Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. AP PHOTOS
LONDON — Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are widely expected to contest Sunday’s Wimbledon final and as the world’s best players are constantly in demand by the media.
After each match, both are required to attend lengthy media conferences where the questions range from the mundane to the mysterious.
AFP Sports looks at some of the gems that Djokovic and Murray have volleyed back at Wimbledon 2013:
Novak Djokovic
On his pet dog, Pierre:
“He’s very important. He’s back home waiting for me. When I come back from my work, first thing I see when I open the door of the house is him. He greets me. That’s a huge joy. I can’t wait to go and see him, if you don’t mind.”
On friendship with actor Kevin Spacey:
“He watched the US Open, Australian Open final. He’s a big tennis fan. I’m really glad to see such a big star. As I said, a very kind man. We stayed in touch ever since.”
On his visits to a Buddhist center in Wimbledon village:
“It’s very calm and quiet, obviously. I stay in a house which is very nearby. This is a place which we all visit. We like Wimbledon and London in general because there’s so many beautiful parks and nature, places which you can call getaways, where during these two weeks of a hectic Grand Slam atmosphere that goes around, so many people, obviously there is huge amount of pressure and stress and everything involved, so you need to have a place where you know you can switch off and recharge your batteries.”
Andy Murray
On alleged “Cameron Curse” where the British prime minister’s regular tweets passing on his best wishes to competitors invariably end with them losing:
“What he tweets has absolutely zero bearing on the outcome of my match, zero at all. It’s nice to get messages from the prime minister, but whether I win or not, his tweet has no bearing on that at all. That’s just people trying to make a story out of nothing.”
On media pressure:
“I don’t read the papers and stuff. But there are papers in the locker room, so you see some of the headlines and stuff. It’s not that helpful.”
On amateur musician Keith Meisner writing a song dedicated to the Scot called “Under The Lights, Song for Andy Murray” which generated over 1.5 million hits on YouTube:
“What do I think of it, the song? I think it’s good. I mean, he’s got a good voice. I’ve known him since I was 10 or 11 years old probably.”
On pre-tournament TV documentary where he discussed the impact of the 1996 shooting massacre at the Scottish primary school which he attended:
“I probably got asked to do it about a year ago, and I said no probably for about seven, eight months. I wasn’t that comfortable with the idea. But the people that were in charge of it were very, very professional. They weren’t intrusive at all. I know Sue Barker (BBC TV Wimbledon anchor) well, too. So I felt comfortable speaking to her, even though I cry every time I speak to her.”