int1

Lleyton defeats Andreas Vinciguerra
2-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3

Q. Any problems with the racquets in the first set there? You changed
racquets?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, just felt like it was coming off a little bit loosely, a
lot of balls are flying long I felt. You know, just really couldn't control.
As soon as I changed, I felt much more comfortable. It's just basically
because the racquets got strung a couple days ago, whereas the other one's
were today's, this morning's.

Q. There were a lot of unforced errors. How do you view the game now that
you've had a bit of time?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I thought it was a very tough match. He came out and played
fantastic right from the start. I was put under the pump right from the
beginning. To my credit, he was probably one of the best hard-fought wins
I've won. They're the nice ones to get through at Grand Slams.

Q. Darren said the other day that you were perhaps having a little bit of
difficulty changing from being the hunter to the hunted in these Grand Slams.
You suddenly are a seeded player now. He said this might have been
contributing to a few of your losses lately. Did you feel any of that today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not really. I've been going out to all my matches, I've
had a few problems over the last few weeks which have -- I felt pretty good
in Indianapolis. The first-round loss at Wimbledon was due to a guy who was
on fire. You know, I honestly could say that he would have knocked off most
of the seeds if they played him first-round, Jan-Michael Gambill. He played
fantastic. Today I didn't really feel any added pressure at all. I've had a
lot of time for Andreas, we played doubles together once, I've seen him play.
He plays pretty similar to me, so I was prepared for a bit of a dogfight out
there tonight, and I certainly got that.

Q. How comfortable are you with coming to these Grand Slams as the 9th seed,
the 7th seed? Are you okay with it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I feel fine at the moment. Obviously it's a pretty big step
in such a short period, that, you know, really only two and a half years I
suppose since I sort of came on the Tour. I feel the more time that I've --
I'm getting seeded in these tournaments, the better I'm gonna be for sure.
Obviously I haven't really felt the pressure, I don't think, this week,
leaning into it.

Q. Is that one of your best wins because he's such a dangerous player or
because you had to work your way into it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Obviously I got a lot of time for his game. He's a great
player, very competitive. As I said, I knew I had my work cut out for me
there going against him tonight. You know, it was just -- it was one of those
wins that you had to sort of get through in Grand Slams. You know, you've
seen so many players do well at Grand Slams after they have a tough first or
second round and come back, I was very nearly down two sets to Love there, I
really had my face in the ground, sort of. So, you know, at that point I
think it was, you know, one of my best wins. You know, obviously I didn't
play my best tennis but I got through it.

Q. So that can set you up for other rounds?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think so. There's going to be a lot of positives, I
suppose, to come out of that match just because I didn't play my best tennis
but I still won. There's little areas of my game that I know I need to work
on for my next round if I'm going to get through that one.

Q. Like what?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Just sort of going out and attacking right from the start, I
sort of waited a little bit more. I wasn't really positive in my own game
sort of right from the start today, and that's why I sort of made so many
unforced errors early.

Q. When you say your face was in the ground, you were saying at that point --
I think it was the same time you were saying, "Come on, come on." What were
you thinking to yourself? Were you thinking, "Come on"?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Basically, yeah. It's not a lot else you can be thinking, I
suppose, when you're just about to go down two sets to Love in a Grand Slam
first round. I didn't push the panic button though at all, I didn't
(inaudible) out there tonight, which I was very happy with. I probably pushed
the panic button a little bit against Jan-Michael Gambill at Wimbledon, but
I've learned from that and I think I'll be a better player because of it as
well.

Q. What are the nuts and bolts of not pushing the panic button? What sort of
things --?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I just got to stay a lot calmer when I am in that type of
situation, when you are down a set and a break and, you know, really
struggling out there. You got to remember this is the best-of-five set match.
I haven't played a hell of a lot of five-set matches. I'm very inexperienced
at that, and I think the more tighter and the more longer matches I'm going
to play, I'm going to be a better player because of it.

Q. How do you think this match helped you mature?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Today? I think it was definitely a big step. When I'm not
playing my best tennis and I was looking at a first-round exit for a little
bit. It didn't sort of come into my mind at all, I stayed very calm and I
felt that even though he sort of hit me off the court for that first set, I
felt like I could still always come back and win the match.

Q. You said going into the match that you weren't that confident. Why?
LLEYTON HEWITT: When was that?

Q. You said you weren't feeling that confident going in.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, sort of at the start of the match when I was out there,
I didn't stay positive. I was sort of on the back foot right from the start.
I walked out on the court and I wasn't confident.

Q. Before the match started, was there anything influencing your mood today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, my mood was fine.

Q. Did he take you by surprise a bit because you haven't played him in
singles before?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit. He came right out. I've got nothing but
praise for the way he played today. He's definitely going to be one of the
toughest opponents in the years to come, that's for sure.

Q. What do you know about Julien Boutter?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I only just heard when I was walking down here that he
won. I haven't really seen a lot of his matches. Obviously, he's a
big-serving guy. He's going to be a totally different matchup than tonight's
match, or this afternoon's match, because Julien's going to serve a lot of
aces and going to be a big server, but he's going to make a lot more errors
and not be as, I suppose, useful from the baseline as Andreas was tonight.

Q. Do you scout around? Does Darren do that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit of both. I'm sure some of the Australian guys
have a little bit of information. I may call my old mate, Luke Smith. He
played him maybe earlier this year in the qualifying of this round.

Q. He's on the way back to Adelaide?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's on the way back, yeah..

Q. What's your reaction to being part of this campaign, "New Balls Please,"
and being part of the young guys?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think it's great sort of to get the younger guys out there
and sort of their faces in the crowd, you know. I think it's fantastic. You
know, there's -- I suppose you've got Sampras, Agassi, Rafter, those kinds of
guys that are at the top of their game now. Now we've got this new breed of
guys, age 23 and younger coming up, biting at their heels a little bit. And,
you know, obviously to be compared with the Kuertens and those kind of guys
in the group is fantastic for me.

Q. Agassi says he doesn't see any of you guys dominating the game in years to
come. Do you agree with him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Doesn't see any of us dominating. Well, obviously Kuerten's
doing pretty good at that at the moment. You know, for the guys in it, we've
got Safin, who's, you know, obviously one of the most dangerous players on
the Tour at the moment. We've got Ferrero, who, you know, I rate very highly.
He made the semifinals, and he had Kuerten two-sets-to-one and a break, I
think, at the French Open. So, you know, I think there's a good grade of
talent coming through.

Q. What's the common trait with all of you young guns, perhaps yours as well?
The common trait? Is it confidence? Is it energy?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard to say. Every personality, everyone's personality
is a little bit different. You've got Safin, who's probably, you know, a
little bit quieter, I suppose. But once he gets out there, he's very
aggressive on the court. You've got Ferrero, who doesn't say much really at
all.

Q. How about you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Me? I don't know. I'm very competitive. I think that's
probably the main thing. I think everyone's very competitive.

Q. Would you say you still feel more comfortable going into a match as the
underdog than as the favorite?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I don't mind at the moment, mate. I don't mind at all.

Q. You served 17 aces today. Is that good for you out of four sets?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think that's pretty good, yeah. I served in patches tonight
a little bit, didn't start well at all, served a lot of double-faults as
well. But my serve's definitely getting better and better all the time. It's
an area of my game that Darren and I have been working on. You know, probably
since Queen's it really stood out when I served really well, sort of that
season.

Q. Are you getting accustomed to this environment? You like this environment?
Last year you came in, made it through three rounds, had a good run here. A
lot of players find this the most distracting of the Majors?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't mind it. The crowds and that have been fantastic.
It's like playing back in Australia out there, we had a lot of Australians
out there. I really look forward to coming to Flushing Meadows and playing
here. Obviously, it's on hard court. I feel like my game suits hard court
very well. And because I suppose Pat Rafter's done so well in the past, you
know, it just feels pretty comfortable for the Australians I think around
here.

Q. How does it feel for you to follow Pat's image? Some people are saying
you're the next Pat Rafter.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's fantastic. Pat's -- he's done a lot for me and my
tennis, both on and off the court. So, yeah, he really took me under his wing
when I was pretty young sort of coming into the Davis Cup squad and, you
know, obviously, you know, he's still got a few good years left in him.
Hopefully the next few years he'll win another Slam.

Q. It seems like the Australians have a nice mentoring system. You guys seem
to really take a lot of national pride in the game. That's my impression.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think Newcombe and Roche have had a big input in that.
They've really sort of helped out a lot of the guys, on history and
tradition. Not just Davis Cup, but just Australian history of tennis, I
suppose, and the Rosewalls, the Lavers, all those kind of guys sort of coming
up and playing. You know, I think Newcombe and Roche have been great for
Australian tennis.

Q. With Sydney looming right behind us, is it at all a distraction, is it
hard to separate and say, This is the US Open, I have to get through this
first. Is it always looming behind?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit. It's sort of an unknown factor for me because
Sydney, I haven't been to an Olympics before. I don't really know what to
expect. Just to say that you've walked out there, you know, in front of so
many people, a stadium in Australia, behind the Australian flag, it's a thing
you can tell everyone in years to come. It's just a dream come true. So it's
a little bit hard, but this is a Grand Slam. This is what you play for. This
is what you get up for. This is what you're motivated for playing tennis. So
at the moment I'm pretty concentrated on this tournament.

Q. How did you like the pace of the court tonight?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's pretty quick actually out there. A lot of balls I felt
were flying. But, you know, I think it's probably similar to the previous
years.

Q. Why do you wear red out there? Why red and why a backwards cap?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Backwards cap is sort of tradition now. Just do it for every
match. Red, it's just what Nike put me in.

Q. First time you've worn a red shirt?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, apart from doing the dog commercial for Nike it is,
yeah.

Q. Is it Tiger Woods-esque?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I have no idea. I was given red, black and white. I didn't
feel like the sun was that hot out there today so I didn't need the white.

Q. When did the backwards cap tradition begin?
LLEYTON HEWITT: That's coming up in the Juniors, everything I worked -- my
first win at the Australian, hard court. Unless it's a very, very hot day, I
normally wear my hat backwards.

END

Lleyton defeated by Gustavo Kuerten Indianapolis 19 August 2000

GREG SHARKO: The first question for Lleyton?

Q. Lleyton, you were 5-3 up in the first set and going well. What happened
after that?
A. Well, he played a pretty good game at 5-3, I think he -- I gave him a
couple of short -- short forehands, and he sort of got on top of me, and then
I had two short forehands of mine and missed them, one into the net, one down
the line, and one of the break points. It was just a big momentum swing at
that time in the match because I felt, you know, pretty much in control. It's
very windy out there today, and then I just started really struggling sort of
to generate much pace with the ball, I was feeling sort of -- when you're
more uncertain, then you're sort of struggling with the wind as well.

Q. This the first time you've played him. What did you learn from that match
today?
A. He's a smart player. You know, he wasn't serving great early. He served --
got better and better as the match went on, I thought, towards the end of the
first set, and then the whole second set he served pretty big. I still had a
chance -- I think I was 2-1 up in the second set, had break point there, and
I didn't make him play, and, you know, I -- I thought I read the ball pretty
well on that return, and I pushed it long, which was a bit of a shame. I felt
like if I -- you know, who knows, if I could have got that first set, then I
could have, you know, kept the ball rolling a little bit.

Q. Easy to see why he's leading the champions race at the moment.
A. Oh, he's a great player, there's no doubt about it. He's won two French
Opens, and he's going to be a contender come two or three weeks for the U.S.
Open.

Q. What problems with your forehand, was there any reason about that?
A. No, it felt -- it felt good at the start. I just started struggling as the
match went on. You know, there's a lot of breeze. And, you know, I think he
sort of mixed up his game, well, to his credit, that's why he's one of the
best players in the world at the moment.

Q. Yesterday you said the match against Enqvist was the best you've played
this year. So perhaps do you think you might have been serving from a bit of
an anti (inaudible) today?
A. I felt like, you know, I came out today and, you know, after 5-3 or just
before that I felt like I was playing, you know, as well as I was playing
against Enqvist yesterday. And then I just -- the momentum swung, and, you
know, probably to his credit Enqvist yesterday just sort of played the
one-dimensional game, Guga sort of mixed it up today, that's why he's one of
the greatest players.

Q. Is it fair to say that the players no longer see Guga as a clay court
specialist but all courts are his?
A. For sure, I think -- you know, all this year I think after his final in
Miami in the Ericsson there and the Master Series, you know, he's a contender
on pretty much all surfaces. He made the quarterfinals a year before at
Wimbledon as well, he was probably a little tired this year at Wimbledon, but
I think he can play on all surfaces.

Q. What form will your preparations take next week for the U.S. Open, and who
will you be hitting with, anyone in particular?
A. I'll be hitting with Darren mainly at the start, and then I'll -- you
know, probably I'll be there a few days early for the U.S. Open in New York,
and some of those Aussie guys, depending on how they go in quallies, you
know, the James Sekulovs, the Paul Kilderrys, those kind of guys. If I do
bomb out of quallies, then hopefully I can do a bit of drilling with them.

Q. Darren probably had his best moment of his career at Flushing Meadow. Have
you talked to him about that from the --
A. A little bit. You know, he's had some great wins, I think he beat Becker,
he's beaten Ivanisevic, he ended up losing to Wilander, he's played some
great matches at the U.S. Open, it's probably his favorite tournament. So if
I can get myself into the second week there, I'm sure he's going -- his
experience in sort of the second week of playing a second week of the U.S.
Open may benefit for me.

Q. What's your experience at Flushing Meadow? You played there last year,
lost in the third round, I think. What can you take from that into this year?
A. Well, I thought the courts really suited my game pretty well last year. I
beat Rosset and Wayne Arthurs pretty convincingly, and then lost to Medvedev
6-4 in the fifth. And you remember that was my first tournament back after
sort of taking four or five weeks off with an ankle injury, so I wasn't even
close to 100 percent and I still made the third round. So I was happy with
the way that I -- really happy with the way I played last year, but I think I
can go further in the tournament this year for sure.

Q. What do you think of the atmosphere at Flushing Meadow? It's usually
pretty noisy.
A. Yeah, you know, you get the planes flying over, you get everything, I
think it's a good atmosphere. Normally the American crowds really get into
the match, and I think that's good.

Q. Can you feed off that sort of atmosphere?
A. Yeah, I think, you know, a player with my type of game and my sort of
emotion that I like to get in the match, I think for sure could feed off
that.

Q. What sport would your goal be? Because given that you're a top 10 player
now, you haven't got past the fourth round in the Grand Slam. I mean, can we
assume that, you know, you'd be really going for that at the U.S. Open?
A. I'm going for it at every Grand Slam, mate. I'll be taking it one match at
a time, and a lot of Grand Slams have got to do with draws. And if you can
get a couple of nice three- or four-set matches, sort of easier ones under
your belt earlier and then you sort of work your way into the tournament, I
think I've got a fair chance of doing pretty well in the second week.

Q. Just on the top 10, again, are you looking towards the Masters at all?
Because that's just eight players, and I think you're number nine at the
moment. Is that part of your goal at the end of the year, to make the
Masters?
A. It would be nice to make it but it's not a priority. You know, my
priorities now are the U.S. Open, the Olympics, and the Davis Cup final. You
know, I think it's the week before the Davis Cup final, and, you know, if I
make it with the U.S. Open and sort of the end all season, I do well in the
two Masters series events at the end of the year, you know, it would be
fantastic to make it this year, but, you know, it's not the be all and end
all, you know, I've still got a big Davis Cup final in Spain to look forward
to.

Q. Did you watch Pat Rafter win his back-to-back titles in New York?
A. I wasn't there at the time.

Q. Did you watch it live on TV?
A. I didn't see the first one; I saw the second one.

Q. I mean, did that inspire you?
A. Yeah, for sure, it's -- you know, we didn't really have sort of a huge
name in Australian tennis at that stage, and particularly the first time Pat
won it, he was ranked, I think, 14 or 15 seeded there, and, you know, just
the way that he did it as well, he got through a couple of easy matches early
on, and then the draw sort of just opened up for him, and he ended up playing
fantastic tennis by the end.

END

Interview with Lleyton after his defeat of Enqvist 18 August 2000 Indianapolis The RCA Site

MR. SHARKO: Okay. Lleyton advances into the semifinals. He'll play Gustavo
Kuerten, the first meeting between the two. And with the win today, he's
improved his match record to 47-11 on the year. Okay. The first question?

Q Do you feel that was another good step forward today?

A It's one of the best matches I've played all year. I hit the ball great out
there today. I couldn't have been happier. I just hope, you know, I haven't
peaked too early. It would be nice to be playing like that going into the
U.S. Open.

Q Do you think this is just about the ideal preparation playing through this
week and then a week off?

A I hope so. You never really can tell, I suppose, until you get out there.
And you know, who knows. Maybe sometimes I do well like in Adelaide and
Sydney and then going straight into the Australian Open like that, but I've
had times when I've had the week off, and I sort of enjoy it if I do well
sort of the week before just to sort of refresh up and just go out there and,
you know, not having any niggling injuries going into the event.

Q Thomas said he felt tired today, but obviously, you're saying, you know,
one of your best matches of the year. But did you think his tiredness may
have been a factor?

A Oh, for sure, yeah. He's played a lot of tennis, and he's -- you know, it's
always hard going out there I suppose after he won such a big event last week
and trying to perform, and then he had a very tough match against Carlos Moya
yesterday.

So he's obviously definitely feeling the pinch a little bit and probably is
going to be -- going to need a few days off before the U.S. Open.

Q Can you talk about when you advance this far into a tournament in both
singles and doubles, and does it take away from the stamina that you're going
to have for singles to have play again in doubles now?

A I haven't felt that before at all. Adelaide and Sydney, you know, I did
great. I won Adelaide and Sydney singles and came runner-up in both doubles
events.

So, yeah, that was a lot of tennis for me, those two weeks going into the
Australian Open, but I physically felt that I handled it pretty well.

Q Your service game seemed to get stronger as you went along.

A Yeah, I started -- yeah, I actually have been struggling sort of probably
since Wimbleton. I didn't serve well against Jan Michael Gambill and that,
and I've been struggling a little bit since then with my serve, and you know,
even in my first couple of matches, I wasn't serving great, but I was sort of
hustling around on my service games, but I was making it a lot tougher than
it had to be.

And out there today towards the end of the second set, I started really
popping my serve, and I got a lot more cheaper points out of it. And you
know, it makes tennis a lot easier.

Q Were you pleased with your focus? You let those three break points go bad,
but then you came back to still break him in that game.

A Yeah, it was good. You know, they're the times that you can get frustrated
and really throw it away, particularly after I had those three break points.
Then Thomas, I think, had at least one game point to himself in that game.

You know, that's a tougher point. If he gets a first serve in, you're not
sort of concentrating. You're worrying about the three points, and that's
when you shank a -- shank a ball wide to give him the service hold. So, you
know, I was sort of happy with the way that I guts'd that game out anyway.

Q These conditions, fairly hot and muggy, it's going to be like that in New
York, as well. Are you ready for the best of five set matches over the
fortnight? Are you physically ready for that?

A Yeah, I think so. Obviously, I haven't had a lot of match practice, and I
would like to have had a bit more, I suppose, but if I can get into the final
here and, you know, play a good five matches here, you know, I feel in pretty
good fitness form, as well as, you know, hitting the ball well, hopefully,
coming to the U.S. Open.

Q Can you talk about playing Gustavo for the first time?

A Yeah. You know, obviously, he's a great player. I think this year has
really been a big steppingstone for him playing on hard courts. Before that,
he was probably known as more of a clay courter, whereas I think we all saw
sort of in Miami how well he did making the final there and pushing Sampras
all the way in the finals.

So, you know, I'm going to have my work cut out there, and I'm going to have
to play, you know, as well as I did today, if not a little bit better, to
beat Gustavo.

Q Who will you be playing doubles with at the U.S. Open?

A I don't know if I'm playing doubles yet.

Q And the mixed?

A No, I don't know about that either, no.

END--www.rcatennis.com

Interview - Lleyton defeats Albert Costa 17 Aug 2000 Indianapolis RCA site

Q. Seemed like you -- you feel like your serve went pretty well out there?

A. Pardon?

Q. Pretty pleased with your serve and --

A. Yeah, I -- I got the big points when I needed to today. I felt like I moved great around the court again. And I felt like I returned really well today, and it gave me a lot of opportunities. I wanted to sort of put him on the back foot as much as possible because we all know that he's a real good clay courter and he likes standing back and sort of running around his backhand and using his forehand, so to get to his backhand I had to open up -- to open up his backhand I had to get to his forehand and make him really move and run out there today, and I felt like I did that pretty well.

Q. Quite a contrast the last time when you played him raining on clay in Paris. How are you finding the conditions?

A. It was a lot better out there today, I'll tell you. You know, last time I obviously played him in Paris, and it was a rain-delayed match, and God knows why we went on in the first place that evening in rain. You know, the court was obviously very slow that time, and, you know, it suited his game, whereas, you know, it was nice to get a little bit of revenge on a bit quicker surface out there today.

Q. What are you most pleased about the last two days? You've had two good weeks.

A. Yeah, just the way that I think that I've sort of -- you know I'm going out there and I'm attacking, I'm going out there and I'm playing my A game, and, you know, I'm trying to really get on top of my opponents early, and I feel like I'm doing that, and I think it shows in the score lines and the way I'm playing. Going into the U.S. Open, these tournaments aren't, you know, the be all and end all. It's the big one, the U.S. Open and the Olympics, obviously, for me before the Davis Cup final later in the year, and I want to be hitting the ball well and sort of moving well going into the e U.S. Open. I feel like I've taken a big step the last few days.

Q. In the last couple of weeks, when you've had a couple of early loses, did you and Darren do anything differently as a result of --

A. Not really, I wasn't able to practice a hell of a lot. I had a breathing problem, and I had an ankle injury as well. You know, I did very little hitting going into the -- Toronto, and then after I was out in Toronto early, I did, you know, basically nothing because we had to pull out of the doubles as well because Sandon was sick, so I haven't really hit a lot of balls and that's why it's nice to get a few matches under my belt before going into the U.S. Open.

Q. How is the ankle?

A. It feels a lot better. It's just got, you know, weak over sort of because I've been strapping it for every match for over the last year, and you just sort of twinge it now and then, and it got very weak there, and now I'm sort of practicing with no strapping on and just with the braces, just to sort strengthen it up, and I'm doing a lot of strength work on it as well.

Q. Which ankle is it?

A. Left, it was one I did in Los Angeles last year.

Q. What exactly is the problem with it, do you know?

A. Don't know. Got no idea. Just sort of tweak it now and then. It's just a bit loose, I suppose, since I did the injury last year.

Q. What sort of breathing problem was it, was it a virus or asthma?

A. A lit bit of a virus got in me. The doctors really didn't know, they just gave me a sort of a puffer to use for a couple of days, and then sort of went away, but, you know, I wasn't able to practice as hard as I would have liked to in those sort of days, those last couple of weeks.

Q. Were you conscious of the fact today that you might be playing him in the Davis Cup final in December?

A. It was in the back of my mind. Yeah, it's nice -- even though we're going to be playing on very, very slow clay compared with the quite quick hardcourt we played on out here today, I think, you know, it's a nice little confident boost, I suppose, having in the back of my head.

Q. How about going up against Enqvist?

A. Pardon?

Q. It's tough going up against Enqvist in the quarterfinals?

A. Yeah, Thomas and I have had some great matches, I've played him twice this year. Got lucky on both of those, one in Adelaide and a tough three-setter and another tough three-setter in Rome on clay. Lost to him a year before in the Adelaide final as well. So we've had some touch matches, but, you know, I'm going to -- he's playing great, obviously, with the win in Cincinnati, and to beat the players that he's beaten here as well, so I'm going to have to play my best possible tennis if I'm going to get through that match.

Q. What are your feelings on these new balls, the (inaudible) campaign and the tours, you think it's positive, maybe they're trying to educate him, especially over here in America on stuff -- you know, the great players from international that --

A. Yeah, I think it's pretty good. I like it, being a part of it and being with -- you know, we've got Kuerten sort of, I suppose, the head guy of it, 'cause he has won two Grand Slams, and he's sort of leading the race at the moment and that. And it's great for myself to be in that kind of company as well. And I think good in America, I think a lot of people just know the Samprases, Agassis the Rafters the Kafelnikovs, and this is sort of the new breed of tennis players coming through, and I think it's good for the game.

Q. How is your success in doubles impacted your singles play?

A. It's been a big help, actually. I really have a lot to think sort of Mark Woodforde, Todd Woodbridge, Sandon Stolle, Pat Rafter, those kind of guys, because my doubles ranking wasn't good enough for the start of my singles career when my singles sort of took off, I couldn't get in the doubles tournaments, and those guys really took me under their wings and got me a few wild cards, got my ranking up there higher. I've just learned so much, and sort of that's the next step of my game, if I want to really sort of cement myself in the top 10 I've got to sort of be moving forward a lot more, and that's what you got to do in doubles, so it's been a big help.

Q. Are you finding it a tough balance being so far in the tournament?

A. Not too bad. I think I play my best tennis when I -- you look at it one way and you sort of -- you play your singles and maybe have a day off and you go and practice for two hours, whereas I've got -- you know, I warm up and then I play a doubles match, and I like that.

Q. How have you been able to stay above the fray, the whole Philippoussis ongoing Davis Cup stuff?

A. At least I talk about it. It's very easy. There's nothing much to say, I suppose, apart from, you know, the Davis Cup ties, he didn't want to make himself available, and there's nothing we can do about that. We've got to forget him, we've got to go on with the team that we've got.

Q. Are you expecting Rafter to be ready to play?

A. Rafter will be fine.

Q. Yesterday you were talking about your schedule and want to have another look at it. The fact that you've been so busy this year, is that just because the Dave -- you've been winning in the Davis Cup or did you allow for that?

A. A lot's got to do with the Davis Cup and the Olympics also this year, that's why it just makes it a doubly sort of hectic year, really. You know, with the way that the ATP tour is this week -- this year with all the compulsory events, it's very hard to pick a break if, you know, two or three weeks, the most you can have sort of a week here and there, and, you know, that's probably not the best, I suppose, for a 19-year-old guy coming up the rankings to be playing sort of week in and week out.

Q. When you see that happen to yourself, can you -- does that help you to understand when the other players might pull -- might not play in the Davis Cup because of their schedule?

A. It really depends, I suppose, on what your priorities are. You know, for me my priority's the Davis Cup and the Grand Slams and the Olympics this year. And I hold those above everything else. So, you know, the thing is if -- if I do have to play the smaller events or whatever, then, you know, if I'm not 100 percent for those due to the reason that I've given 100 percent in the Davis Cup matches and the Grand Slams and we're still going in the Davis Cup and the Olympics, then so be it. If I'm not playing well at that time, then I can't do much about it. But as long as I'm peaking for the Grand Slams and the Davis Cup, then I couldn't be happier.

Q. Getting a few matches and maybe a few more under your belt this week, is that important for you in the lead up to the U.S. Open? Did you need these matches?

A. For sure. There's no doubt about it. I'm taking a week off next week, just going to try and work pretty hard, just, you know, really go back to basics, I suppose, and start hitting a lot of balls next week. This week it's fantastic, to get the more matches I can, the better I'm going to be, I think.

Q. Are you going to go straightaway -- whenever you're doing here, straightaway to New York?

A. Most probably, yeah.

Interview- Lleyton defeats Stefan Koubek 16 August 2000 Indianapolis RCA site

GREG SHARKO: Okay, Lleyton has a successful RCA debut today with his easiest match of the year, losing just one game. All right, first question?

Q. Could you talk about your performance today?

A. Yeah, well, pretty faultless, really, out there today. Feel like I moved fantastic, got on top of him early, which is a big key in that matchup today, and I felt like I hit my groundstrokes and return really well.

Q. You got the most titles on the tour this year and you're only 19. I guess you feel like an up-and-comer. Has that added any pressure to you at all?

A. Not really, there's definitely more pressure out there, I suppose, that you get put on by the media and the public, I suppose, just because sort of I am in the top 10 now and I am sort of being seeded and expected to make quarterfinals and semifinals of a lot more of these events these days, whereas probably the last two and a half years I've being going to each match as the underdog. So it's a different situation, but I'm not putting any more added pressure on myself at all.

Q. I understand you've got a love for the Rocky movies. Let's talk about that.

A. I have to talk about it each week. No, I just really enjoy the movies and, you know, I've probably watched them a hundred times, all of them. Just very motivational, I suppose.

Q. Is there a favorite part, favorite movie?

A. I like Rocky IV, but it's not really realistic, I suppose, when he's fighting the big Russian, but, you know, after Apollo Creed dies and all that, it's pretty good.

Q. Is that your favorite scene of all the five movies?

A. Yeah, I suppose, yeah, going to Russia and doing it when he had really no support there and stuff like that, but I think it's good viewing.

Q. Did you hit a lull a little bit after winning Queen's, you -- the last bit a little rougher stretch, feel like you're coming out of that?

A. No, yeah, not a lot, it doesn't really feel like that. Obviously Wimbledon, I played Gambill first round and he was too good. You know, he's one of those guys that is very dangerous and you don't want to meet first round because he's the type of guy he can knock off seeds.

Then I went to Davis Cup and performed very well on both my matches there in the semifinal against Brazil on grass which is probably my favorite surface, and really I think the big key the last two weeks I just haven't had a break. When you've got to play all these tournaments these days, you know, when Davis Cup's thrown in there as well as the Olympics this year, it's very hard to pick a break all year, so I try and take a week here, week there, but you're still going to be hitting in that week, otherwise you're going to be out of touch when you come to the tournament.

So the way it is this year, it's, I think, very hard on the bodies of everybody, and I think if you are playing Davis Cup and the Olympics, I think there's no doubt that those kind of players are going to have a downer here and there.

Q. With all that in mind, why was today so easy?

A. Today? I felt great out there today. It definitely -- you know, it probably looked easy on the score card and that, but in the first game in the second set and the third game in the second set he did have a couple of break points in both of those games, and who knows, you know, if he got his nose in front there it could have made a different story in the second set and might have been a bit more of a fight out there.

Q. Is it sort of a bit of a confidence boost today after you've been struggling a bit?

A. Yeah, I don't feel like I've really been struggling, I've been carrying a little bit of an ankle injury out there, I had a breathing problem in Toronto. Yeah, I just -- I feel like I've been overplayed a little bit the last, you know, probably couple of months as well, and it was very hard playing on the clay courts as well because I haven't really played that whole European stretch of clay court stuff, and then straight off the French Open finish, we're into Queen's already, and, you know, it's very hard to back it up. And obviously in the years to come I'm going to have to look at my scheduling a little bit better, I suppose.

Q. So are you playing next week?

A. No, I'm taking a week off.

Lleyton defeated by Sebastian Grosjean 2 August 2000 Toronto Masters Series

TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. First question for Lleyton Hewitt, please?

REPORTER: Lleyton, most of won't have seen that match. Could you just briefly talk us through it, how it went, please?
L. HEWITT: It was 2-all in the first set. I'd struggled on set and he was serving really well first couple of games. I really couldn't serve at all. Then I played one slack game at 2-all, lost my serve then, that was pretty much the serve right there. But he played a very good first set. He didn't give me any cheap points on his services game. I think I only won probably one or two points on his serve, and for a guy like myself, with a good return, that must mean he's serving pretty well.
Second set started off well, had a lot of chances early to get up a break. Went down 4-2, 30-love on his serve and then got out of it and came back to 4-all. Had four breakpoints at 4-all, I think and then on the last breakpoint that I had, he hit a dead neck cord winner, you know, one of those, it hits the top tape and you didn't know which side it was coming down on. I think that could have been a turning point if I could break there and then go on to 5-4 up, serving for the set anything could happen.

REPORTER: With three-weeks to go to the U.S. Open, a lot of players wouldn't regard a loss as a disaster. Is there something positive you can take from the match?
L. HEWITT: Not a lot of positives. I'm not too down on it, though, really. It's my first tournament back on hard court. I didn't really hit a lot of balls before this tournament. I've had a bit of a sore ankle before this tournament, as well. And, you know, I feel like I'm probably moving as well as I've ever moved out there at the moment. You know, I really didn't attack enough today. I didn't have that confidence that I normally do.

REPORTER: What exactly did you do after Davis Cup, just take it easy?
L. HEWITT: It rained every day in Adelaide, tried to get some treatment.

REPORTER: For your ankle?
L. HEWITT: Yeah.

REPORTER: Has it gotten any worse here this week?
L. HEWITT: It hasn't gotten worse at all, it's just getting better very gradually. No one knows what the problem is.

REPORTER: You had a problem late last summer, didn't you?
L. HEWITT: Yeah, a problem in L.A., it's actually come back on the inside, now. It was on the outside, so over-compensation, maybe.

REPORTER: Are you a little stronger, put on a little weight since last year?
L. HEWITT: Don't know, you tell me.

REPORTER: Your legs look a little stronger.
L. HEWITT: I don't know, maybe a little.

REPORTER: Lleyton, in a very short space of time, you've become a big name in tennis more quickly than many players. Has that required mental adjustment to get used to the attention that goes with it?
L. HEWITT: Obviously there's a lot more pressures on you every time you step on the court now if you are a seed in the Masters Tournaments now. I don't really put any more added pressure every time I step out there, I give a hundred per cent every time I step onto the tennis court. I just hope that my game matches up well on the day. I don't think from, in my mind, there's sort of any more pressure just because I'm in the top 10 now.

REPORTER: You've got a very physical game, does that mean as time goes by you'll have to plan your schedule more carefully?
L. HEWITT: Possibly, yeah, probably a bit more so and miss a few places like Krajicek and those type of guys. I feel like this year my schedule has been pretty good. It's just about been perfect for me. Because I'm a little bit younger than the rest of the players as well.

REPORTER: The tie-breaker was a bit of a nail-biter and it looked like you were starting to get momentum back in the tie-breaker. Can you tell us what happened?
L. HEWITT: I didn't make a first serve for the tie-breaker until I was 6-2 down and he didn't miss a first serve and that was pretty much it. After 6-2, I sort of had really nothing to lose, the match was basically over.
I played three very good points there and then the last match like that for a winner as well. If I go back to 6-all in the tie-breaker, maybe he's thinking, "Oh, I could lose this second set after the points here." You know, it would be nice to get off to a little better start.

REPORTER: Lleyton, any comment on the John Fitzgerald coaching news?
L. HEWITT: I only heard about it last night. I've got full confidence in Fitzy and Wally that they'll do a good job. They'll be good to work under.

REPORTER: Did you and Pat have any input?
L. HEWITT: It was pretty much up to Jeff Pollard. We knew the full candidate list, it was sort of all four guys. I didn't have a problem with it at all.

REPORTER: Was that McNamara and who's the other one?
L. HEWITT: Jeff Masters

Lleyton defeats Roger Federer 31 July 2000 Toronto Masters Series

REPORTER: Why did it take you so long to get going? You had a little trouble getting going and then you found your range okay?
L. HEWITT: It's always hard coming in, your first match up, after playing on grass the last three or four months. It was just nice to get the win under your belt. Yeah, it's nice to get the win under your belt. But you can't take anything away from Roger. He played a great first set and a half, probably, before it started to slip away and he gave me a few too many chances there in the end. Then he served two - apart from when I broke earlier, I played a slack game that next game, there wasn't much that I could do.

REPORTER: Do you think this is your best surface?
L. HEWITT: It's definitely up there. It's a little bit different, I suppose. Like, in Australia, I wish the Australian Open was played on it. In the past few years, obviously, it's been my favourite surface. But I can't complain.

REPORTER: Do you feel like it's going to take you a while to get going, having been at the Davis Cup and on the grass?
L. HEWITT: You know, I'm going to try and block it out as much as possible. I think today, to sort of get just a few rusty things out of my game. When I went out on the court it was a good thing. You know, just to get the confidence, to win in these big tournaments under your belt, just to get into the tournament. And, yeah, hopefully I can win in the next one or two matches and then it will be full steam ahead.

REPORTER: How is the court to play?
L. HEWITT: Very nice. It's actually very heavy conditions out there. And I love it when it's humid, when it's heavy.

REPORTER: The actual speed of the court?
L. HEWITT: Speed was nice, very nice.

REPORTER: Not too slow?
L. HEWITT: No, very nice, I thought.

REPORTER: Lleyton, you mentioned that you're looking forward to your next matches and I wonder if you could talk about that. Like, you've got a couple of days off and then you'll be facing Sebastian Grosjean.
L. HEWITT: Sebastian Grosjean is obviously a very good competitor. His play's probably very similar to mine, bigger forehand, serve is not as dominant, it's going to be pretty much a baseline rally, I suppose, out there. He is very competitive out on the court. So, you know, I'm going to have to play some of my best tennis if I'm going to get past that one. I have obviously got confidence because I did beat him in the first round of Sydney, earlier in the year, in Australia. I was seeing the ball very well at that time of the year.

REPORTER: Lleyton, you're part of the new ad campaign for the ATP tour. I was wondering about your thoughts on the new guard and challenging the establishment a bit and any recognition for what you've been accomplishing?
L. HEWITT: It's fantastic to be put in a group of such elite players. You've got the Kuertens, the Philippoussises, the Safins, the Ferreiras, obviously are the future of tennis as well. It's fantastic to be labeled that, but you've still got to go out there and prove it as well. You know, you can't get lost because you're sort of in this campaign. But, you know, I think it's a good idea on the ATP tour, you have sort of the high guys up there, the Rafters, Agassis, the Samprases, and then the newer guys 23 and under sort of coming up sort of biting at their heels.

REPORTER: When you get a set and a break down, like you did today, what do you tell yourself to do when you get to that point?
L. HEWITT: I wasn't a set and a break down.

REPORTER: Sorry, breakpoint down.
L. HEWITT: It was just very hard. I had to go, try to play the big points well, I went for a big serve on that one breakpoint down at 3-all in the second set and it paid off. I served a big ace at that point. It was a very tough game. You don't have a lot of time to think about, you know, what you're going to do out there. You know, you've got to play your strengths at that point, you know, when you are in trouble.

REPORTER: It seems that tennis is changing; it's evolving as a game, as a sport. The way that the ATP tour is sort of marketing itself, do you feel any kind of pressure to be more vocal, more interesting, or to behave, be a little more firey on the court? Do you find yourself thinking this is good for tennis, the more interesting and sort of exciting you are on the court? Does that ever cross your mind?
L. HEWITT: Not really for me. I suppose I'm pretty firey out there on the courts most of the time anyway. I am pretty competitive out there anyway. And a marketing plug isn't going to make me any more competitive at all. Some of the other guys who may be a little quieter, the Safins and Ferreiras might find that. I'm not sure. But me, you know, I think it's just a good way to sort of get the names out there into tennis. I don't feel any added pressure to sort of be someone that I'm not.