It's not easy coming back from a long lay-off but it was great to be back playing. It was my first time back here since I won in 2003. I had great preparation and I've been hitting the ball well in practice, but at the level we are playing at results are the bottom line. |
It's not going to be an easy match for either of us - it never is when you come up against somebody from the same country, |
It's not the best way to prepare but I have to simply try and take the positives out of the situation and try and deal with it the best I can. |
It's something I really can't explain, |
It's the first time I've played Andy but I'm not going to approach it any differently, |
Just in the first couple of games I did feel I was a little bit rigid, |
My back has stiffened up over the last few days which is frustrating, |
My back is getting better by the day, |
My back totally seized up on Saturday evening; I couldn't walk and it felt like someone was sticking a knife in my back. |
My energy levels were fine but towards the end, during the changeovers, my back was getting quite stiff. |
My priority is to try and make sure I'm fully fit going into the match, |
My priority is to try to make sure that I am fully fit going into the match. My stomach has responded well to rest over the weekend, although I've still got to be careful not to overdo it. |
My stomach has responded well to rest over the weekend, although I've still got to be careful over the next few days not to over-do it. |
No doubt the most bizarre I've ever played. I'm shocked, really. His level went from nonexistent to playing some pretty good stuff in the space of a game. |
Not only was I really pleased with the way I played, I was more interested in how I would feel physically and I feel I came through very, very well, |