Is that like getting out of jail?

(Alicia) Better.
(Lleyton) I don’t know, I haven’t been in jail. It’s a big relief, I guess. Obviously when you’re in the mixed doubles, 6-4, 5-2 down, you haven’t had any opportunities really to break most of the match. Somehow I got out of my service game and then I served pretty well to save a couple of match points. Then of all the servers it was going to be Jiri serving, and we had to break him to stay in the match. It was a bloody good effort to get out of it.

Where did the game turn, do you think?

(Lleyton) I think definitely that game at 5-4 with Jiri serving. The momentum just changed. We saved one match point on that game, he made a first serve and I felt like I put in a really good return. I knew Bedanova wasn’t going to cross so I felt like I had half the court. I just had to hit a crosscourt backhand in. I made him play a low volley, and he probably shouldn’t have gone for a drop volley like he did. Once we got that next point, Alicia put up a tough sort of lob – not a really high defensive lob – but a tough one, and Bedanova couldn’t quite…it was one of those awkward ones you don’t know whether to volley or smash, and she smashed it into the net. I knew as soon as I got break point that I wasn’t losing that next point. I think that was the turnaround – those two or three points in that game.

(Lleyton) Well, I’ve been in some matches where it’s done that. Probably the Tommy Haas match a couple of years ago in the Australian Open, two years ago in the Australian Open, in the second round. I was 5-0 down in the second set and I got out of it and won that 7-5. I was 4-1 down in the second and won that 6-4. I was 2-0 down in the third and won that 6-3. It doesn’t happen very often, and when it does happen you’ve got to take it.

Alicia, you’ve had an incredible week. Did you think you could play that well on a sustained performance?

(Alicia) Yeah, I’ve been practising really well the last couple of weeks. I really expected myself to perform the way I have been. But, no doubt, with the quality practice I’ve come into this event with a lot of confidence. I mean, I have been playing great, but I haven’t been surprising myself too much – a couple of shots here and there – but on the whole I’ve really expected myself to play at this level.

The fact that you’re now in the final, Alicia, Australia has a chance to win two times.

(Alicia) Yeah, absolutely. This is our second year having a shot at it, Lleyton and myself. Come the finals, that’s going to be tough either way – Belgium or the US. They are quality players. We’ll be doing our best. We’ll have that ‘never say die’ attitude like we did out there today, and hopefully things will fall our way.

Will you two sit down after tomorrow’s finalists have been decided and have a five or ten minute talk about what to do, come Saturday?

(Lleyton) Not really. I think going into the singles matches we’ve both got to concentrate on our own games. At this stage I don’t think we can worry about the doubles too much. Our priority is to go out there and obviously try and get the job done in two matches and make it a lot easier and not have to have too many heart attacks out there on the court again. You know, Alicia is going to be watching Kim and Serena play, and I’m going to be trying to…well, I know both James and Xavier well. I’ve played them a few times, so I’m going to know how they play anyway. If it comes down to the mixed doubles then, after the singles, we’ve played enough together. We grew up together. We know what each other is thinking as well as anyone around the place. We’ve just got to go out there and believe in it. I think if we don’t spend too much time dwelling on ‘I’m going to serve here’, ‘I’m going to do this’, and trying to work on it…I think in mixed doubles it’s a situation you’ve got to play point-by-point a little bit and see how the flow is going and how the opposing girl, for me, is playing, and just little things.

Alicia, is that your thought on the mixed as well? It just seems you’ve been improving your combination all week. How much does that help you in the finals?

(Alicia) Yeah, like Lleyton said, we’ve played enough together, really, in the past – especially the last couple of matches. Yeah, when we’re walking out there and change of ends, obviously we’re discussing it, but it’s not like we sit down and map out a game plan or anything. Like Lleyton said, we just have to check the flow of the match and see what the guy is doing and ways to counteract his big serve or to get on top of the girl’s serve. We just have a chat about it when we’re out there.

Lleyton, you’ve either got to play against the world number one or your girlfriend – which one would you prefer?

(Lleyton) I’d prefer my girlfriend. Even though it would be extremely difficult, I guess, to go out there and play. Yeah, I’d love to see Kim and Xavier – obviously I’m closer to the Belgians with Kim. If we’re both in the final, obviously one of us is going to win it, and I think if you’re not playing for the same country, that’s as well as you can do. I’m pushing for the Belgians, hopefully.

Lleyton, you said in the beginning of the tournament it was important to be here because you have three matches. Now you have four. How far away are you from your best level?

(Lleyton) Still a bit away, I guess. The other day, two days ago, I felt like I played really well against Dominik. I served and packaged my game together really well. Tonight I just didn’t serve well – it’s as simple as that. I just made life too difficult on myself. I served a lot of double faults; I didn’t get a high percentage of first serves in. When you play a guy like Jiri, he was going for it out there on second serves. He was putting me under pressure and it paid off. In other times there were chances where maybe if he went for it he could miss it, and I may have held a couple more service games a little bit more easier. Still, saying that though, I fought the second set out not playing great tennis. I had two break points in the first game of the third set and I had chances. I can’t remember the first one, but I dumped a backhand when I went for the winner crosscourt on the second one. I played a very slack game the next game to go down the break and that was the set, basically, from there.

Is there some extra special pressure for you playing Melbourne as a Grand Slam as opposed to the US Open or Wimbledon?

(Lleyton) Yeah maybe there’s more outside pressure, I think. I don’t put any more pressure on myself going into the Australian Open. I really look forward to it. It’s something that everyone knows by now I love challenges and I love going out there and competing and seeing where I’m at. The Australian Open for me, that’s sort of a goal. I couldn’t care less if I win it in ten years or this year. But, If I could win it someday it would be fantastic. Still, saying that, I think the way that I handled the situation being number one seed at Wimbledon, that’s a pretty prestigious thing, to be number one seed at Wimbledon and go through the tournament. Apart from one little hiccup there in the quarterfinals, I played pretty faultless tennis there. I don’t think it’s any more pressure on myself than going into Wimbledon as number one seed.

Reports are the courts are a bit quicker this year. Peter McNamara puts a ten per cent estimate on it. Does that suit you?

(Lleyton) I don’t know how he puts a percentage on it. Last year I thought it was extremely slow. I thought it suited a lot of the clay court players that came over. I think they performed a lot better on that kind of court. I’ve grown up on rebound ace. I’ve hit on Memorial Drive so many times, and every year it’s not exactly the same. It’s such a tough surface to get exactly the same every year – it’s nearly impossible. So I think it’s always going to be a little bit different. If it’s a little bit quicker, I think it’s probably a good thing. I think the balls over the last year have probably been a little bit heavier. There was that one year that I played Corretja and ended up losing to Norman, I think, in the fourth round. That year was lightening – that was real quick. From what I’ve heard I don’t think it’s going to be anything like that.

The weather is more of a factor with rebound ace than other surfaces?

(Lleyton) Yeah, it is. Obviously the ball is going to come through a lot quicker if you’re playing a day match where it’s 38 degrees or 35 degrees, rather than overcast. You just don’t know with Melbourne weather either. There’s a good chance that I’m going to be playing night matches as well, hopefully if I can stay in the tournament, at some stage during it. That’s going to be a totally different situation. A night match is going to be a lot heavier conditions. It’s going to be tougher to put the ball away. You’ve just got to go out there, I guess, and weigh it up on the day, and who you’re playing against and see what happens.

Alicia, is it quicker, Melbourne Park, from your experience at the training camp?

(Alicia) I thought it was a little bit quicker than last year, but not a great deal. I just think the top layer, the top surface, just seems to be a little less grit in it than last year. I thought they were a little bit quicker. (Lleyton) It’s hard to tell when they first lay it, I think. I hit on Adelaide as soon as it got laid and it was pretty slow, I thought, straight up. It’s meant to be pretty similar, I think, to Melbourne Park. The more you hit on it, by the time it gets to the Australian Open tournament I think it will be a lot quicker than when it’s first laid anyway.

Just back to the finals for a minute. Apart from having a look at the singles, will you have any special preparations? An extra practice session?

(Lleyton) Not really.
(Alicia) Stick with what works, I reckon.
(Lleyton) Yeah, I’ve been playing golf on my days off, that’s probably a chance.

Will you have a game of golf?

(Lleyton) I’m not sure. I’ll see how I wake up. It’s pretty late anyway

So you have one practice session each scheduled?

(Lleyton) Yeah, I’ll hit once just with Jason and go out there and do exactly what I’ve been doing. It’s been a good schedule for us, we’ve been playing every second day. It’s like a Grand Slam where you get that one day off where you can have a bit of a sleep in and relax and not worry about your match so much. And go out there and have a good hit out and sweat it out for an hour or so, an hour and a half, and sort of relax for the rest of the day.

Transcript - Alicia Molik & Lleyton Hewitt
31 Dec 2002 defeated Slovak Republic 3-0


Lleyton, are you surprised at how well you played?
(Lleyton) I felt pretty good out there. I think I got better as the match went on. I went out there and didn’t try to do anything special really, at the start. I just tried to make a lot of balls and make him really beat me, I guess. Dominik’s got the game that can be extremely good, or it can be off sometimes as well. He started off well today and then went downhill. He started missing a lot of balls and I wasn’t giving him a lot of pace out there and he really couldn’t do much with it.

There were no interruptions in the match today; did you feel like it really flowed?

(Lleyton) It was great. Obviously after the other day with injury time out and then the lights going, it was a tough match. It was one of those matches where you just want to get off the court and into the locker room, and get off with a win – hopefully in straight sets. I was able to do that, and I feel like today against Dominik, they’re totally different players – Sanguinetti and Hrbaty – so I felt like I had to really step it up another notch out there today. I was able to do that, so I’m happy.

Were you expecting more competition?

(Lleyton) At the start I felt like he played pretty well. I think I had chances to break in his first service game to go two-love. Then in the next game he actually had a few break points on me and I got out of it serving well, which was a key for me. After that I just got on a roll. Even the next game that he held at four-one, I had love-thirty in that game, and could have very easily broken. He definitely didn’t play his best tennis today, but I don’t think I allowed him to play as well as he wanted to either.

You are very much a step closer to the final now; are you confident of going all the way?

(Lleyton) Well, first things first. We’ve got to get out there, and obviously our goal is to try and get through the round-robin group and give ourselves a chance of getting to the final and having a playoff for that. We haven’t put a step wrong yet. We’ve gone through. I can’t see the Czech Republic losing to Italy, so it’s going to come down to – I think Thursday night we play them. It’s going to be a tough match. Obviously Alicia is going to have a tough one against Bedanova, and I’m going to have an extremely tough match in Jiri Novak. We’ve done everything right so far, but you never know.

Alicia, you must be really happy with your form?

(Alicia) As I said earlier, it’s the first top-ten win that I’ve had. I went out there today and the first thing was to have the right game plan, and the second thing was to execute it accordingly. I was very happy with my form – I think I played a great match, and I’m very, very happy with my performance.

Both of you haven’t dropped a set yet, is that going to continue?

(Alicia) Oh, it would be nice if it did, but I think winning a rubber is probably at the forefront of our minds. As Lleyton said, I’ve got a tough one next match against Bedanova, so I’ll have to play as I did today, if not better.

What does this do to your self-belief, going into 2003 with a couple of big wins?

(Alicia) Obviously it’s going to bring a lot of confidence. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to beat players like that, and I haven’t followed through. To come here and first of all beat two top-twenty players is nice, and it definitely gives me a lot of confidence for 2003. I really believe I can keep my form up for the entire year, not just a couple of matches here or there which I’ve done in the past. It’s a matter of keeping that level of play up through the entire year.

What do you think causes the lack of consistency?

(Alicia) Sometimes it boils down to confidence, sometimes it boils down to form – I’ve been very up and down. I’ve been really fluctuating and I haven’t really had the two or three or six months the same in consistency. But with the form I’ve had here, as I said, I really believe I can do it in 2003 – hopefully even more after those results.

How did you see Hantuchova’s performance today?

(Alicia) I’ve watched a lot of her, Daniela, and I think she is a tough opponent. From the start we had a couple of close games, and as I said, I executed my game very well and according to plan. I think she got a little bit disgruntled. I really took it to her in the first set and I think she was a little bit discouraged in the second set. I was playing my game, and playing it very well. I didn’t allow her to play her style of tennis – which was the goal today.

Alicia, what were you working on in the lead up to this?

(Alicia) Leading up to the first event of the summer you want to be fit, you want to have form, you want to be confident – all these things. I’ve been working on the mental side; I’ve been working on trying to cover all angles. I think I’ve worked hard in all areas.

Things are going pretty well, you’re at the Burswood, do you feel like you should place a few bets on?

(Alicia) No, not just yet. We’ll wait and see how our luck goes.

Lleyton, what would you like to see change in 2003?

(Lleyton) I don’t know. I’d like to win all four majors, but that’s a very tough ask. For me, if you win a major in a year then you’ve had a great year. In the men’s game, at this stage it’s so tough to go out there and put seven tough matches together – best of five sets on any surface – both mentally and physically. I think if you can do that for two weeks, then you would be pretty happy with that year. As I spoke a couple of days ago, obviously the three better ones for me are going to be the Aussie, Wimbledon and the US. I give myself every chance once I go into those tournaments. I think anyone who wins the majors has got a very good chance of getting the number one at the end of the year as well. It comes in a bit of a package, I guess.

Does the Australian Open mean more to you than the other three?

(Lleyton) I think so. I think more so now because I’ve won two out of the other four now, but the Australian Open is one of two that I haven’t been able to win yet. Being an Australian and me growing up and going to Melbourne Park since I was nine or ten years old…it’s a very special place and I get goose bumps as soon as I get in there. I feel like I’ve been a bit unlucky the last couple of years. Obviously this year with chicken pox, and last year I had an extremely tough draw the first three matches. You need a little bit of luck in grand slams, and if I get that I feel like I have a good chance of doing well.

What’s your first memory as a nine-year-old? Were you watching a particular player you wanted to see that day?

(Lleyton) I loved Mats Wilander, watching him play. I remember watching a lot of his matches. Also, I used to go in there early in the morning and Lendl was working out with Roche on the back courts out there – Show Courts One and Two. I’d just sit there and watch those guys, Llendl, grind it out for hours out there. I think I just learned a lot from watching those guys; how hard you’ve got to work if you want to be the best player in the world. That’s been my mentality, I guess, when I’ve grown up. I work as hard as I can, and so far that’s paid off.

Lleyton, how much chance do you give yourself of winning the French this year?

(Lleyton) This year it’s going to be tough, I think. I think I get better and better. I’ve been able to play bloody good clay court matches once off I guess, but trying to put it together for seven matches, best of five sets, that’s the next step. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I was that far from maybe winning it, doing well, this year. Canas was playing, I thought, as well as anyone. He probably had as tough a draw as anyone, playing more in the third round, myself, than the fourth round. I would have been playing Costa if I got past Canas in the quarters, and I beat him last time we played in Spain – in Barcelona – in Davis Cup. I don’t think I got far away this year. If I could have got through that one match against Canas, then I was probably in there with a better chance than a lot of people thought.

Lleyton, could your preparation be going any better?

(Lleyton) I’ve won both. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, and that’s basically all you can be doing right at the moment. A lot is just going to depend on the day when you get out there at Melbourne Park, and we’ll see what happens.

You look really motivated. Is it a time now to step that up, leading into the Australian Open?

(Lleyton) I felt motivated today. I thought it was a challenge out there today, to play Dominik. I watched a little bit of his match against Jiri the other night, and I thought it was a pretty good match. Both guys were hitting the ball extremely well, and I saw it as a challenge and I knew I had to step it up from the way I played against Sanguinetti. I was focused out there today. I think it sends a sign out when I’m focused and really want to play my best tennis, and I can come out and play pretty well.

Was your attitude different today going into that match, given Alicia’s win?

(Lleyton) Not really. I try and block it out as much as possible. I’ve spoken about it before; you go in there with the same attitude as a Davis Cup tie really. I try and not get too involved in Alicia’s match. Obviously, I saw the score and it was fantastic for us, but you try and keep your emotions just so you don’t waste a lot of energy. I’ve got to go out there and do a job regardless, and it was a huge bonus to not be going in one-love down instead of one-love up.

Dec 29 2002 Hopman Cup win over Italy 3-0

Lleyton, welcome back to Perth. Do you feel it’s a bit of unfinished business this year for you?
It was obviously pretty disappointing last year, but that didn’t change my mind about coming back here. I felt like I played really well here last year. The two matches that I played. The first one I felt pretty good in; I beat Roger Federer who had a pretty good year as well finishing in the top five or six. The second match I was feeling horrendous and still went out there and won the match for Australia. So it’s nice to come back. It’s obviously pretty disappointing for both Alicia and myself that we had a very good chance, I thought, last year. Alicia went out and beat Sanchez, and I felt pretty bad that the way I was playing I was pretty sure I was going to beat Robredo. That would have put us through and then they ended up winning it, so it was disappointing.

Are you happy that Alicia is here playing with you again?

Yeah it’s good. I like playing with Alicia, I thought she held up her end very well last year. She won her first match against Switzerland, lost her second one in a tight match, and then won her third one against Sanchez (unofficial match) and we didn’t lose a mixed doubles along the way. I felt that she played very well, and hopefully if she can do the same, I can go out there and get the job done.

How are you feeling fitness-wise?

Yeah, not bad. I feel pretty fit at the moment. I’ve put in a lot of time on the practice court, and a lot of time in the gym as well grinding it out in the last two-and-a-half weeks. So I was able to put the feet up for about a week-and-a-half to two weeks after Shanghai which was nice. I would have liked to have rested a little bit more I guess and tried to freshen up, but it’s not the case and at the end of the day you want to see how hungry you are for the Australian Open. I decided to work pretty hard.

How hungry are you for the Australian Open?

I’m as hungry as anyone.

Is that the only thing you feel like you’ve got left to prove now?

I don’t know. Everyone asks about goals and I really don’t know where to go. Obviously since winning Wimbledon half way through this year, it was fantastic, and that was just a dream come true. And then from there on I really wanted to consolidate my spot at number one, and try and finish back-to-back years at number one. I put everything into that in the last two weeks of the year and I was able to play some of my best tennis. Since then I really haven’t thought too much. Obviously the Australian Open is one of the closest to my heart, tournament-wise, and I feel like there’s no reason why I can’t do well there. I was very unlucky, obviously, with the chicken pox last year, and the year before I had an extremely tough draw. You always need a bit of luck in the grand slams.

What do you like about this tournament?

Last year, obviously apart from the downside of getting sick, I felt very relaxed out there. I felt like I could go out there – packed house every day. The crowd is good to get used to before going into the Australian Open. I’m sure Paul is going to put me on centre court for most of my matches, so obviously going to be playing in front of 15,000 people going for you, and this is a good start.

Lleyton, you talk about goals. Is one of your goals to win the Hopman Cup with another South Australian in Alicia Molik?

I don’t know if it’s just with another South Australian – it would always be fantastic to win it. Any event I go in I try and win. Round-robin situation is one of those things where every set, every game counts basically. So Alicia is going to be giving 110 per cent when she steps on the court, and I’m going to do the same. If it adds up right then we’re in with a good chance.

After the Masters you were saying that you didn’t think you would be around when you were 30 playing like Agassi. I don’t know if you can keep the motivation up for that long. In such a long season, how long do you do think you can keep it up for?

It’s hard to say. I’ve got no idea. A lot depends on injuries and what’s around the corner as well. I think Andre has been pretty lucky, he hasn’t had too many serious injuries. There are a lot of other players, even Moya, the last couple of years he was out for nearly a year-and-a-half not playing week-in, week-out just because of a back injury. I think Andre has been very fortunate in that way. Touch wood so far I haven’t had too many serious injuries.

Will it be a reduced schedule for you in 2003?

I try and concentrate on the majors and Davis Cup more, there’s no doubt about that. Priorities, you have got to go to the big tournaments now. For me, I want to be peaking for those tournaments, so it’s trying to find a schedule in between that is going to give me enough matches and work on my game that I’m going to be playing my best tennis at that time.

Serena Williams has come out and said that her aim is to not lose one match this year. Would you ever set yourself a goal like that?

No, not really. I think the men’s game is a little bit different from the women’s in that sense. In the men’s game it would be one of the worst comments I think you could make.

Have you thought about a potential Australia versus Belgium final?

No, not really. It’s nice to be in the other half. It will be an interesting match-up. Obviously Kim is playing extremely well at the moment, so Alicia would have a tough time with her. I would have to come out and beat Malisse as well, and then it would be down to the mixed doubles. It would be very interesting, but they’re in a tough group with Williams and Blake. I think the winner out of those two countries will make the final in the other half.

Would you edge the serve off a bit?

I don’t know! I practice with her a bit and she actually returns as well as most of the guys out there. I might have to try to put it in a bit quicker.

Does it matter what point it is, whether you go the full-pelt serve at the women in mixed doubles?

Yeah, you’ve just got to sort of get a feeling out there. Last year it was very competitive. They were knocking it down at Alicia the whole time, but I think they felt pretty bad because Alicia has got a bit of a bomb herself. She was acing half of the guys out there.

What about a United States/Australia final. The two world number ones playing each other would obviously be a good match-up for the fans.

Yeah. I would just like to make the final anyway to give us a chance of winning it. I think it would be good, whoever we might play in the final. If we get through and we’re in a one-on-one battle, I think we’ve got a pretty good chance. Obviously Blake and Williams are extremely tough. For any of the girls to beat Williams it is going to be tough, and then that puts a lot of pressure on the guys playing such a good player in James Blake. Then still you’ve got to go out there and win the mixed doubles, so it’s a long way ahead.

Lleyton, was it disappointing or exciting when you heard that Rusedski is not coming to Davis Cup?

Very weird. I struggle to see how a guy can pull out and say he may be injured when he is playing in Doha on Monday. It’s very weird, and I’m sure the English people are shocked with the whole thing as well, and I’m sure the team is very disappointed. I heard Martin Lee may be injured as well, or had surgery, so I don’t know where that throws them. Obviously Tim Henman has to get his shoulder right and play, otherwise they’re in a bit of trouble.

Because you want to play the best.

Yeah, well potentially it could be a fantastic week of tennis. We’ve got myself and Mark Philippoussis against Rusedski and Henman. When the draw came out I thought it was the toughest first-round tie you could get, whether you’re playing at home or away.

What about Sanguinetti first up?

He’s a different kind of player. He doesn’t give you a lot of pace. He plays with probably the loosest re-strings on tour. I have got to go out there and play my game. I’ve played him twice and won so far pretty comfortably, but it’s always different first match of the New Year. Going in there and trying to get off to a good start. I like playing on Rebound Ace, so I’ll try and get that one up.

Novak is probably the most improved player on tour.

I haven’t lost to Jiri, but I’ve had a lot of tough matches with him. In my opinion he is probably the most underrated player on the tour. I’ve known for a while that he is an extremely good player, and he hasn’t quite been able to put it in week-in and week-out – especially in the big tournaments. In the last 12 months he made the semis of the Australian Open and lost to Johansson in five sets in that semi. Since then he’s just got better and better. He knocked off Agassi in the Masters at Shanghai, so I’ve got to go out there and play as well as I can if I’m going to beat him.

Are there any facets of your game that you feel need any improvement at all?

There are areas of my game I can improve. There’s not one area I feel I’m going to make a huge difference to. It’s more trying an all-court game just to give myself another option more than anything. I feel that if I’m moving extremely well, it’s very hard to go past me at the baseline. I feel like I’ve been returning well. My serve has been getting better – that’s another area that I can keep working on. If I can come into the net a little bit more and just throw in another option, that’s going to work on playing grass as well as Rebound Ace.

You spoke to everyone last year and said about backing up world number one. You’ve done it now; what keeps you motivated?

I’m not sure. I really don’t know. I love going out there and competing more than anything. Getting out there and trying to get the job done. Little challenges you put to yourself. It’s not really one big goal – I’ve got to go out there and win this one grand slam otherwise you fail sort-of thing. I’ve had a wonderful career, and I’m only 21 still. I feel like I could still go out there and win many more grand slams. I feel like I’m improving a lot. The Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon I feel like I can win any time I get into those tournaments. The French Open, I still feel like there’s a big chance for me to improve my game. It’s very hard for Australians to do well at the French. I see that as not only the next year, but three, four, five years down the track as something that I can work towards and try and become better and better on clay.

Lleyton, can you use a round-robin tournament like this to practice coming to the net a bit more?

Yeah, you can. It’s a good chance to go out there and work on little areas of your game that you want to improve for the Australian Open. It’s always tough in practice matches when you’re just hitting with guys and going out there and doing it, trying to get it in a match situation. But when you’re playing for your country and you’re going out there and you’ve got umpires and ball kids and a lot on the line, then it throws into another thing. It’s not that easy to go out there and do it though. At the back of your mind, you still don’t want to screw up. If I know that my normal game is going to beat them, then I want to beat them like that. It’s a tough situation, but if you’re that far in front then you can throw in a couple of different plays.

Is that what got you over the line to come here, the fact that it’s perfect preparation for the Australian Open?

There’s a lot of reasons, I guess. It’s always going to be a tough choice for me, playing Adelaide this week as well. I just felt like for me, I didn’t really give the Hopman Cup a true chance last year with the chicken pox. I felt like I was going really well last year, and I’m sure I would have done a lot better than I did in the Australian Open if it didn’t happen. I felt like I wanted to give it another chance. Also, Kim being here is another positive for me. That I can be here, it’s very relaxing, spending the week with your girlfriend, even if you may lose to them. It’s enjoyable in that way, plus I’m guaranteed of three matches, maybe four. So I think that they’re probably the bonuses. Rather than, if you go to Adelaide and there’s obviously a lot of pressure on you there, but if you lose in the first round – what do you do for the next two weeks before the Aussie Open. It’s a tough call, but I’m sure I’ll be back playing Adelaide in years to come.

Have you had any time to relax? Play a bit of golf?

The last few weeks I’ve got a few golf rounds in.

What’s your handicap?

Seven. It’s not too bad.

What did you do for Christmas?

Just spent it at home with the family – grandparents, uncles, cousins.

You’re the number one ticket holder for the Adelaide 36ers and the Crows.

Yeah, it’s good, isn’t it? Hopefully we’ll do a bit better than the Eagles and the Dockers.

I guess everyone here would like to see the two world number ones on the same court. Is that something you’ve thought about at all, or something you would like to see?

No, not really. If I hold up the trophy I couldn’t care less who I beat in the final. I think for a promoter’s dream it would be fantastic, but for me, I couldn’t care less. I’ve got to get the job done, and I guess whoever is good enough to come through the other half will come through. If we make the final, we’ll be playing the best team in the other group.

Lleyton, to win a grand slam, like Serena might do this year, is that a dream for you as well? Or is it impossible for men, because I think the men’s competition is much harder?

I think it’s a lot tougher for men. More so because I think all the women don’t have better surfaces as much as men do. You look at a guy like Sampras and he hasn’t been able to win the French Open, and in my opinion he is probably the greatest player ever to pick up a racquet. It’s a totally different ball game, I think. You get on the clay and you’re playing against Moya, Fererro, Corretja, Costa – these guys – and they know how to play on that stuff. It’s very tough for a guy like Pete or Andre; yet he’s only won one French, and he’s as good a baseliner as there is around the world. But he didn’t grow up on the clay court as much as those guys. I think it’s a lot tougher in the men’s game to do it, but if Serena does it, it would be an incredible achievement. Even though she has been the dominant player, but just to keep mentally so strong throughout four grand slams is a tough thing to do. Seven matches, I don’t care how good she is. It’s a tough thing to do. If she’s capable of doing it, then it’s a wonderful achievement.