AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2001

Martina Hingis

MODERATOR: Questions for Martina.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I guess I didn't have the power today anymore to go out there and, you know, just the way she played, she didn't leave me too many chances. I just made way too many mistakes in the beginning. You know, being 5-1 down, it's a little bit too late in a way almost to come back. Definitely there after that, I had a few chances. I don't know, just mentally I didn't have it anymore like somehow to go out there and again and fight for every point. It was just, I guess, a very long trip which was one match too many.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, because, I mean, if you're struggling out there, it's hard to find a solution to someone, you know, you've beaten five times before. She just played very well. I mean, there was no -- pretty much not too many shots she would miss today. I didn't really have a spot to, you know, point out, just work on that. I will just have to play the way I played against Serena. The match against Venus was in a way very easy, which I didn't expect. Just one day rest was not enough.

MARTINA HINGIS: I'm not surprised at all because she was very determined. She had nothing to lose to go out there, all the three matches she's played now. She's a great player. I mean, I've always said that. You know, when she's on a roll, she's really hard. She's one of the players I really have a lot of respect because of her knowledge of the game. I mean, maybe it's a different story off the court, but on the court, she always belongs to the Top 5. I mean, that's what I always said, the way mentally, if she's really out there.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, right, too bad.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I don't think at all. It's just I proved that I can win a Grand Slam, and I can also win other tournaments. Just, you know, one month traveling. I had a great start at Hopman Cup. I was just constantly getting more and more tired. In the last three days, I barely could walk. It was just after that match against Serena, you know, going out there again against Venus next day, play the doubles, it was just -- I was dead after that. You know, it was too much.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, at first it's a great feeling. I mean, when we both were standing there, she was saying, "Well, now I feel finally -- I see how many times you were in the finals, it's just totally different from winning another tournament." It's just overwhelming at that moment when you're standing there, all the people, the photographers. Just, you know, you get the goose bumps and everything. It's just a tremendous feeling. That's why it's so great, I made it again in a finals. Unfortunately, I didn't win today. But I think every person has a different story a little bit to go into a Grand Slam finals, winning it. After that, I guess it depends on the people around you, you know, your manager, with endorsement deals and all these kind of things. But you know, as a player for yourself, it's just -- I mean, no one can take that away from you.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I didn't say that. I never said that I had won already. I mean, when people say, "Yeah, you won it already, next is Jennifer," I said, "There's one more to go." I knew I had to face a great player out there, otherwise she wouldn't beat Monica and Lindsay here. Also just coming through that tournament, I mean, once you made it to the finals, you're not going to give up. What was the question? I lost it a little bit.

MARTINA HINGIS: I answered it. Okay, good.

MARTINA HINGIS: I think there are worse disasters in life than what happened to me today, no (laughter). I mean, I can still smile. I'm healthy. I have more opportunities to come. I don't look at it that way, not at all, no. I mean, it's great for her. She had a tremendous tournament. But for me life goes on. You know, I played great tennis here throughout the whole month, you know, starting from Hopman Cup. Sydney, I beat Serena, I beat all the players, you know, who are out there. It was just a great field. It was just maybe one Williams too many, after the doubles, then one more player to go. But, you know, hopefully in the future, I mean, I proved myself that I, you know, can beat anybody out there. You know, I know I can go on.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yes, I do definitely. Basically since Sydney, we had a terrible draw. I mean, playing the Williamses, then Lindsay and Corina. Here also it was just -- I mean, I'm not as strong as the other girls, so I can't waste too much energy. Yeah, maybe I consider not to play. Especially, like the French Open, it's very tough. I just have to relax every second I can and rest. Probably I won't play doubles anymore. But we'll see. I mean, I've said that many times, but I still continue to play. Now, definitely, it's always been different reasons to lose a Grand Slam before, or just that I wasn't up to my physical or something, or the players played, you know, definitely their best. But I still felt like it was mostly my things that I did something wrong. But this time, I don't think I did anything wrong. It was just too much, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I mean, I beat the both Williamses. No one is more powerful than them. It's just that today mentally I couldn't, you know, go out there and fight through myself. Just three, four days in a row, just always go over the limit, it's just too much for me. And she didn't give me a chance. I mean, there at 5-1, I came back to 5-4, there she slowed down a little bit, but it was almost a little bit too late. It was still hot out there. My legs were like stuck to the ground. No good.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you recover slower. That's the problem sometimes. I mean, when you're a kid, you have so much energy. When you're 16, 17. Mentally, I mean, your brain, sometimes you're not up to that, that you waste it easily. You recover fast, but then you think you can do too many things at the same time, which I felt like. That's been sometimes the reason why, you know, I didn't win some tournaments or so, because I was like, "Okay, I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to have privacy, too many things." But this time, you know, I know what I want. Tennis definitely is, you know, right now at the top priority. But now I showed some great tennis at this tournament. Yeah, definitely when you're a child, so many things come a lot easier to you. But, you know, you have more experience the older you are. I can build on that.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I don't have comment on that, sorry.

MARTINA HINGIS: You can't see really inside a person. I mean, that's her life, that's been the way she dealed with different things. You know, I only see her as a player. I always knew, you know, 14, already being in the Top 10; 15, 16 winning the Olympics. I mean, there's not too many people did that in the past. I was like always four years younger. Because I'm in September, she's in I think March, so I always broke her records because I was the half year younger. I was like the second one always breaking after her, but she was the first one who made it up there. You know, what happened later, I don't know exactly. Then I only saw her after that again. You know, when I practice with her a few times, I always knew she's, you know, maybe me and her, we are very similar on the court, you know, the strokes and everything, the mind. I mean, today even like maybe watching us, I don't know, it's just very similar strokes, just the game plan and everything. Today she just still had more to give than I did.