MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL

January 12, 2006

Andreas Seppi

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, for sure one of my greatest day. To beat Hewitt here in Sydney, for sure it's a special thing for me. I don't know how many matches he lost on this court, so...

ANDREAS SEPPI: So is one of for sure my greatest win, yeah.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, also when I was down in the second break and in the third 5-2, I was just playing my game. Yeah, maybe in the end I was a little bit more aggressive and, yeah, maybe that was the key in the end. For sure he made a lot of mistakes in this match, but was for me was also a great win.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, for sure he was little bit more defensive than normally. I saw that and I knew that I have to do something more, and so I was going also more in the net and to find the points there. Maybe that was the key in the end.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Big way to win the Australian Open. I played a lot of matches here, I played also three matches in quallies, three sets every time. So it was really tough. Yeah, tomorrow also against Andreev is a tough match. We'll see after this tournament how I'm feeling.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, I think he always have a chance to win the Australian Open. He's playing at home so it's giving for sure him also much power. Now he have some days to practice there and, yeah, for sure he can do well there.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, I played also in Adelaide and always when I am playing long matches, three sets, I feel it in the end a little bit. But it's nothing special. I just ask for some ice for the pain and, yeah.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, little bit, yeah, because normally he -- unforced errors, he make really -- I mean he don't make unforced errors. So also when I was just putting the ball in the court, he make some mistakes that normally he don't make. So I was really a little bit surprised. But I saw also the matches before and he was not playing really well, so also before the match I was -- I knew that I have some chances.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, for sure also against Ferrero was really good match for me. The only thing, yeah, we played five sets. It was a little bit longer. But I was also down in that match and I came back. So it's similar, yeah.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yes.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Two times, yeah.

ANDREAS SEPPI: In Palermo in semis also.

ANDREAS SEPPI: And I lost, yeah.

ANDREAS SEPPI: To beat him?

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yeah, for sure I have to start maybe better than today. Today I start not so good. Little bit some mistakes. And, yeah, also in Palermo last year the first set I was playing really bad, and then in the second he -- I mean, if you are up in the match, you are playing more confidence, you have more confidence and it's going better. So I hope to play from the beginning on tomorrow good, and then I for sure have some good chances.

ANDREAS SEPPI: I was all the match down. 5-3 in the second, 5-2 in the third, so I was never thinking about winning. Maybe the first time was at 5-All when, yeah, I was Love-30, Love-40. Yeah, then at 6-5 for sure I was thinking about the win.

ANDREAS SEPPI: Yes, sometimes. Played really well the match before, but the next match also in Adelaide was the same thing. I played against Blake very well, but I was playing in the night session, so it was 7:30. I like to play very much the night session. So it's little bit different than against Malisse; I played at one o'clock, something like that. It was really hot and I really was feeling not so good. So was a little bit not a situation. I played against Malisse, I made unbelievable mistakes. Yeah, so for sure I have some problems with the continuity in my game.

ANDREAS SEPPI: No, I mean, if you see the matches he played, so you see it immediately that he is not on his top level. Also in Adelaide he had some problems and, yeah. But I think for Australian Open, he get ready for sure.

ANDREAS SEPPI: At my home, then this winter I went three weeks to Monte-Carlo to play there with, yeah, Ljubicic and the players, Johansson, Djokovic. It was good to play there. It was hard court outside so it was good.

ANDREAS SEPPI: No, just the country club.