US OPEN

August 27, 2001

Martina Hingis

MODERATOR: Questions for Martina, please.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I started off pretty well. Then the two games being 40-15, having the advantage to come back and win it, then lost it. Maybe a little nervous, a little tense there at 3-2. But overall, I feel pretty good. Four aces today - pretty good - only one double-fault.

MARTINA HINGIS: Opening it up also is a great honor. 11:00, I'm not really a morning person. This occasion, it's great to do that. I feel very honored.

MARTINA HINGIS: I know I'm not going to hit it like Venus, 124. No, placement, mixing it up so the opponent doesn't always know what I'm doing. That's my strategy. I know I'm not going to overpower anybody or hit a hole through someone (laughter).

MARTINA HINGIS: Good, positive. I mean, probably like 95% healthy. Maybe still in the back of my mind I have, but not today. That's why I try to (inaudible) the matches, keep them shorter, not to be too short out there.

MARTINA HINGIS: Good. But the last five, six days, I could really put all the pressure. I took a few days off, had to start a little slowly. You know, it's been better. I feel it a little bit, but nothing serious.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, well, that's just general. You have to continue. During the tournament, it might worsen. So, yeah, of course.

MARTINA HINGIS: It was a stress reaction.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, left. I had that ankle four times, so I think that's my weaker side.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, at the Grand Slam, everyone obviously is ready. You just have to play your best game if you want to win it. If you're not, that's too bad. You go out there, try your best. If it's good enough, great. If not, I'm going to survive. There's many more chances. It's a great challenge to be here again. I love the occasion. I mean, I love this tournament. I always had a lot of success. I hope it's going to stay that way.

MARTINA HINGIS: I was just recently actually thinking about it. After the Arthur Ashe Day, I still, that day, practiced on the old stadium, the Armstrong court. Every time I step out on that court, I remember that. It's always there, yes. That's going to stick with me.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I'm sorry if I hurt anybody's feelings with that, but I think at that time I meant it probably not always in the same way. I think I was right at that time, but it doesn't mean it's against everybody. I just maybe said something which is not maybe politically correct, but I don't know. I don't know all the laws, all the rules what are going on in this country. I mean, if you expect that from me, it's too much. I'm sorry if I hurt anybody.

MARTINA HINGIS: No. It was just that one time, I think. And I don't know, it's not up to me to judge that, what they do.

MARTINA HINGIS: That was a family thing. I don't want to comment on that, no.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you always have respect about whatever you say. You don't always want to judge other people. Doesn't matter what race they are, what color they are. It might always turn back on you, turn against you.

MARTINA HINGIS: I didn't really get that.

MARTINA HINGIS: Me being the No. 1, I have to watch out all the time (laughter). For me, it's a general thing because, yeah, like every time I win, it's good. If I lose, it's like, "What did she do there? What did she say?" It's always out there. I mean, the way -- I'm trying to be a professional in my sport as much as I'm trying to do the same off the court. You make mistakes all the time, but you try to learn.

MARTINA HINGIS: I mean, sorry.

MARTINA HINGIS: At Wimbledon, I wasn't there anymore, so I don't know about that (laughter). The other tournaments, you just have to, like I said, you have to know what your body needs, what's the best for you. I didn't always sleep the greatest before a match, before the finals. But you always try to make the best of it, try not to look for too many excuses. You just go out there. If you win, it's great. If you don't, you know, the other player was better than me at that time. Doesn't mean it's all the time. You know, at that point, that day, too bad. I don't know. I can't see inside of her, what was going through her mind.

MARTINA HINGIS: I think to turn professional -- how old is she exactly? I don't know.

MARTINA HINGIS: I think it was maybe 10, 15 years ago when Mary Joe did the same and Lindsay maybe, one of the rare people. I mean, Lindsay, I saw her first time, I was nine years old, she played the junior competition in France. That was when I first time saw her. It's just in the States I think the schooling is a little different than in Europe. For me, in Switzerland, it was just impossible to do both. It's just too hard and too much. I mean, time frame is just not the same as here. I couldn't do it also like computer or anything through faxes, so I think that's the way they do it. Otherwise, I think today's world, it's just very difficult to start a career after you did the school. I mean, to break through, make it quite high, you're fresh, you have a lot of energy, but to really make it to the top, it's going to be very hard.

MARTINA HINGIS: What?

MARTINA HINGIS: When?

MARTINA HINGIS: Why is it such a big deal?