AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2014

Andreas Seppi

A. SEPPI/L. Hewitt
7‑6, 6‑3, 5‑7, 5‑7, 7‑5

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Tough conditions.  Toughest maybe you ever played in?  Hottest?
ANDREAS SEPPI:  Yeah, I played I think a similar match here in the second round against Istomin.  It was same temperature, I think.  Was also over four hours in the fifth set.  So I think was pretty similar.
But this for sure is a different match, on center court, against Lleyton.  Yeah, so to get the win after five sets, for sure it's important feeling for me.

Q.  How conscious were you that you led throughout the match, you had early breaks in the third or fourth, then a break in the fifth.  Deep in the fifth, 4‑All, Hewitt is 30‑all.  He was finally up in the score.  How were you feeling at that stage?
ANDREAS SEPPI:  I was struggling a little bit in the beginning of the third set.  I was a little bit down also physically.  I think as the match went on, it was better and better.
Of course, I was twice break up in the third and the fourth, again in the fifth, then match point down.  I just keep, you know, playing my game.  I tried until the end.  I think it's the only thing you can do, you know, in a match like this.
For sure maybe you need a little bit of luck also.  But I just try to hang in and fight until the end.

Q.  So that bit of luck, was that the ace on match point?
ANDREAS SEPPI:  For sure it helped me a lot.  You never know if you have to play a rally, especially in that moment.  Lleyton was really not missing any more in the last games.  So for sure it was an important ace in the match.
I'm not serving so many, so I think it was the right moment.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports