LLEYTON HEWITT rd 2 interview



THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Losing the first set doesn't seem to impede your progress very much?
LLEYTON HEWITT: (Laughing) Only just, mate.
You know, I thought he played extremely well the first set and a half. He made not a lot of mistakes at all. He was really working the ball. It was hard, I felt like I had a lot of opportunities out there to win games - 30-love, 30-15 up - and I just wasn't able to capitalize on them.
I got to the stage where I just tried to go back to basics a little bit, and tried really working the ball from then on, trying to find some rhythm out there.
There's no doubt that I got a little bit lucky out there with coming back from a double break down. But, you know, that's one positive I guess for hanging in there and keep fighting every point.

Q. You were trying to keep away from his backhand. What do you do when a player's got a really good shot like that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was tough. His forehand wasn't making too many mistakes out there either today, so...
His backhand is obviously one of the best in the world, I think - one of the best single-hand backhands, that's for sure. I was just trying to -- I think once I started moving the ball around and not only playing to one side, to really open up the court, dictate play a little bit more, that's when I got aggressive and I started, you know, playing a little bit better out there and ended up winning a lot more points and make him work a lot harder to win points.

Q. Do you remember the moments when you saved matchpoints on clay against a player?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not on clay. I remember, I think -- I can only remember twice: At Indian Wells last year against El Aynaoui, and my first-ever tournament in Adelaide against Mark Woodforde. Those are the only two I can remember, but...

Q. It's good for you for the rest of the tournament, this game today against a good clay court player.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's good for my clay court preparation for the French Open, yeah. He's one of the best clay court players around. Last year he pushed Juan Carlos Ferrero here, you know, very tight three-set match. He plays extremely well on this surface. He moves so well on this surface, I think. That's one of the keys.
It's a good win to have under my belt. Hopefully, it can give me a bit more confidence for the rest of the clay court season.

Q. What are you planning to do with all these Masters Series on clay that there are now - Monte-Carlo, Rome, Hamburg? It all depends on the results that you do, tournament after tournament, or you are planning to do them all anyway?
LLEYTON HEWITT: At the moment, I'm planning to do them all, and then I'll go Dusseldorf the week before the French, the World Team Cup.
So, yeah, at the moment, that's what I'm planning on doing. I'm not going to say that's 100 percent certain, though, but that's what I'm planning on doing, and that's what I'd like to do.

Q. But you think the rule should be changed? I mean, the draw should be remade or, I mean..?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it was an awkward situation this week. I don't know how many times that would happen but, you know, there was obviously three guys. Mainly the only guy was Roddick, was the main one. Fish and Blake, there's still a lot of other guys out there. Andy Roddick, one of the best players in the world, he's sort of the only one, when you put a lucky loser at the top. It's good for Wayne Arthurs, so I'm happy (smiling).
He's playing like a No. 2 in the world (smiling).

Q. As you said yesterday, Ferrero seems not to have recovered from the chicken pox he had. How long did it take you to completely recover from your chicken pox? Can you understand that he's not completely fit at the moment?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, everyone's different with the chicken pox. And, you know, when I spoke to doctors and everything, you know -- obviously, I got it in the Hopman Cup, then tried playing in the Australian Open. You know, I was pretty much useless.

And then, you know, really had about four weeks off, you know, three weeks doing nothing, and then started training. By the time I actually got to - I think my first tournament was San Jose, you know - I was feeling good then. I was.
But everyone's different with the chicken pox. I've been told there's been people months that have struggled. Obviously, the older that you are when you get it, then, you know, it could be worse.
So I can understand totally that Juan Carlos could be still struggling. You know, it's not a nice thing to have.

Q. When you lost to Alberto Martin in Australian Open, you were coming off chicken pox, no?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, yeah.

Q. So how long had you been ill before that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: With chicken pox?

Q. Yeah.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Before that match?

Q. Yeah.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, mate, I'd only been diagnosed a week before that match, so I didn't hit a ball until two days before the tournament started. And then, you know, I wasn't allowed to hit in the sun, so I had to get up at 7 o'clock and hit.
It's not, you know, it's not the greatest thing to have. It's always going to take you a while to bounce back from something like that.

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Lleyton Hewitt Rd 1 interview



An interview with:
LLEYTON HEWITT

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So it's your first win here in Monaco.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've only been here it's only my second time. So last time I came here, I got a pretty tough draw, drawing Moya first round. So things could only get better, I think from the draw anyway.

Q. What did you make of your form out there today? In the third set you started to play some pretty good shots out there.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I got better as the match went on. At the start I just didn't quite have my footing out there, I don't think. I was probably going for trying to be a little bit too aggressive at times when I probably shouldn't have, probably just should have worked the ball a little bit more.
You know, it was important to get that kind of match under my belt, I think. From there, I can only get better.
I don't feel like the match took that much out of me physically. So, you know, it's a good start to get through. It gives me another opportunity. I got some court time on a clay court surface.

Q. So much of tennis is in the mind. What's your attitude going into the clay court season? Are you really positive about how well you can do?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think so. I've had some my biggest wins on clay have been in Davis Cup ties, I think, under, you know, a lot of pressure and in big situations. You know, obviously the main goal is the French Open, you know, looking forward to the French. For me, the three Masters Series and Dusseldorf, just trying to get as many matches as possible, and really try and get some rhythm out there and feel confident on the surface.
It's hard, I think especially for Australians when we come over here, it probably takes a little bit longer to get used to the footing and the moving out there more than anything. A lot of the Spanish and South Americans come straight on the clay and feel straight at home.
So it takes a little bit longer but, you know, obviously the goal is to be feeling as well as you can going into the French Open.

Q. Lleyton, speaking of clay, do you tend to agree with Newk's recent comments that Philippoussis should skip the clay given his recent situation and just worry about the grass?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I think you still need some matches, I think. Obviously, the grass would be his main focus, I think. And the way that he played at Wimbledon last year, I'm sure he's looking forward to the grass court season. But it's only a couple of weeks, and in the past he's only played Queen's before Wimbledon. I don't know if that would be the best preparation, just to go in, play Queen's straight off, without getting too many matches before such a big Grand Slam that he has a real chance of doing well at.

Q. Are you at all worried about the situation that's around him now? The fact that he's your Davis Cup teammate, he's a big part of the team, he's been in a trough for months now, I mean, what is your take on the whole situation?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he's not probably as confident as he's ever been, I don't think, at the moment. I've hit with him a lot in practice. He's not hitting the ball that badly in practice. You know, just probably hasn't played a lot of matches.
And, obviously, you know, a lot of stuff, you know, probably came out, yeah, in the media right after his match against Arazi at the Australian Open. I mean, that was right before the Davis Cup tie. You know, the media probably got on him a little bit, you know, with the whole Davis Cup tie, and that just sort of added to the fire I think.
I think a few weeks off will be good for him. I think it's a good thing. And, you know, I think he plans to start in Rome, as far as I know. You know, hopefully he can get some matches before the French Open. I've seen him play some of the best tennis on clay that I've ever seen in Davis Cup in Nice, you know, in '99.

Q. You say some of your best wins have been on clay in Davis Cup. When you're playing singles in these tournaments, is it a case of finding extra motivation?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, maybe sometimes in these tournaments. I think, you know, the French Open, that's a Grand Slam, that's what you play for, the four majors, and that's where you want to be peaking.
You know, I think the important part, you know, in the next few weeks for me is more thinking about the French Open and not getting too frustrated if things aren't going well the whole time, and really trying to focus on, you know, just finding some rhythm and getting confident on the surface.
You know, obviously, I feel like I can play extremely well on clay. I beat Guga, you know, in Brazil when he was at his best, and I beat Costa in Barcelona as well on clay. I feel confident on the surface. But, you know, it probably takes me a little bit longer, as I said before.

Q. There was some kind of old fashioned "Hewitt Intensity" out there today. Did you struggle a little bit in America to find that level of intensity that's so much part of your game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Maybe a little bit, I think. You know, in Indian Wells I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty well. I thought Chela played extremely well. In Miami, I didn't quite play as well against Pavel. I just didn't feel confident out there that day at all. I tried to keep fighting against Pavel there, you know, I came back after he served for the match. Tried hanging in there. You know, I just wasn't quite able to sneak out of that second set somehow.
Today I felt like I really wanted to, you know, no matter how I was playing, just try to get through the match today and give myself another match on clay. It's obviously going to be against Gaudio or Volandri, who are two tough clay court players, so it's going to be a good test for me.


Q. And how many hours a day do you train?
LLEYTON HEWITT: 23 and a half (smiling).