US OPEN

September 4, 2001

Martina Hingis

MODERATOR: Questions for Martina.

MARTINA HINGIS: 11 out of the 12 next?

MARTINA HINGIS: No (laughter).

MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, boy.

MARTINA HINGIS: I think I started off well the first couple games. I was always surprised how easy it was. Then I made that double-fault at 40-Love. Somehow I lost the string. After that, I just regrouped myself, just started playing the same as I was in the beginning. You can't rush. You shouldn't hurry with her. I think the other players - I've never played her before, I just know her game pretty well, I went to watch her. Just don't go crazy, that's all.

MARTINA HINGIS: No. I mean, she was too young.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, practice. She was in my home. She's like my little pupil, you know (laughter).

MARTINA HINGIS: That I saw a little bit on TV. But from the other tournaments, I went to see her when she beat Schett in LA. Just in general. I like to watch her.

MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, it's another semifinals so I'm very happy about that. Makes it five or six straight at least semifinals. Feels good.

MARTINA HINGIS: I haven't played either of them for a while, over maybe six months. Last time I played Lindsay was in Tokyo indoors, and Serena, Australian Open actually. So it's been a while. Well, I'm looking forward to a good match tonight. I'm going to watch it. They just go and beat up themselves, each other (laughter). No, I think whoever wins, either way it's going to be tough, you know, to go through. But you have to expect that in a semifinals.

MARTINA HINGIS: Like the earlier stage (laughter)?

MARTINA HINGIS: I think I just got better. Confidence obviously is a big thing, especially in women's tennis I'd say because the more you win, the better matches you have behind you, you just believe that you can go all the way. You can go for the shots. I mean, it's not only in practice you hit a great winner, great shot, but you can do it in the match, as well.

MARTINA HINGIS: You're just more used to it, yes. It happens all the time. I was actually surprised today. It's like the balls are actually coming at me at a slower pace. I mean, they're long and deep. But still I welcome this game with open arms. You don't see that too often from a youngster. She's much more a strategy player than a hard-hitter. That's very unusual these days.

MARTINA HINGIS: Just hard work. Her and her dad. They put everything into it, just like me and my mom did. I think they have a great relationship. With system and regime, you can go a long way. She's got a lot of discipline for only being 18.

MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: Three years, it's a big difference. I was already playing Juniors. I think maybe I just had turned pro already. No, that's a huge difference. I mean, I was able to hit the ball harder and everything, run, outlast her. That's how I went to today's game, too. Nothing else would work. I just had to last longer, that's all.

MARTINA HINGIS: These days it's more of winning the tournament. It's not only the ranking. If I would win the tournament, I also save my position. That's both in one.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think it's like sometimes, yeah, I'm tired of people telling me, "You should do this. You should do that." I know that. It's just sometimes you have to pump yourself up for doing it. It's not that I couldn't hit a big serve. Definitely not like Venus or Serena. But sometimes it's a confidence thing. If everything else in my game is all together, I can serve better, have a higher percentage. You'd see in her game, you know, once her game, the strategy fell apart, she only had 42% of serve. It looked different when she played against Monica. Once you can build on something, everything comes together.

MARTINA HINGIS: Just when we shook hands. "Great tournament." Just now in the locker room, you know, what's her next schedule.

MARTINA HINGIS: Czech. We could speak either way. It's funny, all three. No, Czech.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think it's going to be just -- tonight's match is going to decide. I think it's still a close call who's going to win. You know, I definitely prefer playing Serena first and then Venus. That's the way it was at the Australian Open. I don't even know. Does it play Thursday or Friday?

MARTINA HINGIS: Friday. I have a couple days off. That's nice knowing. I'm still, you know, fit. I feel in great shape. Just looking forward to it.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, that's up to you to decide, not to me. I mean, I think I've proven myself over the last four years. I've been most consistent. Might not always have won, but I won the most, that's why I was No. 1.

MARTINA HINGIS: I think I have no answer to that, no.

MARTINA HINGIS: I hope I will. You shouldn't always wait till the last, yeah, minute. Sometimes it's motivating actually, those things, to hear them over and over. In one way it's frustrating, the other it's motivating. We'll see. We'll see.

MARTINA HINGIS: Much more pressure. I mean, you know, if you don't do it, you're going to get slammed, outhit. Like when I watch Lindsay, she just hits winners even sometimes out of first serves. Sometimes it's a close call.

MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, I think I had a greater test earlier this week already against Iva. I think that was a close call there. I mean, a couple points being away from losing, being out of this tournament, I think gave me another chance to survive.

MARTINA HINGIS: Like that, yes.

MARTINA HINGIS: I mean, yeah, that's what you wait for, those matches, that they bring the best out in me. Hopefully also the other players, that I make them play the best.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, that was a great match. So far I haven't played one of these players. What I've played so far was good enough to come to here. Against Iva, I definitely should have raised the level there somehow. I think since that match, I kind of woke up. Even against Dokic, I think it was a good match, especially in the beginning. I was down and came back.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think she played a few tournaments until this one. I mean, I think everybody at the end needs to play matches before a Grand Slam. It's just sometimes for some players it's easier to get the game all together. I'm more -- I need the feel and I have to believe that I could do it. The confidence is much more important. Venus, she hits three aces, game's over. With me, it's different. Everyone has a different schedule, different strategy.

MARTINA HINGIS: I don't think there's totally counting me out, especially hopefully not after today's match. We'll just see. I mean, I think I have chances. I have to believe in it. If it comes out, great. If not, I tried to do the best for it.

MARTINA HINGIS: No. I said in the beginning of the tournament, if we both meet in the finals, it's great. If we make each other better in the doubles. I really enjoyed yesterday's match because it kind of seemed so easygoing, it was so fluid. Nothing like special really happened. We just kept on winning each point almost. It felt good. I'm looking forward.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, we still talk. I mean, we sit down and talk about what I should play, just remember things.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, you always have to change. Depends on how I feel and how I play at the moment, how they play.