            Q.  Based on your experience here, do you expect to come back to this tournament again regularly now?

            JO?WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, but only here.  I don’t go to Toronto.  (laughter.)

 

            Q.  How do you feel the tiebreak went today?  Because you had a couple of chances to win.

            JO?WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah, I had couple of chances, but I missed on the chance, and you know, it’s like this.  Next time I will try to do it.

 

            Q.  Do you think it was those dropshots that made the difference?

            JO?WILFRIED TSONGA:  Yeah.  If I put it in the court, maybe different.  I don’t know.

Saturday, August 15, Andy Murray Interview

A. MURRAY/J. Tsonga

           

6-4, 7-6

         

An interview with:

         

ANDY MURRAY

         

            THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

 

            Q.  Very well done.  Pretty intense finish, wasn’t it?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah.  I mean, it’s always tough against him, because he dominates or he dictates what happens in the match because of the way that he plays.

            I just had to stay solid, and you know, made enough balls for him to make a few mistakes and came up with a few big returns.

            You know, but it was ?? all around, you know, in terms of the way that I hit the ball, it was quite difficult, a bit like Davydenko, because they either hit winners or make mistakes.  I kind of had to do quite a lot of scrambling, but you know, overall it was solid.

 

            Q.  As the match goes on and he gets sort of closer and gets into it, is there a risk that he becomes inspired if he gets into the match too much?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Well, I mean, he was in the match for a majority of it.   When he broke back in the first set, you know, it was a big game that I managed a big forehand to get the break and that was important, because against someone like him, when he’s in front, you know, he plays a lot of confidence.

            But at the same time, you know, when he’s behind, then he’s loose.  He’s going for broke on almost every shot, so it’s just difficult to play against.

            You know, I’m just happy I managed to come through, because, you know, from my side, I didn’t hit the ball unbelievably well, I didn’t serve particularly well, but you know, managed to tough it out.  That’s the only important thing.

 

            Q.  What does it mean to get to No. 2 after all this work?  You know, is it the best thing you’ve ever done so far?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, well, it’s great.  I mean, obviously in terms of rankings that’s, you know, the biggest step that I’ve made so far.  You know, I played consistently well this year, and you know, obviously Rafa had an injury, but it was really ?? I mean, it was Wimbledon that he missed, you know.

            I also took quite a big break after Wimbledon, so bar winning a Slam, I’ve done enough to justify being 2, and you know, getting closer to hopefully one day becoming No. 1 is one of my goals.

            So it’s great.  I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this stage, and I keep working hard to go one step farther.

 

            Q.  Are you excited about it?  I mean, does register with you that…

            ANDY MURRAY:  Obviously, I mean, five years it’s been Rafa and Roger have been 1 and 2, and you know, it’s been ?? Novak had one, maybe two matches to get to No. 2.  So it’s such a tough thing to do because Roger and Rafa are I think the two best maybe of all time.

            So yeah, it’s pretty special to get in between them.

 

            Q.  You’ve had some bad blood with Del Potro in the past.  When situations like that occur, does that motivate you to play harder against an opponent in the event you do play Del Potro tomorrow?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I mean, it happened once.  We played a lot in juniors growing up.  We played maybe eight times overall, and you know, one problem ?? I very rarely have problems with guys on the court.  But you understand when it does happen that, you know, because it is a sport and you know everyone’s quite tense, a lot of pressure out there, that sometimes things sort of boil over.

            I’ve never ?? you know, if I’ve lost to someone, the next time I play them, it doesn’t give me any extra motivation to play.  I play hard in all of the matches.  Whether I’m best friends with someone or I don’t really like them, it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference for the way that I play them.

 

            Q.  You seemed really frustrated during yesterday’s match against Davydenko.  You traded breaks in the first set.  It seemed like you were trading errors back and forth a little bit.  You say that Tsonga was dictating a lot of the points, but did you feel more comfortable today like there were a few more surprises for you?

            ANDY MURRAY:  No, I mean ?? I mean, the match against Davydenko I think was ?? it was an easier match, because I gave him very few chances in the scoreline.  I mean, I got ahead early in the match, and you know, in the second set was ahead pretty much the whole way and didn’t really give him any break points on my serve.

            So it’s just ?? they’re different players, but they do the same sort of thing to you in terms of the way, you know, they apply a lot of pressure.  But Tsonga, you know, comes to the net a lot.  You know, he rushes you.  You know, you just have to expect him to, you know, make some huge winners and deal with it.

            I didn’t feel a lot more comfortable than the Davydenko match.

 

            Q.  If you end up playing Del Potro, what will you have to do to win?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Well, you need to serve well against him, and you know, make him move.  He’s very solid from the baseline.  He’s got a good serve, you know, and if you let him dictate the points he’s very, very good.

            You know, if you can try and get him on the back foot a little bit and change the pace of the ball, give him some variety, that’s really the best way to play him.

 

            Q.  What about Roddick?

            ANDY MURRAY:  Similar sort of thing.  I mean, Roddick, you know, has a better serve and is very difficult to break but doesn’t have as big a shot from the back of the court and probably doesn’t return as well as Del Potro.

            So, you know, it’s important not to give him too many opportunities on your serve so he doesn’t feel like he’s, you know, able to break you, because, you know, when he gets ahead in matches he’s very tough to beat because he’s got such a tough serve to break.

 

            Q.  When you have a low percentage of first serves like today, is there anything conscious you can do to switch it around?

            ANDY MURRAY:  I mean, occasionally it happens where you just don’t serve particularly well.  I mean, I’ve served very well all week.  I don’t know how many service games I’ve played, but I dropped my serve twice in the tournament.

            So regardless of the percentage, it only matters, you know, if you’re getting broken all the time and stuff you might change it and just try and get your first serve in.

            But bar the one poor game that I played at 5?3 in the first set, I didn’t really give him a whole lot of chances. 

 

            Q.  Looking forward to the US Open, if you go in as a No. 2 seed, does that change your expectations for the tournament?

            ANDY MURRAY:  No, not at all.  I mean, I think when, you know, if you get to sort of 1, 2, 3, 4 in the world, you go into those tournaments believing that you can win.

            Maybe for, you know, everyone else, that makes a difference, but you know, for me personally, if I was ranked, you know, 1, 2, 3, or 4, whatever it is, I’d still go ahead believing I had a chance of winning.

Storylines from Montreal

The Canadian contingency:

Bruno Agostinelli, Frank Dancevic, Peter Polansky and Frederic Niemeyer found themselves wild-carded into the main draw of their home tournament, while the youngster Milos Raonic was the first Canadian man to fight through 2 qualifying matches and into the draw in 20 years.

First off, I was bitterly disappointed at the complete blowout issued to Dancevic by 7^th seed Gilles Simon.  Yes, Simon is the more accomplished player and played some inspired tennis in their first round encounter.  Still, Dancevic played the match with zero strategic consideration and was doomed from the very first point.  How else to explain his choice to stay back and trade groundstrokes against the Frenchman?  There was no way that Frank was going to win from the back of the court – either he was going to drown in a sea of unforced errors in the face of Simon’s defence, or he was going to be pushed off the court by Simon’s superior baseline attack.  After his impressive run in 2007 and upset win over Mario Ancic last year, the stinker of a match played by the Niagara Falls native is a bit of a head-scratcher.

On the other hand, the tight 2-setter between Davis Cup teammates Agostinelli and Polansky was an entertaining affair.  The former had been a hero for Team Canada just a few weeks prior filling in for the latter in the deciding match of a tie against Peru.  However, the higher ranked Polansky took care of business on Bank Nationale Court and booked himself a meeting with the 4^th player in the world, Novak Djokovic.  Unlike his compatriot Dancevic, Peter went into the match with a sound gameplan, peppering Novak’s shakier forehand wing and swinging freely until the very last point.  I see great upsides in his smooth baseline game and predict that he will qualify for the US Open, avenging his disheartening qualifying loss to German Simon Stadtler last fall in New York.

Frederic Niemeyer, in his last summer on tour, finally won a match in the main draw of the Rogers Cup, defeating Russian Igor Kunitsyn in front of an appreciative crowd on the BN Court.  Next up was the newly re-crowned world number one, Roger Federer.  It would be a great last hurrah for the crowd favorite, as he played up to his potential in a 7-6 6-4 loss.  I had the pleasure of meeting Fred at the US Open last year and have to say that he is one of the great guys in the game whose absence will be missed.  Like Roger, he is a new father and I certainly wish him and his family the very best.

The most impressive Canadian this year, in my eyes, was Milos Raonic.  I was not familiar with his game and was surprised to see him qualify for the tournament.  My doubts were quickly erased when I tuned in to his first round match against Fernando Gonzalez.  The 6’5” Raonic went toe-to-toe with one of the biggest hitters on tour and showed off his effortlessly explosive service motion, which left the Chilean searching for answers.  The young Canadian finally lost the match in 3 sets, but not before obtaining a match point in the second set tiebreak.  I do see some rough edges in his game, but the upsides in his powerful game simply cannot be ignored.  Look for big results from this young man in the next few years.

Pack it in, Marat

The enigmatic Russian has played his last match in Canada.  After sleepwalking through the first set and finding his game in the second, Marat found himself leading 2-0 in the decider before losing the next 6 games and the match against a rusty Gael Monfils.  He has openly discussed the loss of his love for the game, which leaves me wondering about his motivation for continuing to play tennis at the highest level.  Is he just so used to touring the world and seeing the same familiar faces in the locker room or does he actually believe he can make one last run at the Open before retirement?  I used to think that, with the clock ticking, he can finally let go of his perfectionist nature and hit the ball without tormenting himself after every error.  Yet, it has not happened.  On the contrary, Marat has admitted that the older you get, the more you choke.  I’ll be pulling for him, but it really doesn’t look good.

Federer and Nadal

After witnessing Roger’s collapse in the third set against Tsonga, I hate to admit that a part of his game is truly lost, never to return.  He’s still one of the best players ever to grace a tennis court as well as a living legend of the game.  However, he’s lost that genial ability to silence his conscious mind and hit fearlessly under the biggest of pressure.  What I saw in much of the match, but especially in the third set, was a man who played tentatively rather than letting his racket whip through the ball with reckless abandon.  Unlike the Wimbledon final, his serve was not there to bail him out this time.  At this stage of his career, he is no longer the irresistible force that he was in 2005 or 2006, but merely a very, very, very good player.  Despite this drop, or maybe because of it, Federer has impressed me mightily this year.  He knows what’s at stake and can no longer play the big points with abandon, yet has still managed to rewrite the record books.  I wouldn’t count him out at the Open, but it’s only going to get harder from here on in.  Maybe Marat’s right, after all.

In short, Nadal’s doing fine.  I doubt anyone can conjure up their best tennis with 4 popped blisters on their playing hand.  I like his chances in New York.

Friday, August 14, Juan Martin Del Potro Interview

J. DEL POTRO/R. Nadal

7-6, 6-1

An interview with:

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  How does it feel to beat Nadal for the second straight time?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Good.  I have a good sensation.  I know since many years, Rafa.  I’m happy to beat one more time, but I’m happy to see him in the court fighting until the final.  You know, is very good for me and for everyone to see his comeback.

Q.  Can you give us your thoughts about Roddick tomorrow?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  A little bit tough.  We play couple days ago and was so close, the match.  But tomorrow I think could be the same.

He has a very good serve and in this surface is very complete.  But I will try to do my best, and I will try to be focusing important moments, and that’s it.

Q.  Did you get a sense of how Rafa was moving tonight compared to the last time that you played him?  Better, worse, about the same?  Can you tell?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Same.

Q.  Same?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Maybe he needs a few matches to feel better, but it’s normal with the competition.  But I saw his movement was good.

Q.  It’s hard to tell sometimes because you’ve seen him on clay courts for two months where he moves so differently.  It’s been a long time since you’ve seen him on the hardcourts.  You might have been one of the last people to see him.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Yes.  Of course he can play better in clay court, and he’s a specialist of that surface.  But in this surface he won in every one and everywhere, so he’s a very dangerous player, too.

But I think he play more matches, could be tough for me and for everyone.

Q.  What happened in the tiebreaker, do you think, when you were down?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  Well, I have a little luck, you know, in the fight to win my lob, backhand lob.

After that point, I come back to the tiebreaker and I was so focused with my serving at 6?5 and I did an ace.  After that I start to play better and more confidence.  I take the directions of the point and every time I feel better.

Q.  Do you have a cold?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  No.  A little bit.

Q.  Can I get your thoughts in Spanish, like on the game, if you don’t mind?  Is it okay to ask in Spanish?  Can you answer in Spanish about your game and your thoughts about the next opponent, please?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO:  (In Spanish.)

Friday, August 14, Rafael Nadal Interview

J. DEL POTRO/R. Nadal

7-6, 6-1

An interview with:

RAFAEL NADAL

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  You had a good first set.  After that you went a little bit down.

RAFAEL NADAL:  Yeah.  Normal, no?  I very happy with my first set, no?  My best level after the injury, and I was playing very good, I think.  So very happy about the matchup today, no?

It was a little bit normal after almost two months outside of competition.  Was tough for me play at this level.  I needed more concentration than usual.

Physically, too, mentally at the same time, was tough to be focused during all the match.  I had big chance in the 5?2.  I played a great point for 6?2, but he hit a good lob shot, no?

No, I’m very happy and everything was very positive today.

Q.  The knees are fine?

RAFAEL NADAL:  Yeah, the knees are very good, so that’s very good.  Yeah, I must be very happy about this tournament, yeah.

Q.  So it’s better than expected?

RAFAEL NADAL:  The level of today, for sure.  Yes, no?  I played against Del Potro.  Del Potro is coming after winning Washington.  He’s playing at very good level.

And I was at the same level as him in the first set, no?  And I had big chance to win the first.  So that’s a very positive thing for me.  I’m very happy about that.

I thought, you know, maybe if I won the first set I can relax a little bit in the second and try another time in the third, no?  But, yeah, was tough to be concentrate all the time.  You need a little bit more, more hours.

Q.  Do you think that you can be somewhere near your best at the US Open?  Do you think you have enough time to be playing your best tennis then?

RAFAEL NADAL:  We will see in two weeks.  Two weeks, we will see.  Well, better in three.

Q.  It was good to see you playing in the tournament.

RAFAEL NADAL:  Thank you.

Q.  It’s a different question.  Do you like or support an idea or a thought of a tennis All?Star game like North American sporting of baseball, basketball, NHL All?Star game?  Same selection, same procedure by Internet voting, by the fan and journalist?  Do you like or support or absolutely refuse this idea?

RAFAEL NADAL:  Our All?Star I think is the Masters Cup.  I think that you can do a lot of things.  It’s an idea.  I don’t know.  You can propose to the ATP.

Next Page »