August 9, 2007 defeated Hrbaty 3rd rd
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lleyton.
Q. Quite a battle out there.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was a tough one. Right from the start. He played
extremely well. He looked like a guy that, yeah, hasn't had a great year, but he
went out this with nothing to lose. Obviously to beat Kohlschreiber and Robredo
both fairly comfortably in his first two matches.
He was, obviously, swinging out there. He returned as well as I've seen anyone
for a long time.
Q. How did you feel about your game today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not too bad. It was patchy a little bit. But he's a tough player
to play against because he wants to dictate play the whole time.
Yeah, I was doing a lot of scrambling out there. But, yeah, even my first serve,
and second serve in particular, he was really having a swing at it, trying to
get on top of the point. He wants to try to put pressure on me right from the
start. A lot of the match was played on his terms in a lot of ways, and I had to
try to dig deep and get another ball back.
Q. Take us to the two match points you saved in the second set tiebreak.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Got lucky on the first one with a net cord. Fairly long point.
Second one I hit a second-serve ace.
So, it's a good way to do it (smiling).
Q. What about playing Roger, your old friend?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I'll start thinking about it now. I hadn't really
thought about it. Happy to get out of jail today.
Yeah, it's going to be another interesting match. Yeah, I haven't played him for
quite a while now. It's a good challenge for me and, you know, obviously don't
have a lot to lose out there. So, yeah, I look forward to it.
Q. You made a reference the other day to your ranking not being that
important. Roger said the same thing today, that even though you're not ranked
high, everybody respects you. You're more dangerous than your ranking.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'd hope so (smiling).
Q. Does the rank -- do you care about the ranking any more?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely, I care about it. But not when I'm 21, I don't.
You know, the top 10's fantastic, obviously. But, for me, it's about preparing
as well as possible for the majors of the moment.
If I do what I want in the majors, then the ranking is going to take care of
itself. I don't have to really worry about it. I've always said I'm not the kind
of guy that's going to chase small tournaments, play every week to get my
ranking a few spots higher.
But the years, obviously, when I was up in the top two or three in the world,
that's when I had great Grand Slam results and a lot of consistency through the
big tournaments. It takes care of itself then.
Q. When you reached No. 1 at a young age, do you have the feeling then that
you are going to be there for a while? Do you have any sense of how hard it is
to stay up there? Roddick at 21, you were younger when you reached No. 1.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you don't really think about it at the time, I don't
think. Yeah, you don't really dwell on it that much actually when you're
probably No. 1. You look back on it now and think, Yeah, it was amazing,
fantastic to be No. 1. In some ways you take it for granted a little bit when
you're there.
But, yeah, I think that's the same with everyone.
Q. There's probably a sense of you don't have the perspective you might have
if you got to that ranking at 25.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, maybe in some ways.
Q. The trajectory is up, up, up, you're there, you think, I'm going to stay
here.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, maybe. It's not an easy thing to do. That's what I spoke
about the other day. For Roger to be able to stay No. 1 for the last four, five
years, I think a lot of people outside tennis sort of take it for granted. It's
not easy, whatsoever.
Yeah, being that top guy that everyone wants to knock off week in and week out,
that just shows how guess, to be able to handle that.
Q. With regards to Rafa, he has accumulated more points at No. 2 than a lot
of guys had at No. 1. Do you think that's something the public sort of doesn't
get, how really good he's been as a No. 2?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think they probably get it. I think from where I see it
anyway, I think a lot of people realize how close he is to Roger. A lot of
people, even outside the tennis world, I think realize that he's had Roger's
measure in a lot of big matches.
You know, he's basically only been two Wimbledon finals where Roger has had the
better of him in a lot of ways.
When you have a guy like Roger that's had stand-out years the last three or four
years, probably better than Pete and Andre and all those guys had at their best.
So, yeah, obviously you're going to have to have a great year to pass him and
get the No. 1 ranking. But, you know, it's only around the corner for him.
End of FastScripts
August 6, 2007 defeated Ferrero 1st rd
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Kind of special when you play a guy like him, as good as he has been, he's
still a pretty good player?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, says a bit about the Masters Series events. We're both not
seeded and we draw each other first round. Yeah, it just shows how tough matches
are. You can't take anyone lightly. I was prepared for an extremely tough match
today. He's picked it up again this year, I think. He made the semis of
Monte-Carlo and then quarters of Hamburg and the quarters of Wimbledon, beat
Blake along the way.
You know, I knew it was going to be a tough match. I was happy to get through
it.
Q. What do you do after Wimbledon to gear up for the US Open part of the
year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, probably took maybe not even a week and started hitting
balls again, getting into it, in the gym every day. That's pretty much it. Just
training and doing as much hard yards as possible. It's obviously a lot colder
at home at the moment than over here (smiling).
I was just trying to prepare as well as possible for the next few weeks. I enjoy
this stint of the year. I've always played well on U.S. hard courts. US Open
I've always really enjoyed. Yeah, it's something I look forward to.
Q. You seem more focused in the last sort of six months than you were last
couple years perhaps. Is that because you've short of shaken off the injuries,
you feel fully fit again?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, don't know. I know I've done all the hard yards, done all
the right things. You know, the body's feeling good at the moment, as well,
which makes it a lot easier to go out there and not worry about your body, just
worry about your opponent, how you've got to execute out there.
Yeah, it was frustrating. Indian Wells and Miami were frustrating because I was
playing well going into those events. Winning Vegas, I felt like I was starting
to turn it around again.
After Miami, I spent a lot of time in the gym, worked extremely hard to try to
get my body right. It held up really well through Rome through to Wimbledon. You
know, just about trying to do those little things to keep it going.
The tour is tough enough as it is playing so many weeks of the year. You don't
really get a chance to build a big base, so...
Q. Tony Roche, any effect? What have you found so far that he's been helpful
with?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I've known Rochey for so many years. Yeah, we've
sort of spoken on a lot of occasions over the last few years as well when we're
at tournaments. We've always had a great relationship. He's very easy to talk to
for me, someone that I respect so much, as well. Helped me out a lot when I was
coming up through the ranks with Davis Cup.
The last two and a half, three weeks has been good back at home. We've been
training extremely hard. Rochey's a tough taskmaster. We've put in a lot of
hours.
Yeah, he's got some good ideas which, you know, you're not going to see results
straightaway, but hopefully they come in the next six months to a year.
Q. Will you be talking to him after every match you play here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think so.
Q. Sometimes sports have a dominant player like Roger or Tiger Woods, they
thrive. But do you think tennis is better off with rivalries or can it thrive
with just one player who's clearly dominant?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. You know, the rivalries over the years have been
good for tennis I think, especially because of the different personalities as
well. We've been fortunate with guys in the past, whether it's McEnroe and
Connors, you throw Borg in there, a totally different personality. Sampras,
Agassi, too, totally different guys. You look at the moment, Roger and Nadal,
two totally different guys as well.
In those terms, we've been fortunate probably. Yeah, I think it definitely
helps, you know, because people want to see those matchups, see those guys come
head-to-head at the end of big tournaments.
Q. They've been 1-2 now for over two years. What is it going to take for
someone to crack those two?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A lot of good matches, you know. There's no secrets. They're not
going to get any worse. Guys are going to have to step up to the plate, play a
lot better week in and week out. Those guys are so good because they bring their
A game every week. Very rarely do they have a bad match. So it's a matter of,
you know, every week.
Nadal now has gotten extremely good on all surfaces. It's not like he comes in
on grass or hard court and you expect him to lose early. Both those guys, you
know, they deserve to be 1 and 2 at the moment.
Q. You spent your time at No. 1, occupying that space. Can you express how
hard it is to stay at that level with the depth and quality of men's tennis
today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's very tough. That's why you've got to take your hat
off to Roger. He makes it look easy. Yeah, everyone wants to go out there and
play their best tennis against the best player in the world.
Roger, he's been dominant for the last four or five years now. It's not an easy
thing. I think people probably take it for granted a little bit.
Q. You have had some great Australian rivalries back in the day. In the U.S.,
sometimes it's hard for people to warm up to a rivalry that doesn't include an
American. Is it the same in Australia? Is it something that the fans have to
grow to understand and appreciate?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think so, no. Yeah, I think -- come the Australian Open,
I think obviously those two guys will be 1-2 probably at the time. There's
obviously going to be a big buildup just like there was in January this year
that potentially they could play in the final. Nadal hasn't had his best results
at the Australian Open as of yet.
But, you know, I think the crowd would be - apart from myself - pretty excited
to see those two guys doing well.
Q. What did you think changed in the game since you and Juan Carlos were also
No. 1 in the world?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's always improving. A lot more players getting better. We
probably took it to another level, then Roger's taken it to another level again.
Yeah, a lot of things have changed.
I've had a few injuries over the years. Juan Carlos had the chickenpox and had a
few bad injuries which was tough to come back from, as well. He's a tough
competitor. He can match it with the best players, as I said, beating Blake at
Wimbledon pretty comfortably in four sets. That's his least favorite surface.
Q. Do you think it's really Roger and Rafael Nadal that came or how the
players have approached the game, it's more tough physically now than it was a
couple years ago?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Roger definitely took it to a new level, there's no doubt about
it. The game keeps improving. You've got to improve with the game. That's where
Roger has been so good over the last four or five years, he's sort of improving
as well. It's hard for anyone really to catch him.
Q. You talk about Nadal playing better on hard courts. Is it easier for a
clay courter to make that improvement as opposed to a hard court player trying
to learn how to play on clay?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. There's no question about it. Yeah, this is
one place, I think this hard court is quicker than a lot of other places around
the world, too. This is a lot quicker. It's a lot bouncier out there than a lot
of other places that we play. Indian Wells, Miami, those kind of tournaments are
a lot slower than this court.
You know, those slower hard courts definitely suit clay court players, a lot
easier to make that transition.
Q. What is your side of the story of playing doubles with Nadal? He said
yesterday you were talking in the Wimbledon locker room.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he asked me at Wimbledon. Yeah, quite often I like to play
a match of doubles the first tournament back from three or four weeks off just
on that surface to try and get a couple more matches under my belt. It's never
really bothered me who I've played with. There's not that many English-speaking
guys on the tour now, so I have to look elsewhere (smiling). If Hanners isn't
here, I don't have too many guys.
Obviously, I'm looking forward to it. I like Rafa a lot. I think he's great for
the game. He's got a great attitude. I don't know why the hell he would be
wanting to play doubles here after all the matches he's played. That just says,
you know, how much he enjoys competing.
Q. Said he was a little worried about being able to communicate with you on
the court.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, that could be a problem. I don't know if he'll
serve-volley, stay back, what he'll do. We'll work something out.
Q. Work out a code system.
LLEYTON HEWITT: We'll to something. We might both play singles and hopefully
still win.
Q. With getting married, the injuries, having a kid, being an older player,
you're a tremendous competitor. Can you look back the last five, six years where
you dipped maybe a little low in motivation, is that a normal thing that would
happen to any player as they mature?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really my motivation hasn't dipped too much over the time.
You get frustrated, yes, with niggling injuries and stuff where you feel like
you can't compete at your best. But in terms of motivation, there hasn't been
one time I've stepped on the court and think I'd rather be somewhere else, in
practice or the gym. That's one thing I've prided myself on, that every time I
go in the gym or in the practice court, it's business as usual.
In terms of that, the motivation for me's never changed. I've always wanted to
improve and try and get better. Maybe it comes with feeling good at the moment.
Looks a bit different, a little easier than it is some other times.
Q. Do your expectations change? When you're floating around 15, 20, even like
Juan Carlos, do you sort of have to make readjustments as to where you think
you're going to be in the game? Have you reached that point?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I'm not overly concerned about my ranking at the
moment. I'm more thinking about the Grand Slams and trying to get myself in as
good of nick as possible because Grand Slam's a different kettle of fish. You go
out there, draws open up. Over five sets, the guys that I've lost to this year
in the Grand Slams have been three pretty decent players.
You know, I like the US Open. My main focus is on that more than ranking
situation. In terms of points, though, I've only got a US Open quarterfinal for
the rest of the year. I feel like I'm a lot better player than where my ranking
is sitting at. I'd like to say I'm a dangerous floater now. Yeah, things change
(smiling).
Q. Can I ask you about the whole Davydenko betting story? What was your
reaction to it when it came out?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I didn't know much about it. It's obviously a little bit
strange.
Yeah, as far as I can see at this stage, you can't sort of read too much into it
until the investigation. I think the ATP were quick to jump on it. They're doing
everything in their power to work out what's happened and the situation.
Yeah, it's a hard one right at the moment. Till we find out more stuff, I think
it's hard for any player to sort of get their head around.
Q. Are you surprised by something like that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit I guess. I think there's so much for a player
to lose for going through something like that. Until it's all sorted out, who
knows.
End of FastScripts