Hamburg, 14 May 2004

Press Conference with LLEYTON HEWITT

Hewitt – Melzer 6:4, 6:3 Quarterfinal



Q: He can be brilliant at times, but you handled him very well.

HEWITT: Yes. He is a strange kind of player. I never played him before and have never really seen him play a lot. And I haven’t played a lefthander for a while. So, it took a few games to adjust to that. I was happy just going out there to play my game. I made him play a lot of balls early. He doesn’t give you a lot of rhythm out there.

Q: Are you happy with the way your are playing? You look pretty lively, much like your own self.

F: Nothing’s changed.

Q: If you compare yourself with the player you were 2 or 3 years ago on clay. Do you feel stronger and in which ways?

HEWITT: Back then a couple of Davis Cup matches stand out. But I think day in and day out, I am a better player on clay than I was back then. I was able to produce a big match now and then on clay. Now movingwise, tacticwise I worked out a lot of things. And just from playing against the best clay court players in the world, I will get better and better on clay just from the experience.

Q: You also have more power in your shots.

HEWITT: Yes, I think so. When I need to be, I can. I put on a couple of kilos in the last year and a half. I think for my game that’s only going to help.

Q: Boris Becker said that this was your best match so far here in Hamburg. Do you agree?

HEWITT: Yes, probably. It was a different match in the sense that he didn’t give me a lot of rhythm out there. Against Tommy there were patches where I played pretty good tennis. Tommy is a totally different player. That were probably my best matches of the week.

Q: Are you relieved that the roof was open?

HEWITT: Enjoymentwise it was nicer to play with the roof up. Yesterday, I was absolutely freezing out there. I think for everyone, the spectators, it was more enjoyable out there.

Q: Is Federer going to be a challenge for you?

HEWITT: Yes, it’s going to be a tough one. Roger is playing extremely well, not matter what surface it’s on. He beat Carlos pretty convincingly today. It’s going to be a tough match. I’ll go down there and see what happen.

Q: The fact that he’s No. 1 does it make it even more exciting?

HEWITT: Not really. It’s a good chance though to see where my game is. He’s probably the best player in the world and he’s definitely up there with the best players on clay. Hopefully I’ve got the game and go out there and produce a good match and see what happens in the end.

Q: You won 7 out of 10 matches against him. What role could the surface play?

HEWITT: I not sure. I don’t think it’s either of our best surfaces. He’s going to be looking to use his serve to get cheap points. He doesn’t play a traditional clay court game and I don’t either. He’s going to be aggressive and use his serve and forehand as much as possible.

Q: Becker said that you don’t have enough self-confidence after not winning a tournament for such a long time.

HEWITT: I won a couple this year. I don’t know where you got your facts from. You can look it up.

Hamburg, 13 May 2004

Press Conference with LLEYTON HEWIT

Hewitt – Saretta 6:4, 2:6, 6:4 Rd 3



Q: Not an easy day today, with tough conditions.

HEWITT: I’ve never known it to be warm in Hamburg. But I played extremely well during the first set and the third set, and there were parts of the second set where I also played well. But he bounced back. So it was important for me to have a good start into the third set. At the end he started to be playing good tennis again, from 5:1 to 5:4.

Q: Marat complained about the balls and the other conditions. What do you think about that?

HEWITT: We have the same balls in Rome, Monte Carlo and here. They are not so bad here on this kind of court, purely because there are a lot heavier conditions here. They are flopping off a little bit more here than they did in Rome and Monte Carlo. I don’t actually have a problem with the balls, the only problem is that they are so different from the ones we use in Indian Wells and Miami. Personally I didn’t like the balls in Indian Wells and Miami. Maybe they could find something in the middle which would suit everyone a bit more, now there are two extremes.

Q: Yesterday it was the same against Tommy, he also came back in the second set. You are such a constant player, why do you lose your concentration at times like that?

HEWITT: I think in both matches the two guys went for it to stay in the match, especially Tommy yesterday. He played really well yesterday, there wasn’t that much I could do during a couple of games in the second set, I just had to hang in and wait for my breaks. Today, Saretta is a much more typical clay court player than Tommy is. He picked up his whole game as well, because if you lose the first set, you realize that you have to change things.

Q: What are your goals for the French Open?

HEWITT: First of all, just to get there.

Hamburg, 12 May 2004

Press Conference with LLEYTON HEWIT

Hewitt – Haas 6:4, 7:5



Q: Did you think you could come back after being down 5:1?

HEWITT: You’re not too confident about coming back in that situation. I felt like I had a lot of chances after that point. I wasn’t quite able to take him in the second set. Obviously I broke the first game. Yeah, I just hung in there. I thought if can get that first break back and then he starts thinking about it. He’s got to serve again at 5:3 and I think that’s what happened. He started thinking ‘I let it slip away’. And all of a sudden I get it back. I had to get out of the 5:4 game on my serve. And from them, I played good to get back in the match.

Q: You had a similar match against him in Melbourne once. Does this come back to your mind that you can win matches in a situation like this?

HEWITT: Yes, it came back. I think when you are in a situation like that and you start working your way back, it’s always a positive thought. You’ve been in the same situation against the same guy before and got out of it. I am sure it was probably on his mind a bit too.

Q: What was your tactics before the match?

HEWITT: I was more worried about my game than his. At the moment, this is a good preparation for the French Open obviously and I just tried to work the ball out there, not to make a lot of unforced errors. Tommy is the kind of guy who can go out there and hit winners. Also today, he played some unbelievable tennis and then he can also play some slight games as well. That’s his style of game and it’s tough, when you’re playing that style of game is tough to play every point perfect. I felt I played a great first set. Then he started to play as well as he could. I just had to take my chances when they came.

Q: Your game is more or less a counter attack game from my point of view. Is that very tricky for your health, because you play long matches with that tactic?
HEWITT: Yeah, I have to deal with it right through my career. It’s not going to change much now.

Hamburg, 11 May 2004

Press Conference with LLEYTON HEWIT

Hewitt – Bjorkman 6:0 7:6 (5)

Q: That first set must be one of the best on clay you’ve played.

HEWITT: Yes, I played well. I felt like I dictated play right from the start. It’s probably one of my better serving sets as well. I played all my service games pretty convincingly out there. I didn’t feel I played that badly in the second set. I think he just picked up his game a lot more. It’s a awkward situation when you are playing a guy, who is struggling in the first set and then comes out with sort of nothing to lose. His first serve really picked up and made things a lot tougher.

Q: Is it fair to say you don’t expect too much of yourself on clay compared to other surfaces?

HEWITT: Not necessarily. I feel I’ve played well enough to expect to play well every time I go out there. I think I’ve been hitting the ball well. I think I have to give myself a little more time to adjust to clay than probably grass and hardcourt. Purely because I haven’t grown up sliding and in that frame of mind. So, maybe it takes me a few more weeks, a few more matches than a lot of the other guys. But, I still think the results that I’ve had, I can match it with the best guys in the world. I feel confident about it.

Q: What about the heavy conditions here?

HEWITT: The heavy conditions might be a little harder. But the actual court surface I think is nice. Probably today it was heavy because of the weather. It was so cold out there, so it made the balls even heavier. The clay is pretty damp, there is a lot of moisture in the air. The actual court, for me, I feel I can slide pretty well on the court. Movementwise I like the court. I’ve played well here in the past. Probably I prefer this type of court to a lot of other ones. It’s a little bit of positive and negative with the court and the conditions here.

Q: What do you think about the next match against Haas?

HEWITT: It’s going to be a tough match. Not only because of Germany, but he’s a tough player. He plays well on clay. Obviously he didn’t really get tested yesterday, but he has played well. He beat Roddick and he’s getting confident coming back from an injury. He is a class player and I don’t think anyone looks of him and thinks where he is in the rankings, that’s where he should be. He’s a lot better player than that. It’s going to be tough.

Q: Let’s talk a bit about Philippoussis. He seems to be struggling. What do you think?

HEWITT: I don’t know. I watched a bit of his game last week. I thought he is hitting the ball better. I watched the first set last night and I thought he was playing pretty good. He hit some good shots. It was an awkward match for everyone; they’ve both got very similar games. I didn’t see the second set. He obviously lost a bit of confidence after losing the first set. But, I think he’s hitting the ball well. He’s trying to get that breakthrough, get a few matches under his belt. I think Düsseldorf next week will be good for him. Obviously he’s looking forward to the grass season.

Q: Does all this stem from the Australian Open? Are you surprised he’s hitting the ball that hard?

HEWITT: I don’t know whether it’s just that. I spend a lot of time with him. Off the court, I can’t tell that anything has really changed. Maybe the Davis Cup took a little bit out of him. He took a few weeks off after that. I’ve got no doubt that he’s going to start playing as well as in the past. It’s sort of a matter of time.

Q: Have you changed anything compared over the last year?

HEWITT: Probably I’ve done a lot more weight work than before. Since I started with Roger which is a year and a half ago, I’ve been building up; a lot more fitness work. I feel stronger because of that. It can help me especially on clay. Whether it’s this year or in the years to come.

Q: Some people admired when you peaked a year or two ago. Since then you’ve been struggling to win another tournament.

HEWITT: Everyone has got opinions.

Q: Do you think you can get back to that level?

HEWITT: I think I’ve played enough good matches. I can compete with the best players in the world