usoint

US OPEN CHAMPION!!!

L. HEWITT/P. Sampras (interview hereunder)
7-6, 6-1, 6-1

Q. As a Grand Slam champion, you have to take your hat off.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Take my hat off? My hair's not done (laughter).

Q. Well done.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Thank you.

Q. You must be delighted with your performance today.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. It hasn't sunk in yet. You know, walking out there to play Pete Sampras in your first-ever Grand Slam final, it's, you know, something that you'll never forget, that's for sure. Obviously, I had a few nerves coming in there playing possibly the greatest player ever to live in probably my biggest ever match, you know, in tennis.
I got off to a pretty good start, then got broken straight back. You know, just sort of settled the nerves. That was pretty good.

Q. You weren't awed, were you? You've been talking about your firmness of mind and how you can block things out, and you have blocked things out. I don't really believe you were awed out there. You just went right after him from the first game.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I've looked forward to this moment. You know, it's something that, you know, you dream of doing, walking out there and playing in a Grand Slam final, you know, playing that seventh match of two weeks. I didn't want to let the chance sort of slip by, that's for sure.
I was definitely up for the match. I felt I'd been getting better and better each match that I played. You know, I definitely gave myself a big chance today, the way that I was hitting the ball, every second day got better.

Q. How crucial was that first tiebreak in terms of establishing some sort of psychological lead anyway?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was huge, no doubt about it. You know, I was under a fair bit of pressure on my service games throughout the first set. I was able, after dropping it in the second game, able to sneak out of those service games.
It was pretty big. I started as well up the better end. I started the tiebreak. I knew I had to get off to a pretty quick start, otherwise Pete was going to be on me in the second half of the breaker. Changed ends at 3-All after doing a double-fault. Still gave myself a pretty good chance, knowing I played a great passing shot at 4-3 to get the mini break. I was able to hold on from there.

Q. Was that better than Brazil or on par?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard to say. I think they're two totally different situations. You know, Davis Cup, you're playing for your whole country. You're playing for your nation. You know, still I knew all the Australians were behind me when I went out there to play today, as well.
I think it's on par with when I beat Kuerten in Brazil.

Q. Did you have any problems with the wind?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was tough. It's one of the toughest condition days that I've had to play in and had to deal with. I felt like I got better and better. But early it was very tough because, you know, Pete hits the ball so heavy. He's got a big serve. I really didn't get too many chances up the end when he was serving with the wind. He didn't give me too many chances on most of those games. I was trying to fight my butt off to hold serve that first set up that first end. It was extremely tough in that sense.
Then I started passing well after that.

Q. Did you watch the US Open final last year and see how Marat handled Pete? Did you ever think, "I might be able to do that someday"?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I watched probably a set I think before leaving. I was out of here. But, you know, Marat handled himself great in his first Grand Slam final, as well.
You know, I just knew, believing in myself, that I was capable of doing it out there, handling the pressures that come with going into your first Grand Slam final.
You know, I've been through a lot of things for a 20-year-old, and I've played a lot of big matches, especially in Davis Cup ties. I've come out of those, you know, pretty well so far.

Q. Were you nervous last night? Were you thinking about the match? Did you sleep well?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I was nervous. You're not human if you're not going to be nervous going into your first Grand Slam final, but I'm sure any Grand Slam final you'll be nervous. It was very hard to sort of eat too much, as well. I didn't really feel like eating this morning or even having a bit of lunch and stuff today.
You know, it was probably the fact that you have to play Pete Sampras in your first Grand Slam final as well. There would be a lot of easier guys to play. You know, he's a big match player.

Q. Has the aura of Pete Sampras now changed with his two losses in the finals?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not at all. You know, he's a great champion. I think, you know, when everyone was starting to write him off, especially after he lost in the Round of 16 to Federer at Wimbledon, I think he's come out and proved a point over the last two weeks. He's capable of winning Grand Slams still, that's for sure.
You know, I've still got as much respect for him as a player, on and off the court, you know, as I've ever had.

Q. You said last night that you were going to ask Patrick for some tips. Did you end up doing that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I spoke to Pat, yeah.

Q. Did he give you any tips?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He told me go out there and enjoy myself. That's all he told me. He said he felt exactly the same way as I felt, you know, going in the night before he had to play a Grand Slam final, him a few years ago. He said that Newk and Roche had told him in the past, he asked, "What do I do now?" He just said, "Go out and enjoy yourself." I asked him the same thing, and he told me exactly that.
I tried to take that into my match today. In the back of your head, you're still thinking it's a Grand Slam final out there you're about to play.

Q. How is this going to change your life? How do you think it's going to change you when you go into Grand Slams in the future?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Haven't even thought about it (laughter).
You know, I'm still going to be the same person. I'm going to go home, I'm going to hang out with my mates, then I'm going to prepare for a Davis Cup tie in two weeks' time. It's not going to change anything in that way.
But, you know, it hasn't quite sunk in. It's an unbelievable feeling to have won a Grand Slam now. You know, it probably takes a lot of the pressure and expectation off your back, as well.

Q. You're not old enough to have a beer here. Is that going to be a problem?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know (laughter). You know, it hurts when back in Australia I can have one a couple of years ago, and I can't still have one here, so...

Q. Other than the winning point, what was the biggest point for you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, probably the passing shot that I hit at 4-3 in the breaker to get that mini break up. I think that first set was pretty crucial. I felt if I could get that first set and try and get on top of him, I had a lot better chance than if I lost the first set.

Q. What is it about your personality that allows you to block out the distractions, the pressures?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Got no idea. You know, I just grown up doing it, I think. It's something that I've had to deal with growing up in the Juniors back home in Adelaide when I was playing against older guys. You know, I was No. 1 in Australia a couple years out of my age. Everyone was out to beat you back then. I had to deal with those pressures and I had to be very mentally tough.
I've been able to take that. I've got stronger in the head as I've got older, as well, I think.

Q. Marat last year just seemed so stunned with his own performance. He described it as an out-of-body experience. Looking back, he can't believe that was him on the court. With you, it seems like this is sort of almost a natural progression. Do you recognize the guy that was out there?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, a little bit. It's come in stages, which has helped, that's for sure. I first came on the tour, you know, I qualified for the Australian Open. That was a big shock then. Sort of gradually built up higher and higher. My ranking has gone higher and higher each year. After this, I'll probably be No. 3 in the world. It's career best.
You know, that's been a good thing. I haven't been sort of having those highs and lows all the time. I've been gradually getting better and better.
You know, the results that I've had in some of those big matches has definitely helped me in big matches in Grand Slams, I think. You know, there's no doubt that in my mind beating Guga in straight sets in Brazil was, you know, I could not have hit the ball any better out there. And that gives me the confidence in big matches when everything's against you, to go out there and do it in times like today, you know, the last three or four days when I've had, you know, pretty tough guys to come up against.

Q. Did you get any advice from Kim before the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Go and enjoy myself. That was basically it. She'd been through a lot. She knew it was a big occasion. Obviously, she came so close, two points away from the French Open. She knows what it's like to be in that situation.
I can tell you it's a lot easier being out there playing instead of sitting in the crowd and watching that French Open in Paris.

Q. Pete called you the best returner in the game. What do you think about that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: That's a big compliment. You know, return of serve is one of my strengths, that's for sure. But, you know, I've had to work on little areas of my game because I don't have the biggest game, you know, with the serve. I'm not the tallest and strongest guy out there. So I've had to work on little areas of my game to sort of be able to counter-punch those bigger guys. The return of serve has been something I've had to work on since I was 9 or 10 playing in four- or three-year age groups playing the bigger guys. I've always been a big returner of serve.
You know, to be the best in the world, that's a big call though, when you have especially guys like Andre Agassi. I rate him the best in the world.

Q. It's been a long time since an Australian has won the Australian Open. Quite a while since an Australian has won at Wimbledon. You guys come in here and won three of the last five. What's the deal?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I got no idea. It's strange. It really is strange. When I first came on the tour, if anyone told me where I was going to win my first one, I would have predicted the Australian Open just because I've grown up there, I always play well in Australia.
You know, hard court is very similar here, as well. I try to take that same confidence, you know, growing up on hard courts, into here. It's very easy when I get in pressure situations, I know what to do on hard courts. These courts are pretty similar to the ones in Australia.

Q. Maybe a little less pressure here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. I haven't really -- I don't think I've, you know, lost in Australia because of pressure. You know, I lost this year because I had a very tough draw. I played a lot of matches going in probably, whereas the last two years when I've done well here, I've had a week off before, both Slams here. Maybe that's a thing I have to look at going into the Australian Open.

Q. You say it hasn't sunk in yet. Watching you when you lifted your trophy over-the-head, I wonder if the sense of the occasion really hit you then. What was going through your mind?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I looked at the names on the trophy, it was sitting in front of me. To see the guys who have held up this trophy, to now have my name under those guys', it's an unbelievable feeling. It's something words can't describe.
You dream of winning a Grand Slam, you know, when you're a young boy sort of looking up. I've been to so many Australian Opens, watched so many great players win there. You know, it's these moments you dream of. For me, you know, to come through at such a young age, it's fantastic.

Q. Who were your greatest heroes in Australian tennis?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Australian tennis? You know, it was a strange sort of time when I was growing up. Pat Cash was sort of really the only guy when I was growing up.
I was pretty much about on the tour when Pat started to win the Slams. Pat Cash obviously. Just for a guy to sort of idolize.

Q. Other players?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I loved watching Mats Wilander play, no doubt about that. He plays a similar game to me, as well. I love Stefan Edberg as well. For some reason, two Swedes, I like them.

Q. What kind of messages of support did you get from Australia before the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I got a couple of faxes the last couple weeks from John Howe. Starting at the top, that was pretty impressive. That meant a lot to me anyway. From my football team, that was all right, especially after their loss on the weekend.
Everything has been very positive from all the fans back home, through my mates that I used to go to school with and I'm very close to and speak to every day. You know, they've sent their best wishes. Everyone who I know back in Adelaide.

Q. You have something of a mixed popularity amongst the Australian public since you came on the scene. Are you hoping now this sort of silences your critics, that everyone will embrace you more now?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, it would be great. You know, I love playing in front of my Australian fans, no doubt about that. I can't wait for two weeks' time to get back there and play in Sydney.
You know, I'm sure that everyone in Australia was fully behind me today. That's the type of country we are. We love, you know, supporting top athletes, you know, seeing another countryperson in a final. It's like other guys, me watching the cricketers, stuff like that, the rugby.
I'm sure everyone was behind me back home.

Q. Throughout sporting history, there have been figures with great talent. Also some have had a fiery personality. They've spent practically all of their careers listening to people tell them they should behave this way, that way, don't do this, do that. You almost fall into that category now. You've come through it all magnificently. Do you think any of this will ever change you, or do you think it's something you'll decide whether you're going to be different in a match or with a crowd?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I go out there and I get pumped up on a court when I feel like it's necessary to get pumped up. You know, the last three or four matches, I really haven't showed that much emotion out on the court. It's been some of my biggest wins out there.
You know, I've had to learn how to play best-of-five-set matches, as well. It's a lot different when you come on the tour, get very pumped up after each point out there. It's only in a three-set match where it's totally different. When you get to the Grand Slams, you can waste some of that energy on not the right points. That's something I've had to work on.
It's been getting better and better I think with every Slam that I sort of play in that way.
You know, I still feel, you know, like today when I won the first set, I felt that was a big occasion. I needed to get myself pumped up. I needed to sort of get my supporters behind me at that point because it was, you know, a pretty big turning point, getting first-set tiebreak. I feel like when it's necessary for me to get myself pumped up and play my best tennis, you know, that's when it comes out.

Q. Match point, you fell to the ground. You got up and were almost subdued as you went to the net. Was that out of reverence to Pete, or was it a little bit of pity for him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's more no one likes to lose, I'm sure, Grand Slam finals, even though I haven't experienced it. The sort of shock of winning a Grand Slam sort of sent me on my back, on the floor. You sort of realize, "I've got to go and shake Pete's hand." That was pretty much it.
A sign of sort of respect, I think.

Q. You've had obviously expectations throughout your career. You talked before about the methodical progression of your game to this point. Is it still a bit surreal to be sitting here in front of a final press conference at this tournament?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It is. I can't believe it's sitting here. I don't know when it will sink in, if it ever will. I hope so. You know, just to have won a Grand Slam now, at the age of 20, four years ago I was here playing Juniors. I lost in the Round of 16 or something. My badge, I still have the junior photo on the front of my badge here. It wasn't that long ago when I didn't talk to any of you guys. No one was out there watching. I was playing Taylor Dent out here a few years ago, and no one could care less.
Now in front of everyone, I have the world's TV cameras on me, in front of me. I went and told Kim, "I'm not going to wake up, this isn't going to happen." It is unbelievable at the moment. I'm sure that's what sort of Marat felt at the moment, as well.

Q. To have done it against Pete.
LLEYTON HEWITT: That's what I said. I'm standing there about to collect the trophy and hold up the trophy. I'm standing there and Pete's there holding up the runners-up plate. It just didn't quite click for me (laughter).
But, you know, if there's ever anyone that, you know, you'd want to play in a Grand Slam final, if you were going to win, it was one of the greatest players ever to live.

Q. Was there a moment when you thought you were thoroughly in control of the match, not just ahead?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not really. You know, you're trying to block it out as much as possible that you could be winning the tournament here in such a big event. I really wasn't thinking. I even had to look up at the score board a couple of times just to check what the score was. "Is this really two points from the match here?"
Really hasn't sunk in that I was that far ahead. I was still taking it one point at a time, one game at a time.

Q. You had the first break of 87 games of Pete's service. You broke him, after 87 consecutive games.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I knew he hadn't lost a lot of service games in the whole tournament. He had this incredible roll going on his serve. You know, it was important to try and get out of the blocks quickly. You know, if he gets ahead, he's going to try and bury you, that's for sure. He's that kind of player. If he gets on a serving roll, he's going to be tough to break.
It was important to try to get an early break, but then I gave it straight back the next game. It was a bit of a dogfight to try to get out of that first set.

Q. To some extent, now that you just won this, your life is going to be turned upside down. Everybody is going to want a piece of you, offers to show up everywhere. Who are the people in your life that you would take advice from? Would it be Patrick Rafter, the older generation? Is it your family? Is it your coach?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it will be a lot of those. Obviously my coach and my family. Then, you know, Pat, because he's been there and done that. He knows what it's all about. He's really taken me under his wing ever since I came on the tour, helped me out a lot. You know, I owe a hell of a lot to him, you know, for me sitting here right now. He's helped me out. A lot of people wouldn't understand, "Why is he helping out this 15-year-old kid when he's playing all these big matches?" He helps out a lot of junior tennis in Australia.
The other two are probably Newcombe and Roche. They're the two older guys that have been there and done that, as well, that I'm close to because of the Davis Cup. I owe them a lot, as well, for helping me out and taking me under their wing as well in the Davis Cup team.

Q. After the Blake match, did you learn anything from that incident?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you know, it wasn't a good situation. It wasn't a good situation to put myself into during a Grand Slam tournament either. It's something that is going to be one of the toughest things that I had to block out during a tennis event.
You know, I really have to be proud of myself for the way I've done that under, you know, so much pressure, so many people looking at you, I suppose. You know, to be able to do that at 20 years of age, it really shows how mentally tough I've been over the last couple of days.

Q. Is that the worst moment in your career?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's one of the worst, yeah. You know, I didn't mean anything bad by it at all, and it all got blown up. I copped a lot of flak for it, for something I didn't mean at all. It's something I was obviously disappointed by because, you know, I knew I was really innocent in the whole thing. That's why I tried to block it out as much as possible and just concentrate on my tennis.
You know, who knows, I just think I've done that really well over the last week or so.

U.S. OPEN - RUNNER-UP INTERVIEW
Pete Sampras
09/09/2001

L. HEWITT/P. Sampras
7-6, 6-1, 6-1

Q. Were you concerned about something like this happening because of the
one-day scheduling?
PETE SAMPRAS: One day, having an off day?

Q. Not having an off day.
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I felt fine. Physically, I was fresh and ready to go. I
just ran into another hot player, just like last year. I mean, I tried
everything to try to figure it out, and nothing seemed to work. He returned
and passed as well as anyone I think I've ever played.
But I felt fine.

Q. First set, you both seemed to be struggling to find rhythm and timing. How
bad was the wind?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was bad. I mean, I was struggling quite a bit, especially
with my serve. It was really blowing pretty good there. You know, it was a
struggle. It was a struggle to kind of keep the ball in. But I was really
struggling with my serve, because it was that windy. Really it was kind of
hard to really get a rhythm out there.
You know, he handled it a lot better than I did.

Q. Is this one any more disappointing than last year?
PETE SAMPRAS: This is probably more so because I worked so hard to get here,
got through some tough matches and played some great tennis. You know, last
year I just got overpowered in a way. Today I just got outplayed.
It's disappointing because, like I said, I worked hard to get to the final.
It's just tough to kind of put into words right now how I feel, just getting
off the court.
I'm sure as time goes by, I'll reflect and feel good about what I did here.
But only one name gets on that trophy, and it's not mine. So that's the harsh
reality of it.

Q. You've given him a lot of credit, but do you feel you were nearly as sharp?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, the reason I wasn't quite that sharp is because of the
way he was returning, the way he was passing. You know, every time I made a
second serve, he made me play. I was hitting low volleys. It's hard to do
that three sets, let alone I just -- the harder I served, the more I put into
it, the better he returned. He's got the best return in the game, the best
wheels in the game. He possesses now a much better serve. He's a great
player. You'll see him contending here for the next ten years.

Q. You can't sort of shake this off as you had a bad day; he kind of did that
to you. Is that more of a concern to you?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, well, last year I really couldn't do anything. This year,
pretty much the same story. The reason I wasn't as sharp was because of the
way he was playing. He made me work very hard on my service games. He was
serving very well. He didn't miss. I mean, I don't know how many errors he
hit, but it didn't seem like he missed very often. I thought I hit some good
volleys today. He just was there in plenty of time picking off winners left
and right.
I just wish I could have given a better show for the people. It's
disappointing.

Q. Early in the tournament you said a win would salvage your year. Obviously
today is a disappointment. The road to get here was very difficult. Do you
think to some degree you fulfilled what you wanted? Can you come away with
some sense of satisfaction?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, at this point I have mixed emotions. You're right, I
mean, I got through some tough matches, beat some great players along the
way. But to get to this point and not get the grand prize at the end is a
little deflating. If that had any bearing on today's match, I don't really
think so. He was just too good. I mean, I have to give him a lot of credit.
He outplayed me.
I can still walk out of here with my head up high that I got through some
tough matches. But, again, it's also disappointing not to get ultimately, you
know, what you want, and that's the title.

Q. How bad was it to lose the first game of the match?
PETE SAMPRAS: It wasn't a great start, especially 30-Love, second serve, hit
a serve on the line. The umpire saw it on the line. He didn't overrule it
because he couldn't. Too late. That wasn't a start I was looking for. You
know, you wanted to set the tone, put some pressure on him. Just got a bad
break there.
You know, I was serving against the wind, which makes it tough to hold there.
I broke him right back, but it wasn't the way I wanted to start off the
match, getting down a break early.

Q. You were unable to impose your will on him today with your service game.
You had to fall back in some long rallies with him. You weren't able to
impose your will with your forehand groundstroke today either. If that had
been on today, as it was against Marat and Andre, could we have had a
different kind of match?
PETE SAMPRAS: We could have. Could have been a bit closer. But it's tough.
You don't want to get in long, grueling rallies with Hewitt. That's his
strength. You know, I don't want to get in many of those. I wanted to be
aggressive. The times I was aggressive, he came up with some great shots.
But I felt fine. I felt fresh. I felt like I could go all night, if I had to.
But he loves playing a target. He loves playing guys that come in a lot. He
certainly had that today. He uses that quickness to his advantage, passed
well, returned well. You know, I was trying to chip and charge a little bit.
Wasn't really that effective. Seemed like everything I tried didn't seem to
work.

Q. Given the guys that you beat to get to this point, did you feel coming in
today that destiny was sitting on your shoulder a little bit?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was hoping a little bit of destiny might have come through
for me here. But you have to go out there and compete and win the match.
It was a tough road, but a good road, and a disappointing finish.

Q. Have you played anyone who covers the court as fast as Lleyton Hewitt?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I put he and Chang in the same league. Those are the
two quickest guys I've played. But Lleyton I think possesses, you know, a bit
better game.

Q. The first set was difficult. When did you feel that there was a moment in
the match where you were getting into dangerous territory?
PETE SAMPRAS: When I lost my serve at 2-1. I had some game points. He broke
me at 3-1. That just kind of -- the momentum just kind of went his way, then
he broke me again. That was a big turning point. If I could have held on
there, maybe make it a little bit closer in the second, maybe he would have
played differently, maybe he would have missed a few. That was a bit of a
turning point at that 2-1 game.

Q. Is he a better returner than Andre at this point?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.

Q. Why?
PETE SAMPRAS: Because he's quicker. Maybe doesn't have quite the power, but
he doesn't miss. You know, he's very tough to ace. He's got the hands and the
feet, it's phenomenal. Really pretty impressive stuff.

Q. How do you learn to beat Hewitt? You learned how to beat Marat after the
US Open last year.
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, like Marat, I came in this year a little bit fresher, and
he wasn't quite as on. Lleyton, I don't know what I would do differently. I
would certainly try to figure that out. Maybe mix up my serves a little bit
more, maybe not give him the same pace, same speeds.
But when you're in a competition, you do what's comfortable. I always feel
like my power's going to come through. The more power I had, the better he
returned.
It's something you could try, but maybe not as windy a day, I could serve a
touch better. It's really hard to say what I would have done differently.

Q. Did he force you to play even more risky with your volleys because he was
running down every ball?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, he forces you into a lot of errors. I mean, that's how he
wins a lot of his matches. Because he is so quick, you feel like you have to,
you know, hit a great volley or hit something on the line. It throws you into
a lot of errors from the back court and at net.

Q. Can you talk about the tiebreaker.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, it was good I got back at 3-All. Overrule at 3-All, which
was bad timing. Ball was out, but it's still a pretty gutsy call to overrule
it at 3-All in the breaker. Hit a great pass at 4-3. Missed a forehand on the
top of the tape, missed a pretty easy volley.
Just struggling with the wind there at that point. The ball was kind of going
on that one side. It was a big point of the match.

Q. Roger Federer, 19 years old at Wimbledon. Lleyton, 20 years old. Andy
Roddick is 19 years old. So many other young players out there with so much
talent. Does it leave you thinking how difficult it's going to be to win
another Slam with all these young players?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's always difficult winning Slams. I've been fortunate to
have won as many as I have. I think I've proven this week that I can still
win Slams. There's no question in my mind. There's always going to be
younger, you know, stronger, quicker players in all sports. As you get older,
it gets more difficult.
But, you know, my game is still there. Unfortunately, I just ran into two
players, one in Safin last year, and Hewitt this year, that played about as
well as, you know, they played throughout the whole tournament. They just
saved it for me.

Q. Your backhand volley seemed to be your bread and butter throughout the
tournament. Today particularly difficult. You mentioned the wind. Was that
primarily the problem on the backhand volley?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, the wind didn't help. But I just -- he forces you into
some errors. You feel like if you don't hit it quite firm enough or deep
enough, he's going to have an easy pass. Bit of both: a bit of the wind and a
bit of his speed.

Q. The one men's match from this tournament that people will be talking about
for years is the match that you won. How much do you think beating Andre
ultimately will help ease the sting of this?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, at this point, just getting off the court, as soon as the
Andre match was over, I had to put it away. I had to get ready for Safin.
But it is a match that people will talk about in tennis forever. It was great
to be a part of it. It would have been a bit sweeter for me if I had won the
title, having won that match.
It was a great moment for tennis, a great moment for me. At this point, I'm
not thinking about it. I'm thinking about just getting beaten today, having
to deal with that.

Q. The year is over for all practical purposes. Do you look forward to a 2002
challenge of showing that a mature player like yourself can still beat some
of these kids?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. That's a challenge for me. I feel like I answered that
these last couple weeks. You know, these next couple weeks, couple months, is
a time to reflect a little bit on the future. Looking forward to next year.
You know, continue to do the work that you have to do. You realize guys are
getting better, younger, faster. You just have to match that.
But I look forward to coming back for many years.

Q. Will what's happened today make you reflect at all on where and when you
play the rest of this year?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know what I'm doing. It's a wait-and-see schedule.

Q. How impressed are you by Lleyton's focus? A lot of distractions, big match
with Roddick.
PETE SAMPRAS: He's a very strong, mentally tough guy. He really had to deal
with some off-court stuff, which doesn't help when you're trying to win a
Slam. That seemed to settle down. He just got back to business.
He's a fighter. That's how he wins his matches. He competes well. He is a
great player. He just put everything aside and focused on what he had to do
out there.
But he should be, you know, feeling pretty good about the way he's competed
and the way he played today.

Q. Yesterday there was a lot of hype about the women's prime time final. Do
you think it's a pity that the men are not treated equally?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think we're treated pretty well. I wouldn't mind having a
Friday semi and a Sunday final.

Q. When you look across, you know you're in trouble, late in the match, you
see Lleyton there, the way he's playing out of his mind, same with Safin, do
you ever think back to '90 and think, "I was there once"? Anything like that
go through your head?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, not really. I mean, at that point I'm just trying to hang
on, trying to do whatever I can to get back in the match.
But it's a great feeling. I felt it a few times over the years. When you're a
young guy in your first Slam final, you know, you can just kind of go and
play. Sometimes you play great. And he played great today.
But I never really reflected during the match.

Q. What is the feeling like when you hit a solid serve, he returns you a
solid volley into the corner, and you look up and he's there camped out ready
to hit a passing shot down the line?
PETE SAMPRAS: What do you do? If he hits a winner, it's too good. You know,
you played a solid point, you couldn't do anything more. You've just kind of
got to tip your hat and say, "That's too good." It seemed to happen a lot
today. Not much you can do.
For strategy, I don't know what I -- I mean, I didn't want to stay back, I
had to come in. I just went right into what he loves to do. He loves a
target.

END--FastScripts (by ASAP Sports)

Semifinal L. HEWITT/Y. Kafelnikov
6-1, 6-2, 6-1

Q. Who would you prefer if you had a choice to meet in the final tomorrow?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard to say. I'm not really sure. You know, Safin is obviously a big hitter, got a big serve. Pete, the way he's playing at the moment, the way he played against Andre and Pat, he's going to be very tough to beat, as well.
They both didn't have great lead-ups, US summer, coming into this. That just proves how much class they've got when it comes to Grand Slams and big matches.
I can't even predict who is going to win this. Sort of suck it and see really.

Q. Obviously, you get yourself pumped up for a big match, semifinal. How strange is it to come in it, have an opponent play so flat? Is it tough to adjust to that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit. But I knew I had a job to do. You know, I just kept going after it out there. You know, it's hard to sort of keep your concentration, though, when you're about to serve for it to go two sets to Love up, and you know he's not playing his best tennis. You think he can only get better out here.
Yevgeny is that kind of guy. If you give him a sniff early in the third set, he's going to stay out there and fight it to the very end.
I wanted to sort of keep the momentum going early in the third set. I was able to get up that early break, sort of finish it from there.

Q. Coming off a five-setter, then the devastating result you had here today, can you feel any better or more prepared no matter who it is you face tomorrow?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, but, you know, I prefer to be out and finished, sit back and watch those guys grind it out. Even though I didn't get through, I had to play the late match. It was a lot later because we had the women's final in between the men's two semis. That's maybe one of the reasons why Pete wasn't up for it so much the next day.
Definitely it's in my favor, but also I had a long match, I've had a couple of long matches, throughout the tournament. Had a long match against Andy, you know, a couple of days ago, as well.
You know, I was happy that I could get out of this one relatively quickly.

Q. Very eventful two weeks here. Can you just talk about your emotional highs and lows, how you're feeling now, what's left in the tank going into the final?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I feel good. You know, I've been -- I wasn't hitting the ball well really at the start. I hadn't had a great US summer, even though I sort of fought through Cincinnati to make the semis there, you know, lose to Pat in the end.
But it just wasn't clicking.
I came here, I was fighting through my matches, but it still wasn't really there. You know, I stepped it up really against Tommy Haas, best match, maybe a little against Portas, but against Tommy I stepped up and played. Against Andy, that's when I played some of my best tennis. I tried to take that confidence into today.
I'm definitely going to still be on that high from the last two or three matches that I played, you know, very consistently out there. I've been moving well. You know, I'm going to try to take that into tomorrow's final.

Q. You served for the match, you thought you had an ace, celebrated, the chair umpire called the let. What were you feeling at that particular second?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I had to try and concentrate. You know, another first serve. I still went for it. You know, I've never been in that situation, serving to try to get into the first Grand Slam final. Find yourself 40-Love up. Gets back to deuce. You know, I played a little bit tentatively there. But then I felt like, you know, I went out there and I hit some good shots on the next match point when I had my fourth opportunity.

Q. Did you say anything to the chair umpire when he called the let, like, "I can't believe this just happened"?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I just asked him. It was like the crowd and everything sort of happened all at once. I didn't hear the actual -- normally I can hear it if it's going to clip the tape. I didn't actually hear it. That's why as soon as he said it, it was one of those serves that could have touched the net.

Q. It's not unusual for athletes or even teams of athletes after a very emotional victory to come down a little bit, not be able to get up for the next match. What's your plan for staying emotionally stable after a match like this so you can come back in the next match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, you enjoy it sort of for an hour or two after the match. You know, you reflect on the win. You definitely don't go out and celebrate. But you reflect on it and you enjoy it, but then you've sort of got to think ahead. Still two matches to be played here if I was going to win this tournament. I knew that I had a good chance against Yevgeny today, and I didn't want to let it slip. Never made it through to a Grand Slam final. Now that I've given myself that opportunity, it's sort of the same thing. I'm just going to carry out the same sort of strategy that I did after the Roddick match.

Q. After the commotion and controversy in the second round, how have you been able to focus? What have you done? Does that seem like ages ago?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Doesn't feel like ages ago. You know, I've just blocked it out. I've just gone out there and taken it one match at a time. You know, I know if I play my best tennis, I'm capable of winning big matches. I've been able to do it in Davis Cup ties. You know, I've probably thought about those Davis Cup ties I've been through, the Barcelona match against Costa and Ferrero, then the Brazil match where a lot of things were against you. I went out there, played my best tennis, came out on top. That's what I've been thinking about for the last week and a half.

Q. How upset and frustrated were you during those three or four days?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you know, I really didn't have much control of it after that. I just tried to block it out as much as possible. As I said, I was playing in one of the four biggest tournaments we wait for throughout the year. I didn't want to let something like that sort of, you know, block my tennis game. I haven't let that happen. It's something I can be proud of.

Q. You've been known for your mental strength for a long time. Has there ever been a time in your career when you allowed distractions to get inside your head? Have you learned something from that? Are you able to tunnel through those things?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I can't really remember a time when I haven't been mentally tough out there. You know, it's something I've done, coming through the Juniors. Haven't been as big and strong as a lot of the guys. I never played my own age group in Juniors. I was always playing one, two, maybe three years above my age. I had to find a way to have an edge over those guys because I wasn't going to overpower them or serve bigger out there. So obviously my movement was one of those.
The other thing was being very mentally tough out on the court. I've been able to do that. That just came through into the senior ranks as soon as I got my opportunity. I qualified when I was 15 for the Australian Open. I believed I was able to match it through those quallying rounds. The next year I felt like I was able to win the tournament in Adelaide. I didn't doubt myself, whether I was playing Agassi or whoever I was playing through that whole week. That's one of the main reasons why I've been able to get in the Top 10, the Top 5, at such a young age.

Q. Is that something your dad taught you or you learned on your own?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit of both. You know, that definitely helped me in that area, that's for sure.
You know, I think I've learned sort of throughout myself that I needed some way to beat those older guys in Juniors. This was one of the ways. I've had a few coaches and squads as well tell me that along the way.

Q. Considering that obviously when you were 15 years old, you play your first professional match against Bruguera in the Australian Open, was a big occasion, you mention now Davis Cup ties, you have been to other occasions. In your singles career, this probably will be the most important match of your life.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, apart from those Davis Cup matches that I've played, it's on par with those. But, you know, in my personal career, it's definitely going to be the biggest match tomorrow.
I've won maybe nine tournaments, I think, but I haven't been able to crack it in the Masters Series or the Grand Slams. Last year my best result was the semifinals here. I've made quarterfinals, Round of 16s pretty consistently this year.
I said coming in here, it's been a good year without being a great year. It's getting a little bit better now.

Q. I know you've been a big fan of Rocky movies. The parallel here is Rocky came back and won his last fight. I'm wondering if maybe you'll take in a Rocky movie to prepare yourself?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I don't think so. I haven't watched one for a long time, but everyone keeps talking about it. I've watched it many times, I know every word in it. I won't have to watch it.
It's a great movie. Very motivational.

Q. Did you ever visit the steps in Philadelphia?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I've never been to Philadelphia. If I went, I would.

Q. If somebody didn't know you were an Aussie, would look at your Australian Open and US Open results, comparable surfaces, you clearly really responded to the situation here. Can you comment on that? What's your take on why you've done so well here and struggled more at home?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, it's hard to say. This year I felt like I was hitting the ball great going into the Australian Open, as well as I've ever hit the ball. I had probably one of the toughest draws you could get in a Grand Slam. I had Bjorkman, to play Tommy Haas, to play Carlos Moya. I got out of the Bjorkman match in a tough five-setter. I beat Tommy in three extremely tough sets. I eventually lost to Carlos Moya 7-5 in the fifth after having a lot of chances in that match. I felt like if I could have gotten over that hurdle, the draw may have opened up for me, as you saw Clement and Grosjean in the semifinal there.
You know, in terms of playing my best tennis, I think I've hit the ball as well in Australia as I've been hitting it here. Things just haven't broken through for me. You need that little something to open up in the draw maybe for you to get through. The other thing, maybe I've taken a week off the last two years before the Grand Slam. In Australia, I haven't done that. Maybe that's an option I have to look at down the future.

Q. You mentioned playing up as a junior, Barcelona, Brazil. There's been this tournament this week. As kind of a feisty fighter, does it sort of help you to have a big obstacle in front of you where the odds are sort of against you? Does that help you in any way?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know if it helps me. It's something that I don't, you know, turn away from. I enjoy challenges. I enjoy going out there, you know, sometimes being the underdog out there. I think that's one reason I've never doubted myself in those situations. That's what's come through in Brazil and Barcelona where I've played those big matches, where the crowd has been against you, you're playing better players on their home surface in front of their home crowd.
I've still been able to have that self-belief in myself every time I've gotten to that situation. It's a little bit the same here, I suppose, the last couple days.

Q. You defeated Corretja in the Australian Open like today Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Have you been in the situation, on their side, in some of the matches? Do you think how the opposition feels in a match like today or against Corretja in Australia?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I haven't lost that convincingly, I don't think. I was down 5-Love in the first set against Haas, but I got out of that in the Australian Open this year. You know, it's obviously tough, though, there's no doubt about that. You know, Grand Slams are what you live for, that's what you play for. You know, Yevgeny, he's been there and done it. He knows what it takes to win Grand Slam titles. Obviously, he had an off day. Everyone has those kinds of days. He's going to bounce back, no doubt about that.

Q. A big part of Yevgeny's win over Gustavo was his play around the net. He was very aggressive. You dominated him the few times that he did get to the net today. Did you sense passing him or forcing errors at the net today got into his head, maybe made him a bit more passive than he wanted to be?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I'd seen a few of his matches, a few points of his last few rounds. He looked to be coming in, looking for that opportunity to come to net more and more. You know, I wasn't surprised when he tried to do that early. I believe my passing shots are one of my best strengths. I went out there and I knew I was capable of passing him most times he came in.
Got off to a good start. Then I think he really wasn't sure what to do out there. I think that was half of his game plan, to try and throw in that surprise tactic of coming to the net, sort of rushing me, putting me off a little bit.
Didn't worry me. I got lucky on a few passes maybe, and he missed a couple of volleys there. He really didn't know where to go from there, I don't think.

Q. Patrick Rafter, for example, he would just keep coming in, be in your face.
LLEYTON HEWITT: But, you know, Pat is a lot better at net than Yevgeny is, as well. That's his natural game. Yevgeny's natural game isn't to come in. He was doing something which, you know, in the past few matches may have helped him a little bit, but it's something that maybe you can't rely on in pressure situations.

Q. There's been analysis in terms of why your Grand Slam record wasn't better, even though of course you are 20. Is this sort of justification of your methods, the amount of tennis you play, which of course is being questioned? What would winning a Grand Slam title mean to you, also?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's obviously a big step, making the final of a Grand Slam. You know, I felt like it was, you know, just a matter of time. I'd made so many semifinals. In Masters Series, I've beaten so many of the big guys in smaller tournaments.
When I started with Darren, we weren't looking at trying to win Grand Slams at the age of 18, 19, 20. We were looking at 24, 25, 26, so on. I still have areas of my game to work on that's going to make me a better player.
To answer your second question, you know, it would be a dream. I haven't really even thought about it. Up to here, I didn't really give myself a great chance going into the tournament of winning it. To be in this situation now, it's hard to reflect on it. Hasn't really sunk in that I'm going to be in a Grand Slam final tomorrow.
You know, I'm going to go out there, give everything I got, leave it all on the court, that's for sure.

Q. You talked about what you learned from last year's semifinal. What do you think is the most important thing you'll take away from this semifinal?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Just the way that I, you know, handled myself out there today. You know, I was able to, you know, get on top of him early. I played to my game plan perfectly out there today. Everything went my way.
Hopefully I can take, you know, that experience if I make a few more semifinals in Slams, take that into those.

Q. You said something about Pete and Safin weren't playing well coming in here. There was some report that came out about this virus, the fatigue thing bothering you. Is that still true? Is that still a factor now?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Comes and goes. It's been a thing no one has been able to put their finger on. There's days when I feel better; there's days when I don't feel so good.
It's something that over the -- it's been going on for, you know, 13, 14 months now. It's something that I've just had to learn to block out. You know, the last 12 or 13 months has been my best tennis results. I'm currently No. 4 in the world. That's my highest ranking. You know, it's something that I've just got to try to fight through, for example.

Quarterfinal L. HEWITT/A. Roddick
6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

Q. Do you want to talk about what was going on with you while the commotion was going on after the first point of the last game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: What was going on with me?

Q. What do you do during that time, your opponent is getting upset over an overrule?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's Love-15. I'm just trying to concentrate on the next point, trying to make a return. He was serving pretty big out there tonight. You just have to take your chances when you can. Didn't do much good on the next point anyway. I lost that one.
But I've just got to try and block it out, try and focus on my game.

Q. How does it rank overall amongst all your wins?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's definitely up there. You know, gutsy performances, it's pretty hard to beat Brazil. The Costa match in Barcelona. Probably pretty close behind that, that's for sure. Especially it's in a Slam. You know, to come out of it against a guy like that who is so hard to break, especially when you get in a fifth set with him. I was down a couple of breakpoints there, fought them off well at 4-All.

Q. Do you also take more out of it considering what's happened to you over the past ten days, play like that tonight, rise above it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I don't really worry about it. I'm going out there, I'm doing a job. I wanted to make the semifinals again. I've had a consistent year this year without having a great or fantastic year. I've made a lot of semifinals in the Masters Series event, but haven't been able to make that next step up in the slams or Masters Series. Coming back here and having to defend a semifinal from last year, to be through the semis now, it's a big relief, it's great.

Q. He was saying that chair umpires should never make that call in that situation. Have you ever had a call like that go against you, an overrule, that you can recall?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I've had overrules. I can remember an overrule in the final of Scottsdale to lose my serve. I went down a break, and Jan-Michael Gambill served for the match after that. It happens.
But you can't say someone can't overrule it because of what stage of the match it's in. It's up to the umpire. He can't be biased and say, "It's tight, a close match, I can't call this one. I have to go with the line call." The way he sees it from the first point, last point, match point, he's got to go with his instincts. He obviously thought the ball was out.

Q. When you see a player go that crazy, you're tending to your own game, do you feel his concentration is going to be a bit shoddy coming back, you can take advantage of that, or do you concentrate on yourself?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I try and -- obviously, he was going to be disappointed, but I knew he was going to be very fired up coming the next serve. So it was a tough situation because the whole crowd was behind him after that call, as well. He came out and played a great point the very next point.
But I try and block it out as much as possible and just concentrate on my game, what I've got to do. I try and block out what he's going on about with the umpire.

Q. He was pretty angry about it when he came in here still, even said he felt as if the match was stolen from him in some respects. Can you understand that anger?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's straight off after the match. He hasn't had time to reflect on it. We've been out there for three and a half, I'm not sure, maybe around that mark.
It all comes down to one last service game where 4-All he has two breakpoints, facing a second serve on one of them, he thinks, "I'm about to serve for the match here in the fifth set." Two minutes later, he's down match point. He's got a bad line call at the start of that game.
It's a tough situation. I don't think anyone can blame him for not being happy, that's for sure.

Q. Was the ball clearly out to you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: For me? I thought the ball was out. I wasn't sure if the lady on the line was blinded by me or she saw the ball in.

Q. There was a moment in the fifth set, serving to the ad court, missed the first serve. Someone in the crowd screamed out, "Foot-fault." You took a moment and then you missed your second serve, long for you. Can you talk about that moment?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Didn't hear it. I remember serving a lot of double-faults in the fourth and fifth set. I definitely didn't take my time extra if someone said something. I just went through my normal routine.

Q. Spectators were riding you very hard. Tonight. Did that bother you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I tried to block it out as much as possible when I'm out there. I actually thought the crowd was pretty good. I've played some Davis Cup ties. Yeah, that's pretty gentle. I had a lot of support when I hit good shots. You know, they obviously enjoyed my style of tennis, as well. It was two totally different styles playing each other. You have one guy who is very aggressive, plays with a lot of power. Then you have me, sort of counter-punching, running everything down, trying to guts it out. I think the crowd enjoyed that sort of match-up.

Q. Not to say that the call was a break for you, but when he got upset and all this happens at that point, do you feel that is a break for you, rattled him a bit?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's obviously better than being 15-Love, him serving. Having it Love-15, having that little bit of an opportunity.
As I said, he's the kind of guy, a lot of other guys maybe, but with his serve, he can come out and serve four aces, it really doesn't matter. So who knows. He's the only one who can tell if it played on his mind at all. I still think he didn't play that bad a game. He won the next point. It was a 30-All game, pretty tight there. He didn't go for it as much on match point. He had a short forehand, and he didn't quite rip it as he probably would have at 2-All in the first set. I got a chance to hit that passing shot.

Q. Is it harder to back yourself up for your next match after a win like this? What sort of experience do you have there?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I don't know. I got a day off tomorrow. Obviously, I want to reflect on the match, let it sink in. This is a semifinal of a Grand Slam. You know, this is equal to my best performance in a Grand Slam. I'm going to go out there Saturday and give everything I've got again. Hopefully I've got enough energy in the tank.
You know, I don't think it's going to be a downer. This is a great opportunity for me to go out there and, you know, really see what I'm made of.

Q. How did you learn last year's semifinal? Will you take that to the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'll try to. Just the nerves, being part of Super Saturday here. Last year obviously I had a set point in the first set. I lost 6, 3, 6. A few tiebreakers there where I had chances against Pete. Totally different style of game playing Yevgeny.

Q. You compared the crowd atmosphere to Davis Cup. People are rooting for their country or against the country. Generally in the individual events, the crowd doesn't get against an individual, especially the No. 4 guy. Does it at all start to say anything to you about what's been going on?
LLEYTON HEWITT: If I was American, I'd be out there supporting him. If I was someone from the public, watching him play, he's a 19-year-old who has had some unbelievable results over the last time. He played with a lot of hype. Been in the public eye. If I lived here, I'd go out and support him.

Q. But they wouldn't boo you.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I just go out there. I think they're in their rights to (inaudible) as hard as they want for their guy. Probably 90, 95% of the people there tonight wanted Andy to win. I can understand all those reasons.

Q. There's been a history of there with Yevgeny, Brisbane, Davis Cup. How do you prepare to play Yevgeny?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's a tough player, especially in Grand Slams. He's a lot tougher in Grand Slams than week-in and week-out at the smaller tournaments. I've never played him in a Grand Slam.
He played extremely well today in the parts that I saw. I'm going to have to be prepared to sort of match it with him from the baseline and take my opportunities when I can.
As I said, he's had great Grand Slam results. It's going to be awfully tough.

Q. What are your thoughts on Yevgeny? Obviously, you had the thing in Brisbane Davis Cup. Sort of bloke you'd have like to have a beer with?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's been fine. We've practiced together a lot in the last few months actually. He's been fine in the locker rooms. He's actually -- I'm pretty happy with the relationship.

Q. 4-4, two breakpoints. What was going through your mind?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Really just sort of hang in there. You know, I didn't know how many opportunities I was going to get. I definitely didn't want to make an easy mistake. Then I ended up going for it a little bit on one of the breakpoints. I hit a big forehand up the line. On the other one, I hit a pretty good first serve.

Q. Getting tight at the end?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. Definitely I didn't feel that tight when I had to go for it when I was down breakpoint.

Q. How do you feel you shaped up after this match, 3 hours and 40 minutes, not just the time of the match, but the emotion and all that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm going to have to put my feet up tomorrow. You know, it's definitely both physically and mentally draining out there tonight. Playing a night match, playing a guy who's had so much hype, playing with a packed house out there, as well. You know, it was really a good feeling to be a part of it and be up there playing in that environment. I've got to try and block that out now. I'm into a semifinal. I've never been past the semifinal here. Only my second time. I look forward to getting out there. Hopefully I'll be fresh enough to give it a hundred percent.

Q. How would you compare reaching the semis this year to last year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard to say. I think last year I was sort of gradually getting better and better a little bit with matches. Here the first few matches, I really didn't play that well. Even against Tommy, I didn't think I played that great of tennis. I hung in there well, I kept fighting, made him play that extra ball. But tonight I played some of my best tennis.
Hopefully I can keep that going for, you know, maybe one, maybe two more matches.

Q. After having played not so well the first two or three rounds, do you think you're to the point where you could maybe win this thing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's a long way from winning. As I say, this is only my second time in the semis of a Slam. I lost that one in straight sets. I've got a lot of work to do before I can even get out there and play one match for a title.

FastScripts (by ASAP Sports)

Lleyton Hewitt

L. HEWITT/T. Haas
3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2

Q. When did you feel that he would lose his edge?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, the start of the third set, he played, you know, a pretty slack first game of the third set. I think I broke to Love that game. Up till then, you know, I had a few chances to break late yesterday afternoon. At 2-1, I had Love-40. He came out and played five great points there to get out of that game.
I had a couple of set points today at 6-5, as well, which I felt like I had my chance. You know, I played a fantastic tiebreak. I got up 5-Love extremely quickly, was able to sort of move on from there.

Q. You're okay with the postponement overnight? Fairly unusual decision.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was. Well, you know, we both got told in the locker room before the match started, before we were going out, that we had the choice sort of either, you know, going out there and we may not finish due to, you know, the night session coming in, they had to switch crowds and whatever, or we could have maybe waited till after Guga and Costa on Armstrong, which would have made it extremely late, and both of us hadn't played on center court yet.
The women's match before us went so quickly, so we took our chances of going out there. You know, in the end, maybe today favored me a little bit. But last night I still felt that I was starting to get on to his serve. Tommy is a guy who comes out and plays with a lot of confidence right from the first point. That's what happened yesterday when I got down an early break yesterday. But then I felt like I was starting to work my way into the match. That rain delay I didn't feel was going to help me that much.
Today I could have lost my serve early. He was on fire at the start. I just tried to hang in there, hang with him. Knew my chance would come.

Q. Did you watch the Roddick match last night?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, no. I just tried to eat dinner. Went out and had dinner. I left out of here, you know, reasonably late. I saw a few games, that was about it.

Q. Any thoughts on how Andy is playing since you last faced him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's getting better and better. You know, he's obviously got a lot more confidence now, as well. He's in the Top 20 now. You know, I'm going to have to play as well as I can play. He's proven to everyone that he can handle the pressure of being the next great hope. You know, he's in the Top 20. He's here.
You know, it's going to be an extremely tough match and I'm going to have to play a lot better than I've been playing if I'm going to get through.

Q. Do you think Andy Roddick will prove to be your foremost rival over the years, ten years from now when we're back here talking to you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's certainly going to be up there. He's not going away, that's for sure. He doesn't have the game, he doesn't have the attitude which is going to go away. You know, he's here to stay. He's going to be up there.
But I think there's a lot of guys. We still have Federer, Safin, these guys who are up there, have been there as well. Maybe Federer doesn't have as much power as a Roddick does, but he's still got a great game. There's a lot of other guys. Who knows?
Andy has been able to come on the tour so quickly, it's unbelievable. Since one year ago, playing the Juniors here, now he's in the quarterfinals. Who knows? There could be other guys coming up from Juniors who will be able to do the same thing. This quickly, I'm not sure.

Q. When you look at men's tennis in America today, aside from Roddick, do you see anybody else coming up?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I really hadn't seen a lot. Gambill has had flashes here and there. He's been struggling a little bit on the clay. Roddick has been able to show this year that he can match it with the top guys on all surfaces. He's got that behind him now.
I haven't seen a lot of the guys. There's Ginepri, Blake, a few guys, but they're not as dangerous as Roddick at the moment. They're good players, they're going to be around the mark. I think everyone is sort of pinning their hopes on Roddick being the next Andre or Pete.

Q. Many concerns about backing up again tomorrow?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I've had to do it in a lot of the Masters Series events, as well. Lucky I only had to play three sets out there today anyway. You know, I think I'll be fine. I'm young enough. You know, obviously it's a little bit of a disadvantage, but I'll go out there with the attitude that I'm fit enough, you know, I've got the miles and legs to be able to do it.

Q. What are your thoughts if it is a night match, seeing that he's played three night matches already?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, it's probably odds on that it's going to be a night match with, you know, two young guys going at it, especially the young American guy now, and also that I'm the only guy who had to finish off a match today, as well. They probably want to give me a little bit extra rest, as well. It's a good chance it's going to be a night match. I've got to go out there and, you know, not worry about that. I've played here one night match last year when I played Enqvist. Obviously, I've got to try to get off to a quick start out there tomorrow night.

Q. Can you talk about your respect for Tommy's game? Ten years from now, hypothetical of course, would you say you see it growing into a great rivalry with yourself?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Tommy's got a great game, no doubt about that. He came on the tour, you know, a few years earlier than me. But ever since I've seen him play, I thought, you know, he's definitely a big threat to win a Grand Slam. It just sort of hasn't really happened for him. I said a couple of days ago that he made the semis of the Australian Open, he beat me in the second round there. He just sort of hasn't quite got that breakthrough, you know, to get in the Top 10, Top 5 in the world yet.
You know, it's strange. He's got all the shots. He's got everything. He can play on all surfaces, as well. You know, something's just not clicking for him at the moment. But it's just a matter of time, I think.

Q. Last time you told us you expected him in the Top 10. Considering his mental weakness today, might that be the clue why he didn't make it here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, it's definitely he's got to be a bit mentally stronger out there, that's for sure. But if he came out and won that second-set tiebreak, then I was going to be in a lot of trouble, down two sets to Love. It was just fortunate that I got off to a good start in that tiebreak, otherwise I'm going to be under a hell of a lot of pressure out there, trying to come back against a guy, you know, he's one of the best guys when he's leading, when he's a front-runner. He plays on a lot of confidence.

Q. A lot of people overlook Roddick's second serve, which I think has a big kick on it, particularly on this court. You played him twice now - one and a half times at any rate. What is your key with a two-handed backhand to handling that kick into the ad court?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's got a great serve. There's no doubt about that. He's got one of the best second serves on the tour. It's big, but he can also -- you know, he pops it, but he can get that kick, as well. You're not sure if he's going to go for the big slider down the middle or the kicker out wide. You've got to stand in and try and take it as early as possible.
But it is extremely, extremely tough when it does get up, you know, high with a double-hand backhand.
You know, I was able to do it pretty well in Miami when I played him there. You know, the French Open is totally different. It's sort of, you know, that sort of kick serve works a lot more on the French Open clay just because it's a lot slower. But also his serve is not coming through quite as quick.

Q. Try to take that ball early?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You have to try to take it as early as possible. The same with guys like Rafter and Sampras, as well.

Q. How many times did he cross you up? You won the match fairly easily at Key Biscayne. How many times did he cross you up where you were expecting the kick, he comes down the middle instead?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I can't recall off the top of my head. Definitely, you know, he goes for it a few times. That's one of the main reasons why he's gone so quickly up the rankings - because he's got no fear up there. He pulls the trigger when he believes he needs to. You know, that's one good thing about him, I think. You know, he's not worried about, you know, what the other guy's going to do. He goes out there and, you know, wins matches off his own racquet.

Q. Obviously any time Agassi and Sampras play at The Open, it's a big event, transcends tennis. Do you look at it as something you'll make time for or go out of your way to see, or is it at this point just a match on the other side of the draw?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's a bit bigger than a match on the other side of the draw (smiling). Yeah, it's a great match, there's no doubt about that. You know, these are two guys that I idolized growing up. You know, love watching those guys play, you know, Grand Slam finals and stuff like that over so many years. For them to play in a quarterfinal, you know, it's obviously a bit different for them. It's a bit different for the crowd, as well. You know, they're going to be going at it hammers and tongs out there. It's hard to pick a winner.

Q. You will watch it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I'll definitely watch some of it. I don't know if I'll stay up and watch all of it.

Q. There were some comments Richard Williams made causing a bit of a dismay back home, about basically rejecting your explanation on the Blake match, going so far as to say your upbringing in Australia was the reason for those comments, that Australians, white Australians, have treated aboriginals like dogs. How do you feel about those sort of comments, even though you can't be held responsible for what he says?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't heard it. That's the first time I've heard of it anyway.
It's something, especially with me, you know, I've got no problem with aboriginals at all. We've had them at school, we've grown up together. It's something that has happened so long ago, had nothing to do with me at all. I can't comment on that really at all.

Q. So talk about the keys to beating Roddick. Do you try to extend him in as many points as possible? Do you try to be aggressive yourself so he doesn't be the aggressive player and control?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I've got to try to find a nice balance between the two. I've got to make him play a lot of balls. Also I've got to go after it. I can't let him try and dictate play too much. You know, so it is tough to try and find that sort of happy medium in there.
But, you know, it's sort of getting out there and just getting a feel for it. Once you sort of get into the match, then just on the right balls, I've got to, you know, stay aggressive and stay positive in myself and believe in myself out there.
But I don't want to pull the trigger too much. I want to hold back a little bit and sort of try to make him play that extra ball.

Q. What would you say impressed you most about your win today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: The way that I hung in there. You know, as I said, I felt like yesterday afternoon I was starting to, you know, maybe get on top of him a little bit. I had a few breakpoint chances there and I wasn't able to convert.
Then today, you know, I was able -- put under a little bit of pressure early in my service games when I came back out. If I went down a set and a break, it was going to be pretty much all over there. The way I came back, dug down deep in the second-set tiebreak, was able to play one of my best tiebreaks I ever played.

Q. Is that just two matches for you that were held overnight because of rain?
LLEYTON HEWITT: In my career?

Q. The French Open and one here.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Obviously, the two biggest. You know, I've had a few others I think, littler tournaments, but not in Grand Slams.

Q. Did you have any objection to that being stopped last night when there was still a fair amount of time left that it could have been played?
LLEYTON HEWITT: We really had no choice. They came to us and they sort of gave us the option before the match started. You know, we were both happy with that, you know, to go out there and try and play the match. But we knew the conditions weren't promising going out there. The referee came in and told us that the rain is going to keep drizzling for another hour and a half. He told us pretty much there's no use and we don't want to get the day crowds and night crowds coming in and making it hard for them, as well.
You know, it was probably a little bit harder on us, for sure. For everything else, TV, you know, the crowds, so forth, it was probably easier.

Q. Is it going to be possible for you to play another composed match in a night atmosphere out there against Roddick, creating such excitement?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I'm just going to have to try and block it out, go out there. I've been able to do it in big matches such as the Davis Cup in Brazil and stuff like that. I'm just going to have to try and think about that, draw a lot of strength from those kind of matches.

Q. Did you find Andy impatient in the previous two matches?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I think, you know, he's pretty patient from the baseline. There's not too many times that he goes for, you know, a ridiculous shot out there. You know, he picks the times. I think, you know, nine times out of ten, he probably picks the right time to go for it. He's got those weapons that he's able to, you know, most of the time pay off.

Q. Which part of your game do you think you need to improve in order to win a Grand Slam title?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I've definitely got to get more cheap points off my serve. You know, that's one of the main areas. You know, just keep coming to the net and trying to persevere with that. You know, sort of give myself another option. You know, I'm not saying I'm going to come out and serve-volley everything, but just to mix it up, you know, just to change it up. It just gives me another dimension to my game.

FastScripts (by ASAP Sports)

L. HEWITT/A. Portas September 2 2001
6-1, 6-3, 6-4

Q. Given everything that's happened, can we get your thoughts on how you feel about the last two days?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I've given my statement yesterday. I've spoken to James. James and I have both moved past it. I think it's time everyone did.

Q. Did you understand why people would possibly be upset by what you said?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, as I said, James and I have moved past it. We are the ones in the incident. You know, I'm just thinking towards my matches now. You know, nice to get through today.

Q. When you came on court today, you weren't introduced. Did you find that unusual?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Didn't even think of it. Wouldn't have known. It's something that when I'm out there anyway, I'm going through my warm-up. I'm not worrying about getting introduced or not.

Q. Were you conscious of any scattered booing throughout the crowd?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I thought the crowd was pretty good. I thought it was pretty fair both ways. You know, at the end of the match, I thought the crowd was, you know, great.

Q. Your explanation was that you only meant the similarity was that the linesman was the same linesman that foot faulted you earlier. Can you tell us why you didn't say that to us in here on Friday, that that was exactly what you meant?
LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said, I think everyone's moved past it. The ITF couldn't work out anything chargeable in it. You know, that's pretty much it. It was something that got very blown out of proportion, I think.

Q. To a lot of people what you said was offensive. Do you have anything to say to those people?
LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said, I apologized if it came out in the wrong way. I said that right from the start.
MODERATOR: Any questions about the match today, please.

Q. Pretty happy with your form?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, not bad. Hit the ball pretty well. Got through in three sets.

Q. Did you step it up today from the first couple rounds?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, a little bit. I still have a long way to go, though.

Q. Considering all the publicity regarding the incident, were you expecting maybe a little worse reaction from the crowd?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I wasn't really worried about it too much. You know, I was going out there, have a third-round match at the US Open. You know, it's a place where I've had a lot of good memories from last year, making the semis, my best singles result. I was just trying to get through to the fourth round. That's pretty much what I thought about the whole time. I wasn't worrying about the crowd too much.

Q. I don't think anyone considers you a racist. Let's face it, in two of the last three Slams, you've had an incident that's been pretty controversial. You've had incidents before. What have you learned from this? Are you going to try and change things in any way?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, they're different incidents for sure. You know, this one in particular, you know, I think it all got blown out of proportion. You know, it's something that for sure I don't think anyone wanted to go through. But I'll learn from it. Hopefully, it won't happen again.

Q. Do you think you'll choose your words a little more carefully in the future?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, as I said, you have to learn from your mistakes. I made mistakes on and off the tennis court. You know, if I'm going to be a better player on and off the court, I've got to, you know, learn from that.
Hopefully, you know, that will happen in the not too distant future.

Q. How is it blown out of proportion? Both McEnroes were on TV saying it was Australian unforgivable comments, you're challenging this man's character based on his race. We're not saying you're racist, but that is racism.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It had nothing to do with his race. I think if you'll listen earlier what Brian Earley said, it had nothing to do with race. That's what the ITF has looked into. That's what they've come out of.

Q. What is the similarity you're talking about?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You have to ask Brian Earley. We've gone through the whole tapes. I've been through this three days straight now.

Q. Brian Earley is just going on your explanation. The question was, what is your explanation for what happened? Brian Earley just related his view of what you said.
LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said, all I wanted was the person changed off that line. I just wanted the person changed off that line. That was the whole thing.

Q. When you said "similarity," what did you mean? That's all we're asking.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's all gone now, mate.

Q. It's not gone. It's not going to go away. It will haunt you for months and months and months. Just say what you meant.
LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said, you know, I've spoken to James. I've spoken to the ITF people. We've all gone through it.

Q. Speak to your fans through the media. When we walk in the stadium, that's all that people are talking about. They want to know what you meant by that.
LLEYTON HEWITT: All I wanted was the line person changed, as any of you people would have if you got foot faulted twice at the same end and hadn't been foot faulted in the first-round match or today's match either. It's just a strange situation when you get foot faulted twice at one end and not at the other end.

Q. What did you mean by "similarity"?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'd like too to move on to today's match, if you could.
MODERATOR: I think we've taken this issue as far as we can in this forum. Can we have questions about the match.

Q. Can you talk about your temperament on court, whether it plays in your favor or sometimes its negative walks the fine line between blowing up at lines people and trying to charge yourself up to get through?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I like to get pumped up, I like to get the crowds involved in my matches. I play my best tennis when I'm fired up and ready to go for each point. You know, some matches that has cost me, especially in best-of-five matches, where you have to stay a lot calmer in the first few sets. I've run out of gas sometimes in the latter part of matches because of that. That's something I'm learning to, you know, deal with with every sort of Grand Slam, Davis Cup tie that passes.

Q. Are you trying to play with less emotion on the court? You were calm and composed today.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't have much to get pumped up about 1-3-4. Obviously, I was down a break early in both the second and third sets, but I got those pretty much straight back before it could get to the next point.

Q. As a consequence of this experience, are you going to try to be less emotional?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Obviously, in five-set matches I'll get pumped up when I feel it's necessary for me to get pumped up on the court, you know, when I've got to sort of raise my game, try and get to that next level.
You know, as I've said, I've got to try and do that more and more in the latter parts of the fourth and fifth sets when you really need to dig deep.

Q. Your thoughts about Tommy Haas. He's playing well now.
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's playing very well. We've had a lot of tough matches in the past. I was very lucky to get past him at the Australian Open earlier this year. He was all over me in that match. I escaped somehow in all three sets, got out of it in straight sets. He's come off a big win last week beating Pete in the final. I don't think he's dropped a set here yet so far.
I'm going to have to play my best tennis if I'm going to get past him.

Q. Does it give you extra confidence to know you came back in every set at the Australian?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Against Tommy?

Q. Yes.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes, it does. But still, I don't think he's going to worry about that when he goes out there in two days' time and plays me. He's a very classy player out there. He's got a great game.
You know, he deserves to be in the Top 10 for sure. He's one of the most dangerous players out there at the moment who aren't in the Top 10.

Q. What do you think of the foot fault rule since it's such a motivator, since it arouses emotion? Do you think the foot fault rule is a valid rule? Do you think it should be discontinued?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Are you going to go and serve at the net or what (laughter)?

Q. I'm saying, if it causes such an emotion in you.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I wasn't questioning the foot fault rule. I was questioning getting foot faulted. I have the exact same action when I prepare day in and day out on the practice court. I've done it in so many matches. To get foot faulted at one end twice, not up the other end in that particular match, not to get foot faulted out there today as well.

Q. You're pretty lucky because John McEnroe was one of the great players. Five years ago he was suspended from his breaking of the code. You broke it, but yet you're still playing. I'm saying you're pretty lucky in that way. I want you to know that.
LLEYTON HEWITT: You can perceive it whichever way you like.

FastScripts (by ASAP Sports)

US OPEN 2001
NEW YORK CITY

September 1, 2001

PRESS CONFERENCE WITH
STEFAN FRANSSON and
BRIAN EARLEY

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight. We have with us ITF Grand Slam Supervisor Stefan Fransson and referee,
Brian Earley. Mr. Earley would like to read a statement.

BRIAN EARLEY: All right. An investigation was conducted by the Grand Slam referee in conjunction with the Grand Slam supervisors with regard to an
on-court incident during the match between James Blake and Lleyton Hewitt yesterday. After interviews with both players, the lineman in question and the chair
umpire, and after reviewing videotape of the incident, it was determined that there was no violation of the Grand Slam code of conduct committed by Lleyton
Hewitt. Furthermore, the evidence was inconclusive as to the intent of Mr. Hewitt's remarks to the chair umpire. Let me also add, and this is not written down,
that the jurisdiction here is with the Grand Slam referee, who is me, and with the Grand Slam supervisors, the chief of whom is Stefan Fransson, here. Let me
also say that I not only -- it says I reviewed the incident on the videotape. I did that many, many times. I will tell you that Mr. Hewitt's version is that the remark
that he made -- and I have a transcript of it here -- "Look at him. Look at him and tell me what the similarity is." His explanation is that he was -- he couldn't
understand why the chair umpire didn't see that this was the same line umpire who had made the exact same mistake, to use Lleyton's words, twice, in very
short order. He couldn't understand that the chair umpire didn't realize it was the same guy. I will tell you looking at the tape, there was no gesture in the
direction of Mr. Blake when he made the comments about the similarities. He did not use Mr. Blake's name; he didn't say, "my opponent." He made no
reference to Mr. Blake. If I am going to go from there, from where I was and from the report from the chair umpire, who issued no code violation at the time
and didn't feel like there was a code violation to be issued and didn't feel that it was a racist remark, if I was to go from the report that I got and from the
videotape, it would be -- there would be a lot of inference. I would have to assume that I know and that I knew what Mr. Hewitt was thinking when he made
the remarks that he made. Again, on the videotape and the audio of the videotape, the transcript of which is right here, you cannot make the case that he was
obviously referring to James Blake in these remarks.

THE MODERATOR: We'll begin questions.

Q. Has this decision been conveyed to Mr. Blake? Does he know about this decision?

BRIAN EARLEY: He does.

Q. Can you sort of summarize what his reaction was?

BRIAN EARLEY: I think he'd rather -- he would just like to put the situation behind him. What he said was, "I learned a lot from that match." I would let you
ask him what his reaction was. I don't think I can -- he didn't really say much when I told him.

Q. Can you say whether he's satisfied with the decision or unhappy with the decision?

BRIAN EARLEY: I can't tell you. I think he's happy that it's been made, though.

Q. Could you repeat the explanation that you had had for saying that, "Do you see the similarities between him and him?"

BRIAN EARLEY: Yes. His explanation was that he couldn't understand that the chair umpire didn't realize it was the same umpire making the two footfault
calls. You have to understand, a footfault is an unusual call, and when it happens, it takes everybody off guard, not just -- I shouldn't say that, it doesn't take
everybody completely off guard. But it's a bit unusual. Mr. Hewitt's contention was that it was just one person making this call and couldn't the chair umpire
understand that it was the same person making that call.

Q. How many linesmen were in a position to make that call?

BRIAN EARLEY: Well, during any given match it could be four or six, depending on what the rotation is. Remember, this is a five-set match. So we had the
potential that several different line umpires could be on the match. Baseline umpires in particular. Then also remember that the line umpire was switched, and
that is not an unusual situation. We talk in officiating, we say, "If your line gets hot, sometimes we'll switch you with another line umpire. It will help to diffuse the
situation." This was Andreas Egli who made the call, to moving him around after the incident happened. So as far as Andreas was concerned, Mr. Egli, he was
diffusing the situation. So, yes, there could have been four or six people making a footfault call, but there could have been as many as eight or nine on any given
match, especially a three-hour match like that was.

Q. You told us what Lleyton's version was. What was James' version of what he heard?

BRIAN EARLEY: James did not -- I spoke at length to James, and James wasn't really paying much attention to what was happening there. James had just
won the game, was just on the break. He noticed what was going on, but he really didn't take much from the conversation. Remember that, too, it was very
loud out there and our privilege to hear it was based on microphones on the court. We are basically listening to what could be called a private conversation
with the chair umpire. While we do allow the microphones out there, sometimes they're -- they don't allow everybody to hear everything. In other words, we at
home or we watching on the TV screen are hearing exactly what's being said. And some who's sitting six or eight feet away only hears little bits and pieces of it.
The chair umpire is not speaking on the microphone, and the player is not listening to anything.

Q. Did Lleyton express any regret at how this was apparently misconstrued?

BRIAN EARLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. More than I can tell you. Contrite is a word I would use, except that he didn't feel like he had to apologize for what
he meant. He felt like he had to apologize for the way it was taken.

Q. Was this all done on the phone?

BRIAN EARLEY: No, I interviewed them both personally, and Mr. Egli personally. The line umpire filed a very short comment that he had -- that nothing was
said to him, derogatory or otherwise, that the chair umpire couldn't hear. In other words, his comments about the line umpire were made to the chair umpire
with a reference, gesturing, towards the line umpire. I will also say that in my discussions with James Blake, he was specific that there was nothing else in the
match that led him, James Blake, to believe that there was any racial undertones to the match or there was anything personal going on out there.

Q. How long was the interview with Lleyton this afternoon?

BRIAN EARLEY: Five to ten minutes. Somewhere between five and ten minutes.

Q. If a player was upset with the same lines person making more than one footfault call, it seems reasonable that he would approach the chair
umpire and say, "That guy has called me now twice for a footfault. Get him out of here." Rather than use the rather strange language of, "Do you
see the similarity between them?" Don't you find that language a little unusual?

BRIAN EARLEY: Little bit, yes. That's why we're here. If it were easy, then it would not have been misconstrued. Or whether it's misconstrued or not, I can't
tell you. I only can say that I would have to draw conclusions from what I see and what I hear that it was a definite racist -- that he was definitely making racist
remarks, and I can't do that from what I have. I can't say the court of public opinion won't do that, and I can't -- I'm not saying that I'm a mind reader and that
I can say that he didn't mean it. I can't say that at all. I can only say that I can't -- that it's very, very tough to prove that he did. That's why I made -- that's why
we made the decision we did.

Q. Would it be fair to say that while you cannot conclude he meant to make a racial reference, you cannot also conclude that he did not mean to
make a racial reference?

BRIAN EARLEY: Fair statement. Absolutely.

Q. Does the US Open plan to take any -- make any increased security precautions concerning Hewitt and his subsequent matches in this event?

BRIAN EARLEY: I have not had any discussions. I can't answer that question really.

Q. What, if any, bearing in your decision-making process is the fact that Lleyton has a history of making inappropriate comments on the court and
has a history of denying them afterwards?

BRIAN EARLEY: Does he have a history of making racist remarks?

Q. Well, inappropriate is what I said.

BRIAN EARLEY: No, I didn't take that into consideration.

Q. Are you concerned about his behavior on court?

BRIAN EARLEY: I am absolutely concerned about behavior on court.

Q. His behavior?

BRIAN EARLEY: Players' behavior.

Q. I'm asking about Lleyton.

BRIAN EARLEY: I'm speaking to Lleyton. If there is an incident that requires a code violation and a fine, I can speak to that specifically. But I'm here tonight
to speak about the specific incident that happened yesterday.

Q. In terms of making your decision, what kind of context did you put it in? Do you have any precedence of determining intent of language or any
other past references to race?

BRIAN EARLEY: Yeah, I try very hard not to. I try to make the decision based on what I see and what I can show. So, no, I did not use any other context
for it.

Q. From the interviews here, which were very lengthy, it seems to me that this young man is in denial about his behavior, and I think some form of
sensitivity and an example should be set so this won't happen again. I think it's very obvious that this is a racial incident, whether it's from stress
or winning or whatever, I don't think this should be something that we can overlook. The USTA should have guidelines with regards to this. This
is very hurtful to people. I'm sure that the people that had input on this is trying to do something about the whole racial situation. That's why this is
so lengthy. Okay? There are a lot of good people that are trying to do something. You seem to be trying to defend this wrong situation.

BRIAN EARLEY: Okay, I don't -- I'm trying to make a determination whether or not I can prove that it is a wrong situation, and I have worked and thought
about this quite a long time, in discussions with the Grand Slam supervisors and, again, the people who were on court and involved. This is not -- this was not a
USTA decision. The good work that the USTA has done in this regard, please do not overlook that.

Q. I think what I'm saying is the USTA should do something about sensitivity, let that be in the guidelines, or reprimand these people in a
sensitive way so they can see what's happening. I think this guy's in denial. You can see it. All through the interviews and so forth, what he said.
His explanation to you seems to make all the sense in the world. We talked to him for 20 minutes yesterday. Did you ask him at all, he had ample
opportunity to explain himself in the exact same way that you say he explained himself to you, which would seem to make some sense. He didn't
say that to us. Did he say why?

BRIAN EARLEY: I think yesterday -- no, I really can't speak to what he said yesterday. Let's just say that. I just cannot. I think you'll have to ask him that
question.

Q. Did Lleyton indicate to you that he feels that this is a media-induced occurrence?

BRIAN EARLEY: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. He did not say that at all. He was embarrassed that it was taken that way. He was crestfallen. But, again, I
can't speak to the intent of anything, and that's the hard part for me and for Stefan and for the other Grand Slam supervisors. We are now put in a position
where we're asked to determine the intent of something, and that's -- that is a very, very steep hill to climb. I see in all the things that you folks have written
today, I see the words, "apparent," "implied,"

"inferred." Those words speak to my problem. Anything that is inferred or implied is very difficult to prove.

Q. Could you just explain under the rules governing the Grand Slam tournaments the reason you think players (inaudible) --?

BRIAN EARLEY: Absolutely there is, and Stefan can answer those.

STEFAN FRANSSON: The code of conduct for

on-site offenses includes unsportsmanlike conduct, would cover all those situations that you are referring to on site at the Grand Slam. That would have been
where we would have been in case we would have felt that this was a code violation.

Q. Could you tell us if the lines umpire took any racial overtone from -- (inaudible).

BRIAN EARLEY: He did not. He did not. I can tell you that.

Q. What was his name?

BRIAN EARLEY: I think everybody -- it is policy not to give the name.

Q. Policy, he's a professional official.

BRIAN EARLEY: I can tell you who the chair umpire is.

Q. We know that. That was given out. We should know the name of this official. He's a professional official, just as they are in baseball, football or
whatever.

STEFAN FRANSSON: I have no problem.

BRIAN EARLEY: Marion Johnson is his name.

Q. M-a-r-i-o-n?

BRIAN EARLEY: Yes.

Q. What was Lleyton fined when he made the comment about spastic to Andreas Egli?

STEFAN FRANSSON: I don't know. I have to look at that. I haven't looked for that here.

Q. Is that not unsportsmanlike conduct?

STEFAN FRANSSON: That's a different situation. Let's stick to this one here. That was totally different. It wasn't during a match, like this. That was a
different situation.

Q. Mr. Earley, I want to read you a quote from the Journal News that's in the USTA clippings. The 20-year-old Australian complained to the chair
umpire about the linesman who called the fault. "Look at him," he would say, gesturing to the linesman. "And look at him." Now on your tape, did
you hear that and? And who is he referring to there?

BRIAN EARLEY: No, did not hear that and.

Q. Did you hear it on your tape?

BRIAN EARLEY: The transcript's here.

Q. Simple question. Did you hear the and?

BRIAN EARLEY: I did not. Absolutely not.

Q. Brian, I'm sorry if you touched on this earlier. What was the chair's interpretation of what he said?

STEFAN FRANSSON: Well, I think Andreas was the chair, just felt that he wanted this guy off the line. He called a footfault twice, and he took care of that
situation. He also told him when, he told him that he would rotate him, as I'm sure you heard on TV, that if he moves another line umpire in, he didn't want to
have any complaints about footfaults and all that. It's obviously, in a situation like this, with as many baseline umpires as we could have here, that it's the one
person that makes the calls often sparks off a comment like that from a player, so.

Q. As far as any racial overtones?

STEFAN FRANSSON: He didn't feel anything like that when he was on court. He didn't say it was close to a code violation.

Q. Two things. Are you going to make available the transcript? I came in late. I don't know whether it's available.

Q. Secondly, could you read that sentence that was in question, or that phrase that was in question.

BRIAN EARLEY: I can read it. It's really very brief because it's the part we're talking about. "Change him. Change him. I have only been footfaulted at one
end. Okay. Look at him. Look at him and you tell me what the similarity is. Just get him off the court. Look at what he's done." He, him. Always the reference
is clearly in those cases to the line umpire. Which is not unusual, by the way, when we're talking about players complaining.

Q. In your decision process, it was just yourself and Stefan? Were there other people involved?

STEFAN FRANSSON: The other supervisors as well.

Q. Beyond James Blake, did you address this with any African Americans?

BRIAN EARLEY: We talked to the line umpire involved, if that's what you're asking.

Q. I'm asking if in the decision process, the people who came to this decision, including yourselves obviously, but the other people, did you go to
any African Americans outside of your decision-making group to seek what they thought was going on on the court?

BRIAN EARLEY: No.

Q. The racial issue aside, do you draw a line between a player "complaining" and essentially impugning officials?

BRIAN EARLEY: Yeah, very, very close on that. I'm not gonna -- I could deny that I could have made a case for, "Yeah, he was impugning the -- he was
saying he didn't think he was doing a very good job." But I can't go there and then not do that every time a chair umpire or a player complains to a chair umpire
about a line umpire, "He's screwing up the whole -- he keeps screwing up." Okay, we hear that all the time. "He's made 50 mistakes so far," I hear that all the
time. Yes, there is a line to be drawn in the clearest definition that we can make of that line, he didn't cross it in that case, no. And he didn't do it. He didn't
show the man up publicly. I would tell you that, yes, he did gesture to him, to the audience that he was having an argument with the chair umpire and it was
about the line calls down at this end of the court. That was very clear.

End of FastScripts....

US OPEN 2001
NEW YORK CITY

September 1, 2001

An Interview With:

JAMES BLAKE

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What's your reaction to the Grand Slam Committee's decision not to discipline Lleyton?

JAMES BLAKE: It's their decision. That's Brian Earley's decision. That's a tough job he has. I'm sure he's always done a very professional job and I'm sure he
did again. I'm sure he weighed all the evidence, and just made his ruling on what he felt. It's not up to me. It's not my job. My job is to go out and play as well
as I can, which is all I did. All the stuff afterwards, that's up to him.

Q. They said there was ambiguity as to when he was saying, "Look at him. Look at him. You can see the similarity." Ambiguity as to whether or
not Lleyton was drawing a comparison between the linesman and yourself. Was there any ambiguity in your mind? Yesterday from what you said it
kind of seemed like you thought that's what he meant?

JAMES BLAKE: No. What I said yesterday was just that I was trying to put it out of my mind and go on with the match and not even really think about it.
And I wanted to know after the match, I wanted to know what he had to say in his interview and to me or to otherwise, when he had time to think about it. I
take those kind of comments more seriously, when people have time to think about them. Then that's obviously what they really believe. Something that can be
said in the heat of the moment when you're in competition, I mean, I'm sure a million guys have said things that they didn't even know they were saying or they
really didn't mean to say. Maybe they let out swears in front of a child or something, that you really shouldn't do. And, you know, that's unfortunate but it
happens to everyone. And then he -- when he came back and he said what he said, that in his conversation between him and the umpire and he didn't mean
anything by it, then those are the words I take to heart.

Q. Did you hear what he said? Had you reviewed it?

JAMES BLAKE: On the video?

Q. Yeah, "Look at him and tell me what the similarity is. Look what he's done," referring to Marion Johnson, the linesman. Did you hear that
comment? Did you review it?

JAMES BLAKE: I haven't really reviewed it. I was watching Sports Center this morning so, I caught it quickly but I didn't really pay too much attention to it. I
was just pretty happy I was on Sports Center for the first time. I was calling all my friends and telling them to watch.

Q. When you heard it, was your first thought that it was racist, or he was saying that it was something that had to do with the match and
competition, about the call?

JAMES BLAKE: My first thought was it was just a comment made during competition, and I wanted to know what he really felt about it and what he did
mean. Because I can't tell, like just like Brian Earley said, in his mind there's ambiguity, so I mean, there obviously can be other interpretations. I just tried to
accept -- I just accept what he says and if that's what he believes, then that's what I'm gonna believe. I can't speak for what he meant. I can only take him by
his word, and that's good enough for me.

Q. You must have had your own interpretation, whether it was about the calls or whether it was about racism. You must have thought something.

JAMES BLAKE: My interpretation does -- I mean really does no good here. That's Brian Earley's job. My job was to play tennis. I try not to let things
interfere with my job, which is to be as good a tennis player as I can be. I mean, he made his decision, and that's why he's the umpire. I mean, that's why he's
-- I'm sure he's watched the tape, I mean countless times. I saw the clip one time. So it's kind of tough for me to say my opinion could be right or even to give
my opinion, because it's -- I know you guys will take it more seriously than it's -- than his opinion, which is much more important because he's the one that's
done the studying of the tape.

Q. What did Lleyton say to you today?

JAMES BLAKE: Today? We spoke in the locker room, and we just -- we put this behind us and we got past it. The exact details of the conversation, I mean,
that was said in the locker room. I mean, just like they say, "the things that are said on the court are meant to be left on the court." Things said in the locker
room are meant to be left in the locker room. I'm not going to get into exact details. We've moved past it. We both acknowledged that we'll be out here on tour
hopefully for many years. I know he's already proved that he's going to stay here, stay at the top, and I'm hoping to do the same.

Q. Not in specific words, did he apologize?

JAMES BLAKE: We got past this. We're past anything being said on the court. We just realized it was a good match and we talked about that.

Q. You're satisfied with the decision? You're satisfied?

JAMES BLAKE: The decision really doesn't have any bearing on me. I was never in jeopardy of getting fined. So, I mean, I wasn't really awaiting a decision
very anxiously. I was -- I mean, I was just worried about my doubles match today. I wasn't really thinking about it. I was trying to -- I was just trying to think
about getting healthy again. I lost a lot of fluids yesterday. This morning I woke up pretty sore. I was more worried about that than I was about the decision.

Q. He approached you in the locker room?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah. And I appreciated that. I'll say that. It was very much appreciated.

Q. So you felt he was pretty forthright and honest, he came clean with you so you have good feelings about your relationship with him now?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah. I didn't really know him very well going into this match. Sometimes it's -- it actually could make a relationship better to go through
some sort of - I don't know what the word is, some kind of drama going on. I'm sure this is going to be -- I mean, I hope this will blow over and there won't be
any other incident even slightly reminiscent of this and we'll just, you know, keep playing good matches throughout the years hopefully. I really hope I stay at
the level he's at because he's at a very high level of tennis right now. If I can keep playing the way I did yesterday, then I think we'll have a lot of fun and the
fans watching us will have a lot of fun.

Q. Brian Earley described him as contrite when he met with him today. Would that be your assessment, that he was contrite?

JAMES BLAKE: Like I said, I didn't really know him very well before this. I don't know what to expect of him. I can't speak on how he acts normally. His --
it was just very -- he seemed very sincere to me.

Q. You haven't really answered this question. When he said, "Look at him, look at him, look at him," do you think he think he was referring to the
linesman's skin color?

JAMES BLAKE: Well, I didn't answer the question directly. What I said was that my opinion really doesn't have much of a bearing, because my opinion really
means nothing except it may make a headline. And there's really no need for that. Like I said, we're past this. We're past this incident. He's got a singles match
to play tomorrow. I had a doubles match to play today. I have to get back to, you know, being in good shape to play better tennis. And so, their ruling in my
mind only had to do with-- I mean, it didn't have anything to do with me. It had to do with Lleyton's wallet and whether or not they were going to fine him or do
anything like that. That's really not of much interest to me.

Q. There are only a few African Americans in comparison in this sport. As an African American in this sport, if there was a comment made that was
a racial slur, you would have some feelings about it, wouldn't you?

JAMES BLAKE: Absolutely.

Q. So I ask you, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome of the Earley decision?

JAMES BLAKE: I think if you want to read -- we can keep going over the same thing. I understand that I'm an African American and there are very few of us
out here on tour. So my words can carry a lot of weight. With that realization, I want to make sure that I'm not gonna get into any he said/she said slanderous
type of words. I don't see any point in that. I really don't -- I mean, like I said, he was very sincere in what he said to me today. I try to give people the benefit
of the doubt. People say maybe I'm naive or I give people the benefit of the doubt too much. I'd much rather be that. I try to have a positive outlook on things.
I don't know if I should apologize for that, I really don't think I should. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt on that.

Q. You're really not giving your true opinion of what was said on the court, are you?

JAMES BLAKE: I've said that I can't make an assessment of what was going through someone else's mind. To be honest, I feel it's unfair for you to make an
assessment of what's going through my mind.

Q. I'm asking you.

JAMES BLAKE: You're saying I'm not giving my true opinion.

Q. I said you're not giving your opinion. I didn't say true opinion. Your opinion. Like Mark asked you about the question, what did you think was
said? How did you interpret it.

JAMES BLAKE: I know it was said. I've had it read back to me now quite a few times. I realize what was said, and I also realized what was said to me in the
locker room today. And I realize that this is -- I understand that you guys are trying to make this much more than tennis, and I realize that there are things that
are much bigger than tennis. Racial issues are one of them. But I don't feel that -- I mean, I don't feel that this warrants all the attention, because like I said, I'm
past it. I assume Lleyton's past it because he's past it with me. And I mean, we'll see when he goes out. I realize that, I mean, what he said, if he is completely
-- I mean if it was just a remark made in the heat of battle, he's gonna pay for it by, I mean, having to deal with a lot of reporters for the next two weeks and
maybe even longer. So I feel sorry for him for that because he may have just made a reference that happened to be taken a different way. And I don't know
what else to say.

Q. All right. Just to take the weight off me, you are not -- you did not give your interpretation? Not my opinion that you're not giving an
interpretation. You didn't give it?

JAMES BLAKE: Okay.

Q. Did you guys talk at all about anything else in the locker room? Did you talk about how great a match it was?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, we did.

Q. Was it solely about this issue?

JAMES BLAKE: No, we started obviously with the issue, and we moved on to the fact that it was a great match. He said, you know, "Congratulations," that it
was a good match. I said, "Congratulations and good luck." It was very friendly. Like I said, he was sincere and we're gonna move on from this.

End of FastScripts....

L. HEWITT/J. Blake Jame's interview hereunder
6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0

Q. Want to clarify what you said during the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: What was that?

Q. Regarding the color of James' skin and the lines person.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Had nothing to do racial, mate.

Q. How was that not racial?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think I said anything racial out there.

Q. You were saying that James had one color skin and that lines person had the same color skin.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't say that to the umpire.

Q. What did you say?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was a conversation between me and the umpire. I come from a multi-cultured country. I'm not racial in any way at all. People can have their own opinions. That was between me and the umpire. There was nothing racial said out there at all.

Q. It was heard throughout the stadium. It was heard on television.
LLEYTON HEWITT: There was nothing racial said out there at all.

Q. You said, "Look at him," gesturing to the linesman, "look at him," gesturing to James. What did you mean?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't say it in that way. I went out there and I got two foot faults at one end. I asked if the guy could be moved. The umpire said, "Yeah, we can move him." They moved him, put him in a different position. I didn't care that the guy was staying on court, not going off the court at all. Normally in the past I would ask for a guy to get moved totally off the court.
It all happened at one end. Whether I'm playing in Australia or anywhere around the world, I get foot faulted at one end two times on big points, not up the other end, something is not balanced there. If I'm doing the same thing up either end, which I'm sure I am, I've hit thousands and thousands of serves in my career so far, have the same action. That's all. I went to the umpire with my argument. He said, "We'll change him."

Q. It's a misunderstanding that you made any comparison between the ethnicity of the linesman and James?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You can all think what you want. At the end of the day, I wasn't making a racial comment when I went out there. I went there and asked if the guy could be moved. I could have still got bad calls from the same person or other people who came on.

Q. But if you used those words, "Look at James, look " --?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't say it in that way, mate.

Q. How did you say it? Maybe you could help us out.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was just between me and the umpire. Whatever you heard, it's in the middle of a tennis match. I'm not sure what you heard anyway. But I know exactly what I said to the umpire, and the umpire knows exactly, as well. It's a conversation between two people out there when we're playing at the heat of a tennis match out there.
You know, I'm a very passionate player as it is when I get out there. I give everything I got. That showed. I don't think anyone is going to be happy if you get foot faulted on a deuce point when you're serving at one set all and 1-All in the third set, you hit an unreturnable serve, it's a late foot fault.

Q. There's a difference between challenging a man's vision and saying that there's some similarity, some sort of brotherhood between the lines judge and the other player.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not the way that I said it. You can say it in whichever way is possible. You can think whatever I said. In the way that I said it, it had no racial remarks on the whole thing.

Q. James seemed aggravated a couple of times. Did he hear that? Did he say something to you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He was probably aggravated because he was chucking up on court. I think it had more on the physical fatigue he was going through. He didn't say a thing.

Q. What you said to Andreas, "You tell me what the similarity is," can you explain what you meant by that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was simply -- I was just asking the same question in an easy way. It wasn't a racial comment at all. You can perceive it whichever way you like. At the end of the day, I come from a very, you know, multi-cultural country down in Australia. I treat everyone as an equal. It's got nothing to do with it.

Q. What is your version of what you actually meant by what you said?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I just asked if the guy could be moved. That's it. That was the whole conversation.

Q. What did you mean with the words, "Look at him. Look at James."
LLEYTON HEWITT: Mate, it was not perceived in that way.
MODERATOR: Any other questions about the match?

Q. Is anything okay to say in the heat of the battle?
LLEYTON HEWITT: What do you mean "everything"?

Q. You said, "In the heat of the battle things get said." Is anything okay?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Of course, it's not. Of course, it's not. You and I both know that. That's why there was no problem out there today.

Q. So we get the right construction of this, you believe you had nothing to apologize for or to explain?
LLEYTON HEWITT: If people took it in the wrong way, then I apologize, because it wasn't meant to be in that way. The way that I said it was not a racial remark at anyone.

Q. At the end of the fourth set, you were fist pumping. James was clearly not able to move. It seemed like a bit of a gesture. James came over and said something to you. What was that interaction?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was mumbled. I cannot even tell you one word that he said. We're going straight across. The crowd is getting into it. I cannot recall one word he said.

Q. What did he say to you at the end of the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I just said, "Sorry, mate. You played a helluva match. You're going to be a good player, great player in the future." He says, "Thanks. Played two of the best sets I ever played."
He was obviously physically fatigued at the end.

Q. I know that you're naturally a player that has a lot of emotion on the court. Do you ever think about pulling it back when a guy is obviously hurting on the other side?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I went out there. I'm out there to do a job. I'm playing in one of four tournaments in the whole year which means the most to any tennis player. We go out there. It doesn't matter, you're playing golf, you go out there, you're hungry for the Grand Slams. We're hungry for the Grand Slams in tennis. This is what you live for.

Q. I'm not talking about pulling back your play, just the gesturing and motions.
LLEYTON HEWITT: There was no gesturing. I get pumped on the court. I'd get pumped if I was 6-All in the fifth set breaker. It's exactly the same. I don't look at my opponent. I broke him there after he had the injury time-out. He broke me straight back. If we kept going on serve, it could have been a very tight fourth set tiebreak. Obviously, I was relieved to get out of the fourth set.

Q. Any reaction to the crowd of the crowd booing you, saying, "Hewitt sucks"?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Didn't hear it.

Q. What do you think of that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I've played Davis Cup enough times. You know, just try to block it out as much as possible and enjoy trying to finish off the match out there. Obviously, I didn't play my best tennis out there today. I feel like hopefully my next match, I can raise my game to the next level.

Q. After he was injured in the fourth set, you still had a hard time dealing with him, putting him away. What was that challenge?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He came out and he served pretty soft the first couple serves after the injury time-out. Breakpoint. Served a 120 ace out wide. You know, it's a little bit shocking I think for anyone. You're sitting out there, the guy is spewing up on the side of the court, and suddenly you get a breakpoint and you think it's going to be the same kind of serve, he somewhere pulls out of the bag a 120. That's too good.
Obviously, it's very hard to keep c