R. NADAL/A. Murray
6‑4, 7‑5, 6‑4
ANDY MURRAY
Q. How tricky was it to play the kind of tennis that you really would have wanted to have played out there in the conditions today?
ANDY MURRAY: I was pretty happy with the way I played, I think. For the most part, I mean, it was ‑‑ the end of the match was fine; start of the match was very difficult. A lot of wind.
Yeah, I mean, there was a couple of times ‑‑ I think it was early in the second set ‑‑ I had a chance to go up a break. Maybe back to back points. There was like a huge, like gust of...
Q. (Off microphone.)
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, where it just went straight up into the eyes. It was difficult. It happened a few times at crucial moments for me, but probably wouldn't have changed the outcome of the match.
It just would have been, like you said, it was a bit easier to play the way you'd like to on a break point or whatever. But it was difficult.
It was the same for both of us. I'm sure he had some points that he would have liked to have done things a bit better.
For the most part, it was a good match.
Q. Was that obviously a major turning point at I think 40‑15, 5‑All in the second set. What happened there?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, sometimes you can play well. I missed maybe one dropshot, he had played a couple of good points, and that's it. It's not really much else. I mean, it was a close match, a lot of close games.
Yeah, I thought I didn't feel like I played poorly when it was close. I had a chance in the end of the first set to get back on level terms and didn't quite take it.
But, you know, I had a lot of break point opportunities. Rafa played well on a lot of them. He served well and was able to dictate a lot of the points with his forehand. Some of them I didn't play that well.
But, I mean, the end of the second set, yeah, I would have obviously liked to have gone up 6‑5, but who's to say I would have won the set anyway? It would have been nice to have had the chance to get into the breaker, but I didn't.
Q. You said a couple of days ago that it was a question of being patient and taking your chances at the right time, sort of attacking at the right time. Do you feel like you got that right? Do you feel like your tactics were good?
ANDY MURRAY: I just came off. I mean, it was a close match. It was a long match, a lot of long games, a lot of deuce games. Yeah, a lot of service games were really, really tight.
Yeah, I thought I did well. Everyone seems to think it's easy against Rafa to just come into the net or come in or go for big shots, but you do have to be very patient. Sometimes I didn't quite get the ball I was looking for, and sometimes when I did I made a few mistakes.
But I think it was a close match. I don't think there was too much in it. He just played better than me today. That's the difference.
Q. Like you say, you've played well against each other, but what is the key sort of difference between you and him at the moment? Is it just him on clay? This is his preferred surface?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, there's no chance ‑‑ like three or four weeks ago, coming to the clay court season, or five weeks ago, there's no chance anyone was thinking I'd be in this position.
I mean, I'm happy that I managed to put myself in that position today. And, yeah, Rafa is a better clay‑court player than me. That's a fact. It's always been like that since we both started on the tour. His results would show that.
Yeah, I feel like I've closed the gap. I think I'm better on clay, a lot better than I was last year. But I still have a ways to go to be as good as him, and so do pretty much every player on the tour.
So, you know, I need to work on some things. I look forward to that for next year, but now I've got to concentrate on how to win against the likes of him and Roger and Novak on the grass.
It's a different game, so I look forward to that.
Q. What sort of shape do you feel in going into the grass court season?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I have to wait and see what happens with Queen's. I don't know. I'm not 100% sure if I'll play there or not.
I'll have to see how I feel the next couple of days when I get off the painkillers and stuff and see how my body, get rid of the anti‑inflammatories, and see how I'm feeling. See if things are a little bit sore, obviously.
But, I mean, I felt like ‑‑ considering the circumstances, I felt like I fought hard. I thought today in terms of my attitude it was by far the best that I had been throughout the tournament. You know, I was behind in a lot of the sets and managed to find my way back in. Just couldn't quite get in at the end.
But I feel like I'm in good shape, much better than I was at the beginning of the clay court season, because I played a lot of matches now.
Q. Having seen Novak kind of break into that gruesome twosome of Rafa and Federer, does that give you hope that you really can do it? What is that Novak has done that you can maybe learn from him in order to try and do it?
ANDY MURRAY: Just get better. I mean, I've ‑‑ you know, I've won against Roger and Rafa before quite a few times; I've won against Novak quite a few times. Every year our tennis gets better, and I said like at the beginning of the clay court season to the guys that I work with that I feel like tennis has gone to a different level than it was physically.
And in terms of the standard, even in comparison with two years ago, I feel like players are quicker. I feel like they're hitting the ball harder. I feel like everyone has improved a lot.
That's just my opinion from being on tour now for six, seven years. I feel like the speed of the game has changed, and you need to do things in your training and your practices to allow yourself to get up to that level and stay there.
I've done that well for the most part, but I'm going to need to get even better if I want to get ahead of those games.
Q. A new coach might help?
ANDY MURRAY: I have a new coach. I have been working with him for six, seven weeks now. I've improved a lot since Indian Wells and Miami. And, yeah, we'll get the chance to work with him over the grass court period and see how it goes.
Q. Statistically this has been comfortably your best clay court season. Does that mean you kind of go into the new phase that starts next week kind of in the best shape as a buildup to Wimbledon that you've had?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, yeah, it's been by far the best clay court season for me in terms of the way I've actually played on this surface. I've had decent results before, but I feel like I played a lot better.
Didn't feel like when I played against Rafa or Novak the matches I played against them, I didn't feel like I was out of place; whereas sometimes before when I played against Rafa I was moving badly, I didn't know where his balls were going, his tennis balls. (Laughter.)
And, yeah, I feel like I'm playing a lot better. So going into the grass I have to take positives from that, but I also need to look at things that I need to work on, not only for the grass court season but, you know, beyond that, as well.
So I look forward to getting back on the practice court and working on things.
Q. When are you going to start hitting on grass? Sounds like you're going to take a few days off to get yourself together a bit.
ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet. I will speak to the guys. I will see my physio when I get back home. The ATP physios this week have been unbelievable. They've helped me so much.
But when I get back, I'll see my physio and talk about the best thing to do. If staying on the anti‑inflammatories and the painkillers is right, then I could easily be on the practice court tomorrow, no problem.
But if it's best to get off them for a few days, see how everything is really feeling, might have to take a couple days off and see.
Q. Heading home tonight?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I don't know when the last Eurostar is, but...
Q. Half 9:00.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, might be on that.
Q. Can you give us a sense of what it is like to play him on this court? He's only lost one match ever on there. What makes him, do you think, as special as he is in this particular arena?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, this is the first time I've played him on it. I actually feel the balls help his game a bit, them being quicker. I haven't played against him on the past on it, but his ball, when he does make a solid hit on it, it is bouncing really high.
It's a very big court in terms of like the run‑back and stuff. At the sides, as well. So when he does get you running, you feel like you're moving, you know, a lot. There's a lot of space either side, and he can sort of work you all over the court. You know, backwards as well, he can push you a long way back, because of how heavy his shot is.
Yeah, he's an unbelievable player, you know. He's one of the best players ever. He's for sure the best clay‑court player ever, and all those things add up to it being a very difficult match when you play against him here.
Q. As you said, will you then now just put your feet up and think about the past two weeks? Is the overriding feeling happiness that you got this far but you lost against the greatest player, or are you still sort of tinged with a little bit of disappointment or a little bit of both?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, like right now I'm very disappointed. But I'm sure when I look back like five, six weeks ago going in like I would have ‑‑ if someone said, yeah, semis of the French, you know, playing good tennis again, you know, I would have taken that.
It's been my best French Open, so I've improved on this surface. Like I said the other day, I didn't feel like this tournament ‑‑ until today, I didn't feel like I had played that well. So that's a good thing. It will give me good confidence going into the clay court stretch next year.
Yeah, right now I'm disappointed, but I need to ‑‑ this is the surface I've struggled on the most in the past. I'm going on to a surface that I've played well on, a surface I enjoy.
Also, even though everyone about goes into the grass court period a little bit tired after the clay, it's like it's a totally fresh, completely different way of playing, and it's exciting. So I look forward to that.
Q. My question does relate to grass court play, and Wimbledon in particular. I'd like to ask you just a big‑picture question: What would it mean to you to actually win your home country slam, to win Wimbledon? What would that mean to you?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, everything. Obviously that's why what I practice for. I have to prepare now the next two weeks like I'm going to be the Wimbledon champion; that's the only way to get there.
I have to treat myself like I am going to win Wimbledon. I need to do all the right things, practice the right way and the way that I need to play, to win Wimbledon, not how Novak plays or how Roger plays, how my game will win Wimbledon.
Yeah, it would be an unbelievable feeling, I'm sure. I've always enjoyed playing there. I've always had good results there, and I hope in a couple of weeks that I can play my best tennis. I've definitely got a chance of winning if I play my best.
Q. Are you going to work with Darren over the grass court season?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. He will be there the week before at Wimbledon, and it'll work probably similar to how it was here: he does TV during the tournament, but yeah, Sven will be there. They'll be around from probably the weekend of ‑‑ the finals weekend of Queen's through till Wimbledon.
So they'll be there to help me, and they've been great the last couple of weeks.
Q. And that's an arrangement that you feel has been working well for you at the moment?
ANDY MURRAY: I have enjoyed working with them, and, yeah, I feel like I'm playing well again. So until I don't feel that way or I don't feel like they can help...
It's been very short‑term thing, so I'm sure I can still learn a lot more from those guys, and I look forward to it.
Q. Could you tell us what's the matter with Rafa saving so many break points on his own serve? And not only against you, but in a lot of matches. Seems to elevate his game, his service at these moments.
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, he plays very well on the break points. He always has done. He has his sort of patterns of play, and I think on this surface, as well, it's the way he plays on the great points. It's a lot harder to just, you know, as the person that's returning hit one big shot and you win the rally.
You need to really work it well. He normally puts in a high percentage of first serves. He varies where he's serving on the break points well. Then he looks to dictate the points with his forehand.
He played very well on a lot of the break points today.
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