THE STELLA ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 10, 2005

Lleyton Hewitt

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was one of the most exciting matches I've been a part of.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, you know, it's like walking in here and having a lucky door prize. You know, that's what happened in the tiebreak. There was one mini-break and, you know, instead of getting a net cord and popping it over his racquet, it sat up for him and he was able to twist back and play an angle dropshot. You know, then even to break me he got a dead net cord. So not a whole heap I can do about those two.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I don't think you can take a lot of form off of a match like that. You know, I felt like I probably served as well as I've ever served today. I felt like I was the better player in the first set. You know, if there was any fif-30s, I was the one that had them every time. That's what happens sometimes on this surface. So, you know, sure, I would have liked to have had another match against, you know, a guy like Johansson in the semifinals; it would have been great. It would have been a totally different match again, similar to my first round against Malisse. So, you know, it's not to be. You know, my actual ball-striking and, you know, what I was in control of today was, you know, pretty good, so...

LLEYTON HEWITT: In a perfect world I would have liked to have won today and won my next two matches as well and won the tournament. But, you know, I don't think that's going to hold a huge key whether I succeed at Wimbledon or play well at Wimbledon. You know, come Monday, Monday or Tuesday, a week, I'll be ready to go, and it's a different ballgame.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, obviously, Roger's the favorite, and so he should be. You know, Roddick, Henman, you know, they're probably the next tier, I'd say, behind Federer. You know, then you got dangerous guys like Karlovic, Wayne Arthurs, Philippoussis. There's more; off the top of my head I can't think of them all. But, yeah, they're obviously the stand-outs, I think.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, for sure. You know, I think there's only, maximum, a handful of guys that can actually hold up the trophy.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. You tell me. I don't think there's too many.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I think, you know, the first week's just a survival week really. You can't win the tournament in the first week of a Slam, but you can definitely lose it. So you've got to go out there and get through your matches. Even if you're not hitting the ball well, you still got to find a way to win. The second week's where it gets to the business end, and that's where you want to play your best tennis because you're going to be coming up against the likes of Federer, Henman, Roddick, you know, obviously Nalbandian, these kind of guys.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Not sure.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, obviously, Nadal's -- what he's done, won a Slam. He handles the big situations extremely well. But in terms of Wimbledon, it's not going to be his favorite Slam just for the way he plays and what he's grown up on. Gasquet is exactly the same. You know, Gasquet has got extremely big swings. He's got one of the nicest backhands going around. But on a quick grass court, you know, there's elements of danger, and Stepanek knocked him off today. So, yeah, they're definitely exciting players to watch, but I think they're not going to play their best tennis at Wimbledon probably for a few more years.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. Probably coming in, you know, it's hard to say. But probably doubt it right at the moment. He obviously, you know -- even though he lost in the semis of the French, everything on hard court, he's been in pretty good form. You know, Marat is basically the only guy who's beaten him on hard court this year. You know, even that, Roger had a matchpoint in that match, and we know Marat's not, you know, that comfortable on a grass court. So, you know, obviously, Roger's a big favorite. But, you know, Andy gave him a good run for his money last year in the final as well, so that's obviously got to give Roddick some confidence, I think.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not in my mind, I don't think. You know, it still would have played out exactly the same.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, 'cause I didn't win a set this time.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I haven't, you know, I haven't seen him live. I've seen, you know, some points on TV at times. You know, he looks like a talented player. You know, he looks like he moves well for a big guy. And, you know, obviously to go out there and handle the situation against guys like Johansson and Dent and these kind of players, you know, that's one quality I don't think you can -- you know, you got to be born with sometimes, I think, at that age. So, you know, he's definitely got that in his corner.