US OPEN

August 31, 2002

Lleyton Hewitt

MODERATOR: Questions for Lleyton.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I feel good. You know, hopefully the body is going to pull up pretty well in a couple of days' time. You know, I knew it was going to be an extremely tough match before I went out there. I was prepared to lay it all on the line. You know, in the end it's only a few points here and there in a five-set match like that. You've got to take your chances. In the end, I was able to. I feel like I've stepped my game up, you know, since the first couple of rounds, as well. You know, for me, it's all positive.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. It's not a huge factor.

LLEYTON HEWITT: He just said, "Congratulations. Sorry about some of the crowd," something.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I didn't hear a lot of it. No, I didn't hear much. I was pretty focused out there today.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I went out there with the same attitude that I've taken into Davis Cup matches. I really felt that in my head I just got it in that I was playing for Australia out there. That was my whole mindset, you know, as soon as I walked on the court. When I felt like getting fired up, looking over to my bench, I tried to use all my positive energy when I needed to in that way. Apart from that, I just tried blocking everything else out. I worked a lot on going into that Spanish Davis Cup final a couple of years ago with Newk and Rochey. Newk and I sat down and had gone through a lot of things back then. I sort of drew strength from that, I guess, especially probably the match I played against Costa, winning in five, and also how I handled the situation down in Brazil against Guga.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I played well in the fifth. I got off to a good start. I knew I had to. I didn't want to go behind early and then, you know, him have the total momentum after swinging the fourth set around, getting on top early in the fifth. I was able to do that quite well. I was able to hold my serve quite well pretty easy in the first few games. I tried to step it up. He didn't give me too many chances to step it up too much on his service games. I felt like if I could have got a bit of a start in one of his service games, the opportunity was there, that's when I was going to try to nail it down and take it. Obviously that came when I got to Love-15, Love-30, then Love-40 eventually in that game. I was able to step it up, sort of raise the bar a little bit. From there on, it's still tough to serve it out, though.

LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, obviously when there's only one break in the fifth set, I guess that game obviously means a lot. You know, won it to Love. There wasn't one point. Getting off to a good start one of those first two points, I was able to get Love-15, Love-30, trying to take my chances from there. Apart from that, I can't remember that long ago. Obviously, the first set I lost, I felt like I was in control of the first set early, then I felt like he was probably having the better session towards the end of the first set. He had a few set points there, at least one. In the breaker, I felt like I was the better player early. Hit a double-fault at 5-All. That sort of changed things. He got the first set. The momentum was with him. To my credit, I was able to hang in there and try and get up an early break in the second.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, when I'm out there playing, I'm concentrating on other things, I guess. But, you know, obviously for sure, I think it's great for the game to have, you know, tough matches, especially two young guys I guess going out there and giving everything they've got out there. I don't know how long the match was, probably three and a half, around that area. It's tough conditions out there. You know, to see us not give an inch the whole match for three and a half hours to four hours, I think it's something we can both be proud of.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't hear what she said. I stopped because James turned around. I was ready to serve. I've got no idea. I didn't hear a lot of what the crowd said all day.

LLEYTON HEWITT: You're always going to get some nutters in the crowd. Can't do much about it.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Music? It's different. I'm not going to get up and dance, but it's all right (smiling). It is different. It's weird. I make myself not look at the score boards. I've got no idea what they're showing up there, whether it's - I don't know - video clips or what the hell it is. I hear the music. Yeah, it's good for the game I think because it gets the crowd, you know, involved in change of ends, whereas a lot of sports don't have like a little bit of a time-out, I guess. In that way, I think it's good for the game.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I didn't look at the screen once for my three matches or two matches that I played, and I didn't look at it last year.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not for me. For other players, maybe. I think somebody, maybe Agassi, got it turned off last year, the screen, at one stage during his match. For me, it hasn't been a problem. I don't even -- the whole time when I'm sitting down or playing my game, I don't look up there. I look to a couple of score boards now and then, that sort of situation, on the side of the court.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not really, no. I think last year I wasn't that emotional probably in some of my matches, you know, towards the end of the tournament. I felt like I got fired up today when I needed to. I felt like I got fired up in some of those matches. Even away Davis Cup matches, as well. I don't know why.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Patrick Rafter?

LLEYTON HEWITT: He's a nice guy, no doubt about that. I think everyone knows that. Yeah, I say a lot of "good shots" to a lot of opponents. It's not just because I'm playing James out there. Maybe he hits more good shots than some other guys I play, I don't know. Yeah, he's a nice guy. We get along fine off court.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, a lot's happened since sitting here, what am I, into the Round of 16. If you take it a year ago when I was in the Round of 16 there, I was a bit of a pidge really. I hadn't done anything. I was sort of in the Top 4 or 5 in the world. I hadn't made a breakthrough really in the Grand Slams yet. Made one semi here. A lot of things have changed since then. I've been able to, you know, obviously go -- I won here last year, then just sort of extended that, went after No. 1. I'm sort of just riding the wave basically. Obviously, start of the year wasn't as I hoped. I can't blame myself because of that, though. The clay court season was tough. But then obviously as soon as I got on the grass, I felt fantastic. I think the confidence I had on the grass, especially at Wimbledon, you can take it into a little bit of account, helps you with confidence. I was able to put together another, you know, seven tough matches there. Obviously, one was especially tough in the quarters against Schalken.

LLEYTON HEWITT: We can win, mate. We've probably got the best record. You know, we've got the double chance anyway.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Take too long. How about you just say best game in the world, leave it at that.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I don't know about confident. I play each game sort of on its merits, I guess. I know it's sudden death. I think I'm obviously in pretty good shape. Mentally I'm as tough as anyone, I guess, on the tour. I think those two are probably the biggest factors. My five-set record isn't the greatest, I don't think. I've won a few close ones, though, in the last couple of years in Slams. Obviously, I screwed it up against Escude in the Davis Cup final last year. But apart from that, you know, it's not bad.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. You know, obviously -- I don't know how good Patrick was before. I can't remember. I don't know if he was unbelievable.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I'll take your word for it. It doesn't surprise me. Obviously, you know, the one that made me want to play Davis Cup for Australia was obviously that first match I saw, two sets to love down, against Pioline on grass, White City. That's my first ever Davis Cup that I've seen live. You know, that basically said to me, "I want to be out there as soon as possible." That was it. In that way, that five-setter of Pat's, maybe it helped Australian tennis a little bit.