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An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

August 10, 2007
R. FEDERER/L. Hewitt
6‑3, 6‑4


Q. What was it like to play him again today two years later? Has he changed? Have you changed?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a lot. Yeah, I think all in all, his game's still pretty similar to when I played him at the US Open. I think that was the last time we played, in the semis in 2005.
You know, obviously he's got a great serve that sets up a lot of cheap points for him. He's got a good second serve to back it up. You know, he's got a great forehand and that's where he can dictate play.
Over the last five years, that's been the difference, I think. His forehand, he can hit winners from anywhere on the court.

Q. Is it pretty hard to get away from his forehand?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, if you don't get it up good enough into his backhand, he's able to run around. There's a couple of times he did it, he just chipped the returns back. I didn't quite step in a couple of times enough and penetrate into his backhand, then straightaway he's on you.
He generates a lot of pace from very little effort on that forehand, as well.

Q. Anybody else on the tour that's at all similar to him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think so. Yeah, he's ‑‑ yeah, Nadal's ball is totally different to Federer's. But the way that he can step up in the court and, you know, hit the ball on the rise coming forward, follow it into the net, no one else can do it like that.

Q. A couple of times where you look like you hit a quite decent return, he'd still step into it, smash it down the line.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he passed pretty well today, as well. I felt like I took it to him. On a fair few occasions out there, even when I got broken in the first set, I had game point. He played a couple of good points. Then on breakpoint, I came in on his backhand, he sort of just did a flick half volley up the line.
Still could go anywhere, but he made a lot of backhand passes today.

Q. After this match can you judge a little bit how close you are of going back to No. 1?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, it's hard to say. You know, you got to play ‑‑ I felt like all in all, ball‑striking‑wise today, I hit the ball pretty well. We had a lot of good rallies out there. There's a lot of positives to take out of this match.
This week, the couple of matches I played before today, I hit the ball okay, but it's a totally different match‑up than playing Roger. I felt like I took it to him. I had a lot of chances to break serve. He came up with big serves on big points.
He saved two breakpoints there late in the first set with two big aces out wide, 210 Ks, I think. I had a lot of 30‑All points on his serve, as well. I felt like he was having a pretty good serving day.
So, yeah, if he's a little bit off sometimes, maybe I would have got a few more opportunities to break.

Q. You consider yourself improving?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I felt like today I improved from yesterday's match. A different kind of match. I knew I was going to have to take it up to Roger. I felt like, yeah, if I served a little bit better today, it would have given me a bit better chance, I think. He returned well, though. He got a lot of returns back in play, which makes you go for that little bit more. His forehand return, you know, puts you under a lot of pressure, as well.

Q. How do you evaluate your performance in general in this tournament?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's been a good week for me. Yeah, after a few weeks off after Wimbledon, to come out, it's disappointing I lost today, but I felt like I got better with every match. Come through a couple of tough matches. Ferrero in the first round is not an easy draw either. It was good to get through that one. Yeah, there's a lot of positives I can take out of this week and this last match today.

Q. Just as a tennis player, forget about the crowds, the money, is there a satisfaction or something about playing him as a player, to measure against him, have the thrill of playing that high level in the game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You love playing the best players. That's what you look forward to. He's obviously the best guy around at the moment.
For me, it was a good chance. We hadn't played for a couple of years. I always look forward to that challenge.
Yeah, it's always nice to play the better players, I think, especially in big arenas and big tournaments as well.

Q. According to the official data, you won two‑thirds of the points on his second serve. Is it something you can build on for your match‑up against him? Also is there something he needs maybe a bit to improve to make sure to win the tournament here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: The way he played today, I can't see him losing the tournament. But, you know, obviously, his match‑up, if Rafa gets through, Rafa's had the wood on him a little bit in big matches, except on grass.
I felt like I returned his second serve pretty well today. He doesn't have an easy second serve to return. It's still heavy with a lot of kick. I felt like I stepped up in the court, went after it, took my opportunities on that. It was just a shame that on some of those bigger points, you know, I wasn't able to get a second serve. He came up with big first serves and he hits the lines on a lot of points.
Yeah, it's a little bit like playing Pete. Pete, at his best, came up with a lot of big first serves. You were sort of looking, hoping you were going to get an opportunity on a second serve, and it just doesn't happen.

Q. Having to play him, having your coach be a guy that coached him three months ago, did that in any way change or help you? How did that play into the match today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a big difference, I don't think, just yet. Yeah, I can definitely see areas of his game where Rochey's helped him over the years, last few years. It's just little things, you know, that I think I've seen Rochey work on with Pat over the years when I was in Davis Cup. Roger does some of those things extremely well, as well. There's no doubt that Rochey instilled that into him. Roger's so talented that he's able to do it and execute it perfectly (smiling).
Yeah, in terms of little knowledge, I pick up little things when I play against him, as well. Yeah, there's little things that I take out of today's match hopefully for the next time I play him.


site officiel
http://www.rogerscupmen.com/2/fr/draws/interviews/hewitt_10.asp

An interview with LLeyton Hewitt

August 15, 2007 - Cincinnati
L HEWITT d R Gasquet
6/1 3/2 Ret. (right hand - blister)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously he was struggling a bit toward the end, but you seemed to be playing better today.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. I played a lot better. Came out the blocks well. At the start he was hitting the ball like he always does. He's very fluent from the back of the court and he's got all the shots and hits a lot angles as well off both sides.
I got out of the second game of the match and then the next game I played a really good game. I put pressure on him and hit a good return to break serve. And just try and consolidate. I was down Love 30 and got out of that game and that was big, and that opened the doors a little bit.

Q. You had such a long day yesterday. You've obviously recovered from the long match yesterday.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Pretty well. As well as I can.

Q. Were you sore this morning?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I was a little bit tired. But warming up, that was probably a little bit harder today than yesterday. But once the adrenaline gets going, yeah, I feel like I've done all the hard work. I know that once I get on court I'm going to run around like a greyhound and get a lot of balls back.

Q. You probably didn't want to win this way, but was it also nice to get a break given the you played almost three hours yesterday?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was good for me. I felt like I was getting on top. I was serving pretty well today as well. Even throughout the second set there my service games were pretty comfortable.
Obviously I was getting in his game in that last game before he stopped. For me hopefully it was only going to be a couple more games before I got off anyway.

Q. You looked to be coming into the net a lot today. Was that part of the strategy against him, or something you're trying to do more?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I just felt like after yesterday I probably had a lot of missed opportunities where I could've come in and put pressure on him, and I tried to work on that today. Just adding another dimension to my game.
It's not easy though. Both guys that I've played the last few days their strength is probably their backhand, and they both have great backhand passes. I came in on one ball early today in the match against Gasquet and he hit a great backhand pass on me.
So you really do have to pick and choose the right ones. Then again, you don't want to get too down on yourself if you do it and they come up with a shot like that. You need to keep telling yourself if they're good enough to do that they're too good.

Q. Do you have any thoughts on the ongoing investigation involving Davydenko and that match where a lot of money was placed against him Poland? I was wondering what was your thoughts on gambling and tennis in general.
LLEYTON HEWITT: We went through it all last week, but until the investigation is done it's out of players' hands and I don't have anything to do with it basically. It's obviously awkward for Nikolay at the moment with that sort of sitting over his head and trying to play and compete and beat tournaments as well.
Obviously something strange has happened, and I thought the ATP were pretty quick to get onto it and sort of done everything in their power so far to try and find out and get to the bottom of it.

Q. Were you surprised that happened?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I guess a lot of people out there gamble on a lot of things. On everything basically. That's why you know, there's so many gambling agencies out there that you can do it through.
In terms of tennis, I think all the players have been warned and told enough times to know that they shouldn't be doing anything if they are. If he's found guilty then there's going to be a bit of trouble for him.

Q. Some of French guys last week were saying that they had calls some of the doubles players that they had calls from people offering them money to throw matches. Have you heard of anything like that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No. I haven't heard of anything.

Q. That's amazing. In their hotels.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. If that happens it's amazing.

Q. It's never happened to you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No. I've never heard of it. I guess in tennis maybe it's easier in a little way because it's a two horse race. But, yeah, I'd like to think that every player out there is playing for the right reasons.

Q. Is part of the reason you're coming forward more from working with Tony? Is he suggesting that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. That's one of the things he wants me to try and do a little bit more. But, yeah, still something that's going take time. Doesn't happen overnight. It's obviously something, that and my serve, are two of the main points.

Q. So many players seem to hit better passing shots on the run than they do straight out.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Sometimes. The last couple days the I was surprised with a couple of the shots Wawrinka hit on the full run yesterday, especially off his backhand. He was extremely strong on the stretch. Gasquet is known for that. That's one of his strengths.
For me it's more of a mix up, a change up a little bit. And as I said, just to have it my back pocket if I need it use it.

Q. What about your prospective opponents? You've played Melzer.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. I played Ancic I think once two years ago here in the third round. He's coming back obviously from a long lay off and he's a quality player. Yeah, if he's feeling strong and feeling good then he's always going to be tough to beat. The way that he plays it's aggressive from the back of the court and got a big serve.
Melzer is a dangerous opponent. You're never really sure what he's going to throw at you. He's got an all court game as well. He's capable of coming in and does volley very well.

Q. What role does your family play in your tennis at this point in your career?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Big role. You know, obviously for me having my wife and child travel with me means a lot. It's a lot easier for me to just worry about going out and playing tennis and not missing them so much. That's the biggest thing for me. I feel comfortable with it.

site officiel
http://www.cincytennis.com/2/en/players/interviews/2007/hewitt3.asp

An interview with Lleyton Hewittl

Monday, August 27, 2007



THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Obviously choosing your hitting partners carefully.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit at the moment. Yeah, you know, it was good to hit with a big server today, get a little bit of rhythm on my returns, which was good.
Yeah, my first round opponent's got a pretty big serve, so it's important.

Q. What do you know of him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've never seen him play a lot. I think this kind of court probably suits his game the best. He's an attacking player with a big serve, got a big game. Yeah, so it's a matter of trying to weather the storm a little bit.

Q. Feeling pretty confident heading into the Open?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I feel good at the moment. You don't look too far ahead.
You know, as always, I'm just sort of looking to try and get through this first round against Delic. He's a dangerous opponent. Trying to put myself in the right frame of mind to move forward.

Q. What is it about American hard courts that brings out the best in you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sure. I've always felt pretty comfortable here, I think. I won the doubles back in 2000, obviously won in 2001. I've always felt comfortable. It suits my game, I think. Grew up on hard courts.
Yeah, conditions, I think atmosphere here in New York, and also it's my personality as well probably.

Q. Is it the speed of the court, bounce of the ball?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, the speed over the years, probably quickens up as the tournament goes on, the more matches and hitting that's been on the courts. Last two weeks, Montréal and Cincinnati, have been reasonably quick, I'd say. Ball's been flying a bit, so...

Q. When you say it suits your personality, what do you actually mean by that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's probably a bit louder crowd here, I think, in terms of sometimes people yelling out occasionally during points, if you're playing Americans, gets pretty loud. Especially it's the biggest stadium we get to play in front of any year.
Yeah, I enjoy playing in big atmospheres. I look forward to the big matches. So this is one of the best center courts to play tennis in, I think.

Q. You've had a good month: Montréal, Cincinnati. How does the pace of those courts compare to here? Similar? Quicker?
LLEYTON HEWITT: At this stage, probably playing a little bit quicker, I think. It was probably more the conditions in Montréal and Cincinnati. You know, it was pretty hot days, couple of them. Ball was flying around a fair bit in both those tournaments. You know, here, I think the court's quicken up every day a little bit more, here in New York, rather than at the start when you first get here when guys haven't hit on the courts that much, there hasn't been that much play, probably a little bit slower. I think it's quickened up a little bit over the last couple days already.

Q. You'd expect to like the courts a bit more the longer you go?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Maybe. I'm not complaining about the pace they're at at the moment.

Q. Do you approach this Slam differently to the other three? If so, how?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, no. All the Slams I approach with the same mindset. For me it's important not to look too far ahead, focus on who you got to play at the start, doing all the right things preparation wise.
All the slams are as important as any. You know, obviously this is a special place for me, where I first won it. Yeah, I always look forward to coming back and playing here.

Q. What sort of influence has Rochey had on your game in the short time you've been, working with him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Just a little bit in terms of we trained a couple weeks in Sydney, which was good, some hard work. Yeah, he's got some ideas for my game that probably won't come out right at the moment. It's more probably six months, a year away, hopefully I'll be playing my best tennis.
You know, hopefully I'm on the right track at the moment.

Q. How you going to liaise with him while you're here? Just telephone?
LLEYTON HEWITT: We'll go to the commentary booth, set up a video thing (laughter).
No, just phone.

Q. Conference call?
LLEYTON HEWITT: That's about it. I'll talk to him now and then.

Q. Was there any thought to having him here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No. He wasn't coming here no matter who he was with. He's got another grandchild being born in the next few days. That was always a plan, months and months ago, whether it was with Roger or anyone else.

Q. Obviously been a while since you've won a Slam. Slim pickings the last couple years with Nadal and Federer. Must still have quite an appetite for one more?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. I'd love nothing more than to win another Slam. Yeah, there's not that many guys I think that are capable of winning them, to tell you the truth. There's outside guys that are capable of making semis, finals, making a bit of a run.
But obviously, as you said, Federer in three out of the four has been the standout, and Rafa has been the standout in the other one. The last three, four, five years, those two guys have dominated the Grand Slams, the big tournaments.
You see a couple of good runs from González, Baghdatis, these guys. Apart from that, there really hasn't been a standout to an actual real contender.
I obviously put myself up there when I'm playing my best just behind those guys, so...

Q. Nice to be on the other side of the draw to Roger?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, yeah. If I'm going to win the tournament you're probably going to have to play him sometime (smiling), whether it's the round of 16 or final.

Q. It would be nice in the final?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It would be nice. Sometimes he plays his best tennis in the finals, too.
Yeah, at this stage, Djokovic is actually in my section. If I get a crack at him, it would be nice.

Q. Would you put Andy Roddick in that group of those who have a shot here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Absolutely. He plays his best tennis probably on this surface I think in these conditions. So, you know, he's definitely in that next group. Roger's obviously the favorite. Andy I'd say is in that next group just under him. He made the final here last year. He obviously plays pretty well under Connors. Connors likes this place, as well.


site officiel
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2007-08-27/200708271188241172453.html

An interview with Lleyton Hewitt



Lleyton Hewitt 15.01.08
Tuesday, 15 January, 2008

Q. That would have to be the best start you've had in a Grand Slam.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's up there definitely. Didn't do too much wrong today, especially against ‑‑ I didn't really know a lot about my opponent either.

It's never easy coming into a Grand Slam. First match is always tough, especially not knowing much about the other guy. He obviously knew a fair bit about my game.

So, you know, I went out there and was aggressive at the start and tried to dictate and got off to a good start.

Q. Was that the key to your game, aggressiveness?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I felt I mixed it up well, was aggressive when I needed to and stepped it up on his second serve. You know, especially early in the first set was able to put pressure on his second serve. You know, that made him go after his first serve a little bit more.

You know, then I just felt like I could dictate points from there on in, which made it ‑‑ made him feel like he had to go for a lot more.

Q. Was there something particular you worked on with Rochey that you saw the fruits of today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Everything is pretty good out there today. You know, obviously against that guy, you know, in the end I felt like I could do pretty much what I wanted to do out there and play on my terms, which is good.

Against the better players they're not going to give you as much opportunity to do that. But, you know, with that said, I felt like I went out there and was aggressive and took what I've been working on in practice on to the match court. Got off to a good start.

Q. Was there anything that Tony wasn't happy with today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not that I've heard yet. Wait till I get on the court tomorrow.

No, I think he's pretty happy so far.

Q. Do you still get the collywobbles just before you go out for an Australian Open?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Collywobbles? Football team gets that, mate (laughter).

Q. Butterflies in the stomach.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you always get nervous and anxious. I get it every week, but always in Grand Slams. You know, I think any athlete gets that.

You know, especially probably first round, as well, you want to get yourself into the tournament a little bit.

So, yeah, you're always a little bit anxious to try and get that first one under your belt.

Q. No more so this time? You had been out of the game for quite some time last year. No greater anxiety to want to do well?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. You know, I was looking forward to getting into the tournament, that's for sure. Feels like it's been a few months waiting just to get this tournament going.

Yeah, it's nice to get your foot in the door now and sort of have something there to build on.

Q. You said you worked on your serve. Was there anything that you tinkered with that worked well today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I felt like the last few days in practice I've been serving really well. I've just been hitting the spots. You know, the ball toss has been in the right spot. You know, just getting the right amount of spin on it.

Yeah, stuff that Rochey and I have been working on the whole time. I felt in Adelaide and Sydney I served in patches, even when I lost to Gooch. I started to get my serve going in that match. I felt a lot more confident with my service games.

Obviously serving against a guy like Gooch, a little bit different than serving against the best returners, as well. But I felt that was sort of a steppingstone. Then I continued it all last week in practice.

Q. There's been some impression about you can mix it with the top players anymore. Does that give you confidence you can, give you that confidence boost?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I know I can, so it doesn't really worry me too much what other people say. So, you know, it's a matter of going out there and doing it, though.

Yeah, as I said, you know, today's one match down, and they're only going to get tougher from now on.

Q. What do you know about the next one?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Nothing yet. Yeah, I don't know. I just know he won in four sets. Rochey and I will do our homework, though. We'll know a fair bit about the guy before we go on.

Q. You've never seen him play?

LLEYTON HEWITT: No.

Q. Two sets up and 5‑Love, 30‑Love, you called for the Hawk‑Eye on that line call. Tell us about your reasoning for doing that. Given the circumstances of the match, do you take any of that into account?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. I think you have to. You have three up your sleeve before the end of each set these days, then another one in the tiebreak.

Yeah, obviously in that situation I could have done one on the last three points, got them all wrong and it still wouldn't really matter.

Right at the start, when it first came out, you're a little bit ‑‑ I was a little bit backwards towards when to really do it and when you needed to.

That ball, I didn't actually see it when it went past me. There were a couple of ball marks on the court so I couldn't tell. I asked the umpire. He said it was close, and that's when I decided to ‑‑ might as well throw one out there.

Q. Obviously you're well ahead at that stage. Do you take that into account? Do you really need to challenge this one?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. You challenge it on whether you think there's an opportunity there. Yeah, I think towards the end of sets is where more guys are going to challenge, obviously, especially in closer situations when they've got a couple of extra ones up their sleeve.

Q. How much more settled do you feel than this time last year? You've settled in with Tony. Everything seems to be heading in the right direction. Do you feel that's impacting on your game or that it will very soon?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think so. I think, you know, just having Rochey in my corner, as well, to have a couple of months of hard work, you know, the mutual respect we have for each other, just going out there and practicing and doing all the hard yards.

I know I've done all the hard work with him. We've put in all the hours, you know, that we needed to and prepared as well as possible.

So in terms of that, you know, you just got to worry now about going out there and executing and playing. You know, I don't have too many distractions worrying if I'm fit enough or if I've hit enough balls or worked on the right areas of my game, stuff like that, which is a good thing to know.

Q. How curious are you and some of the other players to see what Roger's going to look like tonight because of the health problems?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. Probably won't watch at all. Unless I get to the semis and he's there. He'll obviously be hitting the ball pretty well if he gets there then.

Q. How much stock do you put into Santoro's record for breaking Agassi's record for Slams in the Open era, and why do you think he's the guy that's done it?

LLEYTON HEWITT: He will today?

Q. Yes.

LLEYTON HEWITT: What is that?

Q. 62.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Just played the most Slams?

Q. Yes.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Okay. Yeah, well, he's been around for a long time and he's still ‑‑ obviously made the semis last week in Sydney. Yeah, he's a very dangerous player. I'm not even sure how old he is, 35, 36 now maybe. Yeah, it's a great record to have, I guess.

Q. Do you feel it's a real accomplishment?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Absolutely. To be able to go out there and put yourself ‑‑ do all the hard work to prepare for Grand Slams isn't easy. For him to be able to keep doing it at that age, and probably more so with him with the game that he's got, because he's not going to blow guys off the court either.

You know, Andre's a little bit different because he can go out there and dictate play and play on his terms a lot more than Fabrice can.

Q. Can you see yourself out there in your mid 30s in Grand Slams?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. That's a long way. This is my 12th Australian Open in a row. That will put me in the 20s.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2008-01-15/200801151200378881832.html

Interview de Lleyton Hewitt
- 4ème jour : mercredi 28 mai 2008 -


Q. Tu as commencé ta campagne sur terre battue et tu l'as emporté.
R. Oui, c'est bien. Hier, c'était difficile pour tous les joueurs. C'est bien de se qualifier aujourd'hui pour le deuxième tour. Les conditions sont capricieuses, notamment, sur ce court. La balle vole, on ne sait pas exactement où elle va aller. C'était dur pour les 2 joueurs, il fallait être très bon mentalement. Je m'en suis bien sorti.
Au troisième set, il m'a donné du fil à retordre, mais j'ai plié le match et en suis très content.

Q. As-tu eu des problèmes de rythme pendant le match ? As-tu ressenti que tu avais un déficit ?
R. C'est vrai, je ne suis pas à 100 %. Je me suis senti parfois un peu gêné, mais rien de grave. J'essaie de jouer autant que faire se peut, on verra ce qui se passera. Mais je suis très content de l'avoir emporté en 3 sets. C'est un adversaire très dangereux.

Q. Au troisième set, il t'a donnée du fil à retordre. Etait-ce bien de revenir et gagner 4 jeux de suite ?
R. Oui, tout à fait. C'est un très gros serveur, il a un service kické, lifté remarquable. Et sur ce court, plus sec que les autres, c'était plus dur. Son service gicle et après, il essaie de dicter le jeu, mais sur mon retour de service, je suis resté très concentré, j'ai essayé de le déplacer, de le faire bouger, de le mettre dans des positions un peu de difficiles. Ensuite, je me suis appuyé sur mes coups et j'ai profité de ses erreurs.

Q. Etait-ce important de remporter les deux premier sets pour un premier match ?
R. C'est vrai que ce n'est pas facile de jouer un français. C'est son tournoi de l'année. Dès le départ, j'ai pu prendre le dessus et exercer de la pression sur lui.

Q. Tu vas jouer contre Calleri ou Fish.
R. Ce sont de très bons joueurs. Ils sont très dangereux quand ils jouent très bien. Fish a très bien joué à Indian Wells, j'ai d'ailleurs perdu contre lui. J'ai perdu aussi contre Calleri. Ces joueurs ont de bons premiers services, des coups extraordinaires. Il va falloir tenir le coup. J'espère que je l'emporterai.

Q. Vas-tu faire partie du prochain match de Coupe Davis ?
R. Je ne sais pas. Ce n'est pas maintenant. Moi, je me concentre sur les Grand Chelem. Je ne suis pas affûté physiquement. Je ne peux pas me projeter.

Q. Que penses-tu de ce match de coupe Davis contre le Chili ?
R. Ce sera difficile pour les deux pays, ils ont besoin d'être têtes de série. Ils ne devraient pas se rencontrer.

Q. Qui est favori ? Vous allez jouer sur terre battue.
R. La terre battue ne me dérange pas. Je ne vois pas pourquoi vous posez la question.

Source

An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

June 13, 2008
LONDON, ENGLAND
N. DJOKOVIC/L. Hewitt
6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Lleyton.

Q. You weren't quite able to launch a comeback like you did yesterday. What do you put that down to today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he served a lot better than I did, you know, throughout the whole match, especially on big points. I felt like I was able to get into quite a few of his service games, got to deuce a couple of times even in the first set, and then obviously had three breakpoints in a long game there to break back in the second.
He served well on the big points. I gave him too many looks at second serves. I got off to a slow start, as well, and didn't take it to him probably as much as I could have I think early in the first set.
Yeah, he's as good a ball-striker as there is around right at the moment. And when you let him dictate, he's a very good player.

Q. Did you notice differences in his game on grass this time to Wimbledon last year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, not a whole heap. He didn't make a lot of unforced errors out there today, though. Last year he served well, as well, on the big points. He's been doing that since he got to the top 10, top 5 in the world. He does that fairly consistently, hits a lot of lines out there, especially on his first serve.
He didn't give a lot of cheap points away out there today. But, you know, I didn't quite put him under enough pressure to be able to -- to put him under that pressure to have him give me a couple of easy points, as well.

Q. Does a loss like that make you feel like you've still got quite a way to go for Wimbledon or are you encouraged by how you've played this week?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was a strange match because I actually felt like I started hitting the ball pretty well towards the end of the match there. Yeah, he's obviously extremely confident right at the moment. Every time he steps on the court, no matter what surface it's on, he's always going to be a tough player to come up against.
The big difference today was the serving. He served a lot better than I did. If I could have put him under a little bit more pressure and stayed with him early in both sets, then that could have made life a little bit more difficult for him.

Q. Everyone is talking about the aftermath of that final in Paris last week, if the two of them meet up again in the Wimbledon final. Obviously Novak is a contender now, isn't he?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, last year he obviously beat me in a tough match, then beat Baghdatis in a tough match, took the first set off Nadal before he forfeited in the semi of Wimbledon. Up till then he hadn't really had great success on grass.
Yeah, he's just going to get more and more confidence I think playing on grass over the years. He moves as well as anyone out there, as well. He can flatten the ball out, make life tough for both Roger and Rafa, I think.

Q. How is the injury, the hip injury?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's still hanging around there a little bit. I don't expect it to disappear overnight. Yeah, it's a matter of just getting on the court, trying to get through as well as possible.

Q. Does the hip rule out the golf course?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't played golf for a few months. I haven't actually tested it with golf. When I was home, I couldn't do much for a couple of months really. Haven't been able to test it. But I won't be testing it before Wimbledon.

Q. Normally next week...
LLEYTON HEWITT: I played once last year here. Yeah, I don't think I'll be going out this year.

Q. Next week will just be practice? Will you play a couple of matches in the exhibition?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not sure. At this stage just practice. I'm happy with the matches I got this week. A couple areas to still work on. Yeah, once I get over to Wimbledon hopefully in a week's time, I'll have more confidence on the grass, as well.

Q. Is there a difference at Aorangi and Wimbledon compared to here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: There's a little bit. I'm not exactly sure what it is, though. That's the hardest thing. But it's definitely a little bit of difference. It probably starts a little bit longer I'd say at Wimbledon, but it's got to last two weeks as well, whereas here it's only a week's tournament. The first couple days at Wimbledon, it's probably a little bit longer than they need to have it here.

http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=50196

An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

L. Hewitt - June 23
Monday, 23 June 2008
Lleyton Hewitt def. Robin Haase 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2

Q. Obviously a very tough match. Good to get through.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you know, tried to do as much homework before the match. Spoke to quite a few players. I'd never really seen him play that much before. And, you know, all the guys I spoke to and had played against him said he was a very dangerous player.

So, you know, I was expecting a tough match out there today. Yeah, he served extremely well for five sets. Perhaps, you know, lost his first serve percentage a little bit in the fifth set, which I had to take advantage of.

But apart from that, you know, he's got a lot of firepower from both sides as well.

Q. Does it get harder to come through five set matches like that as you get older, do you think?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes and no. But, you know, if I get into a fifth set I'm feeling pretty confident. So, you know, obviously I was disappointed that I lost the fourth set because I felt like I had the whole momentum in the fourth set. I just wasn't quite able to get those, you know, little chances or take those chances throughout the fourth set.

But, you know, obviously he came out and won it in a tiebreak. You know, I was a little thankful that I was going to be advantage in the fifth set.

Q. Do you think it was your experience that counted against his maybe ?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit. I lost serve once for the match, and that was only at 5-1 in the third set, I think. So apart from that I really didn't feel like I was under pressure a lot on my service games, and I felt like I was putting a lot more pressure on his.

That's the good thing about five sets out there. The fifth set is an advantage set. Even though he played a couple of great sets where I couldn't break his serve, I was still able to get, you know, through.

Q. These are pretty crucial times for the ATP. Are you satisfied with the board election that took place this weekend? Do you favor retaining Etienne de Villiers as the chairman or would you like to see a change at the top?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I didn't I still don't know anything about the board, who is on the board or the council. To tell you the truth, I haven't been that worried about it, especially this week.

Yeah, right at the moment I haven't been on the tour leading into the French Open, whatever, when the guys were having a lot of talk about what should probably be going on in that. Right at the moment I'm not too fussed.

Q. Does it worry you that it was that hard a game on day one? Does it affect your confidence at all about how far you can go this time?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. When you sit down at the start of the tournament, to win the tournament, you have to win seven best of five matches. You got to get through those seven matches somehow.

Every opponent's different, and my opponent on Wednesday's gonna be it's gonna be chalk and cheese with the guy that I played today in terms of my whole strategy against him. They're both styles of play as well. You really have to focus on that match that you have to come up against.

Q. Do your expectations lower as you get further away from 2002?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, no.

Q. When you say "chalk and cheese," what do you remember of Montanes from the last time you played him two years ago?
LLEYTON HEWITT: On grass he doesn't have the biggest serve. He's not going to serve me off the court like this guy could potentially today. Yeah, he's got a sneaky sort of slice serve out there and then a pretty good kick second serve, but you're always going to have a shot at it.

The toughest thing, he's a clay court specialist, there's no doubt about that. He's going to have a good forehand and he moves well. But, you know, he's not going to feel that comfortable on grass, which is a good thing.

Q. How, specifically, does the hip affect you when you're playing? Is it about speed? Is it about direction?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit of everything, yeah. It's sort of yeah, every shot pretty much at different times. Obviously, when I've got to move and get in certain positions, then it's a lot worse obviously.

But it's not just one position that, you know, I sort of say, yeah, that's it. That's where I feel it, so...

Q. Could you estimate what percentage fitness you are at at the moment?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard to put a number on it really. Right at the moment I'm probably a little worse than four hours ago (smiling). But, yeah, it's hard to put a number on it. But come Wednesday I'll be fine.

Q. What do you do treatment wise between now and then?
LLEYTON HEWITT: There's not a whole lot I can really do to turn it around in such short notice. It's more ice, massage, yeah, just stretching, trying to not make it any worse in the next 24 hours, 48 hours.

Q. How many foot faults were you called for? How distracting is that to you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not sure how many got called in the end. The more distracting part is probably, yeah, after you get called once you stand back a bit further obviously, because for some reason there's only one person that kept calling. We played two and a half sets without that one person when they changed people, and then the same bloke came back again and I got done again.

That was my query to Fergus Murphy in the chair. Even when that other person down the other baseline end wasn't calling foot faults. And then we swapped and got two totally new people when they changed linespeople and they both didn't call it.

Then this bloke's come back again and called it, so that was my biggest query.

Q. Was he right to call your conduct unsportsmanlike?
LLEYTON HEWITT: When I tapped the ball over to him?

Q. Whatever the guy in the chair called you unsportsmanlike for.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. After I held serve I just tapped the ball across. It didn't touch him.

Q. Was it a fair call by him, or not?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I would doubt it. No, I would be fighting that.

Q. When you come back each year, do you have any sense of how many more Wimbledons you have left in you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I guess more so probably with injuries you're just never sure what's around the corner. Obviously coming here this year, yeah, for me two months ago, there were probably a few doubts that I'd be able to play here. Speaking to doctors and getting scans and that.

I had to make decisions on where I felt I was at and whether it was, you know, too much risk to come and play here and the French Open.

So, yeah, probably more so from an injury front you just don't know what's around the corner. But in terms of playing, yeah, doesn't cross my mind. I'm thankful that I'm here this year and enjoying it.

Q. I think I'm right that you were hitting with Andy Murray over the weekend here.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, we warmed up one day.

Q. Can you give us an indication, did his game seem pretty sharp to you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, we didn't do anything the day we hit. It was blowing a hurricane yesterday, so... It was very hard to judge where Andy's at just on that hit. Obviously he's got an outside chance of doing well here and going into the second week of a Grand Slam.

I don't think he's made a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam yet. I have no idea what his draw's like. But potentially with the way that he plays, he moves extremely well on this surface, he's got a shot.

Q. Do you have any advice for Gooch, whose Grand Slam record is a bit underwhelming at this point, and he had another disappointing loss today. Do you speak to him at all about how he can turn things around? He is obviously the successor to you clearly when you do go.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I only just found out before I walked in here that he'd lost today. Yeah, it's a tough one. Playing a lucky loser, I don't know when he would have found out that he's playing a different guy. I don't know if he knew much about the guy, as well.

It's a tough situation in that, but there's no doubt that he's got to take advantage of that, as well. So, yeah, he's been a little under the weather this whole week, as well, which isn't the best thing. But over five sets on this surface, he'd have to like his chances.

Yeah, even if he's not feeling a hundred percent he's got to try and find a way to get through those matches in Grand Slams. That's where he's really got to get to that next level, that's what he needs to do.

Q. What do you think of your draw with Federer in the fourth round?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not even focused on that at the moment. I got to get there.

Q. Doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I might play him in the final if I was in the other half. I'm not sure what you're getting to.

Q. Do you spend much time with the sort of up and coming kids in Australia like Bernard Tomic?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't spent a lot with Bernard. He was at our last Davis Cup tie. That was pretty much the first time I met him, seen him around at all. I probably spent more time. Out of the juniors, probably Brydan Klein over the last couple years, purely because he's been at Davis Cup ties, I've been able to hit with him quite a bit.

You try and help them out as much as possible. I've had some of the younger guys come across to my house in Sydney and hit there as well. Yeah, when it fits in, it's good for them, and it's good for me, as well.

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An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

L. Hewitt Interview - 25 June
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
L. HEWITT bt A. Montanes 7-6, 6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Lleyton Hewitt. First question, please.

Q. Given how tough it was the other day, how much of a bonus was it for you today to get through so quickly?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was good to get through in straight sets. You know, first set was difficult, though, because it was such a different opponent to the other day. He was serving well. It was hard to get into his service games.

When I did get 15-30 or Love-30 a couple of times in the first set he came out with some good first serves. You know, he's got a very underrated serve. It's not the best serve, it's not the biggest out there, but it's very hard to do anything with.

As the match went on, though, I felt more and more comfortable with how I was playing.

Q. How is the hip feeling?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, same as it's been the last couple of months.

Q. Did it pull up all right from your first match? You said it all depended on how it pulled up.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it pulled up like I expected, so...

Q. Would you be surprised if Bolelli gets through here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I wouldn't be surprised. I think it could go either way. González is hit-and-miss sometimes, as well. You're just not a hundred percent sure what you got.

I played Bolelli here in the second round last year. Even the score line says it was a lot easier than the match was, though. He's improved a lot over the last probably six, eight months, especially on clay.

You know, whichever guy I come up against I have to go up a notch or two on today.

Q. After the first set, what was the switch? You won nine games in a row from there.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, for the most part I felt pretty comfortable on my service games. But I started, you know, just giving myself a little bit more time on his serve, like standing back a little bit further, just getting myself into the point.

I felt like through the first set I just wasn't picking his serve up enough. When I did get it back, I was giving him the chance to dictate straightaway. I wanted to try to get myself into the point a lot more, and I did that really well in the tiebreak, especially the end of the tiebreak, to win that.

He was a little bit more despondent, I guess, as well at the start of the second set after losing the close tiebreak.

Q. If it came down to it, do you think your body would have seven matches in it over these two weeks?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'd like to think so, yeah. I've played with pain before. As long as it doesn't get too much worse, you know, I can handle it.

Q. What do you do to block it out of your mind? Obviously it's always there. You've got to do something to get through it. What do you do?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, I feel it most of the time when I'm out there. It's just a matter of blocking it out, not dwelling on it too much, I guess, not worrying about it. Unless it got to the stage where I actually couldn't walk out there, you know, I'm gonna keep trying.

Q. Just to try to get an understanding of what you are feeling, can you rate the pain on a scale of 1 to 10?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard. Yeah, sometimes it's worse than others. It's hard to put a finger on it.

Q. You're a guy who had a lot of success when you were young, like Novak. When you start to go consistently deep at majors and then have a setback, what do you do to regroup?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I didn't see a point of the match, so it's hard to tell. Yeah, of course he'd be disappointed because he's been playing unbelievable tennis all this year.

When Marat's on, he's on, as well. I assume he must have played pretty good out there today. He's a tough player to come up against on any surface when he's on.

Yeah, I guess it will make him more hungry to come back here next year. You got to take some positives out of it. The way he played at Queen's was pretty positive, I think, on a grass court.

Q. You and Marat are sort of the same generation. Older guys still making a little bit of noise here.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm really happy for Marat. I get along really well with him. I've practiced a lot with him the last couple of years, but probably more so this year, as well.

I played him in Las Vegas earlier this year. I kind of felt sorry for him on the court. He was terrible. So for him to come out and be able to turn it around and play like this in a big tournament, yeah, it's fantastic for him, really is.

Q. One of your old coaches, Stolz, has had a bit to say about Tennis Australia, what is and isn't being done at the moment. Do you have any thoughts on the current state of development in Australia, and is there something that's not being done that you'd like to see done or vice versa?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's hard. You know, Stolz, I respect Stolz a hell of a lot. I think he's very switched on. Yeah, you've got to listen to some of his comments. I think purely the fact that Stolz, he doesn't make comments that often. He's a very reserved guy. So, obviously, yeah, there's something there that he's not too happy with.

Yeah, Stolz is the kind of guy that wants the best for Australian tennis. He came up in a system where we had a lot of guys doing well.

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An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

L. Hewitt Interview - 27 June
Friday, 27 June 2008
Lleyton Hewitt def. Simone Bolelli 6-1, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Lleyton Hewitt. We'll take the first question, please.

Q. Is it intimidating having to play Roger Federer, or do you treat him differently to any other player?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Obviously, you treat him a little bit different. You know, you got to work out tactics. Last five years no one's been able to get it right here. Rafa's come close the last couple.

But, yeah, no one else has really got that close to him. So, yeah, you got to treat it a little bit differently.

Q. Do you go to bed thinking, I've got to play my best tennis? Is that what you have to aim for?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm going to have to play extremely well, yeah. Whether my absolute best, I don't know. A lot depends on how he plays, as well.

Q. What will you need to do well to beat him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, not sure. Obviously, you know, serve and return on grass are, you know, two huge keys. Yeah, if I can serve well and take care of my service games, you know, I'll get some opportunities. I won't get a lot obviously, you know, because of the caliber of player that he is.

But, you know, I'll probably get some chances. Against a guy like Roger, you really have to take those half chances when you get them, because you're not going to get a lot of them.

Q. Coming into this tournament there's a lot of talk about Roger going more susceptible or vulnerable. Do you buy into that at all?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I think, you know, he feels very comfortable. He's played all his matches on Centre Court so far again this year. He feels right at home on that stage.

You know, we're probably going to be out there Monday. Yeah, he's won 60 something matches now on grass, on this surface. So, I think -- you know, whether if he plays Rafa on grass, you know, because of what Rafa did to him at the French Open.

But in terms of him playing anyone else, I think he's gonna, you know, still have that aura and that self-confidence, I guess, behind him.

Q. You've played through injuries here, of course. Did you see what Tiger Woods did recently at the U.S. Open, and what are your thoughts on what he did? Any parallels?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I love watching Tiger play. He's one of my favorite sportsmen. What he did was incredible. I don't really know if anyone else would have been able to do it. Yeah, not only to play four rounds and then go out and play a fifth day.

Yeah, that's the kind of stage that was set up perfectly for him. It really was. Yeah, no one else on this planet, I don't think, could have got through with the win, coming down the 18th in regulation like he did.

Q. Through the years, how has your approach to injuries changed in regards to letting on to opponents, not letting on, complaining about them or not complaining about them?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I don't complain about injuries too much. Yeah, I think that comes from a football background. You don't show when you're hurt. It's the same out on the court. Very rarely do I give away signs if I'm hurting at all.

Q. How come?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Signs of weakness.

Q. Does the extra day help?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Doesn't matter either way, I don't think, for either of us. Yeah, after three straight sets against Montanes I felt comfortable out there today on the court. Felt like it's the best I've moved since I've been on grass today.

So, yeah, an extra day, it doesn't really matter.

Q. How would you compare your feeling about divulging information about injuries and the way you handle it with other people you've observed on the tour?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm not too sure. You know, I don't think a lot of people talk about injuries too much. You know, they sort of try to keep it to themselves.

Yeah, obviously there's not a lot I can do about my situation at the moment, because it's well-documented. After every match you're asked questions about it and you got to answer questions. Yeah, I try play the cards pretty close to my chest, though.

Q. Tactic-wise, how much of a difference can it make to have Roger's former coach on your side now?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, Rochey's obviously going to know a lot. There's no doubt about that. But, yeah, you've still got to go out there and execute it as well, and, you know, not play into Roger's hands too much.

Yeah, it can only help. Yeah, for sure. But it's not the absolute, you know, key to success. You've still got to go out there and do it.

Q. Concerning today's match, what do you think about Bolelli? Did you see any difference from last year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he's definitely improved. Like I said the other day, I think the last six to eight months he's really improved. He's had a lot more consistent results, week in and week out, on the tour.

He played really well at the French Open. Probably didn't quite grab the opportunity that was handed to him, though. I think he ended up losing to Llodra in a very winnable match.

So, you know, for him to take that next step he really has to take those chances. Yeah, I felt comfortable in the tactics that Rochey and I came up with. I executed perfectly out there today. I didn't do too much wrong.

Q. Both you and Roger are so experienced on grass. How do you think that's going to influence your match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a lot. We both know our strengths and weaknesses, I think, of each other. We've played enough times. We've played a couple of times here at Wimbledon, as well, in quarters and semis of this tournament.

So, yeah, not a lot. We both feel comfortable playing, you know, on the big stage here at Wimbledon.

Q. In terms of a mindset against him, do you go into the match thinking that this is the type of challenge you play for, or do you try and treat it like you would any other match mentally?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Uhm, no, this is what you play for. There's no doubt about it. Especially in my situation, you know, these are the matches I enjoy. Yeah, it's good to get out there and play on Centre Court, play against the best player in the world.

Q. Do you think that helps you to find something more to bring to the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I hope so. We won't know until Monday. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Specifically, other than Roger just improving immensely since when you were getting over on him consistently, what parts of his game do you think really, really improved?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, the last five years or so he's been consistently at such a high level. His whole game's improved. But, you know, obviously his movement probably doesn't get a lot of credit really. He's a great mover on the court. He cuts down angles extremely well out there.

Yeah, we all know about his shot-making. But, you know, he changes pace extremely well, especially off his backhand, just to mix it up, which is probably better than anyone else on the tour.

And he serves to -- he serves well on big points, but he serves well to his game, you know, to set up the point in his favor, which he probably does better than anyone else.

Q. Do you feel like you have to play a little bit outside of yourself in the match, or is that sort of a risk, because you don't want to get out of your own comfort zone, too?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, to a degree maybe, yeah, play a little bit differently, or change it up against Roger. If you're just playing in his comfort zone then he's going to enjoy that. Yeah, he does enjoy dictating play, you know, playing off when the ball is in his court and he can dictate, have you going side to side and changing pace and changing direction and all that different stuff. That's when he's at his best.

Q. He remembers your first match at 15-year-olds. Do you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, we played in Switzerland actually. Yeah, that was a long time ago, on clay.

Q. Do you remember who won?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He won, yeah, in three sets, I think.

Q. You've played him since Tony Roche has been your coach?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I played him. Rochey wasn't there. We just started working together end of last year.

Q. Of all the streaks that you're aware of in sport, and tennis specifically, how do you rate 62 straight wins on grass, five straight Wimbledon crowns?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it's up there. It's hard to compare I guess with Rafa's run on clay there for a while. He got to 80 odd wins on clay, and now he's won nearly every Masters Series and four French Opens.

Yeah, they're both unbelievable feats. There's so many good players out there, not to have one bad day in those five years of big matches on grass going out there, especially when, yeah, everyone is trying to knock you off, as well.

So, you know, not to have a slip up over five sets is a lot harder, I guess. In those smaller matches where you have a couple of tiebreak sets, in Halle and that where Roger has played in the past, it's pretty impressive.

Q. When you watch Federer and Nadal, what strikes you the most in the way of differences and similarities?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, in similarity, probably the only similar thing between those two is they know how to win. Apart from that, their personalties, their games, everything is completely different. Yeah, that's good for tennis.

Q. A while back you had some really nice wins over Roger. At that time, if someone said that this guy was going to step it up and take it to you 11 straight times, what would you have said to them?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he obviously had the potential to be a great player. Yeah, I don't think anyone could predict how good he was going to be, how many Grand Slams he'd win. Yeah, the last time I beat him was in Davis Cup, and that was after he'd won Wimbledon that year.

Last time I beat him I knew how good a player he was already then. He'd already won a Grand Slam, and won it quite convincingly.

Yeah, it was hard to sort of put a mark on how many he was going to win back then.

Q. In terms of greatest player of all time, how would you compare him and Pete?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's hard. You know, in different eras obviously between he and Pete -- you know, if he wins the French it's so many variables in it, I guess. Right at the moment, they're very similar with the Grand Slams that they've won, as well.

Q. You've been one of the best return of servers of your era. Facing Roger, he's not serving bombs like Sampras, but holds easily. What makes his serve so tough?
LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said before, he hits the spots extremely well. It's more setting up for the next shot, as well, where he doesn't sort of let you dictate play on his service games. You know, so that's something you've got to try to get on top of somehow.

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An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

L. Hewitt Interview - 30 June
Monday, 30 June 2008
Roger Federer def. Lleyton Hewitt 7-6, 6-2, 6-4

Q. Do you feel that was one that got away, especially after the first set?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I don't know about "got away." I lost in straight sets. You know, the first set could have gone either way. The tiebreak I had chances. I had a second serve, sort of went after it. He put a little bit more kick on it. I just didn't quite time it. That was a big point in the tiebreak. Yeah, then I came in on a ball, and he hit a pretty good pass. I came in on a pretty good slice. He hit a good backhand up-the-line passing shot to get up a mini break, and then hit a big ace to finish it off.

Then I just played a couple of, you know -- a loose double-fault at deuce first game of the second set, and that opened it up for him.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about his serving, what he does?

LLEYTON HEWITT: He served extremely well today. Yeah, any quarter chances that I did get, you know, I didn't have them for long. Yeah, he hit every line out there with his serve today. That's why he's the best player going around, especially on this surface. Serve is so important. He hit the target every time. I had a few breakpoint chances there late in the second set and early in the third set. I didn't do too much wrong with them.

Q. Is the daunting thing about playing him that he obviously gets the shots in so well, or is there also a psychological barrier for everyone that he has such a great record? Is that something you have to try to overcome as well?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you don't focus too much on that. Once you go out there to play it's about what you can do to try to, yeah, upset his rhythm, not play into his comfort zone too much. But, yeah, when he's serving like that it's not easy on this surface purely because, as I said the other day, his serve sets up the point for him to play in his comfort zone. It's very hard to take him out of that zone.

Q. Must get very disspiriting. Seems like every time you get a bit close, he's able to step up another level. Does that get you down when you're playing like that?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know about "another level." He stayed pretty similar the whole way through. But, yeah, it was just the last five years or so he's played the big points extremely well. That's where the difference is.

Q. You did 14 aces against Bolelli. Today I think three or four. What does that mean? Does that mean you served worse or that Federer is much quicker in returning and moving and getting your serves?

LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit of both. I didn't serve probably as well today. Roger's never gonna hit you off the court with his return of serve, though. He gets it back to start the point, whereas a guy like Bolelli is probably going after it a little bit more and swinging.So you can probably -- yeah, with Roger, you can probably go for your serve a little bit more on your first serve, because even on the second serve he's not going to hurt you with that first hit like a lot of other returners. Quite often he just blocks it back into play with a slice backhand. So I'm not sure. I didn't hit probably as many targets as I would have liked on the serve. But, you know, he handles Andy Roddick and Karlovic and all the big servers pretty well. You know, actually getting the ball back in play, he does extremely well from the return of serve. An actual attacking returner, he's not one of those.

Q. How far away do you feel you are from the best two or three guys at the moment?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Uhm, yeah, it's hard to say. Out there today I didn't feel like I was that far away. But then the big points, he played, you know, a lot better than I did. Yeah, even the first game I had Love-30, and then he hit four big first serves to win that game. Any time I tried to take a step I couldn't really, you know, put any momentum together, I guess, or put any pressure on his service games. Obviously he, Djokovic and Nadal are the three stand-outs at the moment, especially on a week-in, week-out basis. Yeah, I don't feel like I'm that far away.

Q. Do you feel you can get back into the top four, to get to the point where you're not drawing Roger in the first Monday of the second week?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I've got to play a lot more matches to get the ranking back up there. That comes with, you know, being healthy and staying injury-free, too.

Q. Are you committed to doing that, playing that many matches, if you can?

LLEYTON HEWITT: If the body does, yeah. If the body holds up.

Q. What are your plans now? Are you going to look at Olympics and US Open, or are you going to have to assess the hip injury and possibly consider missing those for surgery?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm not sure yet. I've tried to not focus on it too much. But, yeah, this was the tournament that I wanted to play in. Now I'll probably try and focus more on, you know, career-wise, you know, trying to get the hip right because, you know, right at the moment it's not just getting any better. So I'm just gonna have to speak to more people and see what my best options are.

Q. Does it get worse through matches?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. As the match goes on it gets a little bit worse.

Q. So losing the first set was even more crucial to you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Against a guy like Roger it is. He's a pretty good frontrunner, too.

Q. Do you go back to Sydney straightaway?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think so, no.

Q. How does it feel becoming a dad for the second time?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, good. Thanks.

Q. Is the baby due in January?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not sure.

Q. Just given the hip and whatever you might do, as long as the body holds out, you'd be trying to come back next year to Wimbledon, that's the plan?

LLEYTON HEWITT: To where, sorry?

Q. Here next year.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. This is one of the major tournament, so I hope to be back here.

Site Officiel
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2008-06-30/200806301214838936711.html

Hewitt va bientôt se décider...

31/07/2008-[13:43] - Sports.fr

Alors que Lleyton Hewitt laisse toujours planer l’incertitude sur sa participation aux prochains JO de Pékin, l’entourage du joueur australien laisse entendre que l’ancien n°1 mondial devrait se décider dans les prochains jours en fonction de l’évolution de ses douleurs récurrentes à une hanche : "Je calcule que d’ici à mardi nous devrions savoir s’il y va ou pas, a souligné au Sydney Morning Herald le manager du joueur, David Drysdale. Il a de nouveau tapé la balle cette semaine et il s’agit juste de travailler sur les niveaux de gêne, et si les différentes phases du traitement ont un effet (...) Il veut vraiment participer aux jeux, il n’y a aucun doute là-dessus."

www.france-info.com

An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

January 18, 2009

Q. Probably not the first‑round draw you would have hoped for?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, probably not. Probably a lot tougher ones as well, though. So, yeah, when you're unseeded, you're thrown in that territory where you don't really know what to expect.

Yeah, it's going to be a tough matchup. But the whole time I've been preparing the last couple of months to be ready for whoever I came up against. It was going to be fairly tough anyway.

Hopefully I can knock him out and take his draw.


Q. (Question regarding the draw.)
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, that doesn't worry me what they think too much. Obviously, you know, I think for anyone, I'm probably one of the more dangerous unseeded players in the draw. Yeah, puts a little bit more pressure on him, I guess.


Q. Have you had enough matches to get through seven matches in a Grand Slam?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Just take the first one, see how we go after that. Right now I'm focusing on González, worrying about the matchup, what I need to do with my game to be in as good a nick as possible.


Q. Have you got any expectations of how far you think you can last into the tournament?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I haven't. Not worrying about anyone apart from Fernando at the moment.


Q. There's been a lot of talk amongst the players about this Open should be moved into February. What are your thoughts?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think as an Australian, I think it's probably the ideal team for Australian sport. This is the time that I've always known it as the Australian Open, the dates that I've always come to, around these dates, late January, since I was coming here as a young kid to come and watch.

For an Australian, it fits in so well with obviously the school holidays and getting kids out there. And I think for the sport of tennis in this country, that really helps as well, you know, that the young kids can come out and watch a lot of it, even on the back courts, get a good atmosphere out here.

You know, I think sport‑wise there's not a lot on at this time of the year either, so it sort of stands out by itself as well, which is probably a good thing for our Grand Slam. Yeah, so it's a tough call. It's obviously early in the year. A lot of overseas players have prepared well enough to win it in the past (smiling).


Q. Do you ever feel tempted to say what you just said to Roger, Novak, Andy about the viewpoint of an Australian, the way it fits into the summer here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I definitely know Roger knows it. Yeah, I haven't actually spoken to any of those guys about it, what their thoughts are about it. I'm sure Roger knows. He's had a lot of success here in the past. It hasn't really changed his performance, I guess. He's lucky that he's been able to come out after only one or two weeks' preparation and still play extremely well.

But obviously there's a lot more to it than just worrying about the players for a couple weeks, I guess. You know, the tournament has to worry about obviously ticket sales, kids being around the place, a whole lot of other things.


Q. Do the players enjoy coming here as the first tournament of the year, since a lot are coming from the northern hemisphere where it's pretty cold?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not sure. I hope so. I think they put on a great event here. It's in an awesome stadium, great arena. You know, obviously I love playing here. But I think, you know, everyone really enjoys it here. We get looked after really well, which is good.


Q. You've been playing the sport a long time now. You've had quite a few family changes in the last year or so. What about your level of ambition now with all that experience behind you, do ambitions shift, attitudes change, or are you still as driven as you always were?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, right at the moment I'm still as driven and motivated as I think I've always been. You know, probably more so after having the injury, having to put in all the hard yards to try and get back, just to get back on the court, you know, doing a whole heap of rehab, fitness stuff, just to be able to play here.

So, yeah, if the motivation wasn't there, then I wouldn't be playing. So for me, you know, I still feel that I've got things to do in the sport. I still feel I can get back into the top 10 and push those better guys at the top of the rankings.

I've obviously got to play a lot more matches, get in that rhythm of, you know, hopefully being a hundred percent fit on the court and playing week in and week out as well.


Q. Roger Federer is on the brink of joining Pete Sampras. You've been one of their closest rivals. His achievements, where he sits now, can you believe it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Right at the start of his career, you didn't really put anyone in the same category as Sampras. That seemed like an awfully long way away before anyone got close to Pete's record.

Obviously when Roger got on that run for four years or so there, he was nearly unbeatable, especially in three of the majors. So, yeah, he's had an unbelievable run. Yeah, obviously he won the last slam, the US Open of last year, as well, so he's gonna be one of the favorites coming in here. If he does it, good on him. It's a hell of an effort.


Q. Is there still a rush coming into an Australian Open?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. Australian Open and Wimbledon are probably two of my favorite tournaments, I think. Yeah, for me to always come back and play here, it is a big thrill always. Yeah, I love playing on Rod Laver Arena. It's going to be a lot of fun on Tuesday, as well.


Q. How is the court surface this year? Are you happy with it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think it's all right. I wouldn't say it's any different to last year. It's probably on the medium to fast pace, I'd say. It's a fairly rough court surface, though. The balls fluff up quite a bit after a couple of games. But that's very similar to last year, as well.


Q. The prospects for the locals don't seem to be overly high. Is it frustrating that stories about what's wrong with Australian tennis are being written before a ball is even hit?
LLEYTON HEWITT: We don't have that many guys or players in the main draw. Yeah, it's always going to be written if you don't have the players out there. We were fortunate for a number of years, though, even before probably Pat Rafter was, you know, getting up to the top, we still had a lot of great players out there competing in the main draws, being able to make the odd semifinal, quarterfinal, consistent Round of 16s at any of the slams. That's probably what we miss, you know, at the moment. We just don't have the numbers there to be able to do that.

Until we get more guys in the top 90, top hundred in the world that get direct acceptance into the Grand Slams, it's gonna to fall back on guys like myself and Guccione.


Q. Tony Roche has indicated he's going to speak about the state of tennis in Australia after the Open. Have you had lengthy discussions with him about it yourself?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, we talk about little things now and then. Yeah, obviously there's issues behind the scenes to try and get more players to be able to come through.

Rochey, I can't speak for him, but he obviously knows more than anyone about how to make kids into players. He's been around the traps that many years and he's worked with so many great players, I think people really should be listening to a lot that Rochey has to say.


Q. Almost 40 years since Laver completed the Grand Slam. There's a lot of emphasis on Roger and his beating Sampras or equalling it here, then the next step is another Grand Slam attempt. Where do you think Laver's position in tennis history is?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It hard to say. Over time it changes so much. But obviously he's always going to be one of the greats. To win a Grand Slam twice is remarkable. But, yeah, it's hard to compare generations. It's like in golf, comparing Woods to all the older guys that won so many slams as well. When does he get put in that category the same as them?

It's a lot easier to sort of look at Sampras and Federer and try and compare the two of them than it is throwing Laver in. This day and age, there's so many different countries playing as well now. The surface of all four majors are all different as well now. There's a lot of variables.


Q. Can you remember being made the favorite for a tournament, a Grand Slam, before you'd actually won a Grand Slam?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I wouldn't have been, no.


Q. Do you think it's common sense to make someone a favorite before they've actually won a Grand Slam, going into a Grand Slam?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's probably not the done thing. Who knows who's favorite. Yeah, that's one person's opinion (smiling).
I guess the rivalry of Nadal and Federer in the majors the last, you know, three or four years... They're both at the moment 1 and 2 in the world. You're a brave man to look outside those two as a favorite going into any slam at the moment.

site officiel
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-18/200901181232249546062.html

An interview with Lleyton Hewitt

January 20, 2009


Q. Midway through the fifth set, a switch in momentum. What do you attribute that to in Fernando lifting his game a bit, yours going off a bit?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Big point was probably 1‑All in the fifth, I had fif‑40. I had another breakpoint. I couldn't get that break. I felt at that stage I was starting to get back on top. From the second and third sets, he was dominating the match. I had to try to find a way to get back into it. I was able to do that through the fourth, broke a couple of times. Early in that fifth set, it would have been nice to go up an early break.

Yeah, he came up with a couple of big forehands on those points. Yeah, but if I could have got that early break, it could have been a little bit different.


Q. Is this the toughest loss in your career?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's not the toughest, no.


Q. Was your recent lack of match play a factor?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Who knows. Obviously, the more matches you have, the more matches against the better players in the Masters Series, big tournaments, it's obviously going to help in the tight situations on the big points.

Yeah, there was still only a couple of points in it there in the fifth set, if I could have broken there, then consolidated early in the fifth set, you know, he was ready to go as well a little bit.

Yeah, even with that set, I still had my chance out there.


Q. Did Fernando's injury break throw you at all?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Maybe a little bit, I guess. I wasn't quite serving as well as I had early in the match, though. Even though I won the fourth set, I didn't feel like I had my best serving set that set at all. Then the fifth set, I didn't serve great. I gave him too many chances to dictate with his forehand. Yeah, that was probably the telling point.


Q. You pushed him pretty close. He's a very good player. Is this
discouraging for you with your comeback or encouraging? Does it give you hope you can get back to where you were?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know right at the moment. Haven't really thought about it too much. You go out there and you try and beat whoever you're up against.

I'll probably look back at it in a couple of days' time, yeah, look at where I could have improved and whatever. But, yeah, in hindsight, when you haven't had the matches, haven't played five sets for quite a while, yeah, you're always going to be fighting it, I guess, a little bit.

In terms of that then, you know, I think it's a good springboard for the rest of the year. I would have still liked to have gone a bit further in the tournament.


Q. Where do you go now?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Play San Jose and Memphis in a couple weeks' time.


Q. No matter what happens from here, do you feel you've written yourself into the history of this tournament by having so many great matches?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. I guess I wrote myself into the tournament when I lost in the final a couple years ago.

Yeah, I'm not sure. This is my 13th Australian Open. I've been coming here for a while now.


Q. Any sense that it's your last Australian Open?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I don't think so.


Q. Where do you feel you are at the moment as far as getting back into the top 10?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Right there. The guys that I've lost to, especially the last two weeks, yeah, they're both top 15 at the moment. But when they're at their best, you know, Nalbandian is possibly top‑five, top‑seven player and González is a top‑10 player. The two losses haven't been the worst losses on paper. I probably could have easily won both those matches, as well.

In the next couple days, I'll get to assess how it went, how the body's pulled up. I'll probably go through it with Rochey and see what maybe I could have done a little bit better.


Q. How did your body hold up? Your first five‑set match in months.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, pretty good. Just wasn't quite getting enough push‑off in my legs, my left leg, just due to playing five sets, especially as the match went on with my serve. It probably cost me a little bit. Especially late in the fourth and fifth sets, I just wasn't getting a high enough percentage in first serves. That probably comes with the strength of pushing off my left leg a lot more than I've done in quite a long time.


Q. You said during the week that it would be nice to have someone else take a bit of the burden of expectation off you that you've had for a long time. Bernard Tomic in the last 24 hours is all over the front pages. Do
you think that might help you as you come back, not having as much pressure on you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was a great win by Bernard yesterday, but he's still got a long way to go before he's in the top hundred and playing in the other slams, the other Masters Series week in and week out. I could be retired by the time he gets to top hundred. Who knows how long that will take, so...


Q. Do you see similarities in the expectations that are on him now and were on you at a similar age?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit. When I was coming up, though, Pat was already up there. We had a good stock of players, I guess. There was quite a lot of, you know, not exceptional top‑10 players, but a great group. Stoltenberg, the Woodies, Sandon Stolle, Richard Fromberg. There were so many of them that were competitive week in and week out on the tour. It probably made it easier for me to hang around with guys, hit with guys, learn from them as well a lot, whereas Bernard right at the moment, there's probably really only myself and Gooch that are on the tour week in and week out in the actual ATP tournaments.

The more Aussies we can get there, the better off it is for everyone coming through.


Q. (Question regarding the surgery and thoughts of retirement.)
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not at all. I really didn't have that much time to think about the surgery, to tell you the truth. As soon as I flew back from Beijing, I landed that morning, then that afternoon I was under the knife. If I was going to retire, then I wouldn't have had the surgery done.

It wasn't something that was going to affect me in everyday life for the rest of my life. It was something that, you know, if I want to still play tennis, then it had to be done.


Q. Did you have any input as to whether this was a day or night match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I would have preferred to play during the day today, so...


Q. Will you take Bernard under your wing if he approaches you to hit with him on tour?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Absolutely. I haven't really seen a lot of him. He came to the Davis Cup tie in Townsville. He rolled up a little bit later than everyone else, so I didn't get a chance to hit with him at all there.

I really haven't seen him play a lot. Yeah, obviously to win a tour match is obviously a huge bonus. It wasn't just him yesterday. You know, Brydan Klein, who I've hit with a lot, had I thought a really good win against a really good player yesterday as well. They're boys that have to take the next step. When you get wild cards into these tournaments, you have to take them, you have to take your chance.


Q. How would you rate Fernando's chance in the tournament?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he's a tough player to play against for anyone, even the best guys like Roger, Rafa, those guys, purely because he wants to play on his terms. He's always gonna be the guy trying to dictate play. If he's able to dictate play, then he's extremely tough to beat. He's obviously in a section with Gasquet and Nadal after that. He's going to have his work cut out. But he's a dangerous floater.


Q. (Question about his left leg.)
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think it would keep improving probably six months since the surgery and rehab till it gets actually to its strongest and when hopefully you don't have any issues.


Q. How tough are the next few months going to be now? Your ranking is going to drop a bit. You won't have the protection of the seeding any more.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It won't be that tough. I'm only playing a couple of small tournaments. Got Davis Cup, a couple of Masters Series in America. Yeah, I really don't have any points to defend, apart from a fourth round at Wimbledon, for the whole year. I can't say I'm too worried about points and rankings right at the moment.


Q. Will we see you in the doubles here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, no. I think the double's draw is done already. Probably won't go and play.


Q. This is a close match. You've had a lot of dramatic matches here. What are some of the most memorable ones for you looking back?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Nearly all seven matches that I played in 2005, I think. Yeah, every match was a bit of a rollercoaster out there. That was probably the year that I had a lot of ‑‑ a couple of five‑setters, a couple of close four‑setters nearly every match. That and probably obviously the Baghdatis match last year.


site officiel
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-20/200901201232436676062.html

ATP - Queen's > Hewitt:"Roger a fait quelque chose d'incroyable"

Par Rémi Cap-Vert, mardi 09 juin 2009 à 16:33

Lleyton Hewitt, en marge de sa victoire 6-1 6-0 sur Eduardo Schwank au premier tour du Queen's, s'est exprimé sur le titre de Roger Federer à Roland Garros et ses 14 Grands Chelems.

"Il a réalisé quelque chose d'extraordinaire, ses records parlent pour lui-même. Roger n'a probablement pas joué son meilleur tennis pour arriver jusqu'en finale, mais il sait jouer et gagner les matches en 5 sets, il sait gagner les Grands Chelems. Il avait une pression et des attentes énormes sur ses épaules, mais il est arrivé sur le court et a joué l'un de ses meilleurs matches. Quand Pete en avait gagné autant, tout le monde pensait que son record ne serait pas battu avant longtemps. Roger l'a fait. Et le faire aussi rapidement qu'il y est parvenu, gagner les 4 tournois du Grand Chelem... C'est incroyable. Le pire c'est que si Rafa n'avait pas été là ces dernières années, il en aurait sûrement un paquet d'autres. "

www.welovetennis.fr

ATP - Queen's > Hewitt : "Le favori, c'est Roger"

Par Rémi Cap-Vert, vendredi 12 juin 2009 à 19:00

Lleyton Hewitt dévoile ses favoris pour l'édition 2009 de Wimbledon :

"Le favori, c'est Roger. Il ne fait pas seulement parti de ceux qui peuvent gagner Wimbledon, il est celui qui a le plus de chances de le faire. Rafa arrive juste derrière. Parce qu'il est le tenant du titre et par son parcours l'année dernière. Nadal est le seul à avoir battu Roger sur herbe depuis 5 ou 6 ans maintenant. Derrière ces deux-là, je place, évidemment, Andy Murray, Djokovic, Roddick et quelques autres. "

www.welovetennis.fr

Wimbledon > Hewitt : "Tout peut arriver"

Par Rémi Cap-Vert, mercredi 24 juin 2009 à 15:46

Lleyton Hewitt s'est qualifié sans bruit pour le deuxième tour, en écrasant Robby Ginepri, 6-4 6-1 6-1. Il rencontrera Juan Martin Del Potro au tour suivant. Ses impressions sur ce match à venir.

"Ce sera un match très difficile. C'est un joueur de grande classe. Il n'est passé qu'à quelques points de gagner, peut-être, Roland Garros. Mais aujourd'hui, c'est une autre surface sur laquelle il n'a pas encore vraiment réussi. Donc j'aurai ma chance. Mais ce sera un beau challenge, car il reste un joueur polyvalent.

Il réussira sûrement un paquet d'aces et de points gagnants. Il sera nécessaire pour moi de rester concentré, bien dans mon jeu et de ne pas m'inquiéter de cela. En 5 sets, sur herbe, beaucoup de chose peuvent arriver. Il y a toujours des hauts et des bas pour chaque joueur. Il faut être présent les moments où l'adversaire baisse le pied et savoir saisir les plus petites opportunités. Ca se joue souvent à très peu de choses, comme dans mon match contre Roddick au Queen's."

www.welovetennis.fr

Hewitt était «prêt»

Lleyton Hewitt s'est évidemment montré ravi de sa victoire face à Juan Martin Del Potro (6-3, 7-5, 7-5), tandis que ce dernier a reconnu ses lacunes sur cette surface.

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS, qualifié pour le troisième tour) :
«Cela faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas battu un joueur de ce niveau mais aujourd'hui j'étais prêt. J'ai déjà joué pas mal de grands matches ici et je sais que tout se joue dans la faculté à tenir la pression. Juan Martin est un joueur très doué et il a de très bonnes années devant lui. Je savais que le match allait être très dur aujourd'hui mais j'avais un plan de jeu bien établi et j'ai parfaitement réussi à m'y tenir. Je voulais battre un Top 5 et un Grand Chelem c'est vraiment là que je voulais le faire. J'ai très bien servi, j'étais vraiment en réussite. Ici en ce qui me concerne j'ai l'impression d'être comme chez moi alors je suis ravi de pouvoir continuer. Je ne suis pas surpris d'avoir gagné même si je n'avais jamais joué contre lui. Je me suis souvent entraîné avec lui, j'ai vu pas mal de ces matches et sur cette surface, même s'il est très doué, il n'est pas encore à son meilleur. Il gagnera des tournois du Grand Chelem, c'est certain. C'est un type bien et je ne dis pas ça uniquement parce que j'étais une de ses idoles (rires).»

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG, éliminé au 2e tour par Lleyton Hewitt) :
«Il a très bien joué et je pense qu'on a réalisé un match de haut niveau. J'ai bien joué mais ce n'était pas suffisant pour le battre aujourd'hui. C'est encore difficile pour moi de jouer sur cette surface et lui a évidemment bien plus d'expérience que moi. Je dois encore apprendre, c'est tout. Lleyton vous savez c'est une de mes idoles depuis que j'ai 11 ou 12 ans alors oui à la fain j'ai eu quelques mots pour lui, je lui ai dit qu'il avait vraiment retrouvé la forme, que j'étais ravi pour lui et que je lui souhaitais bonne chance pour la suite.»

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Les réactions

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS, qualifié pour les huitièmes de finale) : «J'ai toujours su que j'allais revenir à un bon niveau. Après mon opération de la hanche le chirurgien me l'avait dit. Evidemment ça allait prendre du temps, entre six mois et un an. Mais j'ai travaillé dur et j'ai mis toutes les chances de mon côté pour revenir. Alors maintenant c'est évidemment agréable de se retrouver en deuxième semaine d'un tournoi du Grand Chelem. Face à Stepanek, ce sera un match différent, il vient beaucoup au filet, il fait beaucoup service - volée et il se sent très bien sur cette surface. D'une manière générale, quand je regarde les gars du Top 5 et du Top 10 je me trouve encore assez bon pour en faire partie. C'est là que je puise ma motivation.»

L'Equipe

ATP - Washington > Hewitt rassuré

Par Florian Toumit, mardi 04 août 2009 à 11:30

Alors qu'il a passé sans encombre le premier tour du tournoi de Washington en battant en Donald Young 7-5, 6-2, Lleyton Hewitt était soulagé de cette bonne entrée en matière, lui qui n'avait plus joué en compétition depuis Wimbledon. "C'est toujours difficile après quelques semaines sans jouer. Mais c'est bien d'être passé en deux sets." Le vainqueur 2004 du tournoi jouera son deuxième tour contre l'Israélien Dudi Sela.

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