Posted: 29.03.09 22:23. Post subject: пост от 1 апреля ht..
пост от 1 апреля Andy Murray races past Victor Troicki in Miami
Anyone sitting in the front-few rows on the Grandstand Court at Crandon Park on Thursday was given what sounded like a crash-course in 'How to Swear in Serbian', with Troicki cursing under his breath between points as he neared his humiliation against Murray, a result that put the Briton through into the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open. On a dismal, dreadful afternoon for Troicki, almost the only things he seemed capable of doing with any degree of competence were talking angrily to himself and bouncing his racket. He certainly wasn't capable of hitting a tennis ball.
Earlier in the tournament, Andy Roddick had suggested that the muggy, sticky conditions in south Florida can make it feel as though the field are playing tennis in "a swamp", and this was one of those afternoons when there was no getting away from the high humidity, especially as Murray and Troicki were on a court that already has a close and claustrophobic feel to it, with the spectators packed in behind the baselines. Still, Troicki turned in such an awful performance that Murray was able to return to the air-conditioned locker room in a reasonably fresh and deodorised state, going through in under an hour. And Troicki was perhaps a little fortunate to have won that game in the opening set as it required him to save a breakpoint, and what was also a set point, when he was serving at 0-5, 30-40 down.
Troicki's serve at that moment, which Murray could not return into the court, was the shot that prevented the Scot from registering what people in tennis call a 'double bagel', a 6-0, 6-0 win. As it was, Murray was still able to force-feed that second set 'bagel' to the Eastern European. In the second set, Troicki was lucky to get zero.
With Troicki playing like that, he was only going to be trounced by Murray, a player who could finish this tournament as the world No 3, adding to this week's other British ranking rise with Laura Robson becoming the world No 1 in the girls' rankings. Murray must win the title if he is to have any mathematical chance of earning enough points here to move past Novak Djokovic in the rankings.
Djokovic's fellow Serbian did not exactly do much to counter Murray's tennis. After a while, Troicki was not the only one muttering out there, as the crowd also began to make their displeasure known. The Florida tennis crowd have never been a quiet bunch, and after what was arguably Troicki's worst shot of the day, which was a routine backhand that almost hit the bottom of the net, there were some loud noises of disapproval around the Grandstand Court. Murray played well, although not spectacularly, for what was, by some margin, the easiest win of his season. There was no need for Murray to be spectacularly good when his opponent, a 23-year-old ranked 41 in the world, was being so spectacularly bad. If this had been a boxing match, the crowd might have thought about ripping up the seats.
What made Troicki's hapless and hopeless performance all the more surprising was that it had appeared as though he was hitting the ball with plenty of poise and purpose in his first three rounds, winning all of them in straight sets, including defeating David Nalbandian, the former Wimbledon finalist, in the second round. This was the second time that Murray and Troicki had played, but their two meetings have come in very different settings, as the first came at last season's indoor tournament in St Petersburg. On that occasion in Russia, Murray won in straight sets, allowing the Serbian six games. This time around, in the Florida "swamp", Murray dropped just one. It was the second successive match that Murray's opponent had helped the Briton to victory, as on Monday Nicolas Massu hit four double-faults in a row.
"It was nice to get off the court so quickly," said Murray, who on Thursday has a rematch with Fernando Verdasco, the Spaniard who beat him in the fourth round of this season's Australian Open.
Posted: 01.04.09 09:21. Post subject: почему на офиц. сайт..
почему на офиц. сайте Уим турнира
Murray in a hurry
Wednesday, 1 April, 2009
Andy Murray raced into the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with a 6-1 6-0 trouncing of Victor Troicki.
The British number one did not need to be anywhere near his best against the beleaguered Serbian as he wrapped up victory in less than an hour.
The 21-year-old will now face a rematch with Fernando Verdasco, who upset him in the Australian Open in January.
Murray had started slowly in his second and third-round matches but he sprung out of the traps today, breaking in Troicki's first service game.
Troicki was struggling just to win points and two crunching returns from Murray helped him to a second successive break and a 4-0 lead.
The Scot had two points to wrap up a love set but, to his credit, Troicki came up with some big serves to finally get on the board after 27 minutes.
It was only a temporary reprieve, however, as Murray easily served out the set.
The second set continued in the same vein with Murray again taking full advantage of Troicki's woes to break in the first game.
The Serbian battled hard to try to hold on to his serve but again he was unsuccessful as Murray eased to a 3-0 lead.
Troicki fought back from 0-40 to 30-40 in his next service game but another short second serve was a present for Murray and he duly served out for an easy victory.
Posted: 01.04.09 11:11. Post subject: "Murray in a hur..
"Murray in a hurry" - это вообще не о нём, он, наверное, самый НЕсуетной игрок тура
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Posted: 01.04.09 11:13. Post subject: Miami: Massu reactio..
Miami: Massu reaction 31 March, 2009 | 12:03
Q. What did you make of that?
Well, the end and the start weren't particularly good, but the middle part was very good. So, you know, obviously happy I managed to close the match out in two sets. I lost my concentration towards the end, but I’ll focus on what I did well. Today I hit the ball much better from the baseline than I did in the first match. You know, just make sure that that sort of slip in concentration doesn't happen again.
Q. You said in the past it's just a case of really getting through these earlier rounds and that sometimes it might not be pretty. But if you're in the fourth round, that is what it's all about.
Yeah, I mean, providing you can obviously keep winning and upping your game each time you need to. Obviously I was behind in the match today in the first one, and I found a way to come back and played well when I needed to. You know, obviously everyone would want o play their best all the time, but it's not, you know, always going to be the case. If you watched Nadal's match today he struggled a bit, but he finds a way to get through. He gets himself back in the match. That's what you need to do. Hopefully come the later stages of the tournament you're going to be playing your best.
Q. Did you tailor what you did specifically to him? You didn't seem to give him much pace, for instance.
At the start of the match he was having some huge forehands, and I was directing a bit too many balls sort of towards his backhand. Lost of the Spanish players and Argentinians, they like to hit their forehands from the backhand side of the court. You know, it's a tactic that most guys use on clay. I was giving him that shot a little too often, so I started to play a few more balls into his forehand, and then opened up the rest of court to play to his backhand. Once I got there, I managed to dictate a few more points and play a bit for aggressive when I got the first hit in.
Q. You said you lost concentration at the end. In hindsight, have you any idea why?
It happens sometimes. I mean, I'm sure sometimes when you're sort of writing a story or...you know, your mind drifts a little bit, especially when it's coming -- it was obviously a long way -- the standard of the match had gone down a little bit. His head was down, and I just missed a few shots. Sometimes it happens. It's tough to concentrate all the time, and I lost my concentration.
Q. Can you recall the last time a guy served four successive doubles against you?
No. I didn't even realize he had done.
Q. The three in the 4-All and then the first game of the second set he served a double, as well.
No, probably hasn't happened for a while. You know, occasionally obviously, you know, guys will serve, you know, a whole game of doubles, and it probably happens once or twice a year. Yeah, first time it's happened to me.
Q With both these opponents, did you have the sense that both of them could wobble mentally at certain times of the match, and it was a question of drawing the sting and waiting for them to mentally get a bit shaky?
Well, I mean, they've obviously both -- Monaco, before he got a bad illness last year, you know, was ranked around 40 or 50 in the world and was starting to come back a bit. Obviously it's tough sometimes to close matches out, you know. I think he's a pretty he mentally strong player. Massu, obviously having won Olympics and stuff he can obviously play well in big matches. No, I mean, it's not something that you expect to happen. Sometimes, yeah, guys get a bit nervous towards the end of sets or when you get ahead a little bit, and you just have to make sure that you up your game at that moment. It's not something that you expect to happen. I think if you do that it doesn't -- it's pretty easy to get sort of complacent and get behind.
Q. Obviously in the off-season you did a lot of training and got really fit, and so it Fernando Verdasco. Did you notice anything different about Fernando when you played him earlier this year, or maybe in the few years past? Did he improve any way mentally, physically in your opinion?
Well, I mean, he's a bit more consistent than he used to be. He's always been a dangerous player. If you look at his results against some of the higher-ranked guys, you know, sometimes he could lose comfortably and sometimes he would have some very close matches. You know, when I played him again at the Australian Open, I mean, I didn't play my best match, but he obviously had a great tournament. You know, I think if you have worked very hard physically it improves -- you sort of mentally -- maybe he's feeling like he can stay in the point a bit longer so he doesn't have to go for huge winners like he used to. But his technique and game and stuff hasn't changed a whole lot. I just think he's just more consistent. He was ranked in the top 20 beforehand, so he's obviously still a very good player. He's just upped it one level.
Q. We think you're playing on the grandstand tomorrow against Troicki. I think it's safe to say you've had a couple of indifferent performances out there. Is it much different playing in the boondocks compared to on center?
No, I don't think so. I didn't play particularly well there last year, you But, I mean, the first time I played here I was obviously still very, very young. You know, I think I lost to Ancic last year, and then I can't remember what happened the year -- I think I lost in the semis to Djokovic. So I don't know what the indifferent performance was. Maybe the match last year. I had a match point against Ancic, and he's obviously a tough player, but I don't think that the court should make any difference on the outcome of the match.
Q. You've played Troicki once before?
Yeah.
Q. What do you anticipate the match is going to be like?
Well, he's playing well this week. He obviously had a very good win against Nalbandian. He played well last year I think, as well. Or maybe the year before he had a close match with Roddick. He's quick. He's got a big serve. You know, I'll have to play solid and choose my moments to be aggressive, you know, try and change the pace of the ball. Because if you keep playing the same way against, him he's very solid. I'll have to do that
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Posted: 01.04.09 16:58. Post subject: ПК после матча с Тро..
ПК после матча с Троицким
"I set the tone early" 01 April, 2009 | 09:04
Q. Would you have rather had a really quick one like that than anything else?
Yeah, obviously it was hot today. You know, my first couple of the matches were long, you know, so I have spent quite a decent amount of time on court. Yeah, especially nice when the weather is like this to get in relatively quickly.
Q. You talked about playing well and playing smart. It was just that today, wasn't it? Fifty eight minutes of playing well and playing smart.
Yeah, didn't make a lot of mistakes. High percentage of first serves. Used my slice well. Just kept thinking all the way through the match. Right from the start, to get a break early, kind of set the tone for the rest of the match. He didn't really recover from that.
Q. I think you've got to go back to Hamburg now for the last time that you didn't reach at least the quarters of a Masters Series. Is that consistency the thing that pleases you, the fact that there seems to be no letdowns these days?
Yeah, well, it does happen sometimes. First round match here was tough. In Dubai I had a tough match there against Stakhovsky. You know, was down a set and a break, and could have easily been down a set and a break against Monaco. It can happen. But, yeah, lately I've been finding ways to win when I've not been playing my best. I guess that's all you can do. But like I said, at the end of last year consistency was great, and started this year really great. I need to make sure I keep it going in the next few months.
Q. When your opponent is imploding a little bit, is it difficult to sustain the levels of concentration that you need to do to keep him in that position?
No, I mean, I guess sometimes, you know, like I said yesterday after I played Massu, you lose concentration sometimes. But today I didn't. I didn't give him -- I don't think he had a breakpoint on my serve. I didn't give him any chances. I was up 3-Love and 40-Love and played a couple of sloppy points. I served a double fault, maybe a couple of double faults in this game and gave him a slight chance. But apart from that, I played really solid and didn't give him any opportunities.
Q. When you see somebody getting down on themselves like he was and missing a fair bit, does that alter the way you approach the match? Do you find yourself changing the way you deal with it?
Well, because I feel, you know, the reason he's missing is because where I was hitting the ball isn't -- he's normally very solid from the baseline. I put the ball in position where he obviously didn't like it, and just kept doing that. You know, each time I did it he made more and more errors. By the end of the match, I didn't feel like he believed he could come back.
Q. Is Hawk-Eye sort of so much a part of the game now, do you ever find yourself sort of reaching or asking for it on a court where it isn't available?
Yeah, it's tough I think for the umpires as well it's difficult, because -- and the lines judges. Because when Hawk-Eye is there there's a lot less -- there's no pressure on them really to make calls. Even if they make a mistake, you can always get the right outcome with Hawk-Eye; whereas when you play on the outside. courts -- I've seen a few matches on the TV this week on that court, and guys have been getting pretty disappointed with some of the calling. It's just, you know, the umpires and lines judges are not maybe as sharp as they used to be because they have Hawk-Eye most weeks now. But I don't think they're ever going to have Hawk-Eye on all the courts.
Q. Do you feel they're so integrated you find yourself going for it when it's not there?
No.
Q. Why do you think guys are so poor in their success rate?
I think if you give a guy one challenge a set and, you know, their life depended on it, I think they would be very good at the calls a lot of times. They don't challenge thinking the ball is definitely in. I mean, a lot of times at the end of sets or in tiebreaks guys will challenge balls that they normally wouldn't do. It happens a lot in set points, match points, and what have you. I think if the players, you know, had one challenge a set or whatever, I think they would be very good.
Q. For quarterfinals, which player you prefer, Verdasco or Stepanek?
Both have started this year very well. Verdasco obviously played well in the Australian Open (сказал бы - знаю по собственному опыту , видимо, не любит вспоминать тот матч). And Stepanek, I think he's won a couple tournaments maybe already this year. So either is going to be difficult. I don't mind.
Q. Laura Robson today has become World Junior Girl's No. 1. Probably not someone you see an awful lot of, but...
I see her a fair amount.
Q. Oh, okay. Even better then. How good an effort is that at 15? Does it kind of excite you that there's another British player possibly on the way up?
I saw her play, and I watched her on the interactive channels on BBC when she was in like the quarters of the juniors at Wimbledon. I think she's very good. I think she will for sure get into the top 50. But, you know, after that, you know, you don't know. Anything can happen. I know she's had a few problems here and there with injuries because she's been growing a lot, which is normal around that age. But, I mean, she's going to be good. It's just you can never say how good someone is going to be. To be No. 1 in the world I think, yeah, it's an awesome achievement. You know, definitely for sure in the guys if you get to No. 1 in the world in the juniors you're going to be a top player pretty much. And the girls, if you do it when you're 18 it's not quite the same. She's doing it so young it shows she's going to be good.
Q. Do you mind being on an outside court like that?
Not at all. Doesn't -- Neil was saying yesterday I don't play well on that court. I think my performance today showed that I don't mind playing on the outside courts that much (smiling.)
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Posted: 01.04.09 17:07. Post subject: From The Times April..
From The Times April 1, 2009
Andy Murray barely breaks sweat in display of dominance
Neil Harman, Tennis Correspondent, in Key Biscayne, Florida
When a professional player makes only five first serves in one set, the chances are that his opponent is not going to have to work too hard to earn his corn. Thus, a mortified Viktor Troicki’s 58-minute defeat by Andy Murray in the Sony Ericsson Open yesterday ranked as one of those days when he should have rolled over and pulled the covers up. Actually, he did roll over, but in the sporting sense.
Murray was in a hurry. Strengthened, clearly, by his opponent’s inadequacies, the British No 1 played composed, thoughtful tennis on the stickiest day he has experienced since the temperatures soared at the Australian Open two months ago. He wasted little time and expended limited energy in reaching his seventh quarter-final in succession at these Masters-level tournaments. And does not 6-1, 6-0 look impressive in the record books?
Troicki had said before the match that he believed it was only in the head that he felt short of breaching the top-30 barrier — he is No 41. There is a lot more to it than that if the manner of his liquefaction on the Grandstand Court was anything to go by. “All it takes is one,” shouted a supportive voice when the 23-year-old broke his game duck. “All you’ll get is one,” would have been closer to the truth.
If Murray’s first two matches in this tournament were not his finest, he could do nothing wrong at the third time of asking. He yanked Troicki around, rarely playing two shots the same, slicing and sweeping his strokes deep into the corners where the Serb’s defence melted away.
Murray is into the last eight, where he meets Fernando Verdasco, the Spaniard who dispatched him in the fourth round at the Australian Open in Melbourne, but he was a sickly lad that day. Not so now. “Today I kept thinking all through the match and once I set the tone, he didn’t recover,” Murray said.
As things stand, he will have to win this title to knock Novak Djokovic from his world No 3 perch, although Djokovic has not beaten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, of France, his quarter-final opponent, in their past four matches and is evidently not at ease after his sudden switch of racket in the winter.
The Serb is fighting himself as hard as he is having to fight any opponent. Troicki knows how his compatriot feels.
Posted: 01.04.09 17:21. Post subject: March 31, 2009 - Mur..
March 31, 2009 - Murray has the game, but he doesn't have the wardrobe
By Charles Bricker
You wouldn’t call Andy Murray a fashion plate. Not with those boring white Fred Perry clothes, the black shoes and that baseball cap with the Velcro flap sticking out in the back like a small flag waving in the breeze.
Tacky, tacky, tacky.
But, never mind. It’s about his tennis, isn’t it, and he has such a beautiful throwback game that I imagine Kenny Rosewall watching Tuesday’s 58-minute fox trot past the befuddled Victor Troicki and thinking, "Ah, my kind of lad."
Throwback tennis it is. The only time you get any consistent battering of the ball from Murray is on his first serve. He’s pushed the pace up past 130 mph with some regularity, and that’s allowed him to get more "free points." But his stock in trade in the ground stroke rallies is still attrition. He wears you down. He doesn’t roll up massive numbers of winners. He makes opponents roll up massive numbers of forced errors.
This 6-1, 6-0 win over Troicki at the Sony Ericsson Open was classic Murray – 11 winners and 10 unforced errors, and just one unforced error in the second set. He is sublimely comfortable at the baseline taking any ball, and especially the deep balls, and redirecting them back.
A word on those deep balls . . . it’s called "defending the baseline."=2 0You’re standing a few inches, maybe as much as a foot behind the baseline and the heavy topspin grinds into the hardcourt right on the line or just in front of it. It’s one of the toughest shots to parry, but Murray does it nearly as well as Andre Agassi, who was the gold standard for defending the baseline.
It’s not that he doesn’t possess a more aggressive game. He will step inside the baseline and take second serves on the rise and take a rip, as he did in plastering a backhand return for a winner to move out to a 3-0 double-break lead in the second set Tuesday. Or he’ll surprise you with a chip-and-charge off a second serve, as he did at 30-all in the opening game of the second set. Troicki looked flustered as Murray easily volleyed away his Serbian opponent’s retrieval.
Looking at Murray from a distance, he doesn’t strike you as being brilliantly athletic. He doesn’t have the flashy kit that makes him look like a great athlete. He’s long and slender. He’s more quick than fast. But he has great balance and great instincts for where the ball is headed. As a result, you don’t nick him for a lot of winners.
And that ability to just stay out there and keep stroking back deep .. . . I think this is one of the reasons he’s gotten on top of Roger Federer.
I’ve long had a theory about Federer – that during his run at the top of the game he got into a mental place where he assumed he would be in complete command of the point after the sixth or seventh stroke. Murray, and Rafa Nadal, have taken that mentality away from him and I think it shakes Federer to a certain degree.
How good is Murray going to be? We’re still not quite certain. His commitment, I believe, is very strong, but there are still those lack-of-concentration spells. He had one against Nicolas Massu in the third round. I want to see him get to a point where he puts together high-concentration performances five or six times in a row.
He’s had a cozy draw at Key Biscayne – Juan Monaco, Massu and Troicki, but now faces the winner of Radek Stepanek vs. Fernando Verdasco.
He reaches the quarters with a 23-2 record for 2009 and, while he’s officially ranked No. 4, I think there’s an argument to be made that Nadal and Murray are, in reality, the first and second best players in the world right now.
But we’ll see. There are five more days to go at Key Biscayne and Murray has some hard work ahead. Just keep playing the way you’re playing, lad. And, for God’s sake, put some color into your clothes чего прицепился, нормальная форма у Энди Get those Scottish wrist bands (you know, the blue with the white diagonal crosses) out of storage and start wearing them again .
Posted: 01.04.09 17:39. Post subject: Get those Scottish w..
Get those Scottish wrist bands (you know, the blue with the white diagonal crosses) out of storage and start wearing them again видимо, о такой форме ностальгирует аффтар Charles Bricker
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Posted: 03.04.09 12:13. Post subject: Andy Murray breezes ..
Andy Murray breezes past Fernando Verdasco as Rafael Nadal slips up• Murray drops only three games against Verdasco • British No1 will meet Del Potro in semi-finals Digg it Richard Jago guardian.co.uk, Friday 3 April 2009 02.38 BST Article history
Andy Murray's chances of becoming the highest-ranked British player since ATP rankings began 36 years ago took a significant leap as he avenged himself upon Fernando Verdasco to reach the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open.
Murray has to win the tournament to have a chance of climbing above Novak Djokovic into third place, but he was helped that his relatively comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory today was preceded by a startling defeat for Rafael Nadal, whom the Scot had been seeded to meet in the semi-final. It was as if the opportunity created by the removal of the world No1 had concentrated Murray's mind.
He made a flying start for the second match a row, and in the interlude between sets, when Verdasco left the court to take a toilet break, Murray sat casually back in his chair murmuring along with the Coldplay tune Viva la Vida which was playing over the stadium's loudspeaker. By then, only 33 minutes into the contest, Murray was already in control against the man who had beaten him in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, brilliantly containing any of Verdasco's big boomers and counter-attacking waspishly. "It was very good," said Murray. "I started very well and I saw him get frustrated early in the match and I stayed on top of him."
It was the second match in succession that Murray had made a rocket-launch start. Having taken the first five games in his victory over Viktor Troicki, he won the first four today, greatly enhancing his rhythm, confidence and self-belief. He closed out his opening service game with an ace; his first break came with four brilliant retrieves that frustrated Verdasco into error, and his second break came with a return of serve that hurtled back so fast that Verdasco did not have time to prepare for his follow-up ground stroke. And so, despite the interlude with which Verdasco sought to change the momentum, it continued.
At 3-0 the emotion of the match changed, Verdasco revealing his irritation by swinging round violently when he failed to get a first serve in, and then not trying for the ball when Murray again clouted the second serve back hard. "Everything I played was solid," said Murray."I returned well. I took my chances in the second set, and I put the ball in difficult places for him. I used my head."
The Spaniard, who clinched the Davis Cup for his country two months ago, was now making too many errors to get back into the match, and although he had the trainer on to give treatment to his right leg, Murray was not distracted. The contest ended almost anti-climactically as Murray closed out his final service game as casually as if he might start humming another tune. He has now won 24 of his past 28 games.
In Nadal's match earlier, the world's most energetic player suffered a rare and dramatic physical decline as he slid to a startling three-hour defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro. Nadal led 3-0 and by two breaks of serve in the final set against the 20-year-old world No7 from Argentina and yet faded completely away by the end of a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) loss.
In the later stages, amazingly, Nadal was doing little more than put the ball back and ended at the mercy of his hard-hitting opponent, who, but for his tension, might have won more quickly. At the fourth attempt however he closed out his first win against Nadal to earn a meeting with Murray. The Scot has won both their previous encounters.
The other semi-final will be between Djokovic, who was taken to the doctor feeling unwell after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday, and Roger Federer, who admitted that his loss to Nadal in the Wimbledon final had been a long-term hurt to him that may have affected his form. However this seemed nothing to the emotional damage from which Roddick appeared to be suffering during his 17th loss in 19 matches to the holder of 13 Grand Slam titles. After a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 defeat, Roddick had a fit of rage in the tunnel leading out of the stadium, emptied the contents of his bag on the floor and smashed what looked like every single racket one after the other upon the concrete.
Posted: 03.04.09 19:36. Post subject: ПК Miami: Verdasco ..
ПК Miami: Verdasco reaction 03 April, 2009 | 11:04
Q. Pretty good. You happy with that?
Yeah, it was very good. Started off well. I saw him get a bit frustrated early in the match. I stayed on top of him throughout. Didn't give him too many chances. There was a big game early in the second set when I was down Love-40 on my serve. Once I won that, I felt very comfortable.
Q. What were you most pleased about in your game?
Well, just everything. I played solid. I returned well. Took some chances on his second serve; put the ball in tough places for him and used my head. It wasn't one thing in particular. I just did a lot of things well tonight.
Q. How good does it make you feel to have those two quick matches one after another given all the physical demands of these back-to-back championships?
Yeah, it's tough. Mentally it's difficult. You're away for a long time. Physically I'm still sort of getting back to sort of peak fitness. It's been sort of a blessing in some ways, I guess, I played every single match right in the heat of the day at Indian Wells and here. Tonight was the first time I played out of the heat and, it obviously very, very comfortable. When you play every match during the day, you know, in this stretch as well, it's tough to keep coming out day after day and fighting. Tonight was nice to have that change, and tomorrow I get the same thing.
Q. Is it hard to sort of keep your focus mentally when a guy takes such a long break between sets?
I don't know. I mean, sometimes it happens. Guys - especially in slams and stuff - guys go in for toilet breaks and stuff, and it does take sort of three, four minutes. The thing that's tough is if you don't -- when it is a physical timeout, you don't know, if it's bad, how it is. You need to just make sure you keep playing your game. If a guy just goes in for a toilet break it's not too bad. But it's when they go for sort of injury timeouts and you don't know exactly what they're having done, how bad it is, and how they're going to feel when they come back out. Luckily I got a break early, and managed to stay ahead of him.
Q. It was noted actually that you seemed to be humming along with the tune they were playing on the system. So you were very relaxed.
Yeah, I felt good today. It was something that -- I think I play better when I'm in that sort of frame of mind. Yeah, one of my favorite songs just now, so...
Q. Del Potro is obviously on a high after beating Nadal. He was out there for three hours. Do you think that balances it?
I think you never know how guys are going pull up the next day. I mean, you take someone like Nadal and the Australian Open. Everyone thought he was going to be tired for the final if it went a long match, and he was fine. Del Potro, I don't know, I'm sure he's in good physical shape. But it was a pretty brutal match today and a lot of long points. Both guys did a lot of running. Obviously better for me the longer the match went. Mine was a quick one, so in that respect that's obviously an advantage to me. But he's obviously still going to be very dangerous.
Q. When you play a guy of his kind of physique, is it a lot about trying to, as you say, put the ball in the most difficult place for him?
Yeah, I mean, for someone his height, he's very completely different to how most guys his height play. He plays from the baseline, very solid groundstrokes, and moves well for his height. Most guys that are that big, your Isners and Karlovic and these sort of guys, Mirnyi, they play serve, volley and try to come to the net and serve a lot of aces; whereas Del Potro is not really like that. So there's going to be a lot of rallies from the baseline. I'll just try and do what I've been doing the last few matches: use my slice and play aggressive when I need to and try and serve well. If I do that, it's going to be a tough match.
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Posted: 04.04.09 09:31. Post subject: Brilliant Murray int..
Brilliant Murray into Miami final By Piers Newbery
Andy Murray produced a sensational display as he beat Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro to reach the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
The Briton sealed a 6-1 5-7 6-2 victory and will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final, after the Serb earlier beat Roger Federer 3-6 6-2 6-3.
An angry Federer smashed his racquet as the match slipped away.
Djokovic's win means that Murray cannot overtake him as the world number three in next week's rankings.
But the Scot will take great confidence from another fine performance as he saw off Del Potro in front of a partisan crowd in Friday's evening session.
The Scot, 21, had won both his previous matches against Del Potro and started magnificently, while his opponent appeared to be suffering from a draining semi-final win over top seed Rafael Nadal.
Murray had made swift progress into the last four and looked razor sharp, breaking twice as he raced into a 5-0 lead and quickly took the set.
It was as much a lack of concentration from Murray as anything Del Potro did that saw the Briton drop serve early in the second, having led 40-0, but Murray got the break back straight away and looked on course for the win.
But the longer Del Potro, 20, stayed on serve the more his confidence grew, and he levelled the match with a superb game at 6-5 to send the crowd wild.
The momentum appeared to be with the seventh seed going into the decider as he saved an early break point but Murray remained impressively focused and got the break in game five.
With another break point pending at 4-2, Murray had to wait while Del Potro went to his chair for treatment to his leg, but the British number one converted his second chance of the game and served out the match comfortably.
"There were a lot of highs in the game. I think I only played one or two bad games," Murray said afterwards.
"The first set was perfect. I can only hope in the future I can play close to that level.
"In the first set I mixed it up a bit and kept him moving around. I knew he would be tired after the Nadal game so that's what I tried to do."
Second seed Federer was trying to win his first title at the elite Masters 1000 level since Cincinnati in August, 2007, and the Swiss began Friday's first semi-final well in blustery conditions.
With his forehand impressive, Federer broke the Djokovic serve in games four and six, but the warning signs were there as he handed one of the breaks back before steadying himself to serve out.
From the start of second set, the 13-time Grand Slam winner's form slumped alarmingly. Djokovic broke for 2-0 and Federer missed with a makeable forehand at break point in the following game.
A Djokovic double-fault in game five then returned the break before Federer recovered from 0-40 in the next game, only to drop serve anyway, and the forlorn-looking second seed rounded off the set with successive double-faults.
His number of unforced errors in the second set stood at 17 - but the deciding set was simply a nightmare for the 2005 and 2006 champion.
A routine backhand volley into the tram lines was followed by three more unforced errors as Federer handed Djokovic the advantage in game two of the decider, and a forehand into the net prompted the usually calm Swiss to smash his racquet in frustration.
Djokovic had been far from at his best in the testing conditions, and a couple of double-faults at 4-0 gave Federer a sliver of hope.
But the Serb remained solid enough to serve out the victory and prolong Federer's wait for another Masters title.
"The key was the patience - something I didn't have in the first set," said Djokovic.
"The conditions were quite difficult. It was a nice breeze on a hot day for people in the stands, but for us players it wasn't easy. That's why there were much more unforced errors than winners."
Of his racquet smashing, Federer said: "I didn't lose it. I was just frustrated. Just because I smashed the racquet doesn't mean I lose it. Didn't feel great, it's just a natural thing I did."
He added: "Once one guy gets the upper hand, the other guy is a bit uncertain. It's tough but he struggled big time in the first set.
"I finished worse than him. He played so bad in the first set, I had a great effort by finishing even worse than him.
"You try hard and then it's just not working. Today it is different just because there's so much wind as well. Once you start feeling bad, it's kind of tough to regroup."
Posted: 04.04.09 17:54. Post subject: Miami: Del Pot react..
Miami: Del Pot reaction 04 April, 2009 | 14:04
Q. What gave you most satisfaction about coming through this evening?
I had to fight hard in the end. I played a great first set. I'm sure it's easy to say that I dropped my level a little bit, but I was playing great tennis in the first set. The guy served like 80% first serves in the second set and served big. It wasn't like he was just rolling them in. He was serving like 125, 130 and made it tough for me. I did play one bad game from 40-Love up on my serve. Apart from that, it wasn't like I was making a lot mistakes or missing balls that I shouldn't have been. He served really well in that set and put pressure on my service games. In the third I managed to fight back and played well again.
Q. In the first set I think he won 14 points in the whole set. How does that set rank in terms of the best set you ever played?
It was very good. I played a lot of good sets before. It's just whether you can sort of manage to do it for the whole match. Today I didn't necessarily play that level the whole way through. Like I said, I managed to come through in the end. But, no, it was up there. I played very well and made him do a lot of moving and changed the pace of the ball. Didn't go for huge serves, just served smart. No, it was very good.
Q. Was it your mindset that he had played three hours in his previous encounter and it might work in your favor?
No, I mean, obviously he was going to be a bit tired at the end of the match. I think the difference between playing three sets and five is that if you're behind - like in the second set he played a few good games and got a bit of momentum and was always ahead and served well. You can always sort of see the finish line kind of. Whereas in a five-set match it's tough to sort of keep coming back and fighting when you know you're going to be on the court for at least another two and a half, three hours. So he obviously gave it a good go. Just at the end, I don't know if it was physical thing why, you know, he started to miss balls at the end or not. But I'm very happy with the way I played. So whether he's tired or not doesn't really bother me.
Q. Have you ever felt this good going nto a Masters final?
Well, I mean, in Madrid I felt good. I think each time you get to the final, you know, of a big tournament you're going to be feeling pretty good about your game. The one thing that is tricky here and obviously last week, with Rafa was playing well going in and had some very nasty conditions to deal with. I struggled with my game. Here it can be very windy as well. It will be right in the heat of day so it's going to be physically challenging. There's a lot of things you have to contend with. I'm feeling good and I'm hitting the ball well, and I'll try and do the same thing in the final.
Q. How did you feel regarding the crowd? They were sometimes against you.
No. He had great support in his match with Rafa yesterday, and tonight as well. But it's sort of more like a Davis Cup atmosphere. Yeah, they got behind him. But I felt like I dealt with it very well. Got me a little bit more fired up when they booed when the Scottish flag came on the big screen. I thought it was a good atmosphere. It wasn't too bad. The Argentines love their tennis, and there's a reason why it's so tough to play against in Argentina. The crowd really helped them out, and they did the same tonight.
Q. You've beaten Djokovic in the past. Do you think you have an edge over him in the final?
No, I think if both of us play well, it'll be a great match. I'm sure he feels the same way. I know I'll have to play well if I want to beat him. The last couple of times I played I sort of figured out a way to play against him; whereas before I struggled a little bit. I feel confident, and I've had a really good run so far this year. Not going to put any extra pressure on myself for the match tomorrow, or Sunday. It's going to be a good match.
Q. Could you just take us through what you were thinking when he took his breather, so to speak, on the third breakpoint? You were in a great position to win the match, and he bends low for a volley and walks off and has treatment and you've got to wait until he comes back on. Do you think's slightly against the spirit in which the game should be played?
Well, I mean, the tough thing is, yeah, he could be badly hurt. So you have to obviously look at the player's health. What obviously you don't want is if the players are sort of using the medical timeouts and toilet breaks to disrupt the rhythm of the opponents. That's obviously not -- it's pretty unsporting if you're doing that. But if guys are hurt, they're more than entitled to take the injury timeout. I understand obviously that the physios have to come out and assess the situation and know what the problem is and whatnot. But it was probably a good -- by the time that point had finished, before he actually hit the next ball it's going to be six, seven minutes. It's a long break. I think they could maybe speed that up a little bit and reduce the time that the physios are allowed. You have to look for the player's health first. Sometimes guys, yeah, might exploit it a little bit and use the rule to their advantage. But, you know, I'm not the one to answer that. You know, Juan will, I guess, tell you the truth.
Q. What other sport can you stop it at such a really crucial juncture like that and have a seven-minute timeout for what looked like a rub, basically, on his thigh?
That's obviously the thing that is tough. I mean, you can't. I guess in football guys would get substituted if they have a problem at the end of the game. They're taken off with obviously one-on-one sport. They have to stop the play. I mean, I'm all for, you know, saying guys, unless there's some sort of taping required or whatever, that you shouldn't really be allowed to sort of stop and just have a massage, because I don't think that's making a huge -- doesn't make a huge difference in two minutes. A massage on your groin or whatever is not going to cure it. If there is a problem, it's not going to cure it.
Q. Were you really pleased with how well you coped with that situation and served out so well for the match?
Yeah, when I broke him I played quickly. I knew that he was taking a long time in between points. I don't know if he was trying to slow the pace down or if he was a bit tired and trying to make sure he was feeling good going into each point. I served well at the end of the match. I played aggressive. My service games - didn't give him any chances when I got ahead in the third.
Q. Did you watch any of the Federer/Djokovic match?
Yeah, I watched it on the TV.
Q. Did you have a wish for an outcome?
No. Obviously both are great players. Wasn't the best of matches. I'm sure Roger and Novak will tell you the same thing. But the conditions are tough, I'm sure. People watching me in Indian Wells in the final last week wouldn't have thought I was a particularly good player. Sometimes the conditions are very tricky. Federer made a lot of mistakes in the second and third sets. Really lost his rhythm. Sometimes that happens in the wind. But, I mean, after the first set I thought Federer was going to go and win it.
Q. Did it give you any insight on how Djokovic might play on Sunday?
No. I think one of the things that -- you know, obviously you can watch matches to sort of see what guys, what sort of patterns they play or what they like to do on big points and whatnot. They're going to change the game depending on who they're playing against. There's not one way of playing tennis. Every guy has his strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure he'll try and change the way that he played today against me. I'll play probably differently than Federer played today.
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Posted: 04.04.09 18:31. Post subject: Andy Murray to face ..
Andy Murray to face Novak Djokovic in Miami Masters final What Rafael Nadal had been unable to do in the quarter-finals, Andy Murray achieved in the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open, turning a lead of two service breaks in a deciding set into a three-set victory over Juan Martin del Potro, the dangerous 6ft 6in player from Argentina.
By Mark Hodgkinson Last Updated: 9:02AM BST 04 Apr 2009
Murray will play Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, for the title on Sunday.
Murray cannot become Britain's first ever world No 3 here, as Djokovic is already guaranteed to keep that ranking by reaching the final with his defeat of the racket-trashing Roger Federer.
Del Potro came back from two breaks down in the final set against Nadal, but there was not to be a second successive comeback by the 20-year-old from Tandil, who will break into the top five for the first time on Monday morning.
Murray made sure of that by playing some composed, controlled and gloriously effective tennis, with his 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory putting him into his second successive Masters final, having finished as the runner-up to Nadal at the Indian Wells event in California.
For someone of his height, Del Potro is a good mover around a tennis court. The South American also knows how to hit a forehand, as he showed in the opening game of the semi-final when he smacked one through the court for a fine winner.
Even so, it was Murray who achieved the first break of serve, striking in the second game when he hit the ball deep enough to force an error from Del Potro's strings.
Some scrambling retrievals from Murray in the fourth game, when he twice somehow kept the rally going, brought him another break, and he was 4-0 up.
Murray's defence appeared to be driving Del Potro mad, especially his lobs. Murray ended up taking the set 6-1.
If you also included his fourth-round match against Serbia's Viktor Troicki, and his quarter-final with Spain's Fernando Verdasco, Murray had been on a run of winning 30 games from 35. Murray could hardly have played a better first set.
However, Murray was broken in the second game of the second set when, having been 40-0 up, he then found himself at deuce and hit a couple of double-faults.
For the large numbers of South Americans in the stadium, there was suddenly something worth getting excited about.
Del Potro, though, double-faulted in the next game to give Murray a breakpoint, which the Scot converted.
They were back on serve again. Murray lost his delivery again, and so the set, when at 5-6, 0-40, he mistimed a forehand wide of the court.
Going into the third set, Del Potro was timing the ball very nicely on both wings, and he appeared to have the momentum.
The first break of the decider went Murray's way, putting him 3-2 up.
In the seventh game, Del Potro was breakpoint down on his serve when he broke off, walked over to his chair, called the trainer on court and took a medical timeout to have his cramping legs massaged.
While that was within the rules, it hardly appeared to have been that sporting for Del Porto to have taken the timeout when he did.
In all, Del Potro held play up for five minutes. For much of that interval, Murray skulked around at the back of the court, anxious to get started again.
Back hitting tennis balls again, Del Potro saved that breakpoint, but Murray had another and converted it to go 5-2 up. Murray had the double break. Unlike Nadal, Murray was able to beat Del Potro from there.
Posted: 04.04.09 18:33. Post subject: Murray reaches Sony ..
Murray reaches Sony Ericsson Open final after hard-fought victory over Del Potro By Mike Dickson in Florida Last updated at 2:53 AM on 04th April 2009 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Andy Murray defied a partisan crowd and spirited fightback from tennis's up and coming man this morning to reach the final of the Sony Ericsson Open. The British number one is through to his second Masters series final in two weeks after overcoming giant Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1 5-7 6-2 colossal performance in front of a packed Crandon Park saw him come through at the end and give himself the chance of re-emphasising that he belongs in the world's top three. Tomorrow he will meet the man one above him in the rankings, Novak Djokovic, who earlier knocked out a racket-hurling Roger Federer. Apart from brilliant returning of serve and execution of tactics, Murray also survived a shocking use of ATP Tour rules by Del Potro as he attempted to close down the match.
Posted: 05.04.09 09:07. Post subject: PREVIEW: Murray aims..
PREVIEW: Murray aims to keep his Masters level top against Djokovic
Miami - Andy Murray brings an awesome recent record in Masters 1000 events into his Sunday title clash with Novak Djokovic for the Miami crown. The Scot number 4 has played for the trophy in four of his last appearances at this elite level, winning Cincinnati and Madrid (back-to-back) and reaching the Indian Wells final a fortnight ago against Rafael Nadal.
"Each time you get to the final of a big tournament you are going to be feeling pretty good about your game," said the 21-year-old, who owns a 2-4 deficit in his career series with fellow 21-year-old Djokovic, ranked one spot higher.
"The conditions here can be tricky.
"Here it can be very windy as well. It will be right in the heat of the day so it's going to be physically challenging. There's a lot of things you have to contend with.
"I'm feeling good and I'm hitting the ball well, and I'll try and do the same thing in the final."
Murray is the first British player to ever get this far in Miami, while Djokovic, who knocked out Roger Federer in the semis, is bidding to back up his 2007 honours at Crandon Park.
Murray has won the second-most matches on the ATP this season, 25 against 26 for Andy Roddick. The Scot has suffered just two defeats while winning titles in Doha and Rotterdam.
And Murray is confident that he now has the game to start turning it around against Djokovic. "If both of us play well, it'll be a great match. I'm sure he feels the same way. I'll have to play well if I want to beat him.
"The last couple of times I played I figured out a way to play against him; whereas before I struggled a little bit. I feel confident, and I have had a really good run so far this year. But I don't want to put any extra pressure on myself."
While he leads in the overall table, Djokovic has dropped his last two meeting against Murray, both at Masters in Canada and Cincinnati last summer.
"I lost the last two times,but they were close matches," said the Serb. "But he has drastically improved in the last year or so.
"But it's a final and everybody has a lot of motivation to win. It's a big event and it's really unpredictable."
Djokovic stand 12-6 in career title matches while Murray is right behind on 10-6.
But the confidence cannot be missed in Djokovic's current tone: "I'm playing on a much higher level these days and I'm playing with more confidence and self belief.
"Hopefully I can continue that in the upcoming match."
Andy Murray’s rich vein of form continued when the British No1 outclassed Novak Djokovic to win the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, his third Masters event title and third tournament victory of 2009.
Murray added the victory in Florida to those in Doha, where he beat Andy Roddick, and Rotterdam, where he came out on top against Rafael Nadal.
In fact, he has won 26 of 28 singles matches this year, losing only to Nadal, the world No1, in the final at Indian Wells, and, the only real blot on his copy-book, to Fernando Verdasco, the Spaniard, in the last 16 of the Australian Open.
Murray may have been thought of at one stage early in his career as “that surly Scot” [or am I in a minority of one here], but he has won over his critics over the past year with his increasingly mesmeric performances.
Now hot on the heels of Djokovic, the world No3, in possession of a well-rounded game that must be the envy of many of his peers, only one thing is missing from the Murray resume: a grand slam.
Rafael Nadal is pretty much unbeatable on clay, so Roland Garros is out of the question, but Wimbledon is no longer the staple of the big serve-and-volley players and he must be among the favourites for the US Open, where he came so close last year.
What do you think of Murray? Is this the year he becomes the first Briton (apologies to our Scottish readers) since Fred Perry claimed the US Open in 1936?
MY RESPONSE Well I never thought of him as “that surly Scot” and why the apology to Scottish readers? Is it for the cheeky “surly Scot” remark OR is it because you think we Scots don’t think of ourselves as British. I’m a Scot and yes I think of myself as Scottish first but I’m also proud to be British. I for one will be very proud the day Andy wins his first major wearing the clothes of the great Fred Perry. It will be a great day for British tennis and yes I do think we Scots will feel an extra sense of pride.
I think Rafael Nadal will win the French Open again. I honestly can’t see that not happening BUT I would not be completely surprised if Andy won Wimbledon. His best chance is still the US Open though.
Andy is an amazing talent and I’m sure he will win a major – hopefully quite a few.
три темы в посл. время - выиграет ли БШ Рафа, первый шлем Энди и что далее с Роджером???
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Posted: 06.04.09 10:46. Post subject: Murray thrilled with..
Murray thrilled with run of form
Andy Murray heads into the clay-court season in confident mood after a superb run on US hard courts that culminated with victory in Miami on Sunday.
The Briton, 21, beat Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-5 to win his third Masters title, and it followed a run to the final at the Indian Wells Masters two weeks earlier.
"It's been a really good month for me," the Scot told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I wasn't feel great going into Indian Wells and I didn't have such high expectations."
Murray has also won tournaments in Dubai and Rotterdam this year and is the only player to have won three times in 2009, taking his career total to 11 ATP titles.
He had arrived in the US last month on the back of pulling out of Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Ukraine because of a virus.
Murray was still feeling the effects when he began his campaign in Indian Wells but believes the lower expectations might have helped him.
"It's kind of worked for me in a lot ways," he said.
"I've been more relaxed on the court and my performances have been very good. I got a lot of matches to get my fitness back and hopefully be feeling good going into the clay-court season."
Murray went close to overhauling Djokovic for the world number three ranking in Miami and is likely to do so in the forthcoming clay-court stretch.
The Serb has a lot of ranking points to defend from last year, having won in Rome and reached the last four in Monte Carlo, Hamburg and the French Open.
Murray, in contrast, did not make it past the last 16 in any of those events and will hope to do considerably better this year.
"I'm just excited to try and improve on that surface because I think I can play very well on it, I just haven't the last couple of years, and I'll work hard in the next week or so to get ready for Monte Carlo," he said.
"I'd like to do better than I did last year and try and make a quarter-final of one of the tournaments, and take it from there."
Such is the Briton's form, only twice since Wimbledon - at the Olympics and Australian Open - has he failed to make at least the quarter-finals of an event.
His 57-7 match record since losing to Rafael Nadal at the All England Club is the best of any player for that period, with the Spaniard on 50-7 .
"I'm finding ways to come through matches at the start of tournaments when I haven't been playing my best," said Murray.
"I've started to play better and better as the weeks have gone on and just played my best tennis when I needed to, right at the end.
"Before it wasn't necessarily like that and I've got used to going deep into tournaments and having that sort of expectation.
"I've just got to try and keep it going in the clay-court stretch because it's been a great start to the year and I'd love to try and keep it going into Wimbledon."
Murray was almost on home ground in Miami as he owns an apartment there, and carried out his gruelling winter training programme nearby.
"We put in a lot of hard work the last year-and-a-half and it's paid off a lot," he said.
"I had reserves, physically, that I didn't know I had before and in these kinds of conditions, this is the reason why you put the hard work in.
"So when you play the big matches in this weather you can find ways to get through even when it is tough, and it was so humid out there."
Posted: 06.04.09 14:18. Post subject: ПК послефинальное M..
ПК послефинальное
Miami: Final reaction 05 April, 2009 | 23:04
Q. At 2-5, you seemed physically to pep up suddenly, and then you ran through it. What was happening there? You seemed a little lethargic before that?
No, I mean, sometimes in matches like that it's tough.I was obviously -- I played a very good first set. Novak called the trainer after I broke him in the first game. Had a little break, and, you know, then he started to come to the net on 60, 70% of the points. I started miss-hitting some balls and lost my rhythm for a little while. But I obviously managed to find it when it was important at the end of that set.
Q. You've won what people sometimes call the fifth Grand Slam. Is this the most satisfying moment that you've had so far? Secondly, does it give you a better chance of winning one of the four real Grand Slams?
I think any time you win a tournament, obviously it gives you confidence. The Masters Series have always been -- after the slams, they're tough tournaments to win. Roger has won -- there's obviously a lot more Masters Series. I think he's won 14 -- he's won 13 slams. They're not the easiest tournaments to win. I think the win in Cincinnati, I mean, your first tour title is huge, then first Masters Series. This one still obviously means a lot. It's just a bit different than Cincinnati. But, I guess like all of your wins, it contributes to your confidence going into the slams.
Q. How much do you feel your improvement is due to your improved fitness? And can you describe some of the fitness regimens you did at the University of Miami in the summer?
I think it was end of 2007 when I started basically traveling with a fitness trainer. I spent my off-season here and trained, yeah, at the university. I traveled all last year with a fitness trainer. It just makes a big difference. I think every week, when you're traveling on your own, you can sort of go in the gym, but you don't really know the right things to do two, three days before a match. Should you be lifting weights? Should you be on the treadmill? Should you be doing speed work and whatnot? It's just given me sort of, I don't know, a bit more of a routine. I know the stuff I'm going to be doing, and that I've worked very hard on everything. I got stronger, and I put on some muscle. I did a lot of running on the track, which I had never done before. Just gives you more confidence going into the matches knowing you're in good shape.
Q. Can you talk about during the match, how do you feel the difference doing all that training?
Yeah, I think just mentally it makes a difference. Even if you're struggling, you know your opponent is going to be feeling the same, as well. Whereas before, sometimes you could get tired and look over at the other side and the opponent seems fine. A match like today, there's obviously points -- I mean, it was hot out there. A few long rallies and stuff I would be a little bit out of breath. I could look down the court and see him struggling, as well.
Q. Do the players know that Novak seems to have this problem over and over again? Do you feel like if you get him to that certain point that you got him?
I don't know. I think it's obviously -- he struggled with it a bit more this year than I think he has in the past. I've seen him play matches at the US Open that have been four or five hours that he managed to come through in those conditions. Yeah, he's been struggling with it this year, but he's obviously a great player. You need to get him to that point where he feels like it's very tough and the points are long. You know, that's not an easy thing to do. You know, if you look at the guys he's beaten this week, some really tough players. It's tough to do that to him.
Q. Considering you didn't know when you arrived in America how you were going to be physically and therefore how that would translate onto the court, how satisfying is it to have got to two Masters finals, and the only player that's beaten you is the world No. 1?
That’s just something that -- you know, my fitness that I did in the off-season and last year have obviously paid off. I spent a good part of a week in bed and didn't do anything for ten, eleven days before I came over to Indian Wells. I was expecting to feel very rough, which I didn't feel great the first few practices, but my fitness came back much quicker than I expected and much faster than it had done in the past when I had sort of, well, a decent period of break. So obviously to win a Masters Series and make a final beating Federer, Del Potro, Verdasco, and Djokovic, it's four wins against top 10 players. It's been a great month for me.
Q. Now the clay season is starting. What are your expectations?
I want to do better than I did last year. Try and reach the quarterfinals of one of the big tournaments. There's only two mandatory tournaments this year before the French. I'm planning on playing Monte-Carlo, and I can use that. There's not as much pressure playing there as there was before, because it doesn't have to go towards your ranking. So I'll just try and work on my game like I have done on all the other courts. I have found clay tough the last few years, but my game definitely got better last year. Try and do the same
Q. Did you lose concentration when he called out the trainer?
Well, it's difficult. You just never now how guys are gonna feel. You know, if he's struggling, you sometimes can expect guys to stop playing. If you look at the next game or so, you know, next couple of games, he started rushing me. He started coming forward more, and he hadn't been doing that. He went for broke a little bit and tried to shorten the points. He hit the ball well. You know, I struggled a little bit, but it wasn't just because of the timeout he took.
Q. You're a guy that obviously mixes it up a lot as far as pace and placement. Is that particularly important against a guy like Novak to do that?
I think against a lot of guys it works. Because the majority of the players now, they play so well from the baseline from both sides, that if you can use some slice and dropshots, some high balls and stuff, it just takes them out of their comfort zone. It's sort of my way of dictating how the match is getting played. You know, a lot of people might not necessarily think my game looks the most aggressive or offensive, but very few times will I sort of not have the points played how I like them to be played. Sort of slowing the pace down a little bit and using the slice. I don't often get guys hitting through me.
Q. Is there a little bit of extra satisfaction to be the first British player to win this event?
Not really.
Q. It is for us. (Laughter.)
I mean, any tournament you win is great. This is such a tough one to win that it's not just about sort of Britain all the time for me. Whether Tim and Greg got to No. 4 and I reached No. 3, it's not really what it's about. I'm competing on the world stage, and I want to try and improve my world ranking and win the biggest tournaments in the world. It's not so much about what's happened in the past.
Q. What do you expect this year for your ranking?
I want to try and improve it. I think the clay court season will be very important for me. On the hardcourts, I think my game is up there with the top guys. On grass it definitely got better last year. But on clay, it hasn't been the same as them, and that's where they have picked up sort of a lot of the points and stuff. If you got rid of the clay court season's points, I think I would be very close to Roger, and not too far behind Rafa. I need to improve my results on clay. If I do that, there's a chance I'll get higher.
Q. When you closed out the eighth game with the world's slowest ace, 76 miles an hour, were you amused, or surprised?
No. Sometimes - if you hit a big -- obviously it didn't look that fast. If you watched it, there was a lot of kick and it landed pretty short in the box. I don't think I had used that serve once the whole match. So, no, I don't know if he gave up on the serve or not, but I wasn't really thinking anything apart from I had won the game.
Q. Was there an extra benefit to staying at home in your own place?
Well, it's just nicer away from the court. I mean, I don't think it affects your performance too much when you're playing the matches. I just think it's much nicer sort of on your off days, which there are quite a few during these tournaments, that, yeah, you can just chill. You don't have to be in a hotel. You can have food at your apartment and you don't always have to go out for dinner. That's a big difference to most weeks on the tour.
Q. Do you feel when you were serving for the second set that that was basically almost like match point?
No, because, I mean, the wind did pick up in the second set as well from the end where I had to serve to stay in the set from at 5-4. The wind was right in my face. Like I say, he was rushing me a bit. If he hit a few big shots it would have been tough for me. I knew that he was struggling there, and if I could keep points long and not make any silly mistakes. I think I hit a big ace at 30-all in that game. That sort of calmed me down a little bit.
flamet
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Posted: 06.04.09 14:48. Post subject: Не могла не удержать..
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Murray: I Can Be No. 1 At Year's End
Tennis is a numbers game and if Andy Murray can sustain his current digit dominance on serve he believes his number will be up at the end of the year.
Murray, like Tennis Week's own Victor Lamm , has spent some time scouring serving and returning stats and believes if he can maintain his current numbers of holding serve nearly 87 percent of the time and breaking serve and ATP-best 38 percent of the time , then he will finish the year ranked No. 1.
"If I win that percentage of my service games during the whole year I think I can finish No. 1 in the world," Murray told Alix Ramsay. "If I'm breaking serve around 40 per cent of the time and getting broken 13 per cent I'm going to win pretty much every match I play."
Murray's service work hasn't been confined to number crunching.
The fourth-ranked Scott has strengthened his first serve significantly since he turned pro and has worked on varying the spins and placement on his second serve when facing the world's elite players.
"When I play against the top players I vary my second serve a lot more," Murray said. "When I played Roger Federer in Madrid, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Doha I changed it up a lot. I served some kick serves, some body serves and some into his forehand. I feel I can attack Federer's second serve, I can attack Rafael Nadal's second serve and I can attack Novak Djokovic's second serve. The important thing is the amount of points you win on the second serve and not the speed. My percentage this year has been much, much higher."
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, видимо, не любит вспоминать тот матч). And Stepanek, I think he's won a couple tournaments maybe already this year. So either is going to be difficult. I don't mind. 
Get those Scottish wrist bands (you know, the blue with the white diagonal crosses) out of storage and start wearing them again 
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