LLEYTON HEWITT

PRESS CONFERENCE/CONFERENCE DE PRESSE

MATCH:

SCORE/RESULTAT:

MONDAY, JULY 29, 2002/LUNDI 29 JUILLET 2002

AN INTERVIEW WITH:

LLEYTON HEWITT

 

TOUR OFFICIAL:  All right.  Questions.     

REPORTER:  Lleyton, how much was him and how much was you? 

LLEYTON HEWITT: He played extremely well.  He played a little better than I thought he would play especially on High Court.  His first week on hard court as well.  It was very humid conditions out there tonight as well which obviously I think helped him the heavier it was.  You know I came into net -- I actually felt like I hit the ball cleanly out there and I came into net, you know, a lot more times than I probably normally would on a High Court as well and I actually felt like I volleyed pretty well out there and, yeah, he just -- he stood back.  The balls are heavy.  Yeah the ... (Inaudible) ... Of balls we used and the conditions were very -- there was a lot of moisture in the air which didn't quite suit, you know, me matching up against him.

 

REPORTER: The fitness factor -- anything from last week or previously still with you?

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: It would have been nice to have another day like I requested but I can't do much about it now.  You know it was -- it was always going to be tough to come out and the first match on High Court after, you know, three weeks off and only picking up the racket a couple of days ago and, you know, I really didn't expect a hole heap coming in here but, you know, obviously I would have liked to have played a few more matches and got a bit more match tough going into the whole American summer but, you know, at the end of the day the U.S. Open is a big one for me and, you know, as long as I'm -- I have hit my strokes by then then I'll be happy.

 

REPORTER: Lleyton, what were you told when you asked for not to play on the first day?   Did they tell you right away that you had to play on Day One?

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: No.  I found out at 7:o0 o'clock on the golf course last night  --

 

REPORTER:  Really?

 

LLEYTON HEWITT:  -- when I rang up to find out if my practice partner was playing or not.  I was pretty happy with that. 

 

REPORTER: Lleyton, what about the rain delay?  How did that affect the momentum?  I mean that's a -- that seemed to change everything.

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: In some ways it did.  In some ways it -- probably the bigger thing for me was 6 -2, 4 -3 break. You know I sort of weathered the storm.  He'd come out and play great tennis at the start of the second set and I was able to sort of put that behind me and I worked my way back in the match.  I grinded it out and I got to 4-3 up a break.  And I don't know if you remember but, you know, the first point I hit a good first serve.  I  came in on a backhand.  He sort of hit a half flick, you know, looking the other way sort of pass me and, you know, that was a huge turning point I think because I double-faulted the next point and that gave him the momentum from then and even though it was 5-4, you know, when we went into the rain delay, it sort of had turned a little bit the momentum.  He was sort of, you know, hanging his head at 4-3 set in a breakdown and he was able to -- you know, he'd come back and to his credit he kept fighting it out and he played the better tennis.

 

REPORTER: What was the mental thing between being on Centre Court at Wimbledon and here in Canada?   How do you try to come back after such a big high?

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's obviously a lot different but, you know, there is no doubt that me in particular get up for bigger matches and it is easier to get up for bigger matches, especially coming out after the rain delay, and the crowd is half full out there and trying to play.  It's harder but that's when you have got to be still be able to win on this set of court or Wimbledon.  Yeah, the court is still the same.

 

REPORTER: Lleyton, did he surprise you at all at how well he played tonight?   He said tonight that he was even shocked about the level that he played at this evening because it seemed that you would give him a great rally.  He would somehow find a way of returning what you gave him.

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: He played it extremely well as I said before but the conditions really helped him I think.  He stood firmly (Ph) behind the baseline and he ran down everything.  I actually felt like I hit the ball pretty clean from the back of the court.  The court was -- you know maybe if we were playing in Montreal  where there is lightning quick courts like last year then I might have had a bit better chance.

 

REPORTER: How does this affect your overall preparation for the American summer?   What are you -- what are you going to change or what can you -- you know what would be the logistics sort of be doing?

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a lot.  I have done pretty shitty in Canada every year and then I've gone on and made the semis in the U.S., you know, and won it. I actually felt like I saw the ball well out there.  I was hitting it clean enough and, you know, I didn't win the big points.  I had a lot of breakpoints.  Even in that last game I had chances to break back and, you know, serve to stay in the match again and I wasn't able to do it and you come to, you know, U.S. Open time and, you know, I have got to be able to play the big points better because you get in those tough five set matches and there are only one or two points here or there and yet you can go from -- you know take an example the Roddick match last year there was probably only two or three points in it and I was able to get over that hurdle and then I went on to win it so, you know, I think taking your chances in the big matches is going to be the biggest difference hopefully.

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: Your mystery fitness problems that comes and goes, does that detract in any way from your preparation, or mentally, or anything like that but obviously it would be good to get it behind you but do you live with it?

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I can't do much about it.  I am trying as hard as I can and I have been able to block it out pretty well in the big tournaments.  I think I have been pretty mentally tough in the big time and have been able to deal with it and it hasn't affected me especially in the U.S. Open last year and Wimbledon this year so I can't see why it would be any different in three or four weeks time in New York.

 

REPORTER: One last question.  At the Cincinnati and Indianapolis, what would be your goals or what would be your realistic preparation for -- what you obviously want to do is get back to the Open in great shape.

 

LLEYTON HEWITT: I just want to be hitting the ball well I think by the end of those two tournaments.  I'm not going to -- I would love to win them  -- win the tournaments and have that confidence of match hard, you know, match toughness under your belt going in and the confidence of sort of being in a winning feeling as well but, you know, I think if I gradually just improve day-by-day for the next week or so, then I'll give myself a good chance of doing well in Cincinatti and Indianapolis.  Hopefully I'll get  a few more matches under my belt than I did here then. 

 

TOUR OFFICIAL:  Any other questions?   

Okay.  Thanks.