- Title: Business as usual for Murray despite his rise to world number one
- Date: 11th November 2016
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 11, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ANDY MURRAY WALKS IN TO NEWS CONFERENCE BOTTLES OF WATER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDY MURRAY SAYING: "It feels good obviously but I don't feel any different this week than I did the week before, like when I get up in the morning and stuff. I think maybe when you step on the court you will have a little bit more confidence, you feel a little bit better about yourself when you are actually hitting balls and getting ready for the tournament. But it didn't feel much different when I woke up on Monday morning, I felt just the same." PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDY MURRAY SAYING: "Like I said, I don't really feel any different coming to the tournament than any other years that I played, except maybe I'm a bit better prepared this year than the last couple of seasons. Look I've said this whole last few months you expect Novak is going to start playing his best tennis again. Obviously the last couple of months he hasn't but before then he'd been playing great for like, I don't know however many months, it wasn't months it was years he was playing great tennis for. So for him to not play his best for a couple of months I'm sure for him is not too much to worry about and I'd imagine that shortly he will be back to playing his best tennis. "He has obviously played extremely well here in the past, I think he's won here the last four years, so there's no reason to think that he won't have a really good tournament here." MURRAY AT PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NOVAK DJOKOVIC SAYING: "He's definitely a well-deserved number one at this point because he's been the best player of the last six months without a doubt. Whether or not he can sustain that is not a question for me but looking at the qualities he possesses as a player, but also his determination to the sport which is very impressive, there's a good chance that he can still play at this level for some time." DJOKOVIC AT PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NOVAK DJOKOVIC SAYING: "Well I'm my normal self every day first of all. I was talking about having certain ups and downs that every person has, but not myself emotionally or physically the last couple of months is too rough of a statement, especially because I thought I had a good couple of months, hasn't maybe been up to the standard of results I've had 12 to 15 months before that. "In sport you can't always expect to win and of course the high standard of results and success that I've had in the last couple of years probably has taken its toll a little bit. I didn't get to recover as fast after the French Open to be ready to compete at the highest level after that. I had to dig deep and obviously take some time to reflect on everything because it was an incredible achievement, but on the other hand as I said it took some time to get back on track." DJOKOVIC AT PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NOVAK DJOKOVIC SAYING: "As I said it's the very same thing. Of course you do have days when you're feeling maybe, I guess, less determined to really play than some days that you feel more. But as long as the days when you are waking up that feels more positive are there, they're making the majority of those days, then things are going well. "So I mean that's the case with me, I mean I feel even after playing 10 plus years in a professional tennis level I still feel I have a lot of gas in my tank and I feel like I still have a lot more years ahead of me, I really do. I feel great joy when I compete, when I play." STAN WAWRINKA AT PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) STAN WAWRINKA SAYING: "I'm really happy where I am right now, three grand slams in three years was something I never expect. I've been winning a grand slam per year since three years but I've been really far from being number one so that's why I don't even think about that. If you look at Andy and Novak they have more than double the points than me and they've been in the final of each tournament that they play in all year. So that's the reason I don't talk about it." WAWRINKA AT PRESS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 26th November 2016 16:01
- Keywords: Tennis ATP Finals Murray Djokovic number one
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sport,Tennis
- Reuters ID: LVA0015802RLR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New world number one Andy Murray said on Friday (November 11) that he does not feel any different after replacing Novak Djokovic at the top of the men's tennis rankings.
Speaking in London as he prepares for the season ending ATP Tour Finals which start on Sunday, the three time grand slam champion kept his feet firmly on the ground after his rise to the top was announced on Monday.
"It feels good obviously but I don't feel any different this week than I did the week before, like when I get up in the morning and stuff. I think maybe when you step on the court you will have a little bit more confidence, you feel a little bit better about yourself when you are actually hitting balls and getting ready for the tournament. But it didn't feel much different when I woke up on Monday morning, I felt just the same," the Scot said.
After completing a career grand slam when he won the French Open in June, Djokovic suffered a dip in form amid rumours of injuries and off court problems. Murray, however, expects the Serb 12 time grand slam winner to be back to his best very soon.
"You expect Novak is going to start playing his best tennis again. Obviously the last couple of months he hasn't but before then he'd been playing great for like, I don't know however many months, it wasn't months it was years he was playing great tennis for. So for him to not play his best for a couple of months I'm sure for him is not too much to worry about and I'd imagine that shortly he will be back to playing his best tennis.
"He has obviously played extremely well here in the past, I think he's won here the last four years, so there's no reason to think that he won't have a really good tournament here."
Djokovic, who had topped the rankings for 122 weeks, congratulated Murray.
"He's definitely a well deserved number one at this point because he's been the best player of the last six months without a doubt," he said.
"Whether or not he can sustain that is not a question for me but looking at the qualities he possesses as a player, but also his determination to the sport which is very impressive, there's a good chance that he can still play at this level for some time."
Djokovic bristled when a reporter suggested he had not been himself either physically or emotionally the the past few months.
"Well I'm my normal self every day first of all," he said. "I was talking about having certain ups and downs that every person has, but not myself emotionally or physically the last couple of months is too rough of a statement, especially because I thought I had a good couple of months, hasn't maybe been up to the standard of results I've had 12 to 15 months before that.
"In sport you can't always expect to win and of course the high standard of results and success that I've had in the last couple of years probably has taken its toll a little bit. I didn't get to recover as fast after the French Open to be ready to compete at the highest level after that. I had to dig deep and obviously take some time to reflect on everything because it was an incredible achievement, but on the other hand as I said it took some time to get back on track.
"Of course you do have days when you're feeling maybe, I guess, less determined to really play than some days that you feel more. But as long as the days when you are waking up that feels more positive are there, they're making the majority of those days, then things are going well.
"So I mean that's the case with me, I mean I feel even after playing 10 plus years in a professional tennis level I still feel I have a lot of gas in my tank and I feel like I still have a lot more years ahead of me, I really do. I feel great joy when I compete, when I play."
While Murray and Djokovic will be fighting to see who will finish the year as world number one, third seed Stan Wawrinka said he was content to be where he is after winning his third grand slam in as many years at the U.S. Open in September.
"I'm really happy where I am right now, three grand slams in three years was something I never expect," the Swiss said. "I've been winning a grand slam per year since three years but I've been really far from being number one so that's why I don't even think about that. If you look at Andy and Novak they have more than double the points than me and they've been in the final of each tournament that they play in all year. So that's the reason I don't talk about it." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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