Lleyton Hewitt: "Davis Cup tennis is very important to me"

He is exceptionally energetic and fights to the very end. Australian Lleyton Hewitt, crowd-puller and former world No 1, made his debut at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Wednesday. Having taken a week off, he is eager as ever.

The first trophy you ever lifted was the Windmill Cup, which you won in Leeuwarden (the Netherlands). Do you have fond memories of the Low Countries?

"Yeah I remember the tournament. I still have that cup too. I won it when I was thirteen years old."

This is your first time in Rotterdam. What made you decide to come?

"I have never played an indoor tournament at this time of year. Last year, I watched my fiancée Kim Clijsters play in Antwerp. It was fun, but I was happy to do something else this year."

You beat Martin Verkerk and Raemon Sluiter together with your coach Roger Rasheed. Did it give you a sense of satisfaction?

"It was great to beat them in front of their home crowd. I would normally have played with Mark Philippoussis, and everybody thought I was joking when Roger and I entered the doubles tournament. He hasn’t played a competitive match in thirteen years. Luckily Krajicek took us seriously and gave us a wild card."

Is your fiancée Kim Clijsters here this week?

"She’s playing in Antwerp, which is only down the road."

Do you speak Dutch yet?

"No, I don’t. It’s a very difficult language. Everybody here also speaks English, which doesn’t make it any easier to pick up a few words."

Australia was beaten by Sweden in the first round of the Davis Cup. Does that mean you’ll be focussing on your own game this year?

"I was very disappointed when we lost, but sometimes things just don’t go your way. It does have its advantages – I’ll be able to take a few more breaks."

The Davis Cup final is always played towards the end of the year. Do you think that’s a good idea?

"No, I think it should be changed. The finalists should not have to play in the first round. Look at what happened to Juan Carlos Ferrero. He played in the Davis Cup final against Australia, and subsequently suffered a muscle injury during the Australian Open. It makes you wonder who benefits from the final being played so late. To make matters worse, you don’t even have time to enjoy your victory, particularly if you’re Australian. Our season starts almost immediately, and a lot is expected of us."

Are you toying with the idea of withdrawing from the Davis Cup team?

"I try to do all I can to accommodate the Davis Cup, and the remainder of my schedule is adjusted accordingly. In that sense, this year will certainly be different."

You were the world No 1 in early 2003, but slipped to 17th place during the year. Do you think you could become the No 1 again this year?

"It’s not what I’m thinking about at the moment. I’ll try to win one or two Grand Slam tournaments, which will make it much easier to end the year at the top of the rankings."

You played fewer tournaments in 2003 than you did in previous years. Are you planning to play more tournaments this year?

"You don’t have to make a court appearance every week to become the world No 1. I deliberately took some time off last year. It gave me the opportunity to spend some time at home and watch some Australian football. Loved it! Hadn’t done it for years either."

Do you have a dinner date with Kim this week?

"No, I don’t. I wouldn’t know how to get to Antwerp anyway."

Any plans to get married this year?

"I doubt it. We haven’t set a date yet."