TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 30, 2001

Lleyton Hewitt

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, in some ways you can look at it as being an extremely unlucky. Probably that shot is going to happen one in a million. After that, whether it was just that shot or, you know getting back to 30-All then having breakpoint there, he definitely raised his game. You got to hand it to him because he was a bit scratchy there. I didn't take my opportunity. I could have maybe broken twice in that set and won it 6-3. I had a lot of chance; had a lot of deuce points the game before. Didn't take it. In the second set one of those matches I didn't take my opportunities. I felt like I had breakpoints every second service game of his. I just couldn't get the big points out there today. There is always next time.

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know if it was that straightforward. It was very blustery out there. Obviously, you know, as I said, one in a million shot. I've definitely had guys who hit better shots than that. But that is the game of tennis. He guessed one way and just right at that time he was there and he just had a swing and it went bulleting past me. Not much I can do about it.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Off of other shots, I suppose, but it is, I don't know, it is a great shot. But there is a little luck involved.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I haven't had time to reflect on it, but it has been a good week. To backup another semifinal, obviously right at the moment I am a bit disappointed, just because I felt like this was a big opportunity for me. I don't think I played my best tennis out there tonight. Definitely going have to play a lot better if we are going to get over Brazil next week.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No never been to South America. I am looking forward to it. It is going to be a challenge and our team likes challenges and hard challenges and this is definitely going to be one of the hardest that we have had to deal with. We are playing the best clay court player in the world in his home town. It is going to be tough. So I am expecting, you know, every bit as hard as a Davis Cup final that is for sure.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Soon find out.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. No. Of course I knew that he is probably lucky to get where he had got -- there is probably a couple of crucial matches, I think, for sure against Andrew Ilie in the first round, I think it was -- Andrew got ripped off on a line call as well which -- so yeah, he is probably lucky to be where he has got, but he is that kind of player, very flashy, he will come up with a big shot, a big single forehand shot where you are not expecting that because he uses double off both sides. But that is his game and sooner or later he is going to win some close matches but then he is probably going to lose some as well.

LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I wouldn't say so. Very heavy out there tonight. The balls are very heavy.

LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit now and then. It is doing -- it's area of my game that I have got to work on that is for sure.