Posted: 22.03.09 14:52. Post subject: СМИ о скоттише

ПК, интервью, статьи, новости, высказывания

 Posted: 13.04.09 18:59. Post subject: Andy Murray says win..

Andy Murray says winning is not top priority as he adapts to clay in Monte Carlo

Great Britain's Andy Murray says he is enjoying the challenge playing on clay presents him with but insists he is not solely focused on winning at the Monte Carlo Masters.

With his spirits riding high on the back of three ATP title wins this season, Murray has it all to play for having never reached the quarter-final stage of a clay-court event.

A good performance in France could see Murray enter the world top three, but the Scot insists his main aim is to reach the final eight.

I enjoy clay, it's challenging, he said. "I've never made the quarters before on it, so it's nice to have goals where it's not just about winning events.

"But there is less pressure on me here, I'm just working hard to try and keep up with top guys."

Since arriving in France, Murray has been working closely with specialised clay trainer Alex Corretja to adapt his game plan to the different conditions.

Almost a year since he last played on the surface he says becoming accustomed to the increased movement underfoot is the hardest adjustment he has to make - but is confident his increased upper body strength will help with balance.

"I'm hitting the ball fine but takes time to get used to movement," he said. "I haven't hit a ball on clay since the French last year so it been 10-11 months.

"I'm just getting used to sliding, not being 100 per cent sure under your feet takes a bit of time. On the clay you need to be consistent with mentality and strokes. [Also] physical strength is important for me.

"If you are stronger physically it's not like you will panic when you are feeling tired, you know you can get through the match."

Murray's next opponent in Monte Carlo comes in the shape of Romanian Victor Hanescu who defeated Alberto Martin of Spain 6-2, 6-3 in their first round match.

Meanwhile, third seed Novak Djokovic is not exuding the same kind of confidence.

Despite winning the Dubai Championships, Djokovic fell victim to a Murray mauling in the Miami Masters final and is now only 170 points ahead of his British challenger in the world rankings.

He does however have the advantage of already playing on clay this season.

"So far so good," he said. "I didn't have a long time to adjust to new surface and conditions, but I've played Davis Cup on clay which helps me a little bit.

"And here I feel at home, I know these courts really well and have been training for a few days already so I feel fine."

Djokovic will start his campaign against Oscar Hernandez of Spain who fouhgt off competition from France's Julien Benneteau.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/andymurray/5148653/Andy-Murray-says-winning-is-not-top-priority-as-he-adapts-to-clay-in-Monte-Carlo.html

 Posted: 14.04.09 08:47. Post subject: ATP Tour - Murray re..

ATP Tour - Murray ready to prove worth on clay
Eurosport - Mon, 13 Apr 20:45:00 2009

British number one Andy Murray, in impressive form this season with three titles to his name, is ready to "let it flow" on clay and improve his miserable record on the slow surface.

Murray, ranked fourth in the world, has hired twice French Open runner-up Alex Corretja to coach him for the clay-court season.

The same agreement was also reached last year with Murray reaching the third round at Roland Garros, his best effort at the clay-court Slam.

"He just brings something a bit different, certain drills and stuff, and tactically as well, that are fundamental on clay, that obviously he would have done playing and a lot of top guys do on clay now," Murray said at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he was handed a 6-0 6-4 third round spanking by Novak Djokovic last year. "It's nice sometimes to have a different opinion on things."

The 21-year-old Scot is determined to reach the business end of tournaments on clay.

"It's challenging, when I have never made the quarter-finals of a (clay) tournament before. I'm just working hard to just try and keep up with the top guys," he said.

"I'm trying to reach quarter-finals and semi-finals of tournaments for the first time that I've never been past the second or third round of before, and that's pretty exciting.

"It takes a bit of time to get used to the movement again. I haven't hit a ball on clay since the French last year," he added.

"So it comes down to getting used to sliding, not being 100 per cent sure under your feet, it takes a bit of time but I'm hitting the ball well."

Murray, who has a first-round bye, will start his tournament on Tuesday or Wednesday against Romanian Victor Hanescu and last year's US Open finalist knows he must be more consistent if he is to master a physically demanding surface.

"Physical strength is important because on the clay you need to be consistent with your mentality, with your strokes, and then the stronger you are physically it's like you panic if you are feeling a little bit tired because you know you can get through the match," he said.

"And on clay that's obviously more important than on the other surfaces because the points are longer."

Murray added that keeping his composure was a key element for clay-court success, although he believes four-times French Open champion and world number one Rafael Nadal will again dominate on the surface.

"Sliding into the shots, spending as much time on the court as possible. Get used to the movement and feeling of changing the direction on clay," he said.

"You need to just let it flow. When you try to force your movement on clay, that's when you get all mixed up. Just try to be light on your feet."

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/13042009/58/atp-tour-murray-ready-prove-worth-clay.html

 Posted: 14.04.09 09:10. Post subject: From The Times April..

From The Times
April 14, 2009

Fernando Verdasco: Andy Murray 'will be world No2 by end of year'

If Andy Murray needed any further encouragement after his stunning start to 2009, then he received it yesterday through the words of Fernando Verdasco, one of only two men to have got the better of him this year.

The Spaniard ended Murray’s hopes at the Australian Open in January when he beat him in the fourth round. Rafael Nadal, the world No 1, is the other man to defeat him — in the final of the Indian Wells Masters event last month — and Verdasco believes that it is Murray, rather than a faltering Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic, who is ready to challenge his compatriot at the top of the world rankings.

“Right now Rafa and Andy are the two best players,” Verdasco said. “This year for sure if things carry on as they are, he will finish No 2 in the world.

“He’s the guy who’s the most similar to Rafa. His first serve is better than Rafa’s, but his second serve is worse. But on the baseline he has an unbelievable backhand and the better you play against him, the better he plays.

Defensively he and Rafa are the best two players. And when he needs to play an approach to the net and volley he has a very good touch. He’s a very complete player and right now he’s so strong mentally. He believes in himself so much and believes that he can beat everyone.”

Murray will almost certainly overtake Djokovic to become the world No 3 in the next fortnight, starting with the Monte Carlo Masters this week, but the Scot knows that he needs to transfer his form on hard courts to the demands of clay, on which he has not reached the quarter-final of any event.

“It should be a good surface for me,” Murray said yesterday. “Last year, I had some good wins but I lost to the very good clay-court players. I hope this year I can have the same sort of wins and maybe do better against the top guys.

“My expectations are a bit different here. I’m trying to reach the quarter-finals and semi-finals of tournaments where I’ve never been past the second or third round before. That’s what’s exciting.”

For the second successive year, Murray has added Alex Corretja, twice the runner-up at the French Open, to his team through the clay-court season. The Spaniard will cast his eye over Murray’s progress, beginning today with his second-round clash against Victor Hanescu, the world No 35 from Romania.

“He just brings something that’s a bit different,” Murray said of Corretja. “Tactically [there are things] that are fundamental on clay that he can just point out and help me with.

“He and Miles [Maclagan, Murray's coach] get on well so they can chat through things. Sometimes if I’m doing a drill and Alex or Miles is hitting, the other can watch my movement to see if I’m doing the right things with my feet, if I’m sliding properly. It’s nice to have an extra opinion.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6087677.ece

 Posted: 14.04.09 09:12. Post subject: 'Murray on his w..

'Murray on his way to world No 2'

Verdasco predicts Scot's form and confidence will see him overtake Federer

By Paul Newman In Monte Carlo


Andy Murray is playing down his chances of success in the clay-court season, but Fernando Verdasco, one of only two players to have beaten him this year, has little doubt about the Scot's longer-term prospects. "If things carry on as they are I think for sure he will finish this year as world No 2," the Spaniard said here yesterday.


Murray has never won more than two matches in succession on clay, but has the perfect incentive to improve that record over the next two months. Starting here with this week's Monte Carlo Masters, the traditional start to the European outdoor season, he has an outstanding chance of overhauling Novak Djokovic as world No 3 and might even replace Roger Federer at No 2.

The game's top four players have pulled away to such an extent that Murray, the world No 4, has almost twice as many ranking points as Juan Martin del Potro, the No 5, but within the elite group there are clearly two men at the top of their game and two who are not. While Rafael Nadal and Murray go from strength to strength, Federer has been losing consistently to both men and Djokovic has been struggling to recover the form that took him to last year's Australian Open title.

Verdasco, who produced one of the surprises of the year when he beat Murray in Melbourne in January, says the Scot is the player who bears best comparison with Nadal.

"Right now Rafa and Andy are the two best players," Verdasco said. "Andy's first serve is better than Rafa's, though I think Rafa has the better second serve. On the baseline Andy has an unbelievable backhand. The better you play against him the better he plays.

"Defensively, he and Rafa are the best two players and when he needs to play an approach to the net and volley he has a very good touch. He's a complete player and right now he's so strong mentally. He believes in himself so much and believes that he can beat everyone. I think that's the difference with him this year.

"We've only had three months of the season, but if he keeps playing the same way I think he will be No 2 at the end of the year. Everybody saw at the beginning of the year how strong he is."

Djokovic is just 170 ranking points ahead of Murray, though the Scot will have to reach at least the semi-finals here to catch him this week; because of a quirk in the schedule, next week's updated ranking list will include the players' points from both Monte Carlo this year and 2008. In a fortnight's time, however, when Djokovic will lose the 450 points he won here last year and Murray will drop just 150, the Scot is likely to move ahead.

Murray insisted that the ranking position was not uppermost in his mind. "If I keep winning then my ranking is going to go up," he said. "If I focus on each match, like I did in the States, just one match at a time and don't get ahead of myself, there is a good chance I'll get to No 3."

In his opening match today Murray meets Victor Hanescu, the world No 35. He has never played the 27-year-old Romanian, who beat Spain's Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-3 in yesterday's first round.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/murray-on-his-way-to-world-no-2-1668215.html

 Posted: 14.04.09 09:22. Post subject: Murray relaxed about..

Murray relaxed about the onset of clay-court season
SIMON CAMBERS
April 14 2009

Andy Murray ventures on to the clay courts today for the first time in 11 months when he begins his French Open preparations in the picturesque surroundings of the Monte Carlo Country Club.

The Scot takes on Victor Hanescu, the world No.35 from Romania, in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters, an event that could see him become the first Briton ever to hit the heady heights of world No 3. He is almost certain to pass Novak Djokovic at some stage in the next fortnight, but a good performance here could see it come sooner rather than later.

Clay remains Murray's weakest surface - he has yet to reach the quarter-finals of any event - but having made such a strong start to 2009, with three tournament wins to his name, he is confident that he can adapt to its unique demands.

advertisement
"It's nice to have goals where it's not just about winning tournaments," Murray said. "There's a bit less pressure on me, but I'm just working hard to keep up with the top guys. If I have a good clay-court season, then there's no reason why I can't keep up for the rest of the year."

Murray goes into Monte Carlo with the best record of any player, including world No.1 Rafael Nadal, having won 26 of his 28 matches. He has beaten each of Nadal, world No.2 Roger Federer and Djokovic in the past three months and his confidence is sky-high.

He said: "I'm hitting the ball fine. It just takes a bit of time to get used to the movement on clay again. I haven't hit a ball on clay since the French Open last year, so it's been 10 and a half, 11 months. Getting used to sliding, not being 100% sure under your feet, takes a little bit of time.

"If you look at Federer, I don't watch him on clay and think he's playing completely differently to how he does on the other courts. I think he can play a similar game-style. It's just the movement and the mental side, just repeating your patterns of play three or four times rather than twice to win points.

"I think physical strength is important because on the clay you need to be consistent with your mentality, your strokes. The stronger you are physically, it's not like you panic if you're feeling a little bit tired because you know you can get through the match. On clay that's more important than on other surfaces because the points are way longer. I find the whole thing pretty challenging but good."

Meanwhile, Nadal and Djokovic were among the players to insist Federer is still a man to be feared, despite apparent signs of weakness.

The usually-composed Swiss, who has yet to win a tournament in 2009, broke down in tears after losing the Australian Open final to Nadal in January and smashed one of his rackets in this month's Miami Masters.

Nadal said: "He has played a grand slam final and two Masters Series semi-finals, these are very good results. Everybody talks about the racket he smashed in Miami but that's nothing. It happens to everyone. He just needs a title to confirm his good start to the season."

Djokovic added: "I found it strange he broke his racket in Miami, he who always keeps calm. But these things happen when you are frustrated on the court.

"Federer won everything for four years and now he starts losing against some players, but you cannot say he is in crisis."


http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.2501815.0.Murray_relaxed_about_the_onset_of_claycourt_season.php

 Posted: 15.04.09 17:55. Post subject: 1 ПК в Монте-Карло &..

1 ПК в Монте-Карло
"3 and 2 a good result"
15 April, 2009 | 09:04

Q. A comfortable start?

Yeah. I thought I played well. I thought I moved pretty good, and returned well. And I didn't serve my best, but, yeah, 3 and 2 against him's a good result. He won a clay court tournament last year and made the quarters last week. So it was a good win for me.

Q. Do you almost go into a first match on a different surface allowing yourself to not play that well; almost like it's okay to get it out of the way as much as anything?

Well, I mean, I think for me I wanted to use this week to try and get some matches and to, yeah, try and get used to playing on the clay again and work on some things. And at the start of the match when I got broken, I was sort of moving like I was still on a hard court. And then, you know, after four, five, six games, I started to move better. I hope with each match I just start to, I guess, remember how to play on clay. I'm sure I'll keep getting better.

Q. As far as the actual clay is concerned, Roland Garros, obviously Madrid you don't know, but here or Rome...

I mean, all of those tournaments can be quick. Roland Garros can be. A lot of it just depends on the conditions. Sometimes in Rome I've played in the evening there and it's so slow. If you play during the day, it can be unbelievably quick. When I was in the States, I was watching some highlights of Stepanek against Federer in Rome last year, and the court was looking like quicker than a hard court. So a lot of it just depends. I mean here today it's fast. The balls are not fluffing up that much. It was relatively quick conditions.

мало пообщался чейго-то

 Posted: 15.04.09 19:49. Post subject: Andy Murray eyes the..

Andy Murray eyes the top as he gets off to good start on Monte Carlo's clay
Apr 15 2009 By Alix Ramsey

ONE win on a clay court and suddenly Andy Murray is ready to take on the world.

Just a couple of days ago the Scot was plotting to overtake Novak Djokovic as world No.3.

Now, after swatting aside Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-2 to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Murray is eyeing Rafael Nadal's place at the very top of the rankings.

The world's fourth best player said: "The clay-court season is very important for me because if I have a good campaign on this surface then there's no reason why I can't get closer to Rafa and Roger Federer this year.

"If I have a bad one and they pick up all the points, it's tougher for me to catch them because there's a lot up for grabs in the next few weeks.

"So as much as I want to practise and get used to the courts, the results are important."

Murray has not played on clay since the French Open 11 months ago and it showed in the first few games.

It took him 20 minutes before he could finally hold serve. Murray, however, isn't beating himself up over it - especially as it took Hanescu double the time to hold his own serve.

The Dunblane star said: "You need to be patient and not expect too much of yourself too soon.

"It would have been easy to panic earlier when I went a break down straight away and then was broken again but I stayed focused."

Charge

Indeed, after half-a-dozen games his movement was much improved and by the time Hanescu finally managed to hold his own serve, Murray was 5-2 up and very much in charge.

He said: "At the start of the match when I got broken, I was sort of moving like I was still on a hard court.

"And then after four, five, six games, I started to move better. I started giving myself more time and I moved very well at the end of the match

"It just takes practice. I am going to go and hit some balls later this evening and try to get used to the courts.

"I hope that with each match I'll keep getting better."

Today Murray has another day of practice with Alex Corretja before taking on either Fabio Fognini or Marin Cilic.

Last year's US Open runner-up has beaten Cilic on the two occasions they have met - at a 2007 Davis Cup tie at Wimbledon and at last year's Madrid Masters.

He has played Fognini only once, losing to him at the Montreal Masters in 2007 when the Scot was still recovering from a wrist injury and could barely hit a forehand.

Murray said: "I've known Fognini since we were young. We played a lot in the under-14s.

"Motreal was my first tournament back after my wrist injury, I was still hitting sliced forehands and wasn't ready at all, so I'd quite like a chance to play him."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2009/04/15/andy-murray-eyes-the-top-as-he-gets-off-to-good-start-on-monte-carlo-s-clay-86908-21279453/

 Posted: 15.04.09 20:06. Post subject: Fanka мало пообщалс..

Fanka

quote:

мало пообщался чейго-то

Журналисты вопросов не подготовили. Или Эндик сделал такую мину, что они решили ни о чем вообще не спрашивать

 Posted: 15.04.09 20:09. Post subject: http://jpe.ru/gif/s..

Зашла в тему фоток, а там Эндик на ПК улыбается на все 32. Лапулька прямо.

Значит, верна первая версия

 Posted: 16.04.09 09:15. Post subject: From The TimesApril ..

From The TimesApril 16, 2009

Alex Corretja believes Andy Murray can conquer clay

Simon Cambers in Monte Carlo
Andy Murray may be playing down his expectations for the clay-court season, but the man whose services the British No 1 has enlisted to help him to improve on the red dirt believes that he is capable of winning on the one surface where he has yet to prove a dominant force.

Alex Corretja, the former world No 2 and twice a runner-up at the French Open, has rejoined Team Murray and will remain in situ alongside Miles Maclagan, the Scot's coach, when the faster surfaces beckon.

“I really feel that he can play very well on clay,” Corretja said on the eve of Murray's third-round match against Fabio Fognini, the Italian qualifier, in the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters today. “He doesn't really need to change his style of game. Last year maybe he was a little bit more distracted sometimes but right now when you practise, he's really focused, he really wants to improve his game.”

That someone of Corretja's stature chose to work with the 21-year-old has to be a further boost to Murray's confidence. “I did have lots of calls from other players, top-ten Spanish players, or top-ten foreign players,” Corretja said. “I was never sure. With him [Murray], it was kind of different. I really wanted to help him.

“I also feel happy that he feels I can help him not just on clay. You don't see [Rafael] Nadal saying to his uncle [and coach, Tony Nadal], 'No, here on grass I don't need you, stay in Palma Majorca.' We did something on clay last year, it did make a difference. But maybe the difference is also that afterwards you have something on your mind from what you talked about and if you keep on doing that with your coach every day, it's also good.”

Nadal and Roger Federer, the newly married world No 2, joined Murray in the third round yesterday with straightforward wins. Nadal, chasing a fifth straight title here, crushed Juan Ignacio Chela, of Argentina, 6-2, 6-3, while Federer beat Andreas Seppi, the Italian, 6-4, 6-4.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6101434.ece

 Posted: 16.04.09 22:12. Post subject: Andy Murray can beco..

Andy Murray can become Britain's greatest ever tennis player, says coach барабанная дробь!!!!
Apr 16 2009 By Alix Ramsay

TENNIS guru Alex Corretja swears Britain will soon bow to Andy Murray and declare him the best player it has ever produced.

Former world No.2 Corretja quit playing four years ago and was on the wanted list of a host of stars who craved his coaching skills.

The Spaniard, who had landed a lucrative job in television, rejected them all - until Murray knocked on his door.

And Corretja admits he came out of his comfort zone because he believes the 21-year-old Scot is special.

He is guiding him through the clay court season and and is currently with Team Murray in Monte Carlo for the Rolex Masters.

Last night Corretja said: "I had lots of calls from players - top-10 players - and I turned them all down.

"But with Andy it was different. I really wanted to help him.

"The good thing with him is he's already No.4 in the world and almost No.3 but still has a lot of room to improve.That's very important.

"Okay, I was No.2 but you could see I was exhausted just getting there. Andy needs to work hard like everyone else but it's easier because he is young and can still work on things."

Focused

Murray first asked Corretja to help him on the clay courts last year and went on to rack up the best results of his career on the slow surface.

Twelve months on, the Spaniard can see huge changes in his pupil both in his skills on clay and in his general approach to life as one of the world's best.

Corretja said: "Compared with last year he's much more into it. Maybe he was a little more distracted last season but now when you practise, he's really focused - he really wants to improve his game.

"He's much more stable than he was.

He had many more ups and downs in the past but now he's much more on one level. He believes he can beat anyone.

"He believes he's a big player, a top player. When we started last year here in Monte Carlo, I think he was top 20 but had some doubts in his mind. But he's still young and he's going to improve a lot."

Murray insists he has lowered his expectations on clay because he is still honing his skills on the surface but Corretja reckons if the Scot diverts pressure away from himself, he will be free to play as he pleases.

He said: "Even when Rafael Nadal is playing a straightforward first-round match, he will tell people it is going to be tough and that he will have to be 100 per cent.

"That's good because it means you respect the other guys. You don't fear them - you respect them. And then you beat them 6-2 6-2.

"That's what I said to Andy before his first match here - prepare for a really tough one. If you're ready for a really tough match and a tough match comes, you're ready. But if you're not ready for a tough match, and you get one, you get upset with yourself.

"But I believe Andy can play very well on clay - he doesn't really need to change his style of game." Today Murray faces Fabio Fognini for a place in the last eight.

The Italian shocked world No.18 Marin Cilic 6-2 6-0 but Corretja insists Murray will not come a cropper.

He said: "I believe that when Andy won Cincinnati he thought, 'I can be something very big'. Since then it appears that when he goes on court, no matter who he's playing, he believes he can win."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/tennis-news/2009/04/16/spanish-coach-tips-star-pupil-andy-murray-for-even-greater-success-86908-21281915/

 Posted: 19.04.09 12:56. Post subject: "My best win on ..

"My best win on clay" ПК после матча с Колей
18 April, 2009 | 13:04

Q. Does that count as your best clay court win?

Yeah, I think so. He's made semis of the French. I think he made semis here last year, as well. Yeah, he obviously plays very well on this surface. And he's beaten some of the top guys. He obviously had a great win against Nalbandian earlier in the day. Yeah, it was definitely my best win.

Q. Do you think it was the confidence that you got from winning so many matches or just a bit more experience on clay or a combination of the two?

A bit of both probably. But I definitely started to play not like a clay courter, but, you know, I was not making that many mistakes. But I wasn't necessarily hitting a lot of winners. I wasn't standing like right up on the baseline to return. I was standing further behind the baseline to return second serve, was hitting the ball with, well, four or five meters over the net. He was trying to hit winners from, you know, the ball was way up above his head. He missed a lot of balls long because of it. Those are the sort of things you need to do. It's not just about hitting the ball all the time great on the clay, it's about using your legs, running, making sure you get good clearance over the net, because it's tough to attack.

Q. How different was it by the end of that match compared with this morning?

I felt much better. I thought I hit the ball a lot better in this one. But, yeah, I mean, even from the start of our match, it got cold at the end. Obviously very dark. When you're having to serve and stuff, it's a little bit different. But the conditions - it's like most of the clay court tournaments, you play when it's dark and cool, you know, very slow; and then, you know, during the day here the ball flies a lot more. So you just have to be ready for that.

Q. You seemed to be troubled by your right hand during the last set.

Yeah. I got a couple of blisters. It was the first time I've had a blister on my hand before. I'm not used to getting them. I never have any problems with it. It's just I changed same racquet, but just new ones. The grips are slightly different.

Q. Was it painful?

Yeah, blisters are very painful.

Q. Was it a painful experience to play to that level with that pain?

It's sore. I mean, everyone knows playing with blisters, it's hurts. Obviously, they come in the place where the most pressure is on the hand. So each time you hit the ball, obviously you're pushing into the blister every time and it gets bigger and bigger and then eventually pops. The one on the top's popped and the one underneath is just getting ready to. Should be nice.

Q. Had to get it out of your mind, I guess?

Yeah, it's tough. But I guess, normally with the adrenaline and stuff you kind of get through it. It obviously doesn't feel particularly comfortable on your hand. Worst place to have tape 'cause it changes the way you have to hold the racquet and stuff. So I prefer to just play without.

Q. So you'll have some treatment before your match tomorrow?

There's not a whole lot you with do with a blister. You can't sort of get new skin overnight. They have these things, like sort of second skin. But when you start sweating, it doesn't really work.

Q. Just away from popping blisters for a moment, what did you do in between times? How did you fill up the time?

I went back to the hotel, had some food, saw the physio, then slept for about 45 minutes. Then I came back over after the first set of Wawrinka's match and just watched a bit of Rafa, then got ready.

Q. What is it about clay that makes it so tough for players who are really skilled on hard courts to make the transition over to clay?

I mean, on hard, the ball, when it hits the surface, obviously comes through to you. So you don't have to generate as much pace on the ball. On the clay, you know, the ball obviously stops. It checks more when it hits the court. Therefore, you have to accelerate a lot more, which is why, you know, the rallies are so much longer, because it slows the ball down so much when it hits the court. Yeah, the movement's just very different. On hard, you're very sure of your footing. And on clay, you know, you obviously are sliding around a little bit. You got to time your split step perfectly, because if you miss time it a little bit, it's easy to get wrong footed. I could go on like for 10 minutes but I guess they're the most important things.

Q. Looks like you enjoy playing on clay.

Yeah, I do. It's obviously very challenging for me because, well, I haven't played on clay since the French last year. Each year I'm sort of coming in not knowing exactly how I'm gonna play. But I'll try and play a bit more on it, not necessarily tournaments, but just practice a little bit more on it throughout the year so I don't have like year long breaks. I think it's a surface I can play well on and I used to play well on when I was younger when I trained a lot on it, but just haven't played much on it lately.

Q. What happened on that penultimate point where you seemed to be in despair? What happened there?

Oh, basically there was two marks. I thought one of the marks was in, and the other mark was out. I was very sure, because the ball, he sort of hit down the line, but he was sort of in the tram line, so it was coming at that angle. I obviously circled the mark. And Fergus came over. I said, It's this mark. He said, No, no, no it's not, it's the other one. And I thought the other mark was good, 'cause I'd looked at them. So when he said it was the other one, I turned around thinking like, Oh, I can't believe he's got the wrong mark. But he didn't say to me like, Andy, the ball's good. He put his finger up, and I obviously didn't see him doing that.

Q. Another huge test tomorrow. Can you talk us through your thoughts about tomorrow's match.

Yeah, obviously I'm going to look forward to it. You know, for me it will be a great learning experience. I'll have to obviously have a very solid game plan, you know, and try and execute it as well as possible. You know, it's been a long day today, so try and recover as best as possible for tomorrow, go out and give it my best shot. If things don't go as I would like, then, you know, it will be a good day to see where my game is at on clay, because Rafa will exploit, you know, the weaknesses that you have on this surface. You know, obviously plan on trying to win the match. But if not, it's obviously still been a very solid week for me. You know, hope I can continue that tomorro

 Posted: 20.04.09 08:21. Post subject: "It's been a..

"It's been a great week" ПК
или мысли о Рафе

Q. The last few games should give you confidence because you played the same level with Nadal, or am I wrong?

No, I played very well at the end of the match. I didn't start particularly well. I mean, I think he's the greatest clay court player ever. At the start I made too many mistakes. I was trying to hit too many winners from the wrong position. Then at the end of the match I started to play properly. I played the ball, when I was out of position, very high over the net, gave myself time to recover and dictated a lot of points. In the tiebreak, got a little bit unlucky. We played two great points - he won both of them with great shots. I played very well at the end.

Q. Do you think if you'd done that all the way through, that is the key to beating him?

To beat him you have to play great for three, five sets because he's so solid. I didn't serve well in the first set. Then I picked it up a bit towards the end of the match. But if you want to beat Nadal, you've got to on clay play great, solid, serve well and concentrate the whole way through. If you give him one chance, he's one of the best probably the best at taking them and making you pay for lapses. I had a few too many early in the match. But it's been a great week for me. I didn't have huge expectations coming in. Look forward to the next tournament.

Q. His strength also is his mental strength. The way that tiebreak started, didn't give you any time to get ready for that.

Yeah, he is mentally strong obviously. He plays solid the whole way through. He hit a forehand right off the top of the net my first service point. Got myself back into it, 3- 2. Might even have been back to 4 All or 5 4, you know, on serve. But I think he won pretty much all the points on my serve in the tiebreak. But two of them were unbelievable points. So a bit unlucky with that. No, he is obviously very mentally strong.

Q. Given how you felt when you came into the tournament, do you now feel your expectations are going to be higher?

No, I just need to concentrate on every match and not thinking about making semis or finals of any of these tournament. I'm just going to play each match and learn. I've obviously learnt a lot this week. The way I played at the end will give me a great indication of how I need to play. At the start of the match, I knew what I wasn't doing wrong sorry, I knew what I was doing wrong. Just took me a little while to try to figure out how to change it. I managed to towards the end. But I'm not thinking about winning clay court tournaments or making finals and stuff. I just concentrate on each match. I'll do a lot more winning that way.

Q. Apart from the beginning, what do you think you would have done better? Anything you regret?

Maybe on the two really long points we had in the tiebreak, I could have come to net on a couple of shots. But anyone will tell you when you play him, it's tough to know exactly when to come forward because he passes incredibly well. On the faster service surfaces, it's a little easier to come to net against him. He doesn't have so much time. Those points could have gone either way. He played some great defense. Me, too. No, I wouldn't have changed a whole lot. I went for my shots, played aggressive. He just played a little bit better, which sometimes unfortunately you have to accept.

Q. Sometimes you were able to push him so much behind, and I had the impression you could have tried one or two more dropshots. Did you have that impression, too?

If I hit a dropshot and missed it, you would have said, You shouldn't have hit the dropshot. It's a tough one. So many times I finish matches and everyone says, 'Oh, you hit too many dropshots. Why did you try them? You get a bit tired explaining why. Like I say, against him it's tough to know when to come to net and when to try those shots because he's so fast. Especially when there's a lot of pressure, to hit a very delicate shot is hard, the closer you get to the end of the set or the bigger points.

 Posted: 20.04.09 08:31. Post subject: слова Рафы перед мат..

слова Рафы после матчем с поганкой

Q. What was your strategy coming to the net against Murray? Before the match, what did you think about Murray?RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I thought try to play with topspin, try to play long balls against his backhand, try to put him outside with my forehand and wait my moment to go inside.
I know he play sometimes three meters behind the line, have some dropshots. When I have the chance, go to the net.
But I think he play long. He play some high balls. So, yeah, was tough to attack because when the ball is coming soft and long and high, is really tough to have important shot, no?
So I think I was waiting all the time my moment. But I did well, yeah. That's what I think before the match, what I thought, no?

 Posted: 20.04.09 08:38. Post subject: http://www.independe..

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/murrays-bold-fightback-is-not-quite-enough-1670945.html

Murray's bold fightback is not quite enough

By Paul Newman in Monte Carlo
Sunday, 19 April 2009

You are as likely to discover a pawn shop on the Monte Carlo harbour front as you are to find chinks in Rafael Nadal's clay-court armour, but Andy Murray came as close here yesterday as any of the Spaniard's recent opponents on terre battue. Although Nadal won their semi-final in the Monte Carlo Masters 6-2 7-6, he took more than two hours to subdue the 21-year-old Scot, who tested the game's best player to the limit with a splendid fightback at the end of the second set.


Nadal was leading 5-2 and heading for an emphatic victory when the world No 4 seemed to decide it was time to go for broke. Murray produced a series of fine attacking strokes and well-constructed rallies, saved a match point when Nadal served at 5-3 and took the set into a thrilling tie-break.

The world No 1 had to respond with his best clay-court tennis of the year, creating another match point at 6-4 with an extraordinary backhand cross-court winner before closing out the match when Murray put a backhand in the net. In today's final the Spaniard will meet Novak Djokovic, who beat Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6 6-1 6-3.

Murray, who will have to wait another fortnight for his next chance to claim Djokovic's world No 3 ranking, can take great encouragement from his efforts over the last week. He had never previously won more than two matches in a row on clay or reached even a quarter-final on his most challenging surface.

Nadal, nevertheless, remains a force of nature on clay. This was his 137th victory in his last 141 matches on the surface and his 26th successive win on these courts. Since dropping a set to Roger Federer in the 2006 final he has won 30 sets in a row at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

Having had to play two matches the previous day (as had Nadal) and with blisters affecting his right hand, Murray was hardly in the best shape to take on such a formidable opponent. Like all the other leading players, Nadal is still finding his way again on clay, but even at less than full power he seems to have more in the tank than anyone else.

Murray, who has reached the semi-finals or better of six of the last seven Masters tournaments, did as two of his supporters in the crowd implored - "Andy don't give up", their banner begged - but Nadal has an unrivalled ability to chase down the best shots his opponents can throw at him. The Scot doggedly attacked Nadal's backhand, but the Spaniard kept forcing him to play the extra shot.

From the moment Nadal took a 2-0 lead as Murray dropped serve with two successive forehand errors the British No 1 was up against it. Nadal promptly played his worst game of the match, four mistakes giving Murray the chance to break back immediately, but went on to break twice more to take the set in 44 minutes.

The crowd became as subdued as the increasingly grey skies as Nadal took control of the second set, but Murray's thrilling comeback quickly brought them back to life before the Scot eventually succumbed to only his third defeat of the year. His only other defeats were to Fernando Verdasco in the fourth round of the Australian Open and to Nadal in a windswept Masters final on a hard court in Indian Wells last month.

Although Murray has beaten Nadal twice in the last nine months, the Spaniard now leads 7-2 in their head-to-head record. He had won their only previous match on clay, but this was a much closer match, Murray having won only five games when they met in Hamburg last year.

Djokovic made a slow start against Wawrinka but raced through the second set and took control of the third despite losing the first two games. The Serb grew up playing on clay and has a fine record on the surface, having won last year's Rome Masters and twice reached the semi-finals of the French Open, losing to Nadal on both occasions.

 Posted: 20.04.09 08:43. Post subject: Murray falls to Nada..

Murray falls to Nadal

Published Date: 19 April 2009
MONTE Carlo is a strange and foreign place. This is where the richest of the rich reside to show off their wealth in ostentatious displays of spending. The credit crunch shows no sign of biting here quite simply because anyone who needs to borrow money is not allowed in.
This is also where the road to the French Open starts. The Monte Carlo Rolex Open is the traditional beginning of the clay court season where the very best of the best show off their talent in ostentatious displays of patience and power. In short, this is where Rafael Nadal reigns supreme.

The world No.1 was in devastating form yesterday to deny Andy Murray a place in the final, beating the Scot 6-2, 7-6. It was not that Murray did not play well, it was just that Nadal was better. This is Nadal's surface, this is Nadal's tournament (he has won it for the past four years and has only lost one match at the Monte Carlo Country Club) and this was Nadal's afternoon.

"If you want to beat Nadal, you've got to - on clay - play great, solid, serve well and concentrate the whole way through," said Murray. "If you give him one chance, he's one of the best - probably the best - at taking them and making you pay for lapses. I had a few too many early in the match.

"At the end of the match, I wouldn't have changed a whole lot. I went for my shots, played aggressive. He just played a little bit better, which sometimes unfortunately you have to accept. But it's been a great week for me. I didn't have huge expectations coming in and now I'm looking forward to the next tournament."

Murray's clay court game is still a work in progress and when he arrived in Monaco his one aim was to get used to the unreliable surface beneath his feet and bank a few ranking points along the way. He had never reached a quarter-final of a clay court event before so that would make a decent starting point – and then, in the space of one day, he achieved that goal and bettered it, beating Fabio Fognini in a rain-delayed third-round match on Friday morning and then doing for Nikolay Davydenko late on Friday evening in the quarter-final.

The win over Davydenko clearly meant the world to him. In the past, he had never managed to win three consecutive matches on the red dirt and even if he had played reasonably well against the regular clay-court specialists, he had always come up woefully short against the very best. Davydenko, the world No.9, is one of the very best, and clay is one of his favourite surfaces, yet the Scot finished him off in straight sets. That was another goal reached.

"Last year, I had some good wins on clay but I lost to the very good claycourt players," Murray had said before the tournament started. "I hope this year I can have the same sort of wins and maybe do better against the top guys."

The top guys are one thing; Nadal on the march to a final is entirely another. There were times when Murray had his rival on the ropes, bossing the rally from any quarter of the court he could find to call his own, but he could not make them last.

Chances against the Spaniard on this surface are as rare as hen's teeth so when the moment comes to put away the winner, the pressure is immense. Sure enough, Murray manoeuvred himself into position from time to time, getting there by dint of lung-bursting effort and careful planning, but when the final shot had to be inch-perfect, he could not quite pull it off. The howls of frustration from the Scot when an opportunity went begging could be heard as far as the Italian border.

The French newspapers describe Nadal as an "ogre". They may mean it in the nicest possible way, but the simple fact is that he is a monster on a clay court. He has now won 137 of his last 141 matches on the red stuff, a run that goes back to 2005. On any other surface Murray knows that he has a chance to beat the Spaniard – he has done it twice before – but on clay, everything works in Nadal's favour.

Only in the dying stages did Murray start to make any impression on the Spanish defences. With nothing to lose, he went for broke and attacked as Nadal was serving for the match. He saved one match point with a delicately-played drop-shot and he pushed and pulled the world No.1 around the court as he worked his way to three break points. That got the crowd, relatively subdued until this point, on their feet and cheering – they love Nadal but they love a good scrap just as much. As Murray broke back to 5-4 and then levelled the score for 5-5, there was a buzz around the stands. The possibility of an upset was still too outrageous to contemplate, but Scotland's finest was making Nadal work harder than anyone had dared to expect. Murray had claimed that he would need to play the match of his life to beat the Spaniard on clay and he did everything in his power to achieve that, especially in the last five games.

The bad news for Murray was that forcing Nadal into the tiebreak brought out the real ogre in the world No.1 as he clattered his forehand. The good news is that this is only the start of the clay-court season and the Scot is getting better with every match.

 Posted: 20.04.09 15:35. Post subject: Не знаю, куда более ..

Не знаю, куда более уместно постить эту цитату... Пусть будет здесь.
Фрагмент блога Ксении Витряк.
Ксению теннисным экспертом назвать сложно. Она просто облекает в красивые слова и фразы свои довольно-таки дилетантские впечатления. Причем авторы сайта часто черпают образы и идеи на нашем форуме. Вот и слово "вредность" в характеристике Маррея, похоже, прикочевало отсюда

Но тем не менее портрет Эндика получился интересный. Мне нравится

quote:

Мюррей побеждает из вредности. Это такая хорошая вредность, вредность ученого-исследователя, который стремится открыть тайное знание, преодолеть непреодолимое. Ему плевать, будет ли это красиво. Помните, он признался, что готов был против Федерера просто тащить все мячи, потому что только такой путь мог привести его к победе. Ему не надо доказывать и самоутверждаться, потому что он – вещь-в-себе. Я считаю, что такая психологическая модель наилучшим образом подходит для игры с Надалем.

http://www.sports.ru/blog/vitryak/7697262.html

 Posted: 25.04.09 09:24. Post subject: Tennis' Big Ques..

Tennis' Big Questions Answered

What has been the biggest surprise on clay this season thus far?

Murray has been the biggest surprise. I know that all of the critics are chomping at the bit to tell me that he has had a stellar season thus far, so why would it not extend to the clay? The answer is that clay is a completely different animal. Murray had never enjoyed a successful run in a Masters clay court tournament up until last week. For that, he should be commended. He should also be commended for going out and hiring Alex Corretja, who has helped mold him into a grinder. Bravo, Andy. Bravo.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/161557-tennis-big-questions-answered

 Posted: 27.04.09 09:04. Post subject: Santana puts his ten..

Santana puts his tennis faith in Rafa

Spanish tennis godfather Manolo Santana says Roger Federer's era has been ended by son of Spain Rafael Nadal. And he addes that the Swiss has no chance of returing to the top of the game as long as Nadal's on court.

"Even though Federer is No. 2, he's going to turn 28 this summer", said the Madrid tournament director. "Rafa will only be 23 and then his tennis should get even better".

Santana insists that Rafa rules and said that winning the calendar-year Grand Slam is well within his possibilities. "I don't rule it out for this season. It's not easy but he could do it now or in the future. Rafa has no limits in his tennis".

Santana named Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray as the main threats to Nadal. "This year Rafa has already won Australia, Roland Garros - he owns the last four titles - is just like insurance. The toughest events are the US Open and Wimbledon".

 Posted: 27.04.09 21:22. Post subject: ПК Энди в Риме Q. C..

ПК Энди в Риме

Q. Could you just talk about the match against Monaco? Clearly you just had recent experience playing him on hard court. What do you think he offers different on clay that is a challenge for you?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, he plays well on hard and on clay. He had a bad illness last year, and before that he was ranked inside the top 20. You know, he plays well. He got to the fourth round of the US Open a couple years ago and, you know, pushed Djokovic really close.
You know, on clay, he plays well in the, you know, South America clay court tournaments at the start of most years, and that's where he's had most of his success. He obviously likes this surface.
But I'm feeling better on the clay this year than I was last.

Q. Are you aware of the sort of very complex calculations about Nos. 2, 3, and 4 in the rankings? Have you sat down and worked out yourself how things are the next few weeks?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, I'm a long way behind Federer. I need to win a lot of matches if I want to try and catch up to him. I know this week I'm pretty sure well, Novak has to win the tournament to stay 3, I think, you know.
But looking at Federer, I haven't really thought about it. I've been asked about the No. 3 ranking a lot, and I'd be there if I didn't get penalized for withdrawing from one of the tournaments last year, which I didn't know what the rules were.
You know, I've only get my best 17 tournaments instead of my best 18, so hopefully that's not going to come back to bite me.

Q. Could you perhaps talk about the different elements? I mean, Monaco and now here and then Madrid, sort of three different types of clay and different conditions, et cetera, going into the French. Do you think it's tougher this year to prepare for the clay season with the different elements and conditions and the altitude and what have you?
ANDY MURRAY: No. I think it's, you know, the altitude does affect the game a bit, that's for sure. I guess a lot of the guys that are ranked a bit higher are taking a week off in between, you know, each tournament, which gives enough time to get to the tournaments early to practice and prepare properly.
I don't think it should take you more than, you know, five days to sort of get used to the conditions. You know, I got here on Friday. You know, before Monte Carlo I was there on the Friday and didn't play until Tuesday. Madrid will be the same thing, and Paris I'll probably be there a couple days earlier. Shouldn't really be a problem.

Q. You played a doubles match just now. Do you get a feel for the courts based on that, or is it not something you can do in a doubles match?
ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, the conditions out there today were terrible. It was so there was so much like from the trees and stuff blowing onto the court, like there's no clay on it at all. It was like really dusty. We all had to stop quite a few times to shield ourselves from the clay getting in our eyes.
No, I mean, in conditions like that you don't really get used to a surface or whatever. I practiced a few days here, and, you know, I mean, it's a clay court. You play the same sort of way. You just adjust a little bit. It shouldn't be a problem.

Q. Those kind of conditions, have you seen those before, or is that a little bit abnormal?
ANDY MURRAY: I've played in very windy conditions before, it's just on the clay it becomes a bit different just because of a lot of stopping, you know, in between points and sort of you got to delay the points a bit because of the, you know, the clay sort of blowing into your eyes.
You only really get it here. I mean, I practice in Barcelona a lot and it can get windy there, as well. I've seen bad conditions, it's just it's different playing in windy conditions on grass or hard.

Q. Anything about 10 Downing Street take you by surprise?
ANDY MURRAY: Not really. I mean, it was, I guess, kind of what you expected. Nice place. Obviously first time I had been there. You know, it was nice to meet the prime minister. He was very, very nice. You know, knew a lot about everything, you know, as you would expect.
No, it was great. Really enjoyed it.

http://ubitennis.quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com/english/2009/04/27/169385-press_conference.shtml