AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2001

Martina Hingis

THE MODERATOR: First question for Martina, please.

MARTINA HINGIS: Not surprised. I knew a little bit about her. I mean I've played her before in a doubles match. But I knew that she was a very good junior, I think she was No. 1 even that year. You know, all the answers say she has a very similar game. But she has very solid ground strokes and a good serve, so it was hard to figure out something, you know, until, you know, I felt like, "Okay, I have to make her tired." Make her run as much as I can and make her play. Every time it was different shot, but I definitely had to make my points today.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, actually depends on who you face, who is on the other side. Pretty much if you're nervous, the way you practice the day before, if it's the same day, if you feel like okay, I'm feeling fine, or if you're hurt somewhere. You're always a little bit hurt. You know, it's like it's hard to get out there always 100 percent. And then the heat affects you, the wind. There's many factors to always be at your best. But I think, you know, whoever wins a Grand Slam, that person can cope with all the details at the end and is going to win the Grand Slam.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, we've played each other before. She's actually one of the players I know a little bit better, so I mean I know her, I've played her before. I watched the whole match actually because I was the next after. So I just have to definitely play my game. But now I play three players I've never played before, so it's kind of awkward going into that match. Especially the younger ones. You never know exactly what to expect. Like Marosi, okay, she's ranked where she is, and Callens is the same thing. Whereas a double player, they have nothing to lose, the younger players. Rita is just a player, you know, I have to take serious and just play my game.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, that was a great doubles match today I think. It was very high-quality, high intensity. It was just definitely going out there again after a singles, it's not so easy but I was happy the way I played definitely. But we both had to play well, I mean otherwise, it's just bang, bang. I was the only one of the three of them who wasn't hitting the ball as hard, but I was telling Monica, "Okay, okay, I just got to get to the net. That's all. I just have to cross a lot and make them think and play." But definitely it was a great match. I mean, at the end, okay, we always really made the points and the games when we needed it, but at the end, the score shows the way that we were always on top of them, but it definitely was a very good match.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I mean we played the four toughest doubles pairs out there. We played Williams, Davenport -Morariu, Raymond and Stubbs. Who is the next one? Schett -Kournikova we still haven't played. Could be the next round, semifinals. They have to face the Williamses. Hopefully one of them is going to be out. (Laughs). But it's, I think it's -- we're just very much thrown into it. But I enjoy playing with Monica; that's for sure. I mean if we play like today, I think we definitely have a chance to take this Grand Slam home.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, that's what she said.

MARTINA HINGIS: She broke it. Well, how do you break a shoe? I don't know. (Laughing.) Must have been pretty worn out then, I don't know. Doesn't Nike give her enough shoes to play? No, I mean on this surface, it was very hot and sticky, so it never happened to me. I mean... (Laughing.)

MARTINA HINGIS: No. I played her last week. So I just go straight forward, as I did there and hopefully come up with the same score.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, Mario, my mother's friend. He's always there. We are the trio. One time it was my cousin, she came to the States.

MARTINA HINGIS: They follow it. But I think the less people around me is the better because I mean once you travel so much, it's hard, you know. It's like you don't have -- don't like having too many people around you. I go back home, so I see them all the time.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah. The doubles matches are tougher than the singles.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think it was a great victory. We had the Williamses there, that was the first time we played together. That helped me also beat Serena in the singles. She had more respect, that's for sure. And it was also, because we won that match at the end, that she was a little unsure. I mean going in, they haven't played that much. Well, I think the more they play, every one gets more, you know, serious about getting into the next round. So they're tougher and tougher to beat, as the tournament goes on. But in a way, I looked at the draw and I was like, "Okay, quarterfinals, already Serena." But in a way I thought, "Okay, the sooner, the better." Because they haven't played that many matches.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you know, I hope -- I expect a good one. At least somebody's going to give them trouble a little bit hopefully. Amelie, I think she has a very good game which could really suit -- could be helpful to give her some kind of trouble. You could see the earlier rounds. But I mean it's going to be an interesting match definitely. I don't know what to expect from it at the end, but, yeah, we'll see.

MARTINA HINGIS: Who won the one before? I don't know.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I definitely wouldn't have played last week if I played Monica before. But because we also played both the Hopman Cup. So we had enough matches. But we never played together. So we thought, "Okay, we got one, two matches before we play the Grand Slam and here we have to play Williams/Williams." I mean, that's not the easiest draw at all. Hopefully she's going to have a ranking after this tournament, so we won't have to play them for sure anymore.

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I'm not surprised. I chose to play with Monica. I called her up, and we also practiced now before together. We just didn't have that much time really, but I knew what her, you know, strength and that she had this power game and she can stay back and she can also, if you practice on it, she has a great volley. I mean she sees the court. If you tell her a little bit what to do, I mean today she played really well, even at the net. From the baseline everyone knows she can kill everybody, so... You just have to use her weapons, which nobody did before. You know?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, because it just takes too much time. It's too much energy. I mean I feel like after Sydney I was dead, you know. I played Hopman Cup, two matches, I was watching Roger then we played the mix in Sydney, then we played the Williamses, 7:30 next day, you play Clijsters. Now you got to play Serena and another Davenport-Morariu doubles. So, hello, it's a little bit too much.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, because I think it still not as physical as the men's game, but also we like to play more doubles. But sometimes it makes it almost impossible because -- with the night matches and everything. As I said, I wouldn't have played Sydney if I hadn't played with Monica before or if I had played with her. And it's just the scheduling gets very hard.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, as I said --.

MARTINA HINGIS: Definitely. I think that's a great idea. If that could go through, I think I'm very much into it.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think she's very professional, very disciplined. Otherwise she wouldn't be still out there after so many years. Tennis is her passion. I mean, that's what she always did and that's what she enjoys, and, you know, me too. I go out there and I want to win and give me best in a way if I can. And, you know, the two of us together, that's I think another thing what makes us strong. We both can play tennis in singles and, you know, she's a champion. The way she thinks and does things.