PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 14, 2003

Lleyton Hewitt

MODERATOR: With the win today, Lleyton advances to his third straight semifinal here in Indian Wells, and improves his career record to 16-4 at this tournament. Questions for Lleyton.

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's nice, but you're going to lose it some week. Doesn't really bother me. You know, I didn't come to Indian Wells to try and hold on to my No. 1 ranking; I came here to win the tournament. I'm still in with a good chance. I'm through to the semis now. Four matches down, two to go. That's pretty much where my thinking's at. I played better today. I'm happy with the way that, you know, I came out and won the match efficiently, got on and off the court pretty convincingly.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Yeah, I guess, you know, because I didn't lose serve for the whole match, I kept my nose in front once I got up a break. You know, I saw a little bit of Robby's match yesterday. He played extremely well. He was full of confidence, had nothing to lose out there today. He started better today than he did against me in Cincinnati. When I was able to get up that one early break in the first set, I think his confidence got sort of a little bit of a dent in there and his game sort of went away a little bit.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know how long it's going to keep going. But was it nine in 11 days I've won now. That's a lot of tennis. You know, you throw in the doubles that I played as well as making the final there. I played a lot of tennis. I've got that match toughness going now, match hardened. I'd like to keep it going. You know, you've got to take it one step at a time, though. Don't want to get carried away because you're on a winning streak, you're going to keep going. Go out there with an open mind and play as well as you can.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. It's hard to lose it, I guess, when you go out there to play and you've won nine matches in 11 days. You realize that. I realize that I've come through a couple of pretty tough matches, especially this week against El Aynaoui and Coria. You know, I know I've got a couple tough ones under my belt and I survived those.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not really. Not unbeatable. I don't think anyone's unbeatable. I feel like my confidence is high at the moment. I feel like I can beat anyone on any given day, yes. But unbeatable, you know, I think you can leave that to Tiger.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, no. Not for me. I see every match as a challenge, as a new challenge. You know, I'm not putting any more pressure on myself. I'd much rather be, you know, nine in a row going into this semifinal tomorrow than, you know, making the quarters or the semis and losing in Scottsdale. So for me to have that winning feeling going, I've had it a few times going, you know, winning Adelaide and Sydney back to back, doing well in those tournaments. I've had it in the Queen's, Rosmalen, Wimbledon time frame. I know how that sort of winning streak goes. I like the feeling of it, having that confidence on your side.

LLEYTON HEWITT: You've got to take your hat off to Vince. Hell of an effort for what he's done. The way that he's come back after losing so many first rounds there for a while, he obviously broke the drought against Rusedski at Wimbledon. We really didn't see him for a while after that. He was playing the challengers and the futures. The way he's bounced back and gone about his business very quietly, sort of got his ranking back up there, it's pretty amazing.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes.

LLEYTON HEWITT: At least twice, maybe more.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he's a tough competitor. He's not going to give anything away. He moves very well, has a good baseline game. He passes well, counterattacks very well. I'm not going to worry about his game too much. I'm going to go out there and play my game and hopefully I'm not going to have to change too many things. If I do, then I do.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think about it at all. I couldn't care less. As I said before, I didn't come here for No. 1. I'm going to lose it some week, doesn't bother me when.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I hear some of the things they say. It's pretty hard not to (smiling).

LLEYTON HEWITT: I know that I'm world No. 1, yes (laughter).

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's not bad. When they say former world No. 1, that's not a bad feeling I don't think either. I'm sure Pete, Rios, guys that have been No. 1, I don't think they mind being called the former world No. 1.

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's definitely not as much pressure I guess coming from the media and expectation from the media I think more than anything. But, you know, that's natural. You know, that's up to Andy and James and whoever else they want to put it on here in America. Everyone has that, all the top guys. When they go back to their home country, it's like Tim in June, me in January.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I like the stretch. You know, Scottsdale, even San Jose last year, Indian Wells, Miami, I've always loved these tournaments. I think the courts suit me, the weather, the conditions. Great hotels. You know, the climate, everything out here, I think everything's pretty easygoing. For me I can really enjoy, you know, those outside things I guess at these tournaments.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I had nine holes on Monday afternoon. I would have liked to have had more. I can't do much about it at the moment.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, yeah?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Fair enough. I didn't know about those.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't mind the hot dogs. Yeah, I think she watches what she eats a lot better than I do. I can't believe she dobbed me in. I'm actually not that bad. I've improved a hell of a lot since I was 14, 15, 16. Yeah, the vegetables, they're not bad, but not the best thing.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'd say, you know, during tournaments and that, I eat as well as any player out there. It's more so my weeks off. I think that sometimes I let myself, you know, let go a bit - ice cream, chocolate, those kind of things. I love to go to the footy and have a hot dog and chips, mate. Tonight as well.

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's impossible with injuries or whatever. The two front-runners are obviously Roddick and Blake. They're the two front-runners. You know, it depends. A lot depends on I guess who gets a big breakthrough at a Slam first, and then can really take off from there, as well. But, you know, both guys can handle the big situations very well. You know, they've both proved -- I don't know what Blake's ranking is, but I'm sure he can get in the Top 10 pretty soon. And Andy's already 5 or 6 in the world. That's not bad anyway. That's not a bad start.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't have any. I can't think of any anyway.