cinci04int

WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
CINCINNATI, OHIO

August 8, 2004

A. AGASSI/L. Hewitt
6-3, 3-6, 6-2

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lleyton Hewitt.

Q. What's your feeling about your own performance today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit up and down, I guess, throughout the match. You know, the first set I had four breakpoints and wasn't able to take them. I had twice 15-40. I think the first one was at 1-all in the first set. I just really had to take my opportunities. When you're playing the best guys in the world, it's like playing Federer at the Australian and Wimbledon, you know. I had my opportunities, two or three points here or there, and I just wasn't able to take them. It was similar today, especially in the first set. If I could have got up early in the first set and started putting pressure on, otherwise I was really playing catch-up. And we all know how good Andre is as a frontrunner.

Q. You served well all week. What was the problem today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I didn't serve great. First serves, I didn't make enough of them against a guy like Andre. Mind you, though, he returns that well that, you know, you either got to -- you slow it down and take the risk of him really getting on to your first serve, or you keep it up. I still had a fair few aces out there and not that many double-faults considering, you know, how low my first serve percentage was. But I could have definitely served better out there today, yeah.

Q. Obviously, a disappointment today. But can you just sum up the significance of this week for you, what you've done, what you've achieved?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's obviously disappointing at the moment straight after the match. But, yeah, it's been a good week. The guys that I've beaten this week are class players. And, you know, it hasn't been easy. Coming here and, you know, really felt like my game went up a notch with every match. And, you know, it's no disgrace losing to Andre Agassi in the final either; you know, he is a big-match player. I felt like I had opportunities and I wasn't able to take them. You know, fought my butt off to try and get back in the match. Yeah, I think it's a good thing for, you know, going in -- have a week off next week, Washington, week off, US Open. Hopefully, I can take the positives out of this week and use them in three weeks' time.

Q. Your first serve just wasn't there. How big of an impact did that have?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I think I just answered that question.

Q. Okay. I guess I just thought that -- can you talk about not getting them in...

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think I just talked about that. Thanks.

Q. What was your thinking after you won the second set? Did you feel like you were starting to control the match ever or...?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. Obviously, I felt like I had the momentum. But then again, it was like whoever was serving first in the set had control. They were always that game ahead, and they had the opportunity to go out there and go for their shots a little bit more in that returning game. That's exactly what Andre did in the first and third sets, and he did it well. He's a master at that. I felt like I was doing that a little bit more, I was getting through my service games pretty convincingly in the second set and that was opening up -- I always had that game lead to try and put pressure on him. You know, obviously, I just hung in there in the second set and tried, you know, hustling a few balls down there, then came up with a good get to get the break and serve out the second set. But, you know, in the third set he served extremely well. He hit a lot of first serves and a lot of serves right on the line there and corners and stuff. I just couldn't get into his service games.

Q. Andre is 34. He's playing three sets in a day match right after three sets in a night match. Are you impressed with his endurance and conditioning?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. I don't think anyone's ever doubted, you know, his fitness. And, yeah, it shows in the tournaments that he's won in the past. He's been able to win the French Open, compared to a lot of the guys winning the French Open these days, at an older age. And that's pretty much one of the most grueling tournaments there is for your body. For him to be able to do that, and he came back from two-sets-to-Love in that final. He's always played well at the Australian Open where it's extremely hot. I don't think he'd have a bad record over five sets throughout his whole career, no matter what his age is. He's in great shape.

Q. If you compare this match to the match in the US Open 2002, what was the difference then? Did you play a different strategy today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. That match was quite a long time ago now. You know, over five sets as well. Wanted to try and get off to a bit better start. I went two-sets-to-Love down that day in New York. Had opportunities in the second set. You know, I was probably the better player in the second set that day, and then he was the better player in the third set and I ended up getting that set. I didn't really focus much on that match at all. I was more trying to worry just about my game going out there today and, you know, trying to work things out as the match went along.

Q. Do you train this coming week before Washington or are you going to take some real down time?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I'll see how my body is. I'll definitely be in the gym. I may not hit every day. I've hit a lot of balls the last, you know, couple of weeks anyway and spent a lot of hours on the practice court. There's no reason why I won't be in the gym.

Q. How much of an advantage do you have, do you think, about going into the US Open when most everybody else is in Athens? Is that a big thing for you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not necessarily. No, you know, for me, for me to perform my best at the US Open, I feel staying in America and playing another tournament on this continent and, you know, in the same conditions that I'm going to get at the US Open, I think that's better preparation for me personally. I'm sure whoever wins the Olympics is going to be full of confidence and going to be on Cloud 9 going into the US Open, you know, to have two major, major tournaments within three weeks, you know, two weeks, with a week's gap there. So whoever does well there, or gets a medal at least, they're going to be riding a wave, I guess, going into it.

Q. Travel-wise?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, for me, personally, I feel like it's better preparation. But, you know, other guys, you know, I can't speak on behalf of other guys and what their travel situations are and how well they handle it.

Q. You talked about his serving in the third set especially. He had, I think, 16 aces last night. People don't normally think of Andre as a big server. Is he stepping that area up?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he plays his serve -- he's always, I think, played his service games extremely well. He's played his service games his whole career, I think, for around his game, his base. He rushes through his service games extremely quick. He knows that if he can clean up his service games, he's going to put enough pressure on guys' service games to break purely because he's such a good hitter of the ball and such a good returner of serve. I think probably on this kind of court it helps him, his serve, I think more than maybe any other surface like a clay court or something. The ball's coming through. He hit a lot of, you know, close, close lines out there today, and that's the serve he's got. It's not a massive serve, but it's a very consistent first serve.

Q. You were obviously excited after you won that second set. What was it like trying to gain momentum out there today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, it's one of those matches, as I said, you know, he sort of -- I had the momentum after the second set. I felt like I fought extremely hard to get myself back in the match. Then the third set, he came out, held a quick service game first game of the third set, then I was sort of on the back foot the whole time. That's just how the third set felt really. I had, you know, the game that I lost, had 30-15 on my serve, and I missed two relatively easy forehands to go down breakpoint, and then play a long point, chasing every ball down and eventually miss one. You know, it was just sort of the way the match was going out there. You know, the next game, I think he made at least three, maybe all four first serves, and there's the break. Turn around, sit down and you're 4-1 down in the third.

Q. You were very frustrated at the end of the first set. Was it because he raised his level too high so you were not able to beat him, or you were not satisfied with your execution of your game?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I just felt like I had chances throughout the first set and I just wasn't able to capitalize on them. And, you know, it's always going to be a bit frustrating. I had breakpoints early in the first set, and then throughout there I had a lot of 30-Alls on his service games. You know, and then even the service game I lost at 4-3, I didn't feel like I played that bad a service game and probably shouldn't have lost it. And, you know, that's the disappointing thing, as I said. When you're down that game during the first set, you can't afford to lose that game. And then Andre comes out, he's serving at 5-3, I had 15-40 to get the break back again and wasn't able to. I think, you know, just a little bit frustrated like anyone would be, having those opportunities and not being able to take them.

End of FastScripts….

Lleyton Hewitt semifinal win over Robredo

THE MODERATOR: Lleyton Hewitt is in the finals for the second time here, his first ATP Masters Series finals in 2004. He has a 3‑1 record against Andy Roddick and a 4‑3 record against Andre Agassi .

Open it up for questions.

Q. When is the last time you played this well?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've had matches this year I think where I've played as well as this.

Yeah, I'm just, I guess, putting it together. I like this surface here, and being able to string matches like this together day in day out, especially against the three named opponents that, you know, probably had from the second round through to the quarterfinals as well.

Q. What are you the most satisfied about in your own game?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think I'm serving well. Yesterday I didn't feel like I served great but, you know, my second serve held up extremely well against Marat .

Today I felt like my first serve came back together and I served well out there. Didn't give him a lot of opportunities on my service games, to really get into the games at all.

I thought Tommy actually served a lot better than when I played him at the French Open today. And I was able to get into his service games, especially after I got that first break. I felt like every game from then on I had a bit of a chance.

So I was obviously happy with my returning and being consistent out there as well.

Q. Can you remember another tournament where you've only lost one service game going into a final? You've only lost one.

LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I'd say at Queen's one year I probably have, but I'm not 100 percent sure. But I went through pretty comfortably one year.

Q. You've made at least the quarters in seven of your last eight tournaments. Tell me about developing some consistency. Is that what you're recognizing in your game?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Well, it's all come on different surfaces, too, so, you know, that's a huge positive for me. I think the clay court season this year, I played pretty much all the big tournaments and went out there and, yeah, felt like I played pretty good in most of my whole clay court season. Obviously, the grass court season, you know, losing to Andy in Queen's and then Roger in Wimbledon .

So, yeah, I haven't had bad losses. I've been able to really, you know, build it up from there. Obviously, I like the hard court season. Last week I felt pretty good going into Toronto even though I hadn't played for, you know, three weeks after Wimbledon . But then again, you know, I lost to Santoro in an awkward match.

Q. You said something a year ago here about you weren't targeting getting back to No. 1. When you start to look at your goals, what's the next thing? Do you start to think about that now, do you think about Slams or what?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, just Slams . Nothing's changed for No. 1. You know, as I said all week when I get asked, you know, I'm not going to go out there and play, you know, every week and run myself into the ground just to try and jump one or two spots in the ranking. It doesn't interest me at all.

I'm going to prepare as well as I can for all four majors, you know, even though at the moment the French Open's probably the least high chance, I guess, out of the four. You know, I put the other three up there, you know, pretty equal I guess for me and my chances at those majors.

But, you know, I'm going to prepare as well as possible for all four of those.

Q. Do you feel there is a time, maybe last year or this year, at any stage where your eagerness to win dropped a little bit?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I don't ‑‑ not eagerness to win, no. You know, I think, you know, I was still very competitive. Definitely haven't lost that at any stage, I don't think for a moment. I've always wanted to win and be very competitive out there every time.

Q. Given the way you reclaimed your consistency this year, can you think about how long you'll be able to maintain this as a career or how much longevity you'll have?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Maybe next week, I don't know (smiling). Oh, mate, I've got no idea. Have to wait and see.

Q. You have a winning record against both Andy and Andre . In practicality, does that give you anything when you go out there tomorrow no matter who it is?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, no. You know, Andy's obviously full of confidence at the moment. You know, he loves playing these tournaments, this American swing now. Defending champion. And, you know, it's not going to be an easy match for him tonight against Andre , though. For the first time in a while, Andre's pretty much got nothing to lose. I think everyone's probably expecting Andy to win. And Andre , he loves big matches, and he loves playing ‑‑ he's a showman out there as well. So I think he likes playing the center stage night matches. It's going to be interesting. But I haven't played Andre for a couple years now either, so...

Q. Why don't you care about being No. 1? Is it because you've already done it or is it something, you know...Why?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, if you get No. 1, it's awesome. There's no doubt about that. But I've been No. 1 for a long time and, you know, at the end of the day, if you win Slams , you'll get No. 1. You don't have to worry about ‑‑ Roger Federer is not worried about chasing No. 1. He gets it because he's won two majors in the one year.

If you put yourself in a position and, you know, you win the US Open , the Australian Open , then you're going to be in the Top 3 in the world regardless.

Q. Patrick Rafter made a comment that he was worried about you as far as the long‑term, burnout, with you being such an emotional player. What do you think? You're almost talking like you don't see the need to play every tournament every week. Are you starting to think in terms of the big picture rather than playing every week and maybe burning out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Nothing's ever changed for me. I've never played every week. You know, I think being from Australia has probably helped that as well. You know, I like to go home now and then, and it's not possible for me to play week in and week out like some of the Europeans and, you know, some of the Americans can, I guess, with tournament schedules and that.

So for me, it doesn't really interest me that much.

Q. How did you react to that comment, though?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't know it.

Q. Now that you're hearing it now, he's concerned that you're such an emotional player, it's hard to keep that throughout your career.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I guess I've been doing it since I was 16 on the pro tour. So, you know, as I say, you know, it depends a lot on a lot of things, not just how emotional you are. A lot depends on injuries and how much luck you have as well.

Q. After you became No. 1, didn't you cut back your schedule a little bit? Are you still trying to keep a reasonable number of tournaments instead of playing every week?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, nothing's really changed since I first came on the tour. I haven't ‑‑ I've cut back, you know. I had the chicken pox there for a few weeks straight after I got No. 1 so, you know, obviously I couldn't do much about that. Take a couple of months off.

You know, last year at the end of the year I took a couple of months off to focus on the Davis Cup final. You know, just been different places where I just felt like, you know, the best thing for me and my tennis and what my priorities are ‑‑ like last year at the end of the year my priorities weren't to win Madrid or Paris , it was to win the Davis Cup final for Australia . The best way for me to do that was to stay home and practice on grass.

My schedule depends on what my priorities are at the time and I guess how my body's feeling at the time as well.

Q. When you go into a match like today, do you know how well you can play, or does it take you a couple of games before you realize you're really on? Did you feel like, "I really feel great today, I can beat this guy"? Or did it take you a couple games?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I felt good going into the match, I guess just on the way I've been hitting the ball both in practice and in my matches throughout this week.

And, yeah, but I got a lot of respect for Tommy and his game. You know, when you start out, we're both holding serve pretty easily the first six or seven games. And I was just really trying to clean my service games up and wait for my opportunity, you know, to get on his service game. He made an error or two, and I got into the game at 15‑All, and then I really just tried to capitalize on that right at that point at 4‑3 in the first set.

Q. What would you say the main reason is for you playing so well at the moment? Is there anything, freshness?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. As I said, you know, I've ‑‑ I don't know. I feel like I've been playing pretty good tennis for the last few months, you know, for a while now. Yeah, so I don't think it's just freshness after having a couple weeks off after Wimbledon . At Wimbledon I felt like I was playing as well as I am here. I don't think there's been a huge difference just in the last couple weeks.

Q. Not to rush things along, what are you doing between now and the US Open ? You're not going to the Olympics .

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I'm having a week off then Washington then a week off so...

Q. Does the presence of Kim in the stands help a little bit or it doesn't matter?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's always nice, but I don't think it has a huge influence on how I'm playing out there. You know, it's great to have, you know, support around me. And, you know, the more people that I'm close to around me, the better off I play.

Q. Your parents are not here this year?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, no.

Q. You touched on Andy and Andre a little bit. Can you talk about some of the matches you've had with them. I think Andy won the last one against you. It's been a little while since you played Andre .

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Andy and I have always had pretty tough matches, I guess. We played a couple of times when he first got on the tour. I was fortunate enough to get those. The last one at Queen's , you know, I had an opportunity, I was up an early break, served for the first set and ended up losing it. Just played one loose service game really. You know, serving for the match, I was serving for the first set in that match.

Andre , I haven't played for a couple of years. We've always had tight battles. Last time I played him I think was the US Open semifinal, and lost that one in four sets. That was a tough match. I felt like I had opportunities to go into the fifth set in that match. You know, two weeks before that I beat him here in the quarterfinals.

So, yeah, we've always had tough battles. And, you know, depending on who I'm going to play tomorrow it's going to be no different.

Q. You're playing so well the last few months. Is there something you can pinpoint as to why your game has picked up?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. You know, I just...

I'm not sure. You know, at the start of the year I was playing extremely well, too. You know, the whole Australian summer I played extremely well right through. And, you know, the end of last year, my two Davis Cup matches, the semi and the final, I beat Federer and Ferrero both in five sets. Wasn't hitting the ball too badly then either.

Q. What do you think winning a Slam would mean to you being it's been a couple years? Would that change your confidence, your outlook on things, to do that again?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not sure. You know, it's always, you know, a great feeling any time you do well in Slams , in particular win them.

I don't think it would change, you know, when I won a Slam or not. It would be, you know, a great thing to happen, you know, any time ‑ whichever out of the four Slams it would be.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

Lleyton Hewitt - quarterfinal defeats Safin

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

Q. Marat was saying he felt like the conditions favored your game more than his in terms of the wind and the temperature, I guess. Did you feel that gave you an edge at all?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. You know, I don't think it probably favored one guy more than the other. You know, it's been swirling and a tough breeze, I think, all week, this week. We've had to deal with it every day and in every match.

You know, I just felt like I handled the breeze well out there today, though.

Q. How much could you sense his frustration and uncomfort level out there?

LLEYTON HEWITT: He gets frustrated, you know, if he makes an easy mistake or hits a double‑fault or gets a bad line call. But, you know, that's Marat . He's still a great player. You've got to be very wary of him because he's got so many weapons out there.

Q. It seemed like it was another very complete performance from you.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I felt like, yeah, I played consistent when I needed to. I attacked, I felt, when I needed to. I just tried to make him play extra balls out there and make him move a lot. You know, I felt that was probably my biggest advantage out there, if I was going to win.

Didn't feel like I served great out there compared with ‑‑ you know, felt like I've been serving well in all the other matches this week. But my ground strokes, you know, helped me hold serve today.

Q. 42 percent of your first serves, but your serve wasn't broken. In this tournament you've only been broken once. What is it about your service game that is so steady?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I served extremely well this whole week apart from today's match. Today I didn't serve great, but I was able to back it up with obviously, you know, the first hits. You know, my second serve held up well. I may have only hit maybe one, two doubles maximum today.

So, you know, I didn't give him a lot of opportunities to get the first hit in out there, which he likes to do.

Q. Kind of seems like an obvious question, but how much would it mean to you to win another Masters Series title, to win it here?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It would be nice, you know, obviously with the field that you have and you've got to beat. I feel like, especially the last three matches, I've beaten guys that are world‑class players. You know, they're out there and they're capable of beating anyone on any given day, all three of them. That's probably more satisfying at the moment.

You know, just trying to take it a match at a time. Obviously the next match is going to be a different matchup depending on which guy I play.

So, you know, if I get through to the final, then I put myself in a position to do well this week.

Q. If it is Santoro , he beat you last week in Canada . What was that match like?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It was a weird match. I dominated probably a set and a half of it. You know, I got the first set under my belt, had all the breakpoints early in the second, wasn't able to capitalize. Then, you know, he made very few unforced errors, he served well. And in the end, you know, he played too good at the end of the match. And, you know, there was only a couple of points here and there when I ended up losing my service games in the second or third set that cost me the match.

Q. He's a lot different than most of these guys you have to face. Is there any transition you have to make going from Marat to him?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It will be a totally different match. Obviously the power play of Marat compared to Fabrice's , you know, finesse around the court and great movement and, you know, using the angles a lot more and that kind. So, yeah, it is a different kind of matchup if I'm playing him.

Q. Can you talk about Tommy as well.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Well, Tommy , obviously, his favorite surface is clay, but he's got a good hard court game. He's an aggressive baseline player. And, yeah, he's done well on hard court in the past. He's had good wins this week against Ferrero , who's a good hard court player, and also Rusedski . So he's handling the conditions well, so...

Q. Would he give you more power to feed off than Fabrice would?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Robredo would, yeah. But, you know, he hits the ball a lot heavier, too, with a lot more spin off both sides. Fabrice is, you know, more an all‑court player but a lot more finesse and angles.

Q. You had 13 winners today, 13 unforced errors. Was it a matter of just trying to get the ball back?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, playing Marat , just try and make him play that one extra shot, I guess, with my game against him, and try and move him around as much as possible. He likes dictating play. So there's, you know ‑‑ every time I play him, he's going to have more winners but he's going to have more unforced errors, too. That's just the way our games match up.

Q. Any point or game that you felt the match turned on?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. Obviously, when I went up a break early in the first set, you know, that helped because I just had the momentum then. I could have broken again at 5‑3 that second time at the end of the first set; wasn't able to do it. He came up with a big serve.

And in the second set, you know, I broke him early again. So I always was, you know, that one game, one, two games ahead all the time holding that break. It's just a matter of trying to hold serve from then on.

Q. You broke him right after he argued. Did you feel like that's a point that would be a good time to do it, because he was frustrated?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Didn't really come into my mind that that was a good time. I just try to take my opportunities, you know, when I get second serves against him. Obviously if he's pounding big first serves, he's always going to have that first hit and really be able to attack that first shot ‑ that's if I get the ball back.

So, you know, if I got into a rally, I just felt like, you know, that was my opportunity there.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

THE MODERATOR: Lleyton advances to the quarterfinals here for the third time in the last four years. He'll take on 2000 US Open Champion Marat Safin . Their head‑to‑head is 4‑4. Lleyton won the last meeting in the Tennis Masters Cup Round Robin.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I felt like I played well. You know, obviously after Tim had such a late night last night and having to come through a tough match against Arazi , the first thing I wanted to do is try and get off to a good start and really stamp my presence down on the match. I was able to do that. You know, held my first service game, broke, held to Love the next two games. I felt that really set things up well for me there.

Yeah, it was tough conditions. It was pretty swirly wind out there. I had to make him play a lot of balls.

Q. When you have such a good record against a good player, is part of that wanting to get off to a good start wanting to remind him why you've got such a good record against him?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I guess there's probably little mental games going on out there. I think after last night it was hard to, I'm sure ‑‑ getting to bed at I don't know what time, two or three o'clock, and then having to come out and play again today, and knowing that I wasn't going to give him too many cheap points out there so he's going to have to work maybe even harder than he did last night. So just to have that in the back of your mind and your opponent's mind, I guess, when you're going out there can only be a positive for me.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. You know, I think he tried to, you know, finish points off fairly quickly. He obviously tried to play an attacking game. But that's his game, that's his best game. You know, when he's playing his best tennis, he's attacking a lot of the time.

Obviously when, you know, he goes down a break in the first set, I felt like the momentum, you know, the positive energy really went on my side there.

But then in the second set, you know, he started serving a little bit better. And the first game I had Love‑40 and wasn't able to break. He sort of picked up his game in the second set.

Q. What is it about Tim that you like to play? Because you have his number at the moment.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know if there's things that I like to play. But as I said yesterday, in the past we've had a lot of tough matches. This was obviously, you know, a bit more convincing my way today. But, you know, I don't think there's one particular thing that really sets us, you know, apart or game set us apart that much.

You know, I've never played him on clay. It's always been on hard court or grass. And, yeah, we've had some tight matches in the past.

Q. Is there an extra little bit of confidence you have going out there knowing you've never lost to the guy?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. It doesn't change. This is a big tournament and a spot for me to come through when I feel like I've beaten a couple of good players like Kuerten and Henman back‑to‑back. They're both class players. I've got a lot of respect for both their games, and both as people on and off the court.

It was really just an opportunity leading into the US Open for me to go out there and beat, you know, a Top 10 player.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I feel good at the moment. I feel like I've got better and better with every match. But Marat Safin , he's going to be tougher than all my opponents so far. He's got a great game. He's obviously got a lot of power. You know, he can hit winners from everywhere. I've got to go out there and play my game and try and make him play a lot of balls.

Q. When a guy does something like Tim did during the first set when he went to the umpire, does that say to you he's not confident? What does that say to you? What goes on there in your mind?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm trying to block it out as much as possible. Obviously he thought he got a bad call. And, yeah, for me, I can't tell one way or another. It's a game of inches in a lot of ways. And whether that ball was in or not, I've got no idea.

Yeah, I've just got to go back there and really try and turn my back and just focus on what I've got to do. That I think set up two breakpoints 15‑40. I pretty much just had to focus on the job at hand and sort of can't let any distractions enter your mind.

Q. Does it say to you something like that's almost a surrender point where he's showing that he's frustrated?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I think he can work either way. It's a lot easier to say in hindsight that maybe he was frustrated at the time. But then again I've had opportunities ‑‑ I've had matches where other guys have done very similar things, and I've ended up losing the match. So it didn't cost someone that on that time.

Q. Obviously on the court during the match you didn't show him a lot of mercy. Away from that, can you empathize with someone getting beaten in that way, sort of humbled like that?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I don't know if it was that bad. You know, Tim's a great guy. I get along extremely well with him. It is awkward playing against him because there's not that many English ‑speaking guys out there. And I think Tim's probably the guy that, you know ‑‑ to practice with anyone, I'd probably practice with Tim more than any guys out there apart from some Australian guys.

So, you know, it's awkward. I'm always talking to him in the locker room, playing golf, different stuff. It's probably hard for both of us out there. But I've had to play a lot of Australians in big matches in the past as well. It's something you've just got to try and deal with when you're out.

Q. Do you ever look at the draw in tournaments like this and say, "I've got an easy draw," or, "I've got a tough draw." The top of the draw lost some seeds. You've got another seed to play. Is that good, bad? Does it make any difference?

LLEYTON HEWITT: In these kind of tournaments there's very few good draws. For starters, you know, I played Guga second round. You know, there's great matches in the first round. Hrbaty beats Federer .

You know, and then you come into the seeds. And if you play against a seed like I did today in Tim , then you know they're great players. But if you're playing against other guys like Santoro or Robredo who get through in that section, they're in the quarterfinals. They're confident, you know. They've got very little to lose. So they're obviously doing something right to get through to this far in the tournament.

There's not too many times that you look at the draw and you're thinking your section is opening up that much. Especially in this tournament where the Top 64 players are in the draw.

Q. This is a big tournament, but there's a huge tournament just a few weeks away. Are you at the point you'd like to be leading into the US Open ? You say you're getting better and better.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think so. I haven't put a foot wrong this week so far. I feel like I'm, as I said, I got better with every match. And US Open is still three or four weeks away. And, yeah, you won't know until that time comes, that Monday or Tuesday comes. But, you know, I'm pretty happy with the way I'm hitting the ball at the moment.

Q. What are your thoughts on the US Open Series ? Is it an improvement, is it necessary, is it good for tennis?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard to say, I guess, in its first year whether it's going to be a huge positive for tennis. You know, the biggest positive I think that tennis needs that can help with this is getting more TV coverage in America , live TV coverage in America .

You know, with such small tournaments like Los Angeles , Indianapolis , Washington coming up, those kind of tournaments, if that happens, then, you know, that's great for tennis in America . There's no doubt about it.

You know, it's something that as a player I don't focus on, though. I'm more worried to get my game right for the US Open and preparing for that major title.

If you could tell me I was going to win the US Open Series or the US Open tournament, I'd tell you what I'd take.

WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
CINCINNATI, OHIO

August 4, 2004

L. HEWITT/G. Kuerten
6-3, 6-4

Q. You waited around a long time, but it went pretty quickly once you got out there.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was an awkward day for everyone, you know, similar to last week in Toronto .

So, yeah, these tournaments, every year you come to expect at least one day like this. Just got to be able to try and work through it. It's nice to get through and not have to worry about playing two matches tomorrow.

But, you know, I was happy to get through in straight sets.

Q. Was this a case of knowing that you were coming up against, you know, a player you really respect and a real quality opponent and having to come up with a big performance?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, in some ways, I guess. You know, Guga's obviously, you know, had a few injuries over the last couple of years, and that's why his ranking's down a bit. But, you know, he's the kind of guy that you've got to be very watchful about on any surface purely because he's so dangerous out there. I think he showed that, especially at the end of the match there when he sort of had nothing to lose and he was just ripping at every shot. There's very little you can do in that situation.

So I was happy with how I went out there and played my game at the start. I felt like I was moving well, I was getting a lot of balls back. And any time I got into a rally, I felt like I was getting the better of him.

Q. Your consistency in the past few tournaments as far as advancing several rounds, what is that doing for you, you know, going into the later part of the summer?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's not hurting my confidence, I guess. But then again, you know, it would be nice to, you know, go a little bit further than the quarters at the French and Wimbledon . I ran into the two guys that went on to win the titles.

But, you know, I'm winning matches. I'm doing something right, I guess. But you just got to take your chances when you get those opportunities. You know, against Gaudio I don't think I played my best match in the quarters against him, but, you know, he played extremely well. Against Roger , I felt like I played pretty well in that match at Wimbledon .

So, yeah, I feel like I'm hitting the ball well enough. Just against the best players in the world, as I said earlier, you got to just take those chances when you get them.

Q. Are you taking more of those chances than you were, say, a year ago, six, seven, eight months ago?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, in some ways. I don't feel like I've been playing ‑‑ pretty much since the US Open last year I felt like I've been playing pretty well. I really haven't played too many bad matches. Indian Wells , Miami , I didn't play my best tennis. But, you know, the guys that beat me, you know, they weren't the biggest household names out there but, you know, they had to play extremely well to beat me on those two days.

Apart from that, you know, the clay court season, I felt like I played pretty well the whole way through. And the grass court season, the same. So I don't feel like my game's that far away from really playing well.

Q. You're a guy who's achieved almost anything you wanted to achieve in the sport. What's your drive like to get back there?

LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, obviously Grand Slams are, you know, that's what I guess you make the sacrifices for, to try and win Grand Slams and to try and win as many as possible.

So for me, you know, I try and look at my schedule. Everything goes around, you know, the Grand Slams and Davis Cup at the start of the year. Obviously, Davis Cup took a little bit of a wrong turn this year. But, you know, just trying to focus now on the US Open coming up. That's, you know, the last major. After that, be back at the Australian Open .

Q. How have you adjusted your game? I mean, actually it was a similar situation, I would say, probably for maybe Courier and Chang . They kind of had the precision and whatever, then when the big servers came out, they had to learn to kind of adjust their game and they kind of matured. Have you felt like you've had to adjust your game maybe for the Roddicks or something?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, maybe a little bit here and there. But I think that's just sort of my game just developing, I think, over time as well. You know, I came, you know, on the tour at a young age. Even when I was No. 1 in the world, I still feel like there was a lot of areas in my game that I can improve on ‑ obviously, you know, serve more consistently, trying to get more cheap points off it. I think I'm probably serving better at the moment than I've probably ever served right at the moment.

But, you know, then again, yeah, you got to keep your strengths, you know, at that high level, I guess, the whole time as well and not start, you know, forgetting about those and just focusing on other small weaknesses in your game.

Q. Obviously you've chosen not to play in the Olympics . Do you think that will put you at a real advantage come the US Open , the way the schedule has worked out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not particularly, I don't think. I just feel for me it's better preparation for the US Open . I'm sure whoever wins the Olympics is going to be very confident going into the US Open because, you know, it's still going to be a strong field at the Olympics .

But for me, the flying back and forth isn't the best thing to do before a major that I've played, you know, extremely well in in the past. And that's what it pretty much boiled down to for me.

Q. Is it because jetlag hits you badly or you've had sinus problems?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've had viruses and stuff in the past. I got another one last week after flying from Australia to Toronto .

I think at the end of the day, after I've been here ‑ what's it gonna be ‑ for six weeks or so leading into the US Open , into New York , trying to build your game up week by week to get ready and acclimatize, for me, personally, I think the worst thing would be to fly over there and play and then come back and try and play at my best level.

Q. Taking that into account, you're one of the rare Australians who hasn't found a headquarters over here ‑ maybe in Belgium ‑ but most found a place that would alleviate some of the traveling?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't spend that much time in America in my weeks off. It's as simple as that. There's only a couple of weeks here and there really, you know, leading into this whole trip where I go to places that I'm probably going to play the week after anyway. Like the week before the US Open I'm in New York training on the court. So I don't really need somewhere to go and, you know, spend that much time. Apart from that, I can't think of too many weeks that I'm, you know, at a loose end in America .

Q. How much time would you say you spend in like Belgium so that you don't have to go back to Australia , or not that much?

LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit at times. It sort of depends on, you know, the season ‑ leading into the clay court season, I guess. You know, if you got any weeks off during the clay court season, then it's just a base to go back to, so it's more convenient in that way obviously.

Q. Home's still Adelaide ?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Obviously you could play Henman next. You've got quite a tasty little record against him.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, we've had tough matches in the past. Couple of them I've probably been a bit fortunate. It's been tough matches, could have gone either way. The two finals at Queen's I think. The last match I think we played was in Rotterdam in the semis there this year. I felt like I played pretty well that day. Tim didn't play his best.

But, yeah, there's been, you know, some close matches in the past that could have gone either way. He's a tough competitor. Every time I go out there I've got to play good tennis to beat him.

Q. You mentioned that so much is sacrificed for the Grand Slams . Is that more important than making a climb back up toward No. 1?

LLEYTON HEWITT: If you win Grand Slams , you'll put yourself in a position to be No. 1. You know, I'm not the kind of guy that's gonna go out and play every week to get my ranking one or two spots higher.

Q. Maybe a little inside medical update on Kim's wrist, is she able to play at all?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, she can only hit forehands.

Q. She's not even hitting?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, she hits some forehands now and then.

Q. She have any idea when she might play?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No. Just I think, you know, pretty much after the US Open some time hopefully. But, yeah, depends every week.

Q. Any wedding plans yet?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No.

Q. Not that you're going to tell us, or not at all?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, no.

Q. He doesn't have to tell us where or when.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No (smiling).

Q. Continent?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No (smiling).

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WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
CINCINNATI, OHIO

August 2, 2004

L. HEWITT/A. Bogomolov
6-2, 6-4

LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: Lleyton Hewitt advances to the second round. He'll play the winner of the match that's going on. We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Is there something you're particularly trying to work on specifically in this tournament?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I guess just trying to get some match practice and get your confidence level up there in a big tournament against quality opposition going into the Grand Slam in a few weeks' time. If you're winning matches here, then you're obviously going to be confident going into New York.

Q. Can I ask you, just off the subject a bit, can you just think back to when you were with Darren. What did he bring to your game, what strong points did he bring as a coach when he was working with you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I guess at the start it was a little bit different 'cause I was, you know, I'd probably only been on tour for one year when Darren really took over. It was the end of '98, December '98. You know, I guess just for me, more than anything, I'd never really -- I was just traveling with my dad for that year, first year on tour. For me it was more having someone there who'd been through everything and, you know, the ins and outs of playing tennis, injuries. You know, he had a lot of experience, I guess, in that not as a coach on the tour but obviously as a player. I got along extremely well with him. We're both from the same state, and same city. You know, just overall I think he had a good presence.

Q. Do you think it was important to have a mate as well as a coach?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I think all the time for me it is. You know, tennis isn't like a football team where, you know, one coach has to look after 25 to 40 guys. You know, it's very one-on-one, and you've got to get along extremely well. He's got to be, you know -- for me and I'm sure most guys, you want to have a mate traveling with you because you spend so much time just the two of you.

Q. Just one more thing. When you got to No. 1, did your coaching needs change a bit vis-a-vis not about the split, but just in general, what you needed from a coach, what a coach could bring to you because he'd gotten you there?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. I think there's things, you know, you can pick up from a lot of people, you know, little different areas that can help you. And there's no doubt that Stoltz brought a few different things to my game when he took over. You know, it was just some fresh ideas, I think, more than anything. I think that, you know, helped me out those two years that I worked with Jason. You know, I guess Roger, you know. I get along, I've been fortunate that I've got along with three coaches. They've been young guys who have been able to hit balls on the court. They have the same interest as me. I've got along extremely well with them.

Q. How close do you think you are to the kind of form that saw you reach No. 1 for two years in a row?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think there's been patches. Yeah, it's hard to say. There's been a couple of matches, I think, here and there. I think at Wimbledon, you know, right through the tournament I played pretty well. You know, it was no disgrace losing to Roger in the quarters. You know, I felt like it was probably, for me, probably the final out there that day and, you know, I went into the match like that. I think I handled the situation pretty well. You know, French Open, I felt like there was matches. Against Gaudio I didn't play my best tennis in the quarterfinals. But up till then I felt like I played as well as I probably ever played on clay through a whole, you know, tournament. I've had patches in the past when I was No. 1 that I'd have a good match here and there. So I think that was a big improvement this year even, even though I wasn't No. 1.

Q. Do you get more satisfaction from those kind of wins than perhaps you did towards the second year of being No. 1? Do you get more out of them because it's been a challenge to get to this point?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not necessarily. I think, you know, on clay it's a little bit different probably. It's not my favorite surface, and it's something that I have to work extremely hard to get good results on clay, on that surface. This year, you know, it was rewarding. The guys I lost to, you know, in all the clay court tournaments were extremely good players and especially on that surface. I felt like I got better and better as the clay court season went on. I think that was rewarding. And hopefully that's gonna be, even though it's another 10-month break until I play on clay again, hopefully that's going to be a good stepping stone for next year.

Q. I guess it would help you coming into surfaces like this as well?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I guess just having that confidence that playing on not your favorite surface and you're competing with the best guys in the world. So, yeah, definitely gives you -- it's very satisfying, I guess.

Q. This is somewhere where you've had very good results in the past. How confident are you of kind of taking the title here?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, every match is tough. All these tournaments are the same. Indian Wells, Miami, Toronto and here are very similar tournaments. You've got to be able to win six matches in seven days against, you know, as tough an opponent as you're going to get in Grand Slams. I feel confident. I've played well here in the past - you know, except last year probably. I made a final and a semi. But, obviously, if I play Guga next, it's not an easy second-round match purely because I've got so much respect for his game and the kind of player he is as well.

Q. You've had one or two tasty matches against him in the past. Seem to remember one in Florianopolis.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, that one went all right. Yeah, it's always tough playing him. He's a class player. He's been there and done that. He likes playing on the big courts with the big arenas and a lot of emotion out there. He played well last week on hard court as well. So, yeah, he's won the title here. So if I play him, it won't be easy.

End of FastScripts….