cinci02int

August 11, 2002

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters

Cincinnati, Ohio

C. MOYA/L. Hewitt

7-5, 7-6

An interview with:

LLEYTON HEWITT

            THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

            Q. What's the difference between today's match and yesterday's match?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I think just Carlos is A‑class, I guess. He's been there before, he knows how to play the big points well. I think that's probably the biggest difference between him and Gonzalez.

            Q. How was your back today?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, not too bad. It was a little bit stiff before the match. I got some heat cream rubbed into it beforehand, just tried to loosen it up. I didn't feel any twinges out there. Just genuine stiffness. It's fine, I can play with that.

            Q. The rain delay, did that have any bearing on your injury, having to stop and start again?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. Not a huge difference. I just had to go through the same routine as I did before I went out to play the first time.

            So, you know, sure, once you get into the match, you always like to sort of continue it on. But it wasn't that big a difference.

            Q. What did you do during the break?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Just sat in the change rooms. Did nothing.

            Q. Sat where?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: In the change rooms. Just not a lot. Just watched the monitor, then got ready to play once. Then, you know, standing out with our bags, then we got told it was raining again. So we had to sit down and go through it all again.

            Q. Did you watch it on TV, the match?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: The rain or...?

            Q. The replay of the first set.

            LLEYTON HEWITT: No, no, I haven't seen anything. No.

            Q. How many times have you lost a 5‑2 lead in a set?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I've definitely done it before, I think, in some stages. Yeah, I didn't make too many first serves. But apart from that, I didn't hit the ball that bad.

            You know, he just raised his level of game. To his credit, he played some huge points there to get the two breaks. At 5‑3, it was a huge opportunity there, if I was able to get into a third set. I felt like at 5‑2 I was starting to get on top of him ‑ breaking for the second time that set.

            Q. Where do you feel this leaves you in preparation to defend the US Open title?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Hitting the ball well. You know, I've gone up another level since Toronto, which is nice. That's all I can really ask for out of the tournament.

            Sure, I'm disappointed. I would have loved to have won another tournament like this. But, you know, when you sit back tomorrow and you go through what your preparation is going to be, you know, the next two weeks going into The Open, well, it's going in the right direction at least at the moment.

            Q. What are your next two weeks like?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm playing Indy then a week off.

            Q. Carlos ‑ I don't know if this is exactly accurate ‑ he said he thought you lost nine matches this year, and seven of them were to Spaniards or South American players. He felt like you maybe had trouble with that style of play. Would you agree with that?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know.

            Q. If so, what gives you trouble?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I lost to a few of them this year, but I don't think it gives me that much trouble. I think I have beaten them a lot as well. You sort of don't see the first rounds I chop up a lot of the Spanish and South American players as well.

            Obviously, the guys I've lost to, they've been class players. I lost to Moya, what, twice on clay, now here as well. You know, he's a former world No. 1 and a definite ‑ when he's playing his best ‑ Top 5 in the world. So, you know, that's no bad loss.

            You know, some of the other guys ‑ Gaudio I remember losing to on clay, which at the time wasn't a bad match because he'd won about 15 matches in a row. Then there was Alberto Martin, first round of the Aussie Open when I wasn't 100%.

            Q. What strategy did you have today against him?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Obviously tried to, you know, get into, you know, as many rallies as possible and give myself a chance to take the initiative up before he started making me run and moving the ball well. As soon as he gets around and whacks that forehand and he's on the offense, he's an extremely tough player to put back on the defense from that position. I felt like I played pretty well, you know, doing that.

            But then my serve just let me off once I got to 5‑2 in the second set. You know, I was serving well and making, you know ‑‑ serving well on big points. When I was deuce and break points down, I came up with a big serve. Then I wasn't able to do that. I think that was sort of the main difference and maybe the turning point from 5‑2 up and losing at 7‑6.

            Q. Did the double‑fault in the tiebreak just kill you?

            LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. But then again at 5‑4 I went for a second serve ace and it paid off. You know, shit happens.

            FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

August 10, 2002 WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL

GROUP MASTERS Cincinnati, Ohio

L. HEWITT/F. Gonzalez 6-7, 7-5, 6-2

An interview with:

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Was there any point in that second set where you thought you might lose?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really - not lose. I don't think that thought ever entered my mind. It was more did it ever enter my mind, "What the hell he's going to do next," yes. I had no idea.

He's a tough player to play. You know, he gives you absolutely no rhythm. I thought Wayne Arthurs didn't give me a lot of rhythm just with his serve and that, but this guy was just -- he's just letting go from the back of the court or wherever he is. He hits the ball as hard as he can every time. It's tough to play that kind of player.

Q. He said you were a fighter, that on the real important points, that's when you play the best. Do you agree with that?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I guess, yeah. I guess that's probably been the case a little bit over the last few years.

You know, you sort of look at the guys in the Top 10, Top 15 in the world, and the guys who have been able to win Slams, they're able to step it up on the big points when it matters in big tournaments, in big situations. The semifinal is big here.

When I was down a few break points, I came up with a big serve every time. I was 2-1 down in the second set, came up with a pretty good serve every time I was down a break point.

I think it just -- it comes with a lot of practice and being very mentally tough out there, I guess, when it comes to the big situations. You know when to step it up and have that self-confidence out there.

Q. Is that just your attitude, though, in every match, that you just don't feel you're ever going to lose it? Or was this specifically with him tonight?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I never feel that -- there's always a chance that you're going to lose, of course, but it never enters my mind when I'm out there playing.

Then, too, I'm one of those people - as everyone knows - I go out there and give 100%. Too, you got to go up and shake hands at the end of the match. There's so many times, I think people have seen, where, you know, one or two points change the whole outcome of a match. You know, sometimes when you get through those matches, it changes the whole outcome of the tournament. You feel like you've sort of survived one and you're half lucky to be in there, then everything sort of changes.

Q. You had 20 aces, and really your serve was such a strong weapon. Is that a little unusual for it to be that strong?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I actually didn't feel like I served that great out there. I don't think I got a -- probably 45, 48%, I think, first serves. I'd be guessing.

Q. 47.

LLEYTON HEWITT: 47, thanks (smiling). Make me sound good.

And as I said, he's a strange guy to play. He was guessing a lot of the times on the return. He sort of was jumping immediately inside the baseline and guessing which way. So, you know, he'd make me look bloody good with a nice ace out wide which he missed by three meters, or he'd wail it past me for a winner if he guessed the right way.

I didn't serve that great. He probably made it look a little bit better than it was. When he runs around, smacks a few big serves, second serves as winners like he did there, especially in the tiebreak in the first set, then he makes your serve look pretty ordinary as well.

Q. Did you tweak your back?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've had a bit of stiffness the last week or so, week and a half. I've been getting treatment every day on it. And I could just feel it getting a little bit stiff out there.

Then I actually felt something sort of -- some twinges in there towards the end of the second set. I was just a little bit concerned. I actually wasn't going to call the trainer. Then I felt like I had the momentum. I didn't want to sort of let up on that at all after winning the second set, and I was just going to play through it. Then he had a toilet break, I saw Doug sitting on the sidelines, I wanted to try to keep it as warm as possible that change of ends.

Q. Was that more of a prevention type of thing?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I could feel it out there. I've been getting treatment every day on it anyway. So, you know, it's been a little bit sore. But I think it's nothing, you know, that's going to pull me out of anything. I can definitely play through it.

Q. Do you know how you did it?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, it's just general stiffness. The thing that worried me a little bit tonight -- I've been playing through it. I felt stiff in that area every day I've been on the court, practice and that. Normally, the adrenaline's pumping in the matches. I didn't feel that bad in the Agassi match last night, I was stretching a lot.

There was a couple of times tonight where I was stretching on my serve, a few times that I felt a pinch, a bit of a - I don't know if it's a nerve sort of reaction, but like a twinge out there. That's why I called Doug, just to try to warm up so I didn't further damage it.

Q. How does it feel now? Is it something that goes away quickly with a bit of therapy?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Not sure. Could wake up tomorrow morning, it could be stiff. I got no idea. I can't see it being a big problem.

Q. Carlos Moya.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he's very tough. He's probably been -- since Wimbledon, since he's been back on the clay, he's probably the form player, I guess. What did he win, a couple of tournaments and another semi or something?

He's a tough player to play. He's obviously getting back to his -- I think what we all think he's capable of doing and what he proved when he went to No. 1 in the world a few years ago. I've got a lot of time for Carlos, he's a really nice guy as well.

Q. How much of what you did tonight owes simply to your refusal to give in, your unwillingness to lose?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Possibly a fair bit. There's tough matches, I guess, when you get in those situations and, you know, a lot of guys would probably hop for the easier option, I guess, rather than hang out there and keep fighting. That's one of my main qualities.

Q. Are you aware of the effect that has on your opponent?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've never really worried about it. It's just me. I've always done it, and, you know, I'll keep fighting until I got to go and shake hands at the end of the match.

But, yeah, I don't know if it does have an effect; that they think, you know, they've got to put me away right to the very last point. That's definitely an advantage for me.

Q. You seemed to get off in a strange way. What was going on in that first set? Was it just a matter of feeling him out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, little bit. As I said, he's a strange player to play against. I'm still struggling to work out how he plays (laughter).

The first few games he was sort of rolling his serve in, then he'd run around, smack a forehand back fence, then he'd hit a winner. I just tried to keep a few balls in play.

Then I lost my serve in the third game. I hit two double-faults, and I sort of went for my serve a little bit more because a couple of points before that he ran around and hit probably one of the biggest forehands I've ever seen on a second serve. I went for it a little bit. I probably really didn't have to pull the trigger at that point in the third game, you know. If I was playing him again, then I probably wouldn't have gone for it so much early on.

But then he played -- as I said, he came out and played the back fence four points in a row in the next game and gave me the break back straightaway.

Q. The way he hits it, does it make you want to be more aggressive with your serve?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Yeah, little bit. You always know that as soon as you hit a ball that's slightly short, even, you know, sometimes you hit a good depth ball, and he'll still try and whack a winner off it. Sort of gets you on the defensive straightaway. When you have an opportunity to attack, it's pretty important.

I can't say he's got the best defensive skills around.

Q. Now that you have a victory over him, how can you assess his skills, his talent? Can he be a threat at the US Open?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Gonzalez?

Q. Yes.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, for sure. He's a tough player to play against. He's beaten Henman, Krajicek and Roddick three matches in a row. They're three class players. They're contenders for the US Open. So I can't see why he's not a chance.

But then again, you have five sets playing that style of tennis. Then, you know, it's gonna be tough to do it, you know. But with his power, I think he's gonna have days when he looks incredible and he's gonna have days when he struggles a bit.

Q. Also yesterday you complimented his forehand. What can you say about his backhand?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he's got a nice backhand. I think he's probably -- over the last few months, I think it's gotten better and better since I saw him play last. He was more inconsistent on it a few months ago. Now he probably waits for the right ball a little bit more on his backhand.

Obviously, though, his forehand is still his main strength. You know, he's always trying to run around his backhand to hit that forehand.

Q. In your opinion, what makes him a great player?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. A little bit like Andrew Ilie, I guess. I don't know how much experience is gonna be. With some of those guys, they sort of can look incredible and they play very entertaining tennis. But on big points, is that always going to help you win the big matches? I don't know. Some matches it will, some it won't, I'm sure.

But whether he can learn to I guess sort of - I don't know - control his power a little bit in some important points, then that may help him.

Q. How was your confidence at the end of the first set when he won the tiebreak? Did you think you could lose the match?

LLEYTON HEWITT: There was always a chance I could lose, but it never entered my mind, you know. It's only a set, you know? Two sets to go.

I was right in that set. Had 4-3, love-30, missed a short forehand I probably could have gotten. He's the type of guy that gets down on himself and strings together a lot of errors when you put that pressure on.

Really, I felt like I could have just been serving for the first set at 5-3. So I tried to take the positives out of the set. And I knew his game a little bit better going into the second set, but it was still tough out there.

Q. You played Carlos three times this year. Talk about those matches.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I won the first one in Indian Wells first round. Then I lost in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

Q. Different surface.

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's on clay, obviously. I'd prefer to play on hard court; I think everyone knows that.

And, yeah, he's a great hard court player as well. He's playing a lot better, I think, than he was in Indian Wells. He was just starting. I could tell there that he was -- I think he won a tournament the week before Indian Wells on clay, maybe Acapulco or something like that.

But he actually was starting to time the ball like he did when he got to No. 1 after winning the final of Indian Wells or something that one year. He was starting to get around and use his forehand and his first serve. He's got a big first serve for sort of a "clay court specialist" type of guy. He's very underrated.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

August 9, 2002

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters

Cincinnati, Ohio

L. HEWITT/A. Agassi

7-5, 6-3

An interview with:

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lleyton.

Q. What was the difference today? I mean, you had some really good rallies ‑ deep and everything ‑ but yet you were able to just edge them out.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I was able to play the big points well, I think, towards the end of the first set. The first set was huge. You know, it's just about around an hour, I think, long. It was a long first set, and it was a grinding one.

He had the advantage at the start, then I was able to peg back the momentum. I played a good game to break at 4‑all. Then, you know, just didn't quite execute right at the 5‑4 game, serving for it. Put in a couple of early errors. He was able to step it up.

Got to 40‑15. Huge three or four points there to turn it around, get the momentum back quickly. I went on and held to love the second time serving for the first set.

Second set he came out and served great the first few times. From there on, it felt like I was in each one of his service games. It was very important just for me to hang in my service games. I felt I was going to get an opportunity sooner or later to try and break his.

Q. Do you think you played better ahead?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Ahead?

Q. Yeah.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I played pretty well getting back in the match. I was 3‑love down, 15‑30 in the first set. Two points there and you can pretty much kiss the first set good‑bye at 4‑love against Andre.

So I felt like I gutsed it out. I hung in there. I didn't give him any cheap points at that stage. That was important. I was able to break straight back. The whole momentum of the match had changed where he was in charge right from the start, yet I had breakpoints the first game and I had game points in the second game.

So I could have been 2‑love up. Instead, I found myself an early break down.

Q. 5‑all, 40‑15, there had been a lot of coming and going. It seemed Andre was right with you, level at that stage. Suddenly it changed. Do you know why?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, it was strange. I just hung in that game. I said to myself, "I'm gonna hang in there and I'm going to try to take the initiative away from him a little bit," and I cracked two winners at 40‑15.

Sort of changed the whole momentum a little bit. I felt like I was starting to get on top, as I said before, at 4‑all. Broke him. Served for the first set. Didn't execute the point properly. Played a bad start to that game.

At 40‑15, I was just able to hit two clean winners ‑ backhand up the line and an inside‑out forehand. Changed straightaway. We changed ends. The whole momentum swung again. I was able to hold to love the next game.

In the second set, he came early, he came at me again strong. You know he's going to, he's such a great player and a great competitor out there. He didn't give me anything early. He was serving a lot better, I felt, at the start of the second set, a lot more cheap points. I was able to hang in my service games. And, you know, I felt sooner or later he's going to have to start missing some first serves. That's when I had to try and pounce on him.

Q. With Pete at 31, we see some signs of his slowing down, changes to his game or breakdowns. Do we see that at all with Andre at 32?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not at all. He's an incredible athlete. You know, there's not many people who would be able to do ‑‑ I don't know if I'll be out there running around the way he is . And still the motivation and everything, you know ‑ he's ready to go right from the first point every time. You've got to be on your game every time you step out on the court against him; otherwise, he's going to whack you.

You know, I was able to, you know, the last couple times we played. We played some great matches. It's hard to beat the San Jose final at the start of the year. And, you know, I don't see any signs of him, you know, fatiguing towards the end of matches at all at the moment.

Q. When you were yelling, were you mad at yourself, were you trying to pump yourself up?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I was just trying to pump myself up. You know, sometimes it works as a positive, sometimes as a negative. I felt like I was able , when I got down on myself a couple times, I'm able to ‑‑ I have a ‑ I don't know how to say it ‑ but some guys, it turns the whole match around and they get very negative on themselves and can't sort of get out of it.

I'm able ‑ for some unknown reason, I don't know why ‑ to focus straightaway on the next point. It sometimes makes me concentrate on the next point and try and improve on what I did wrong.

Yeah. So for me, I'm not going to say 100% of the time that I get down on myself it works for me, but, you know, I think a lot of other guys, if they get down on themselves at all, sometimes they're history.

Q. After the match, on TV you talked about the level of respect you had for Agassi and still do.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yep.

Q. Is it special for him to have that now for you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I guess. It's something I really don't think about, what Andre thinks of me or how I play the game or me as a person or whatever really. I've got along great with Andre, you know.

It's something, you know, even in the locker room now you still look up to him and have so much respect for him. I've still got a poster in my garage of Andre Agassi on the wall at home. Growing up, he was ‑‑ he's that kind of ‑‑ he's got that kind of personality that you sort of, you know, it sort of fitted right into my attitude, I guess, and my style of play. He's very sort of out there, he gives 100% every time he's on the court. And he's, you know, he's a baseliner as well. A lot of people spoke about how I was the next person since Andre to win from the back of the court at Wimbledon. I draw a lot of confidence from a guy like Andre being able to win all four majors.

Q. It was Agassi you had posters of, none of the other great players?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, no, I liked a lot of players. I liked Mats Wilander a lot. I like watching Pete. He obviously ‑‑ I was never going to be a serve‑and‑volley player, I just didn't have that style of game. But I got a lot of respect for Pete, just how good he really is, you know, how good he's been over so many years. I think I realize that more now that I'm sitting at the top of the game. It's so hard to go out there and after you win a major or two, you sort of ‑‑ your goals change. It's hard to get up week in and week out for smaller tournaments. You got to take your hat off to a guy like Pete and Andre who have been able to do it for so many years.

Q. Did his poster used to have a better spot in the garage?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Andre? No, everyone got it confused. I told them when I did my press conference after I beat him in Adelaide the first time it was in my garage. Everyone kept saying it was in my bedroom. No, it was always in my garage; it hasn't changed.

Just, you know, I've got a little gym set in there and a speed ball and stuff. It's sort of where I worked out a little bit when I was younger. That's why it's up there. It's when he had long hair and had the bike shorts underneath his denim shorts and that. That sort of suited my character, I think, a little bit.

Q. You have probably the best two hardcourt players playing each other in the quarterfinals. Was this the best rivalry of the tournament? If so, do you feel like you're over a hump now in the tournament?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, there's still two tough matches to go, you know, whoever I play. Obviously, the next match, Roddick or Gonzalez, you'd have to guess that Roddick's probably going to get through that one. But, you know, Andy and I have had a lot of tough matches. It's gonna be extremely tough. He's seeing the ball well. This is basically my first sort of string of matches that I've put together on the hardcourt so far this season. He's had a lot of matches. Even though he's lost a couple, he's made the semi of LA then the final of Toronto. And if he gets to play me, again, it's another semi for him. So his winning form is good form.

Then after that, you know, if I can get through that one, then I meet one of the Spaniards. By the way they're going, they're playing pretty well.

Q. You talked about Andy. Can you talk about Gonzalez?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I've never played Fernando. Actually, I've played him in Juniors. I played him when I was about 15 and he was 16. I never played him in seniors, though. And all I remember of him, he was the No. 1 junior in the 14s and a guy I probably looked up to when I was 12 or 13. Then he went walkabout for a few years. Next thing you know, he comes out, qualifies, wins the Orlando tournament, now he's here beating Henman and Krajicek yesterday. He's got a massive game, a really big game.

Q. Andre broke you early in the first set. Did you still believe you could recover after that?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It was 3‑0, but I wasn't gonna get down on myself because I had chances in the first two games. You know, I had 15‑40, then another breakpoint. So I had three breakpoints in the first game.

Then in the second ‑‑ next game, I had a game point, pulled the trigger and went for a big second serve and double‑faulted. I felt like, you know, it could have very easily been 2‑love to me rather than 2‑ or 3‑love down. I just hung in there and kept fighting.

Q. The public was today on his side. Does it bother you, or not at all?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, he's Andre Agassi. He's in America. I guess, you know, he's just that kind of person as well. The crowds love to come out and see him play. You know, if I wasn't a tennis player, I'd love to come ‑‑ I'd pay to come and watch Andre play as well.

We're playing in America as well, but Andre has a great following throughout the world.

Q. Are you right where you want to be, heading in to the semis tomorrow night?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I'd like to be in bed soon, but...

Apart from that, I'm pretty happy (laughter).

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

August 8, 2002

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters

Cincinnati, Ohio

L. HEWITT/J. Nieminen

2-6, 6-2, 6-3

An interview with:

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Well played. That was a good match. Was it more of a fight than you expected?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, little bit. I'd never really seen him play. I saw some results of his. He sort of came out of the blue last year and end of the year at Stockholm where he made the final and I think had matchpoints and that in the final there.

I heard a little bit about him, but really didn't know how he sort of put it all together. That was probably the toughest part about today ‑ wasn't really sure what to do at the start.

And to his credit, he's a really good player. You know, I think there's no reason, you know ‑‑ he was what, 150 at the end of last year? Now he's what, 50 or 60, I think? He's a good player and he's only going to get better and better.

Q. How did you sort him out at the end? You came forward quite a bit, didn't you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I had to mix things up a little bit. His backhand was superb there ‑ he was really crunching it ‑ and he didn't make many mistakes. He was probably a little bit looser off the forehand than the backhand. It was hard to sort of work out what he was trying to do. He was sometimes rolling his first serve, then other times he would try and hit a 120 mile‑per‑hour serve out wide.

As soon as I started getting a bit of a feeling for the match, I tried to come in a little bit more, tried to put a bit more pressure on him. A few times when I did come in, it looked like he really liked a target as well.

Q. Is your mind in the shape you want it to be after what's been going on?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Probably as good as it could be, I guess, you know. I mean, I've been able to block out distractions before, and this is no different.

Q. Has Mark Miles answered your phone calls yet?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't spoken to Mark Miles, no.

Q. The last couple of days you haven't been able to assess your game because you didn't get to play much. How did you feel out there today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not too bad. I'm glad I had a good workout out there today. That's what you want in these tournaments going into the Grand Slams. That's obviously the big one, is the US Open for me. Want to be hitting the ball and peaking for that.

Last week was ‑‑ I felt like I didn't, you know, prepare as well as I probably could have. And, you know, it's nice to get a few tough matches under my belt now here and to get through to another quarter.

Q. Could be Andre tomorrow.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Well, it's gonna be tough either way. They're both big hitting players who, you know, can go out there and smack anyone off the court ‑ both of them. Enqvist is obviously playing a lot better than he's probably played over the last couple of years. I've had tough matches with both guys . Won some, lost some against both.

So whoever I play, it's gonna be ‑‑ I'm going to have to play a lot better than I have so far this tournament.

Q. Can you talk about your history with Andre. Your wins over him have been big wins for you personally.

LLEYTON HEWITT: We never played, you know, in a Slam I guess, which is, you know, probably a little bit surprising. Obviously, you know, the first win when I beat him in the semis of Adelaide when I was 16 was huge back then, you know. The other one was probably the Masters Cup last year to try and get that No. 1 position.

You know, I've played well in the past against Andre. It's always been great matches, you know ‑ I think anyway. Possibly the best match of the year so far was the San Jose final. So, you know, if we play another match like that, then it should at least get the crowd into it I guess.

Q. Do you like the idea of playing him because you have such great matches?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it's always nice to play the best players in the world, and I think he's up there. He is one of the best players week in and week out and on any surface. You know you're going to have to play at the absolute best that you can play if you're going to walk away a winner off the court. It's a good challenge to have when you go out there.

Q. What do you remember from that San Jose match?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I remember being pretty lucky I guess. You know, I won the second and third set, both in breakers. I saved matchpoints. You know, that was my first week back after, you know, the whole chicken pox debacle down in Australia. So for me that was a big stepping stone, I think, for the whole year.

And, you know, it was Andre's first week back as well. So for two guys who had an injury and an illness to come out first week back and play that kind of tennis, there's something special, I think, about the matchup.

Q. Did you ever find out where you got the chicken pox?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Where from?

If I was guessing, I'd say I actually went ‑ after the Masters Cup final and Davis Cup, about a week later ‑ I went to my primary school. They wanted me to go to my primary school and, you know, just speak to the kids in front of everyone. On the way out, the principal wanted everyone to shake my hand or give me like a "High 5" as I walked out (laughter).

I actually didn't even think about it until one of the mothers came up to me a few weeks later, and I didn't have a clue who she was. She actually said, "I guess that's probably where you got the chicken pox from."

Q. They High 5'ed you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know which kid gave it to me, but... (smiling).

Q. Someone's feeling guilty.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah.

Q. Do you remember the first match against Andre? You're young, you're playing this guy. What was that like for you? Then beating him.

LLEYTON HEWITT: It was obviously pretty nerve‑racking, I think, at the start for a 16‑year‑old to go out and play a guy that you've looked up to for so many years and, you know, who's such a great player.

For me to go out there in my hometown, I couldn't have asked for a better situation I guess. I was really going out there just hoping to get games. At the end of the day, I hadn't played ‑‑ apart from qualifying for the Australian Open, I hadn't even played in a professional tournament.

It was a weird feeling, I guess, going out there and coming off with the win. I couldn't believe it. I know Andre was ranked 100‑odd in the world at the time, but he was just starting to get back at that time. And, you know, it wasn't soon after that that he got back in the Top 10 and then went to No. 1 again.

Q. When you're building up to the US Open, is it possible to prioritize what your aims are? Are they to get matches or to win the tournament or to work on certain things in your game? Which would be more important? Is it possible to say?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I think definitely, obviously, working on your game is probably, you know ‑‑ so that you're peaking for the Open.

But then again, you know, you want to get ‑‑ for my game I think anyway, you want to get a lot of matches and try and get on a bit of a run and get match‑hardened, I guess, out there.

I think it's always nice to win titles though as well and have that confidence, that winning feeling going.

But in the end, yeah, if I go out there and I, you know, I feel like my game's improving day by day, week by week leading in to the Open, then I'm going to be happy even if I don't hold up the trophy.

Q. A lot of players, after they win Wimbledon in particular, get a lot of endorsement deals thrown at them. Have you signed any? Are you mulling any over?

LLEYTON HEWITT: A lot of things obviously pop up I guess, and I sort of pick and choose what I think's best. I really don't have that much time, you know, to do many things either. I'd already, you know, done a deal which will be coming out shortly. But we organized that before Wimbledon as well.

So, you know, I haven't signed too many deals actually after Wimbledon just yet, but we're still looking at options here and there.

Q. What's the one that's coming out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: You'll find out when it comes out. It's better coming from them than me I think.

Q. Do you feel any different after winning Wimbledon or just the same?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I feel, you know ‑‑ the achievement of winning Wimbledon, I don't think until ‑‑ at the time, you don't really understand the whole thing about it. And, you know, growing up, Wimbledon's Wimbledon, you know? To me, that's probably the biggest tournament of the year.

To have won that at such a young age now, it's an incredible feeling. I'd spoken so much, you know, at the time about, you know, watching Pat Cash do it and that. It's such a big thing to see a guy from your country win it. For me to be in that same situation, it was probably the biggest dream come true.

Q. They talked about the fact that they slowed down the courts this year fairly significantly.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know how . It felt a little bit slower, but not that much slower to me. I was actually talking to the Chairman of Wimbledon, and he couldn't work it out. They didn't do anything.

Q. They said they did something with the soil.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Well, the Chairman of Wimbledon didn't know about it at the dinner, so I don't know for sure.

Q. Your countryman Arthurs is doing well in the second part of the draw. Can you talk about meeting him in the final. Have you played with him? What is your record against him?

LLEYTON HEWITT: If we play each other?

Q. Yeah.

LLEYTON HEWITT: My record... I think it's either 2‑nil or 3‑nil to me, but I'm not ‑‑ 3‑nil. It's 3‑nil. We played in Adelaide and Sydney first round in the same year, and I played him at the US Open in the second round one year, so... All on hard court.

But, you know, they're all tough matches. And, you know, he's got a huge serve; I think everyone knows that. He's a totally different player when he's very confident, as he is at the moment. He's extremely tough to beat.

You know, he can go out there ‑‑ I got, you know, full confidence that he could make it through to the final. It wouldn't be that big a surprise to me and all the other Australian guys to see that happen.

Q. The fact that you as an Australian have won Wimbledon, is that likely to have any effect on whether Pat Rafter comes back or not?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think so. I really don't. You know, I've probably thought about it a bit, whether he would come back or not, whether that would motivate him more or not. I don't think it would mean anything to him, you know, whether ‑‑ give him extra motivation or not.

I think after he's had the baby and that now, I think it's, you know, gonna just come down to, you know, him, if he wants to pick up a racquet. And obviously it's going to take a couple months. He hasn't picked up a racquet since the Davis Cup final, so it's going to take him a couple of months to get in shape and get on the court training.

Your guess is as good as mine whether we're going to see him back or not.

Q. Do you hope he comes back?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I think everyone does.

Q. Would you be surprised if he did, though? He seems pretty happy from all accounts.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, would be a tough thing to come back from nearly a year out I guess. The longer he sits out then the more surprised I think you'd be to see him back.

But, yeah, I wouldn't rule it out totally.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

excerpt from TV interview Aug 7

Drysdale: Lleyton, let’s talk about the edge, the little edge there is between you and the ATP Tour. Yesterday, you had some harsh words with them regarding the Stars program and lack of sometimes interest in doing interviews when the Tour wants you to. Do you want to address that?

Lleyton: Oh, it’s something that, you know, annoys me when I’ve got so many things on my plate. You know, I’ve already done four things this week. Um, you know, I’ve done LA Times interviews, I’ve already done all these things, and for me, my managers had already spoken to the producers of ESPN, and they were happy for me just to talk after my match on the court like I am today. Then I find out two hours before the match yesterday that I was gonna get fined if I didn’t do an interview BEFORE the match; doesn’t matter if I spoke to you guys afterwards or not. So with an hour to go, I let the ATP know, all right, you set ‘em up outside the locker room, I’ll come and talk for five or ten minutes, and I’m fine whenever. So I was sitting in the locker room, waiting with my coach there, it got to five-to-one at the time, they come to me and say no, it’s too late then. Obviously that was a little bit disappointing for me. There’s not much I can do about it. I was in a situation where I was just about going to pull out yesterday. I was that disappointed in what had happened, and the outcome of everything that was going on, and no one could make a decision one way or another. To my credit, I came out here and I played well, and I’m through to the—what, the round of 16 now?—and um, obviously I want to try and help out these big tournaments as much as possible.

Drysdale: Played well, you haven’t lost a game yet in the tournament.

Lleyton: Yeah, thanks. (smiles)

Drysdale: Lleyton, it’s really important for us, and for tennis’ image, and for you as the number one player in the world, and obviously as that you’re sort of the spokesman for it. We really love talking to you when it’s all over, the fans want to hear from you, so we hope that we will be talking to you a lot throughout the rest of this hard court season.

Lleyton: Well, I hope I keep winning to be able to talk to you. (smiles)

Drysdale: Good man. Well done.

McEnroe: Well done, Lleyton, thanks.

August 7, 2002

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters

HEWITT/Sanguinetti 5-0 (ret.)

An Interview With:

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Not much of a workout today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I still don't know where my game is. Obviously it would have been a lot nicer to have won properly, I guess, but through the round of 16 and can't complain, I guess. Big tournament like this, but obviously matches are only going to get tougher and tougher from now on.

Q. Did you have an idea that that might happen?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I had no idea. Obviously he was sort of trying to hit a lot of winners out there and it wasn't really his style of game. Early on, after a couple games, I sort of thought something probably was not right, but it wasn't 'til he called the trainer then they said he is going to try and keep playing, but they are not sure. He came out and served two aces, I thought he was going to get a bit of a game.

Q. A little worrisome that you are not being able to get a read on where your game is since you really don't play at the beginning of the summer?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Maybe nice to lose a few more games, I guess, but I feel like I am hitting the ball well enough, and I am still in the tournament. Hopefully I am going to get some pretty tough matches from now on. I am sure I am going to in the next few days. It's tough, especially it's not quite as hot as it has been here, but if it was hotter than would it have been probably tougher as well, playing back to back started singles, playing doubles Monday, singles Tuesday, I am still in the doubles, so I have played a lot of matches. At the moment I am pretty happy that I am still in the doubles to get some more hitting.

Q. Did you even break a sweat?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't have to move much.

Q. Have you play any golf since you've been here?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Since I have been here, yeah, I arrived Wednesday after I lost in Toronto Monday night, and yeah, I played a couple of rounds, I think since I have been here, but I have been trying to practice as much as possible, as well. Only started practicing a couple of days before I went to Toronto, so I wasn't expecting great results there and I have never actually done well in Canada for some reason. So I try to put that behind me as soon as possible and sort of move on and I really like this tournament and so far it's nice I made a semifinal last year and hopefully can go at least that this year.

Q. Did you revolve your problem yesterday with the interview?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, nothing has been resolved. Tried to contact Mark Miles a lot of times yesterday and he's in Cincinnati, but for some reason he doesn't answer his phone, so I am not sure.

Q. Are you going to make an appeal to the decision ‑‑‑

LLEYTON HEWITT: For sure.

Q. ‑‑ of the fine?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, and I planned to win it.

Q. Who will judge that?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I have got no idea. I am not even worrying about it at the moment.

Q. Did you talk about that with other players?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't spoken about it at all, no.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

2002 WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
CINCINNATI, OHIO

August 6, 2002

HEWITT/Ginepri
6-0, 6-0

An Interview With:

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Talk a bit about the match, it went by so quickly.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, he didn't play great obviously. He struggled a lot, but I just kept balls in play, what can I say. I practiced with him before and he hit the ball well. Then today just went out on the court, he looked very nervous right from the start. Apart from a few big serves here and there he really -- he struggled. I didn't have to do a lot, and was a bit surprised that I was able to keep any balls in considering all the crap that was going on before the match with the ATP trying to make me do another interview before I went out. Gonna fine me if I didn't do it. My head was actually spinning before I went out. I am surprised that I didn't do what he did and missed every ball out there.

Q. What were you asked to do?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Done all my commitments for the week. I'd never agreed to do another interview and then before the match, two hours before the match, I got told that I got to do an interview when I came in from practice. I said, that's ridiculous, before I play a match, I have never ever, ever done an interview the day before I play a match. So this crap is going on and in the end I wasn't going to walk out on the court, simple as that. They were going to fine me if I didn't walk out on the court. So ten minutes -- about an hour before I said, yeah, I will agree to do it. I said I will do five minutes before I go out. Nothing got solved. Then I am sitting in the locker room, my head is spinning, I didn't know what was going on; whether I was actually going to go out and play or not. It is a tough situation to be in, but when you got guys who can't make decisions within the ATP setup, it makes it pretty tough on everyone, I think, and I can really understand why the WTA, I think a lot of people see is going stronger than the ATP at the moment. I can't blame them.

Q. What did they actually want you to do, TV or radio?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I have done TV interviews during -- leading up to the tournament as it is anyway. I have done -- I got planned things to do as the week progresses that I have agreed to do. This pops up, I have never ever agreed to do this. It pops up and then they try to fine me before I have to play. At the end of the day ---

Q. When were you actually supposed to do the interview, before you went on the court?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I think they wanted in days leading up and I said, no, I am not doing it, I have done all my other stuff beforehand; I have got other stuff going on -- ongoing through the week and that's where the problem kicked up. I have got other interviews for US Open previews obviously as defending champion, and I have got all these other requests that I am doing. Then they throw another one at me and try to make out that I have got to do this otherwise I am going to get fined. That's when all hell broke loose then because if I am going to get fined for going out, what is the point of me going out and playing. I really don't understand that. It's tough for me to go out there and try and concentrate 100% on your game when you got 15,000 things going through your mind.

Q. How was it resolved?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's not revolved.

Q. Did you do the interview?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I haven't done anything. I have still got other stuff that's got to be done, obviously with trying to talk to the head of the ATP. No one can make decisions - obviously by their decisions last year with ISL, for any decisions like that, then I think everyone is in a lot of trouble.

Q. How close were you not to playing today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I wasn't going to walk on the court. I don't see any point in me walking on the court not giving 100% when I step on the court. We have seen guys in the past. I know everyone in this room has seen -- I am not going to mention names -- but there's so many guys who just show up and play for the money and then walk off. It doesn't matter. I wear my heart on my sleeve every time I step on the tennis court. If that's going to be ab issue when I go out there and play then I don't see a point in me going out there if my heart is not in it and I am competing for the right reasons.

Q. You mentioned something about obviously the women's Tour having a lot of exposure now and everything. Do you sense an urgency within yourself about where the men's game is or do you think it's just kind of everybody taking it to so seriously?

LLEYTON HEWITT: As in what?

Q. In terms of like in relation to the women's game, do you think the men's game is behind?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It didn't help with the whole ISL deal last year. That definitely hurt the men's game. It is a tough situation as it is anyway because we are in a transition kind of period with the whole young guys coming up and obviously Sampras, Agassi are so well known around the world, Rafter, everyone knows these guys, it's tough. Federer who lost yesterday, Kafelnikov, a whole list of big names that lost yesterday. It's tough for the tournament. Canas is a great player, but he came out and won a Masters series events last week, and that makes it tough I think for the Tour as it is. When you make decisions like that on top of it, then it's going to make it even tougher.

Q. Do you have any sympathy for the fact the Tour is trying desperately to get the Tour sold out there and pushing the sport and needs somebody like yourself as the No. 1 to help do it?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I can understand, you know, but that's even more reason not to push me before I go out and play. That's the way I see it. Sure, I can help, I think everyone can help, but the position I am in, then sure I can help it even more. I think is -- myself, Safin, Ferrero, these young guys coming up, Roddick, guys who are already half out there who can try and make the game bigger and better, sure, I have done so many things already leading into the US Open, coming into the US Open, after winning Wimbledon, at the end of the day when I can (inaudible) when it happens an hour, an hour and a half before you have got to play first round Masters Series event, you sort of wonder who is making the right decisions here; where is it all going.

Q. Do you wonder how players like in the NBA and baseball they talk before games, whether it is the 7th game of the NBA Finals; whether it's the biggest game in the World Series, other athletes in other sports do talk before the game, do you wonder how they do it?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it's something if I was, I think, if you are growing up doing it, then you'd have a lot better understanding of it. I think -- what am I 21, I have never done it so far, this is my fifth year on Tour, and I have never done it. I know Pat Rafter has never done it in his whole career. It's different sports. If you had it and one day they decided that every time before every match you are going to do this, then I don't see a problem with it. The things is, you know, one time before your match when I am preparing to play, I am warmed up already, you know, I am in the locker room, I don't leave the locker room for that hour, and then comes at 50 minutes before I said, all right, I will do this interview, because I want to just -- that's how badly I wanted to get out there and play, not worry about getting fined, whether I was going to walk on the court, what my attitude was like, I wanted to get it all out of the way. I gave them 50 minutes to an hour, bring the camera crew, I said, bring the crew in the corner of the locker room, I will do the interview; then I will worry about my match. I am sitting there 'til five minutes to one, not knowing if -- what is going to happen. I ended up sending Jason, they said, no, we have don't have enough time. That's the thing that I think hurts in the end because are they looking after the players'best interest.

Q. Who asked you to do the interview?

LLEYTON HEWITT: A few guys in the ATP. But we have been having talks with the CEO, the last ongoing weeks let alone the last 24, 48 hours about the whole thing. He hasn't seemed to have enough guts to put himself on the line and make the big calls.

Q. Do you think it hurts -- I mean, not just yourself but a lot of agents control a lot of what the players do with media requests, things like that. Would you feel better if one universal authority said, here's your interview list for the week, this is what you need to do instead of an agent telling you one thing; ATP needing something else, then maybe individual media come up to you on your own?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, in some ways, but the other, you know, there's so many things that the player, I don't think, needs to deal with as well. There's requests after obviously you win a tournament, let alone you win Wimbledon or US Open, the requests are that long, that to try and for a player, I think, to say that you have got to do all these, I think that's ridiculous. That's too tough. I think the agents are there to try and pick out what is in the player's best interest obviously. I think it happens in all sports, I am getting -- I can't -- I know football back home, stuff like that, that happens. I can't speak for American sport, but in tennis it's always sort of been the way. That's the only way I have sort have known growing up, so I try and deal with that as much as possible. I try and give myself or give everybody as much notice as possible as well about doing the things because that way it makes it easier on everybody.

Q. Does it take a price to pay to be No. 1, though, to have those kind of requests around you --

LLEYTON HEWITT: There's definitely more things you have got to do. But I am willing to do that. That's part of being No. 1 in the world; that's part of being a professional athlete. I am still learning. I have got no problem with that. But there's things you have got to do and you have got to put yourself out there be in the spotlight. I have got no problem with that. But then again, I want to sort of have a schedule and sort of know what I have got to do ahead of time as well. I don't want anything sort of affecting the way that I play. At the end of the day, I have got to No. 1 because I train hard, I work extremely hard, and I don't want to get to No. 1 and then do all the media and everything can sort of get - not psyched out - but worrying about doing the media and whatever, rather than what you did to get to No. 1; how hard you had to work to get there.

Q. Do you ever enjoy doing interviews or are they always like a task?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I enjoy doing them. Everyone keeps saying about Australia media, but there's Australia media that I talk to all the time. But it's not always on an interview basis, it is on a friendship basis talking about the footie back home stuff like that. There's only been a few people in Australia who have sort of got on the wrong side with, I think both them against me and me against them. Apart from that, the Australian media has been fine, every time I go home I speak to, you know, all the networks when I arrive home, I have been speaking to reporters who -- Australians who work in London and also in Australia over the last few weeks as well. I think -- I enjoy it some interviews. Obviously if it always adds up, it becomes a bit of a chore. I did an interview a couple of weeks ago with the L.A. times and it was fun. I really enjoyed it. They are the kind of interviews I think that are better when -- I thought it was a 15 minute interview, we ended up talking for over an hour because just kept rolling, and I got no problem with that.

Q. Is your understanding that you are getting fined or you don't know?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I have good no idea, mate. I don't know what is going on. I am trying to play tennis.

Q. Ask you about New York since you refused to be interviews by the NEW YORK TIMES can I ask you about New York then. Was that moment last year when you won a blur or was it something that you really remembered in detail when you won last year?

LLEYTON HEWITT: US Open?

Q. Yes.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I pretty much remember most of it, I think. Obviously I think as soon as you win you are sort of in awe of the whole situation. Winning the US Open, winning your first Grand Slam, I think more importantly, everything sort of hits you at once, I guess. I hadn't been in that much of a spotlight before even 16 year old winning a tournament always sort of did everything before everyone sort of thought you would, but when you win a Grand Slam and it's sort of your dream come true then I think it hits you a little bit quicker.

Q. Did your life change at that instant do you think?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It changed a little bit, as you know you probably people are coming at you more, as a Grand Slam Champion as I am sure Costa and Johansson and these guys are starting to experience. After you win a Slam people obviously have a lot more respect for you as a tennis player but also they want to get a win over a guy who has just won a Slam as well. Everything sort of changed. For some reason I felt like I handled it really well. I felt like it was, you know, I always dreamt of winning a Grand Slam, always believed that I was able to, and when the time came, I still believed there was more to go on with and I think I showed that by going out at the Masters Cup and trying to win that as well.

Q. When you go back to New York this year somebody will think you of you as like the champion and that wonderful moment you had with Pete; some people will remember the James Blake incident. How do you think you will be received when you go back to New York this time?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I hope well. I was able to forget about it during the tournament and go on with it. Everything has been fine pretty much since then. You know, I actually felt like the crowd was -- from that moment on I felt like the crowd was pretty good. Obviously against Roddick in the quarters and Pete in the final, the crowd was going to be going for them. If it comes to Australia, then the crowd goes for me. It's not much you can do about that. But when I played Kafelnikov in the semis, I felt like the crowd was great when you got two guys from different countries playing, I think they wanted to see a young guy have an opportunity at winning his first Grand Slam.

Q. Do you have any regrets about the Blake episode, even if it's just, you know, I wish that the whatever-perception, the misunderstanding had never occurred, something to that effect?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I think you always, you know, when people, you know, sort of perceiving it in the wrong way, I think it always hurts a little bit. You are disappointed in some way or you'd love it not to happen. But it happened, and people saw it their way and everyone's got their opinion. I can't change that. I go out there and thank God I was able to be very mentally tough and block everything out and I knew I was playing good tennis and sort of move on from there, and get the job done.

Q. It will be a different experience for you first time you will be defending a Grand Slam title. How do you think you will approach that?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Really don't know. I am going in with the same preparation as last year obviously playing the same tournaments now, taking a week off before the Open and I feel like before the US Open I think for me it's important to take a week off, and it's going to be really nice. I spoke to Pat a few times after he won the US Open, he said, just to go back there at a place that meant so much to you and, you know, won so many big matches and changed your life, you know, he nearly bowed out in the first round to Arazi the first year, but he was able to go on and win back-to-back and hopefully I can go in there and I am sure the first few rounds are maybe going to be the toughest.

Q. The match today, being that it was pretty easy and you have had -- you were sick, then last week didn't go so well. Does it make it a little hard for you to gauge where your game is at?

LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit. But I am playing doubles this week, which is great. I had a win yesterday somehow, didn't play great but we got through. I think it's good for me now to get some -- try and get as many matches as possible. Sure, I'd love to win here in Cincinnati going to do everything in my power to win here and both in Indy next week. If I don't I still want to be gradually improving, improving for the big one at the US Open.

Q. Given the schedule, have you hit the right mix the last year maybe even sort of -- you talked about overscheduling yourself and not taxing yourself too much before a Slam, have you found the right mix?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, sort of, I think. I think for the US Open definitely. As long as -- I feel like I'd like to play a fair few matches before going into it. But then also the week off, I think is extremely important. Hard court in this -- if the heat is like it has been the last few days here it's going to take the toll. I don't think going out there and playing the week before is the best thing with my game. Australian Open, I really don't know what is best for me just yet. Obviously the chicken pox and everything sort of up in the air earlier this year, and for the French, Wimbledon, Wimbledon I pulled out of the tournament beforehand. But I had a lot of matches under my belt which I think helped. Because I think on grass, particularly you have to do well and get a feeling for the grass court because the grass court season is that short.

Q. From all appearances, at least from what Kim has said, you are good to her and you certainly have shown a different side in that you have somebody like that in your life. Is that a side that we just don't get to see too much of because you are all about the intensity on the court and maybe there is this flip-side of the personality that we don't get a chance to view too much?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think I am the first to admit I am very competitive. As soon as I step on the court I am intensity, I want to win. Like most of the players out here, I give 100% every time I step on the tennis court. I think a lot of people perceive that but then they will think that I don't know -- he's probably nasty off the court whatever, I am actually pretty shy. When I went to school back in Adelaide I was shy. I didn't argue with anyone, I had a lot of friends there. But it's sort of the same on the Tour. In the locker room I sort of keep to myself. I do my own thing. I have got a lot of friends at home that I keep in contact with. Obviously with Kim, that all helps as well. But she understands the pressures that I am going through and I understand what she's going through. So that side of it, I think is all sort of a bonus for both of us.

Q. As a shy guy growing up did you have the courage to ask a girl out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Actually didn't have that many girlfriends. When Kim and I started it was -- I don't know, actually, it was a little bit of both. But I didn't have a lot of guts when it comes to that.

Q. Did you just kind of chat her up a little bit or just ask her out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: We were -- when was it -- 2000 Australian Open and I'd just won Adelaide and Sydney that year, and I arrived late and I was chatting with one of my mates who I played juniors with, Nathan, he was playing doubles at the Australian Open. He knew Kim through juniors. I was sitting together, I just sat down and that is how we got introduced. She asked me if I wanted to play mixed doubles. I think she knew we could get a wildcard. I couldn't because I committed to my sister about three months before that. That's how it started.

Q. She literally asked you out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, she asked me to go on the tennis court. I don't know if it was because of my looks or anything to do with that.