AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2006

Martina Hingis

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Martina, please.

MARTINA HINGIS: Uhm, I would say pretty good. I'm happy the way I played today, especially toward the end when I loosened up and really was going for some shots and took some risks and they paid off.

MARTINA HINGIS: That's what I'm aiming for, yes. I think in today's tennis you have to, you know, have a really high percentage first serves. You see with Lindsay, you see with Maria when she's really playing well, that's what keeps her going. Especially in my case, I mean that's really, you know, not to get under pressure early on.

MARTINA HINGIS: I trained hard coming into these tournaments. Gold Coast was a great preparation for me. Then I still couldn't really convert it, I mean some of the things which I was training, because being nervous, being tentative to whether I could do it in the match as well. Now slowly but surely I'm kind of getting into it and finding my form. So, yeah, I mean, I've played tough players also as well, you know, Gold Coast. I played number 20, 30, 40 in the world. So today I knew I had great chances to go further into the next round.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you know, waiting for four hours keeps you somehow busy watching other players play. Was surprising definitely. I mean, she probably didn't play at her best. I mean, definitely not. I don't know what she said after the match. I don't know how she felt about it. But, you know, things like that can happen any time to anybody. Benesova is definitely a dangerous player. If you give her a chance, slight chance, she can really step it up and wasn't afraid of winning.

MARTINA HINGIS: I booked the car for 3:00, tried to have a hit like 4:00, 4:30. Did that. You know, because around that time Ferrero was already on court. I thought, "Well, you never know, you have to be ready, you know, something happens." You always have to be ready for the time since someone steps on court because there always might be an early retirement or something. But I don't know. Just tried to relax, put your legs up. Good ol' days, you know. It's like being back at a Grand Slam and men playing five-setters.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I wouldn't say that. That was a long time ago. I worked with him more or less for fun in Saddlebrook trying to keep myself busy doing something over there and just for myself kind of get fit. I did some workouts with him and with some of the other girls. That was like August, you know. Then was February -- no, March, April, I worked some of them. But now I was at home and that was really the preparation. I mean, I worked with -- I played tennis and I worked with other people at home, yes.

MARTINA HINGIS: I try to get the most and more information out of everybody as I can because, really, I don't know today's opponent that well. I knew what I had to face in some ways. As soon as you step on court, you just try to really find the game. Yeah, you have to find yourself pretty quickly because she surprised me definitely with some of the shots, you know, going down the lines or the forehand. But I just always been a player who adjusts pretty quickly - and you have to. There's going to be a lot of new young girls waiting for me out there.

MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, there sure is. I mean, you wouldn't have losses like Mary today, and you wouldn't have losses like Dementieva had on day one. It's always been in the past, but I think depth in other tournaments is definitely a lot deeper than it is. Maybe Grand Slams are always exceptional. You have usually sometimes you have some couple, three rounds for the top players to get through. But I would say outside of Grand Slams, for sure.

MARTINA HINGIS: For a first game, match or practice here?

MARTINA HINGIS: Here, Australian Open? Well, I knew I had to face a tough draw in the beginning, but sometimes that's really good because you're going into the matches prepared and you're awake. You have to be because you're out of here and I didn't really want to just show up for first round. Try to give myself the best opportunities. That's all you can do.

MARTINA HINGIS: I haven't really looked past Mary Pierce right now. But, no, since she's lost, I wouldn't necessarily say the draw has opened up because she lost. So I guess Benesova was the better player today. And I can't take things like that just, you know, easy. Still have to go out there and be at my best.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I read the papers, so, I mean, I've heard some comments. They definitely cheer me up, you know, like the one from Lindsay or Serena. It's just nice, yeah. I mean, I have great respect for these players.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, one way was a long waiting period today, but on the other hand it kind of cooled down for today so made it probably easier for me to really get going and not being afraid of dehydrations and things like that. So I think I improved since, you know, my first event, my second. I still have a ways to go, but I'm pretty happy with the preparation I did, and now I just follow the routine.