US OPEN 2011: Andy Murray sails over Young into quarterfinals

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Donald Young should have had loads of confidence heading into his fourth-round match against No. 4 Andy Murray. Not only was this the 22-year-old Young’s first Grand Slam round of 16, but also this year, in the pair's only meeting, Young claimed a straight-set 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over the Scot on the hard courts of Indian Wells. But Indian Wells is no best-of-five Grand Slam. And Murray's experience in high-stakes matches took precedent, and he cruised to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win to end Young’s career-best run at a major and advance into the quarterfinals.
While the two were only able to manage three games on Wednesday's dismal rainy day, both held serve for a Young 2-1 lead. By Thursday morning, the sun was out in full effect as both players resumed play. But the outlook quickly turned dismal for Young, who dropped the opening five games to concede the set. Unforced errors proved to be the major culprit as the American committed 53 of them on the match. Murray’s tactics of lulling Young into long, heavy topspin-laced rallies worked well, as he played a consistent game to allow Young to make the errors.
“I thought I was hitting the ball well from the back of the court,” Murray said. “I would've liked to have served better. I was a little bit frustrated in the middle of the second set, because I was returning well, hitting the ball well from the back of the court and was kind of giving him chances that I shouldn't have been giving him just because of serving not well enough. That's the only thing I would have liked to have done better. But I thought I had good intensity from the start of the match and made it difficult for him to get any free points.”
Young, who as a wild card reached his first round of 16 at a Grand Slam at this event, said he felt he didn’t quite give the No. 4 Murray the same kind of game that helped him pull out the five-set tiebreak win over No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka before dismissing No. 24 Juan Ignacio Chela in straights.
“I felt I didn't put my best foot forward and play the way I've been playing the whole time,” he said. “Andy came out there and played solid the way that I've seen him always play, you know. Didn't miss much, didn't give you much, made you feel under pressure pretty much the whole time. I didn't execute, and if you don't execute against a player of that caliber, you're going to lose pretty bad.”
Throughout the first set, Murray got every shot back, always forcing Young to hit that extra shot even when he thought the point was over. But on triple set point on his serve, Murray held at love to close it out.
Young’s frustration with errors and double faults continued into the second set, but then Murray’s game became a bit shaky, as well. In the first seven games of the second set, there were only two holds of serve, prompting tempers to flare from both sides of the court. But Murray’s break for 4-3 gave him an edge, and another in the ninth game put him ahead two sets to love.
Murray managed to clean up his game in the third set, firing laser-like backhand passing shots at will when Young tried to create pressure at the net. Young had a few flashes of brilliance of his own with the serve-and-volley tactics, but Murray’s consistency was just too much for the American to overcome. After about two hours on the court, Murray eased his way to victory, setting up a quarterfinal clash with John Isner.
Though Young admitted his lack of experience in dealing with rain delays at this stage of a Grand Slam may have bothered him a bit and slowed his momentum, he said his confidence leaving the tournament is still high considering all that he accomplished here.
“Definitely it's given me a lot of confidence. I'll leave more confident and a better player for it,” he said. “Winning my first‑ever five‑set match in a tiebreak in the fifth, and also coming back a couple days later and solidifying a win in the next match relatively convincing in three sets, that was pretty big for me. By far it's the best year I have ever had on tour.”

Match Facts

- This is Murray’s first appearance in the US Open quarters since his run to the final in 2008.
- Murray hit 17 unforced errors to Young’s 53.
- Young committed five double faults and had a first-serve percentage of 59.

Grandstand - Men's Singles - 4th Round
	Donald Young USA						2		3		3
	Andy Murray GBR (4)						6		6		6
Match Statistics Serve Statistics

• Andy Murray Bio
• Donald Young Bio

An Interview With: Andy Murray

 

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Q.  I know the conditions have been tough out there.  We just spoke with Nadal, and he said the problems as he saw it, it had not to do with the officials, but representation.  What does he mean by that?  Do you think changing representation would change the rain policy out here at all in the future?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  The official representation?

Q.  He said the representation of the players here in the tournament, and that that should change.
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Oh, I just think -- I think because we have the ATP and the ITF, and they don't like each other very much, that there's always going to be some issues with Davis Cup, the schedule, the Grand Slams, and things like what happened yesterday.

Q.  Well, how do you think if that was different that might change the rain on the court, calls like that?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  The rain on the court?

Q.  I think he was talking about how he was upset, all three of you were.
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Well, the difference is that for at the ATP tournaments, the ATP tournaments, not this one, we have like ATP representatives, we have like an ATP Tour manager, like ATP referees, so they're sort of there looking out for the players is what they're obviously there to do.  Here we have an ATP Tour manager who was in the locker room with us beforehand yesterday, and he was saying, it's still raining out there, guys.  You shouldn't go out there and play. And then the referees here, it's different.  You know, it's the ITF.  They want us to go out on the court.  If it was at an ATP tournament we wouldn't have been on the court, but because it's not, the ATP don't run the Grand Slams, then it's not always up to us.

Q.  Do you think commercial interests trump player well-being?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah.

Q.  Do you think it's more so here than in other tournaments, particularly Grand Slams?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  I don't know.  I don't know, to be honest.  I mean, because in Australia and at Wimbledon they have a roof now.  You know, Wimbledon, maybe in the past, a lot of times, you know, the guys would go on for 10, 15 minutes at a time sometimes.  And even when Roger and Rafa played the final there, you know, the conditions were still pretty bad and whatnot. But I think now it's kind of you see it maybe a little bit more here because there is no roof or anything.  There is a lot more pressure to get matches on regardless of what the weather is like; whereas at Wimbledon and Australia you're guaranteed tennis now. So there is not as much of a panic to get matches on.

Q.  Are the players frustrated with the fact they haven't had a roof put on?  This seems to be the same conversation.
  
ANDY MURRAY:  No, it's not the roof.  It's not the roof that's the problem, I don't think.  It's, you know, having a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday first round doesn't help.  Having the semis on Saturday and Sunday I don't think helps.  Some basic covers I would think would do for now.  I don't think the roof is necessary.

Q.  What kind of reaction have you gotten from other players for the stand that you and Andy and Rafael took?  Some people are saying it's a watershed moment in terms of players actually standing up for themselves.
  
ANDY MURRAY:  I think after the tournament is done, probably a good time for a lot of the players to kinda sit down and have a big discussion about just the tour in general, because right now we're looking for a new CEO.  And also with obviously the problems that we've had here, I think it's probably now a good time to sit down and discuss how we would like the tour to be run and who we would like to run tennis.  You know, I feel like we, the players, understand that it's not just about the players, but there's many other things that go into it.  Having a commissioner that wasn't biased to one side or the other, you know, towards the players or the tournaments or the TV I think would be a step in the right direction. But the thing is everyone needs to agree on it.  If you have two or three guys agreeing on it and two or three guys disagreeing and then half of the tour aren't really bothered and some are, I don't know.  And also the women's tour I think needs to come into it, too.  I think that would help.

Q.  You're facing the prospect of four matches in four days.  Is that daunting or does that not enter into your mind?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Well, it's not ideal, but that's kind of what you have to deal with just now.  You've just got to get on with it.  Like obviously the last few days haven't been great, but also, there's nothing -- it was raining anyway.  There's nothing we could have done about it at the time there's no covers and whatnot. So you've just got to try and embrace the situation and do all the right things to get yourself ready if you have to play four matches in four days. But I'm still a long way from having to play four matches in four days.

Q.  What do you think about the fact that the top half of the draw are playing their quarterfinals today?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I was saying I hope it rains tonight, you know, because then everyone is then in the same boat, really.  (Laughter.)  Yeah, I hope it rains.  Then there can't be any -- I mean, we're still having to play four matches in four days rather than three in three.  But, yeah.  I mean, it's clearly an advantage.  Anyone that plays sport will tell you that.

Q.  Now that you've won, can you sympathize with him at all for having a big moment here?  He got some momentum here, which has been hard for him to do in his career, and he's got to wait two days.  Did you feel any sympathy for him, or do you think that played any kind of a role in his performance today?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  No.  Well, I don't know whether it played a part in his performance or not.  He's not young anymore.  He's 22 years old, 21, 22 years old.  Everyone has to deal with those situations, and maybe me and a few of the other guys will have had more experience in dealing with those situations.  So if he struggled today and if it was a little bit because of that, then yeah.  But there's nothing any of us could have done for the guys as well that are, I think, here to try and win the event. There's a lot of pressure to try and get matches done quickly.  And also because, like you say, playing four matches in four days is a bit pressure not to have, you know, a brutal match, so it was tough for everyone.

Q.  There has actually been some suggestion that they could play best of three just try to get it in on before Sunday at some stage.
  
ANDY MURRAY:  No, I'd rather just go for it now and try and get it done in a way.  I think if something happens to a player or something, you know, the final turns out to be an absolute, you know, dead match because someone's so tired, I think it would show up  --  yeah, obviously a lot of flaws have shown up, but it would be time to say, Look, this is meant to be the biggest match or one of the biggest matches in tennis, and it's messed up because of schedule. I think we should just try and play the best of five, try and get through it.  Hopefully everyone will be okay, and then after the tournament sit down with whoever and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Q.  What are your thoughts on the opponent, possible opponent for the next match?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Well, I've only played John once or twice, and Gilles I played quite a lot. I have had good results against Gilles.  I've always quite enjoyed playing him.  He's a tough guy to play because he doesn't give you anything.  You need to play a very solid match and a smart match, because he can be, as you saw winning against Del Potro the other day, he can frustrate a lot of players.  He makes it very difficult. I mean, John, he's got a huge serve and can hit big forehands and is a little bit erratic and doesn't give you much rhythm. So they're completely different matchups.

Q.  Given the situation, how pleased were you with the way you handled things out there and the way you played?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  I thought I was hitting the ball well from the back of the court.  I would've liked to have served better.  I was a little bit frustrated in the middle of the second set, because I was returning well, hitting the ball well from the back of the court and was kind of giving him chances that I shouldn't have been giving him just because of serving not well enough. That's the only thing I would have liked to have done better.  But I thought I had good intensity from the start of the match and made it difficult for him to get any free points.

Q.  How dramatic a stand do you think the players would take for the future to make the US Open kind of go in line with the other slams in terms of having a day between semifinal and finals, et cetera?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  I don't know, because it isn't just about this tournament.  It's about all of the slams and just tennis in general, I think, rather than just this tournament.  There is a lot of things that need to be changed aside from just maybe some of the scheduling here.  There are many things that could get better.  So I think, like I said, once this tournament is done I think it's a good time maybe after Davis Cup   because there are a lot of big Davis Cup matches coming up as well   for some of the guys to try and get together maybe in Asia, The Masters Series over there, and try and sort of work something out. But I think the sooner it's done the better for everyone.

Q.  Six months ago you were in a bit of I slump; no doubt about that.  You lost to this guy, Young; today you owned him.  Where did you get the inner strength?  Where was the support coming?  When did you finally know that you were going to get this game of yours back?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Well, on the practice court and many hours of training hard, working on my game, and then, yeah, just the guys around me.  A lot of them I've had with me for four or five years. Family always helps.  Yeah, it was a tough moment for me.  You know, and obviously it's not only are you playing badly, but you're not happy either when you're playing like that.  I wasn't practicing particularly well.  I went through like a coaching change, too. So there was quite a few things going on.  It was kind of when I got to the clay in Monte Carlo I had done a little bit of work with Darren Cahill just before Monte Carlo, which helped.  Went into the clay court season with a really good attitude.  Spoke to a few people in the buildup there that gave me kind of a different perspective of things, and that was it.  I mean, most of it's hard work.  And so much of sport is mental, as well.

Q.  Has going through that made you stronger today?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah.  I mean, I think going through tough moments definitely helps, and the last couple of years I have had quite a lot of highs and quite a lot of lows.  There hasn't been that much sort of just average tennis or just middle ground.  It's been pretty up and down.  Right now I'm happy that I'm playing well again.  But I think, yeah I do think it helps if you can go through moments like that and come out the other side and be a better player.

Q.  If someone, another player, came up to you and said, I want to start a players' union totally independent of tournament directors who you're kind of in league with at the moment, a complete separate players' union which has been tried before, would you support that?
  
ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah.  I think so, yeah.  I think a lot of the players would now, as well.

Q.  Because it has been tried before and there just wasn't the unity to do it.
  
ANDY MURRAY:  I think, yeah, that's the problem a lot of the times that there might be a few guys that maybe don't think it's the right thing to do.  But, you know, the players I think need to have more of a voice, and the only way to do that is by starting a player union and coming to an agreement with tournaments and the ITF and stuff. Because if not, the same things will keep happening and nothing will change.

An Interview With: John Isner

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Q.  Would you call that the biggest win of your career?
  
JOHN ISNER:  It's certainly one of them.  I never made a Grand Slam quarterfinal before, so it's definitely up there.  It feels good to get that one, you know, done with and over with.

Q.  How do you feel like you're playing?  You're on a bit of a run here.
  
JOHN ISNER:  Yeah, I'm playing well.  I felt like I played fairly well today.  I was happy.  I won a match, and my serve was broken five or six times, or six times or something.  You know, that's pretty encouraging.

Q.  The other day Mardy Fish said he thinks you could take the tournament.  Any thoughts on that?
  
JOHN ISNER:  No, that's very nice of him but, you know, I've still got three more to go.  There are so many good players left if this event. That would be nice.  I do think I'm capable of it.  Obviously I shouldn't take the court tomorrow if I don't.  So it's nice to be able to be this far, because you are getting close to that ultimate goal.

Q.  You end points fairly quickly compared to other players.  Do you feel like that gives you any advantage when you are in a situation where, if you were to make it to the final you'd play four in a row?
  
JOHN ISNER:  Um, yeah, I think so.  Because on my serve, you know, like you said, the point more times than not will stay short.  I can conserve energy that way.  The other thing is I'm a big guy, so these long, drawn out matches are going to take more out of me than they are other players.  So I was definitely at one point a bit tired out there today, because it was just    it was very hot and humid.  I went through 10 shirts.  I ran out of shirts.  I had to go get somebody to go get me some more shirts. It took a toll on me, but I'll be ready tomorrow.

Q.  Talk about your energy management, so to speak.  You're such a big guy.  Often you seem kind of tired, sort of wasted out there.  You've managed to come through.  Do you sort of pick your spots?  Do you let a point here and there or game here and there go?  Talk about that.
  
JOHN ISNER:  Yeah, it's something that --  a lot of times when I'm tired I am able to conserve energy at the right times and expend my energy at the right times. I think today it was huge for me getting that first set because I was down a break twice, and he served for it at 6-5.  Any time you lose the first set it looks a lot tougher, because you have to come back and win three of the next four. I was glad I won that first set.  In today's match, I think if I maybe  --  I could have focused a little bit more because I was up, you know, 1-0 serving in the second set and I lost 6-3.  The same goes for the fourth set.  I didn't want to have to finish them off in tiebreakers, but I did.  It would have been nice to have maybe finished that fourth set at 6-3 or 6-4 rather than 7-6 or whatever it was, because it took a toll on me in the fourth set.

Q.  You have had a lot of great experiences in slams.  Do you feel confident going into the quarters?  Do you have a certain ease about it now?
  
JOHN ISNER:  No, I do feel confident going into tomorrow.  It's obviously a very tough opponent.  I don't know  --  looks like he, you know, beat Donald pretty easily today.  He's playing well.  He's so tough.  He's been in this situation a lot more than me.  But then again, you know, he hasn't  --  you know, it will be a different matchup for him.  You know, like I said, with my serve, that that's gonna help me a lot. I'm going to have to play my best, my absolute best to have any shot.

Q.  Could you elaborate on that as far as the difference in your style and Andy's and the challenge of playing him?
  
JOHN ISNER:  Yeah, you know, I played Andy  --  I played him in the Australia Open in 2010, and, you know, he beat me pretty easily, because he --  a lot of times, he -- you know, he did against me that time.  He would kind of take the air out of the ball and hit a lot of short angles and got me moving. You know, he kinda just was going body blow after body blow against me out there, because he was just not really hitting the ball that hard but and definitely moving me around. I'm going to have to change a couple things up.  You know, he's one of the best returners in the game, so I'm going to have to serve my best.  When I do get my chances on the return, I will have to take 'em.

Q.  You win a lot of tiebreakers, and other guys with big serves don't win a lot of tiebreakers.  Is there something else other than your serve that you feel like gives you an advantage?
  
JOHN ISNER:  Just I'm confident.  I think in the first set, you know, he probably thought he should have won that 7-5, but he didn't.  So I think he was a little bit rattled at that point, and I won that easily. The same goes for the third set.  I just played big and I forced the issue.  He wants to keep me on the baseline, you know, in the match today, and I don't want to stay on the baseline.  He certainly passed me a lot when I was at the net, and I knew that going in, but I also knew I would have to come in and finish the points at the net to have any chance against this guy.

Q.  Can you talk a little bit about having to play a round of 16 match at the US Open on Court 17.  Also, who did you send to get shirts and where did they go to get them?  They go to the Nike booth?
  
JOHN ISNER:  I don't know.  Where did you go?

A FRIEND:  Nike store.
  
JOHN ISNER:  Nike store.

Q.  Did you pay cash?
  
A FRIEND:  No.
  
JOHN ISNER:  No, but I needed them, because I was -- it was so humid out there.  I just kept going through my shirts.  At one point I counted in my bag and I only had two left and it was in the beginning of the third set or something. That was nice.  Also needed more wristbands too.  But that was my fault.  I didn't bring enough.  They're sitting in my hotel room.  As far as the shirts go, I have like eight or something, and I went through them all. No, but the conditions on 17, it was fine.  I mean, it was weird in the beginning with not that many people out there.  Felt like sort of a practice match more than anything.  But also thought the court was really, really slow compared to the other ones, which is fine.  I kinda like slow courts.  But that was something I didn't expect.  I didn't expect the court to be that slow.

Q.  As a real smart college grad, let me ask you a three part question about the Bulldogs:  One, a comment about the unis.  They played in the other day.
  
JOHN ISNER:  Yeah.

Q.  Two, give us a little bit about that hat that's been around forever.  And on a more serious note, a lot of guys played college and then said good bye to their college coach, but Manny Diaz has been around.  Talk about his role these days.
  
JOHN ISNER:  The unis, I actually liked them.  It's a bit of a change.  I think the traditionalists would say that they don't like them.  They kinda want the red jersey with the silver britches.  It's a one time thing.  They will go back to the normal jerseys now. This hat, I think I bought it my freshman year at college at the bookstore, and I've had it ever since.  It fits well.  It's nice and worn in, that's for sure.  So it's one that I hope to hold on to for a long time. As far as Manny goes, he had to go back to Georgia today, but he was there for my first three matches.  He was there in my corner.  It's great to see, because I have a really good relationship with him and I lean on him for a lot of things.  Even though I'm not -- he's not coaching me anymore, he was probably  --  you know, he is actually the biggest reason why I'm here today, because I spent four years under his tutelage.  He's such a great coach and a good friend as well.  I'm happy to have him on my side.

Q.  Is it Xs and Os that you lean on him or more just...
  
JOHN ISNER:  Occasionally, yeah, more Xs and Os.  It's just nice to hang out with him.  I went out to dinner with him a couple of times, and he would tell me kinda like what he thinks.  It was along the lines of what, you know, CB, my coach says.  So, you know, first and foremost CB is my coach.  He's my guy.  I look to him more than anything.  But it's also nice to have Coach Diaz on my side.

Q.  I think you've probably had circumstances where you played in two different tournaments with less time between matches than you had between your match today and your previous one.  What's the hardest part of that situation?
  
JOHN ISNER:  It was tough, because, you know, I had a full three days off.  After I won my third round, I knew I had that day off.  I did my normal routine.  I didn't practice for too long and I worked out a little bit in the gym.  I felt good and I was ready to go, you know, whenever, two days ago we were scheduled.  I was ready to go.  All of a sudden the rain comes, and literally you just sit in the locker room all day.  The only thing I did was warm up for my match.  So as far as practice goes, I didn't practice too much, which is fine.  I mean, I've hit enough balls.  The same goes for yesterday.  I just pretty much warmed up for 20 and 30 minutes.  That's all I did hitting wise.  It's kinda tiring mentally more than anything, just sitting in that locker room all day.  You know, they could come in and be, All right, you guys are ready in 30, 45 minutes.  I put all my stuff on and go up to the gym and get ready.  That happened twice.  Then it would start pouring again and I'd come back down and just relax.  It was more mentally draining.  It was definitely tough, but it's tough for everybody.  I think I came out today in the first set and I didn't really come out too sharp.  I got down in an early hole because I sort of lost my rhythm, lost the rhythm of the tournament, because you're used to playing, day off, playing, day off, and whatnot. That's what we didn't have.

Q.  How are your feet?
  
JOHN ISNER:  They're good.  They're good.  It was one of the inserts on my shoe, because I was sweating so much, were kind of coming up like in my shoe.  So I had to kind of keep knocking them back.
  
Q.  Blisters?

JOHN ISNER:  No, no, no blisters.

Q.  How big of an impression did Andy's win here in 2003 make on you?  You were young, but how big of a deal was it to you at the time?
  
JOHN ISNER:  It wasn't.

Q.  At all?
  
JOHN ISNER:  No.

Q.  Do you remember even...
  
JOHN ISNER:  I was a freshman at college.  I didn't even think about playing pro tennis.

Q.  Do you remember even watching it?
  
JOHN ISNER:  I was probably watching NFL football, to be honest.

Q.  Speaking of NFL football, who is your pick for the Super Bowl?
  
JOHN ISNER:  Can I say Carolina?

Q.  You can, but...
  
JOHN ISNER:  I've gotta think Green Bay is still the favorite.

Q.  You seem a little heavy.  Is it the flu or allergies or anything?
  
JOHN ISNER:  No, I have a little bit of a  --  I have kind of a sort of a cold type thing, but it's fine.

Q.  You're kind of a hometown player.  You win Winston Salem two weeks ago; you're doing so well at your country's slam.  What does that mean to you to make it all happen here?
  
JOHN ISNER:  Yeah, for the first four or five months of the season was a bit of a struggle, and as soon as I got back to the States after Wimbledon, that's when I, you know, I went on a roll.  I think I'm 21-4 since Wimbledon, so that's a very good record.  It started in Newport in a tournament I didn't enter, I took a wildcard into, which is the best decision I've made in quite some time because I was struggling.

Q.  You missed your brother's wedding.
  
JOHN ISNER:  Yes, I did, and that was one of the things.  But it worked out for the best, because once I won that tournament it gave me a lot of confidence, and I've been playing well ever since.

 

An Interview With: Andy Roddick

Thursday, September 8, 2011

 

Q.  Nice way to end this surreal couple of days, huh?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah, for sure.  Little weird.

Q.  Talk about the experience a little bit.  Obviously it was a strange start this morning with the court bubbling up, et cetera.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah, I mean, today you couldn't do much.  I looked down at one point and I saw like kind of like a little crack, and it had probably seven or eight nickel sized water drops on it, but it looked too perfectly placed.  It almost looked like someone almost pored a little bit of water out.  So I dried it off, played the next game, went back to play the point, and saw it was there again.  That's when I realized that we had a problem.

Q.  I heard you used the word "baffled" on the court.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I was surprised the second time we got called out.  We walked back there and it was wet, so I couldn't quite figure out why we were called out.  I even said it's coming from under.  It's not something you can dab a towel on and make it go away.  I watched the monitors, and they were dabbing towels on it the entire time. Then they called us back out, and we walked right over it and it was wet.  I could not believe what I was looking at.  I mean, puts us in a little bit of an uncomfortable position, too, because obviously, you know, we want to play and stuff.  But it's still there, dude.

Q.  Was Brian advocating that you continue to play on that court?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  No.  We went there and I said, you know, What is that?  He said, Water.  I was a little bit --   I said, Was that there five seconds ago when you called us out?  But at that point he didn't say, Play, by any means.  At that point, I think he was just trying to scramble and find us some sort of court.

Q.  What do you think of playing on Court 13?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I played there in 1999.  I lost to Scott Lipski in juniors first round.  Year before that, I lost to Fernando González out there first round in juniors.

Q.  Those memories aside, I mean, having been out there today and won there today, Ferrer kind of laughed at me when I asked this before, but I'm going to ask you:  Was there anything charming or cool about that experience?  And conversely, what was annoying about it, whether it's the lack of Hawk Eye or, you know, what was good and what was bad?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I enjoyed it.  I like playing kind of the smaller more intimate stuff when I can.  I haven't always gotten that opportunity here.  I know Armstrong and Grandstand, there are so many great courts here that I just haven't been a part of at all.  You know, I didn't think Court 13 was in my future, but I probably could have promised you if it ever came to that I was just going to call it quits.  (Laughter.)  But extenuating circumstances, I guess.  I enjoyed myself out there, though.

Q.  There were photographs, you know, close to the court.  There was a guy on the fence, a baby crying.  It was bizarre conditions.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  At least there wasn't a baby crying on the fence.  (Laughter.)

Q.  Was it just a combination, or was there anything that really stood out to you that was particularly hilarious?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  It was a little bit of everything.  We had some Van Morrison wannabe playing music in the courtyard, so we had a Brown Eyed Girl soundtrack for about two games there.  There was a guy scaling the fence in the back for a second.  He was about to serve and I saw a guy climbing up the fence. You know, a couple people wanted to do commentary from the service line.  I didn't think that was gonna work. You know, there was someone who  --  there was a repetitive screaming from the courtyard at one point.  It was actually kind of shrill.  It was a little stressful.  It sounded like someone was getting hurt.  So I don't know if that's what it's always like out there.

Q.  The playing surface itself, like a basketball court, is that the difference at all, or is it just the surroundings?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I thought the surface played a little bit lower, maybe just because it's been played on, more doubles, so the service boxes maybe reacted a little bit differently. It was pretty similar.  But to be fair, we haven't played on any real Stadium Court in three days anyway.  We've been hitting indoors, so that's kind of what we've dialed into.

Q.  The 24 hours starting when you guys had to go out for a few minutes yesterday morning; people seemed unhappy about that.  Is this as strange a 24-hour period you've been in in tennis?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Um, probably, but I think I'm used to it.  I think I played five slam finals, and I've had to play on the Saturday four times.  So the '09 Wimbledon final was actually the first time I ever got a day off in between.  I've always kind of responded well to playing like that.  I don't know.  For some reason I was kind of mellow during the whole thing, which is completely against my makeup.  (Laughter.)

Q.  Isn't that the mark of a champion athlete, accepting what's there and not worrying about the little things and just playing the game?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  That's what I hear.  (Laughter.)

Q.  Having said that, Rafa was quite peeved when he came in here and said that, you know, the players need to have more of a say in what's going on.  Even Sam Stosur said that.  What would you say?  She said without them there's no tournament.  

ANDY RODDICK:  Well, that's fine, but until we unite it doesn't matter and people can call our bluff.  If someone wants to get what they want  --  you know, I have been trying to tell people that talent normally wins in negotiations.  If Bono doesn't want to go on tour, then it all falls apart.  But until we unite as one voice, then we're not gonna get what we want; therefore, we don't have the right to complain about it.

Q.  Do you feel you get a large enough portion of the revenues?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  What are we at, 13%?

Q.  About that.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  13% of total revenue?  I'll let you write your story.

Q.  Was this tournament for you any kind of tipping point in your thinking about this?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  No, I have been trying it for a while.  At a certain point you have to be willing to give up something to get something, which is a tougher deal.  When you have to get 25 or 30 people on the same page, you know, their main concern is  --  you're getting one guy who is worried about the doubles cut and Stuttgart is his main thing.  The next guy is worried about    it's just tough to come together.  I think you have to have the right person involved who might understand the business side of it, might actually understand numbers, the way something works.  You know, you're gonna have to have a player of some sort who's willing to make some sort of sacrifice a little bit. So I think it's a very obvious problem.  I think it's pretty simple.  You know, everything that goes on around this disappears without the -- there is no home team, so it is a star driven sport.  It always has been. You have to get the stars on the same page, and then I think you can pretty much get whatever you want.

Q.  Are you, at your age, convinced a 24-year-old could maybe to give up a year of his career?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I don't think it would take a 24-year-old giving up  --  I don't think you have to give up a year of your career.  At this point in my career, I would jump at the chance to leave the sport in a better position for the players moving forward.

Q.  You come into the Open and you hadn't had that much play.  This might have been the biggest one of the year, and now you have a chance to play Rafa.  Talk about your game and how excited you are to have that chance.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah, I mean, I didn't know what to expect.  I knew that I was playing a little bit better at Winston Salem.  I knew it was huge to get four matches there. You know, I didn't play at all from Wimbledon till, you know, 10 days before this event, so I was definitely short on matches.  It's tough to get confidence by winning matches when you're not playing any. I just needed to get some continuity and play a little bit, and this was probably the best match I've played this year.

Q.  Tell us about facing Rafa now.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Well, it's tough.  You know, I'm gonna have to play pretty aggressively now, similar to what I did today.  He's one of the greatest ever, so I'm gonna have to, you know, have a repeat at least.

Q.  Andy Murray quipped about hoping it rains tonight.  Then at least Roger will be in the same boat as the rest of you guys.  Can you talk about the inequity in the halves of the draw?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I mean, it just happens.  It's a tough scenario where our half is obviously up against it.  But weather is weather.  You can't control it.  What are they going to like delay Roger's match from four days ago because there was weather coming?  It's tough, but what are you gonna do?

Q.  Some tough slams and a rough Davis Cup outing and so forth.  Does this great run take a little edge off of that?  Do you feel pretty good?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Um, no.  I didn't need this to define me.  I didn't need a great result.  I shouldn't have needed it to show you guys that I can play tennis. I haven't played well this year, but I have been playing pretty well for 10 years.  You know, I'm happy.  I feel proud that I was able to come back and play at a high level and beat a guy 5 in the world on a big stage. But I have done that before.  You know, I always said, You're real close, but I had to get some matches in a row.  I hadn't been able to do that.

Q.  Just talk about playing on a small court.  Do you just feel your juices more intensely, feel more into the match...
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I try not to feel my juices ever, Bill.  (Laughter.)  But I appreciate your interest in them.

Q.  That's all I think about.
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Thank you.  Creepy and inappropriate.  (Laughter.) You know what?  It was just fun.  You know, you feel like you got  --  even just walking over you have people running to get their seat just to make sure they get one.  I thought the atmosphere was great.  You know, people packed in.  I like playing those intimate    you know, I'd rather play a smaller court and have it packed than playing a bigger court and have it a quarter full.  I think the atmosphere is always better than that.

Q.  When you said you'd like to leave the sport better than you came to it, are you suggesting you could be the person to unite...
  
ANDY RODDICK:  I don't think --  I don't know.  I don't know.  I think there is a limited number of people.  You know, you wouldn't want to do it in the prime of your career.  I think I have some good results left in me, but I don't think I'm in the prime of my career.  It's something that interests me just because it's a glaring hole.  I think we are the only sport without a players' union of major sports.  So it's something that  --  I don't think I'll be the guy.  I have no experience in negotiating in any sort.  But if I would like to be involved in the process, I think, yeah, if I was approached, yeah, I think I would.

Q.  The NFL is back after its work stoppage, even though it didn't miss regular season games.  What's your pick for the Super Bowl and why?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Jeez, I love preseason Super Bowl picks.  (Laughter.) Pack/Patriots.

Q.  As an American, what would it mean to be around on Sunday for such an emotional day?
  
ANDY RODDICK:  Yeah, it's something I don't think  --  I'd have a hard time imagining it before it happened, if that makes sense.  I know it's a very delicate day.  But the one thing I said a couple weeks ago is I was probably never prouder to be an American than in the aftermath of 9/11, just people's spirit and the way people came together and the way people helped each other.  There were even a couple pleases and thank yous thrown around. Even though it was in the midst of devastation, there was still some great memories from it as far as human spirit is concerned.

An Interview With: Rafael Nadal

Thursday, September 8, 2011

 

Q.  Can you talk about the rain and what happened yesterday at all?
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  You watch me on the TV or not?

Q.  Yeah, I did.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  You want me to repeat everything?

Q.  Well, wondering if anything has changed since then to your match today.  Andy Roddick had to move courts.  Just curious if you've changed...
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  I don't know what's going on with the match between Andy and David.  I don't know exactly how was the situation.  I normally don't talk a lot about the things I don't know.  So I prefer ask them what's happening, and that's it. Is from another match, so they gonna have better information than myself.  I was playing.

Q.  How hard was it for you to start the match today knowing you were down 3-Love, down a break, and you had to think about it overnight and come back out today and start another day?
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  It's best of five.  Playing against Muller, he has fantastic serve, so I know I can go on court and lose the first set.  That's the normal thing, no?  But I go on court, try my best every in moment and trying to produce any opportunity to have the break back.  I did.  I had the break.  I was very happy, because I started the match with good feelings.  It's not easy because he plays aggressive, he plays with mistakes, but at the same time with winners.  So it's difficult to have the right rhythm against him.

Q.  At the start of the seventh game, were you thinking that that was the time to break him?  You were very active in the return of service.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  In the 4-2, seventh game?

Q.  Right.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  I try my best in every return.  (Smiling.)  I don't feel more active in that game than other games.  I felt that if I don't have the break there gonna be very difficult to have the break later, because with the 4-2, I have to go back to the other side against the wind with new balls, 5-2.  So I thought that if I don't have that break with the 4-2 to 4-3 I gonna lose the first set.

Q.  Specifically about today, what do you think about your game is working and what do you think really put him off balance?
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  I think I did well.  I did what I had to do.  I served with high percentage.  I don't have a lot of unforced errors.  I had very few.  When I had the chance to attack, I did.  I played few fantastic passing shots today.  That's important against one player like Muller. For the rest, I said before, is difficult to find the rhythm, to hit six, seven, eight balls with good feeling against a player like Muller.  But what I can do, I did well.

Q.  You're looking at playing four matches in four days, possibly.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  I am in quarterfinals.

Q.  Right.  But the person from your side of the draw to emerge will have to play four matches in four days.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  That's not fair, but that's what it is.  Here in the Grand Slams, if I am in the position of the US Open or Wimbledon or Australia, Roland Garros, I will do the same.  Why not?  I had a lot of interesting meeting with the TV, with everybody, that for sure is better to have the final on Sunday for them.  But not for the players, because our part of the draw will be in a very difficult situation for the player who will be in the final.  The semifinals maybe, too, because two days in a row playing tough matches is difficult.  The matches, quarterfinals, semifinals, four rounds of Grand Slam normally are tough matches.  If you don't have rest, you have a big chance not be enough fit to play well the next match. But the problem is we need to have the right representation in these tournaments.  You know, I don't know how, but things like this cannot happen.  Having the semifinals on Saturday, you know, is something crazy for the players.  Last year it was the final on Monday.  So is something that in my opinion cannot happen, and the players are important part of the show.  My opinion. No, the tournament  -- I said is not only the players, the tournament is not important without the players.  Is a big tournament, and that's the true.  The US Open is -- probably more important is the US Open than the players, but the players are a big part of this show.  The fans are a big part of this show.  Yesterday you cannot like fans going on court for five, ten minutes, because never stops the rain.  So the problem, in my opinion, is not the organization of the US Open.  The problem is we don't have enough power in these kind of tournaments.  That's what have to change very soon.

Q.  Last night when you left here, can you speak about what you did, when you got to sleep.  Was it difficult to sort of come down off the night?
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  Calm down?  I'm very calm.  (Laughter.)  Seriously.  I was upset when I went on court raining.  That's upset for me, but I am a really quiet guy.  Seriously, you know, I went to sleep earlier than ever, and finally I did.  I slept at 11:00.

Q.  Don't you think that players have some responsibility if situation is like this?  Don't you think that already in the past the players should have done something to fight against a Super Saturday?  They should have done something to avoid the first round that ends on Wednesday and all those kind of things?  Because you have more power than you think, but you should be more united than you are.  That's my opinion.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  Thank you.

Q.  I want to know you, what you think about it.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  About?

Q.  About all this, what I said.
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  I think the players have a good union.  We don't want to fight with nobody.  We don't like the problems from yesterday.  We like to be here.  We like to be in good relationships with everybody.  The problem is to change situations seems like for the right way is impossible.  So probably we have to find another way.

Q.  To just follow up on that, there are people...
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  If you want to keep talking about that, you know, I am not feeling very comfortable, especially because sometimes the words can be too hard, but is for my English.  My arguments can be less than usual for my English.  So if you want to talk about next match, if you want to talk about, I am happy.  But keep talking about that, for me in English will be tough.  I said what I have to say, and I don't feel any more comfortable talking about that, especially because my English is not enough good to talk about that.

Q.  Can you just say what kind of reaction you've gotten from other players who maybe weren't even here yesterday but heard what you and the Andys did?
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  Everybody's agree.  I think everybody's agree that these things have to change.  We don't wanted in the past to change the situation without doing the right things.  Was impossible talking.  I have to talk with the players.  We have to talk together at meetings and everything. But we have to fight stronger to have more power or, you know, I said before...  (Spanish.)  BENITO PEREZ:  Representatives, feel that they have more power, more things to say so that they can be better represented.

Q.  Would you address the topic of your next match, as you suggested, facing Andy Roddick?  How would you describe that challenge for you?
  
RAFAEL NADAL:  The match is not over.  It's two sets to love, but David is back up.  Andy is a fantastic player.  He's having one of the best careers, being in the top players for, I don't know, 11 years, 10 years, 9 years.  That's a lot.  That's amazing.  So I have big respect for Andy, especially he's very tough to be there for a long time and he did.  So will be a big test for me if I play against him.  Even if I play against David Ferrer.  Quarterfinals, the matches must be very tough, and that's what's gonna happen, gonna be a very difficult match against Andy, against David, because that's the normal thing.

An Interview With: Samantha Stosur

Thursday, September 8, 2011Q.  There were some who were wondering if you were being paid by the hour in the third and fourth, round but today it must have been a relief just to get that match over.

   
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Oh, for sure.  It's always nicer to finish them off in less than three hours.  So, I mean, to come out and play the way I did today obviously after the long waiting around that we have had to do is really, really pleasing.  To do it against a player like Vera who is obviously a quality opponent is, yeah, definitely a good feeling.

Q.  Vera has been playing some great tennis.  Obviously it shows in her ranking.  You have dominated her the last eight times that you've played her.  What is it about the way you two match up that enables you to get the best of her consistently?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  I don't know.  Like I said, it's part of tennis.  Obviously I've got a great record against Vera and then not so good records against other players.  I think it's just the way your game can match up against certain people. Obviously having this record makes me feel pretty confident going into each match.  Obviously I'm pretty clear with what I want to do each time.  The last couple of matches we have played have definitely been very close:  they were 6 in the third, and then I was a set and a break down in Eastbourne against her.  So I have definitely been in trouble sometimes, but for whatever reason been able to get out of it.  To come today to a quarterfinal in the slam and produce tennis the way I did is obviously very pleasing once again against Vera.

Q.  She said that she felt that you felt comfortable against her because of the way she plays her game.  Is that so?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Yeah, well, it's something that obviously feels good out there.  You know, I think maybe it's my spin.  I can get it jumping away from her, and puts her under a lot of pressure to obviously have good footwork and be able to hit the ball clean against me. Maybe I just read what's going on out there well.  Like I said, I think when you really feel comfortable, obviously things start to flow a little bit more than usual.

Q.  Obviously the job is not done yet.  What does it mean to you?  What does it feel like to be in the semis of the Open for the first time and the first Australian Queenslander since Wendy in '84?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  That's the year I was born, so that's good.  Might be a good omen. But, no, it's great.  Any time you can get a result like this in a slam is obviously very pleasing.  To have not had good Grand Slam results this year up until this tournament, obviously I wanted to try to do a lot better here.  Now I've really started to play well and feeling very good and obviously it's very exciting.  Hopefully I can keep it going for a couple more days.  But, you know, I just really want to enjoy it.

Q.  Can you talk a little bit about the rain delay and what you did and what mentally you had to do to stay focused.
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Well, to be honest, the first day I didn't think there was really chance we were gonna play, and we got canceled pretty early, which was nice.  Then we could get back and have a hit indoors knowing that there wasn't going to be any pressure to get out on the court if it suddenly did stop. And yesterday was a very long day.  I think both Vera and I got here about 9:30, 9:45 in the morning, and didn't leave until 8:00 when we got canceled.  So it's definitely testing.  But, you know, I wasn't sitting in my match clothes prepared to play that whole day at least. But then the courts are going be dried, and all of a sudden there is this mad panic after you've relaxing all day and trying not to do too much. It's definitely not easy for any of us to go out there, and I think it was obviously a good decision to cancel us when they did and come out here today.  It's been good so far.

Q.  Rafa came in earlier today and said that he felt that the players are not considered more in the decision making here at the US Open.  Do you have any thoughts on that?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  I think that can be a problem in tournaments in general.  I mean, obviously we need the TV.  We need everything that goes along with these kinds of events.  But at the end of the day, without any players there is no event either. I think sometimes, you know, a little more consideration could be done for what we've got to go through to get prepared to get on the court, as well.  We don't want to go on the court if it's not prepared properly or it's not dry or, you know, there's not a good amount of time that's realistic to finish matches. I think there's certainly, you know, things that need to be considered a little bit more.  But in general, obviously it's not a problem.

Q.  Do you think it's also a situation with the way the scheduling is done with this tournament, in that you've got first round across three days rather than two at most slams --  French starts on a Sunday, anyway.
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Uh huh.

Q.  And then it's more evenly spread, so you probably would have had the quarters done by now.
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Yeah.

Q.  What are your thoughts on that?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Well, I think the women's matches are always here, anyway, played over Monday, Tuesday.  For us it's not a problem.  But if I was one of the guys playing on a Wednesday start I certainly wouldn't be too happy about it because you're already losing half the week.  Then you've got to cram seven matches in.  I don't necessarily agree with playing semis and finals days after each other, because if it does rain here, you're stuffed.  There is no chance of having a final on time if you lose that semifinal day. Obviously they have the scheduling the way they want it.  Yeah, I think a lot of players would probably disagree with it.  No other Grand Slam does it that way.  But that's the way it's been for many, many years.

Q.  How intense is that playing day after day after day?  Usually just semis and finals, but now you have quarters, semis, finals.  I guess it's less of an adjustment for the women because you probably do this during the year.  Is very intense to do it at a slam?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Oh, well, never had to do it before, so I guess we'll find out.  I think for us, sure, playing best of three sets is definitely not as hard as it is for the guys.  If the guys now have to play, some of them four days in a row depending if those matches go really long, it's going to be a huge test for whoever has to do that. But, you know, I think we'll be okay to play three days in a row.  We do that throughout the year, normal tour events.  You've got to be able to back up.  So I'm not too concerned about that at the moment.  And obviously having   well, me   three pretty easy days, I'm feeling pretty good and ready to go.

Q.  Can you look ahead to first playing Kerber and then separately to playing Pennetta?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Well, I don't actually know much about Kerber except that she's a lefty.  That's about it.  We've never played and never practiced together or anything like that.  Might be interesting to watch a little bit of that match.  Against Flavia, we've played a few times, but not for about a year, actually.  I've never beaten her.  So, you know, either way I'm gonna have to go out there and play way.  If I can keep playing the way I am I have a good chance, I think.  It's the semis of a slam, and we all want to get through to that final.  So no matter who I play, I'm going to have to play well.  It's definitely going to be a good challenge.

Q.  You said after beating Kirilenko that you felt more pumped than ever in your life.  How did you feel today?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Great.  Yeah, I think I wasn't probably as animated, but definitely kept it all under control and felt pretty solid out there.  When you're playing well, like I say, it just kind of flows.  You step up to the line and you play the next point and the next one and the next one.  Happy to close it out in straight sets.

Q.  I think you played Flavia in Fed Cup.  Is that the last time you played?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Yeah, it could have been, actually.

Q.  Can you talk about how you're feeling about your game now compared to then?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  To be honest, I didn't feel good during that Fed Cup tie.  I think it was 5 in the third or something.  So maybe that's a good thing.  I didn't feel too comfortable and I still lost 5 in the third.  I mean, Fed Cup matches are huge, and obviously playing in Australia for us was a big moment.  But I think this is probably a little bit bigger, and it's totally different.  You don't have the coaches on the side of the court and a team barracking for you from the sidelines. Probably, you know, not worried too much about that match.  But there are definitely things that we'll have to, Dave and I, talk about and go through if I end up playing Flavia.

Q.  Is this some of the best tennis you've played since your run at the French?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Yeah, maybe so.  I think this year up until the last probably month haven't been as good as what I wanted it to be.  But, yeah, it's nice.  Leading into this event I was able to get some good results and start feeling good again.  To carry it through now into the main event is definitely a nice feeling.  Yeah, I think I'm playing well, but you always hope there is still that little bit extra there.

Q.  That run you went on at the end of the first set and then the first two games in the second, was that almost as close as it gets to perfect, 12 straight points in a row?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Well, yeah, I think so.  Hitting winners from wherever you want to be in the court and serving well, it's  --  yeah, to win 12 straight points against the No. 2 player in the world is always a good thing.

Q.  With the anniversary of 9/11 coming up, can you talk a little bit about your memories that you have and where you were and what that experience was like for you?
  
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  I was playing 10,000s in Japan.  Kind of have to remember what city I was in.  But, yeah, I woke up to the TV or one of the other Aussie girls there calling the room and saying, Turn on the TV and look what's going on.  Obviously it was unbelievable.  I was only 17 at the time.  There were four or five of us traveling around in a group together and had no idea what was going to happen.  We all thought planes aren't going fly ever again and didn't know.  Obviously watching those images, going out to play your matches at a 10,000 event all of a sudden became pretty irrelevant.  And obviously watching the TV recently you see all the shows and documentaries about it again, it certainly brings it back. Yeah, it's kind of strange to be back here in New York on the 10th anniversary.  It's great to see how people have moved on.  Obviously it was a really sad time, but obviously everyone's getting through it.