adidas International

January 10, 2001

Martina Hingis

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Martina, please.

MARTINA HINGIS: Definitely. Now, you know, it was late last night and it was a great doubles match, and, you know, until we got back, until I fell asleep, it was quite late. And coming here , it was like more that the doubles becomes more important than the singles. That's really not what I want. It was just, you know, a great doubles match. And coming out here the next day, you know, it's like you feel a little lame. I definitely didn't play up to my best today, but I was lucky it was good enough, you know?

MARTINA HINGIS: At times, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, that's for sure. She also started at Hopman Cup, she had a few wins there and played a good match against Monica. She just still needs, you know, at the important times when it's like 4-all, she would just get a little tight or something and just not pick the right shot at the right time. But I'm sure with time she'll learn that, and she's going to be a very dangerous player. I mean, she is already now. She's top 20. So... Still young.

MARTINA HINGIS: Serena, exactly. It was just -- the doubles was very intense, yeah. It was somehow, you could feel it in the air, you know, how important it was for all of us. And I actually teamed up for the first time with Monica, and, you know, mastering a win like this, it's great. It's a great test going into the next tournament. It was just, you know, playing the three-time Grand Slam champions, I think they're the best doubles out there right now, you know. It's just they know each other - well, now it's us, me and Monica. So that feels pretty good. Just very close, and I think for the spectators, it was also great to watch us. And, you know, hopefully we're not going to have to play them first round again at the Australian Open, which might happen again. So it's just you don't want to play someone like that in the first round. But it was a great, great match, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: I play her again. We'll see. This is a preparing tournament going for the Australian Open, so I feel pretty good about my game, and I'm, you know, feeling fresh and healthy. And today it wasn't maybe the case, but I think I'm over the hill somehow. I won this type of match, now I'm going to play a little doubles again. Well, just three seed I think, Lindsay and Corina. So it's -- tomorrow it's gonna be another just great match hopefully. Very interesting to play them, because they haven't played in a while, so... It's always good to have tough matches before you play a big one. You know where you are at.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you know, I worked on my all-around game in general, so I -- against them, you just have to try to get closer than they are, which is not so easy. I mean, they hit the ball hard. But the other thing is they also haven't played in a while. And me and Monica, we finished the winter season and also played last week already a few matches. I think if we hadn't played the Hopman Cup, we wouldn't win maybe last night. But it's -- that's the way I feel. And now I have to play a lot of matches to, you know, get the routine, get the confidence, and I feel very good, yeah, about my game at the net, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: I mean, it's always hard to play either of them, so... But I think it was very close last night. I don't think they played at their best. They're just very aggressive and, you know, when you have only the half court to play, it's still a little easier because, you know, you don't have to run, you don't really get that tired, you still stand -- I mean, it was a very tense doubles, but it wasn't so physical because you don't do all that running as we did today in the singles. And it was just more such a mental match last night, yeah. But I think, yeah, all of us have little maybe edge, me and Monica and also Lindsay, over the Williamses right now because we played a lot more matches in the last few -- yeah. And it's getting tougher and tougher. I mean even the younger players, they're not scared to go out there and play them, so...

MARTINA HINGIS: That was a crucial moment, definitely. She was serving for -- going up 5-2. There I felt like this is, you know, either if I win this game, I still have a chance to win that set and -- or, you know, lose the first and go into the -- try again in the second and third. I didn't want that to happen. You know, sometimes just you have those points and it's like almost a matchpoint, you know. If you break somebody, it breaks their confidence. And, I mean, just certain times -- it doesn't have to always be the matchpoint which is the most important game or point of the match.

MARTINA HINGIS: I guess the linesman was telling something to the - I don't know - it was just kind of weird, yeah. It was -- I stand up for the changeover and I got a warning for coaching. I didn't even look at my mother or anything. It was - I don't know. Obviously, everyone is -- when the coach is there, everybody tries to tell something, encourage the people, so...

MARTINA HINGIS: Well no, not at that time.

MARTINA HINGIS: Can you say that he wasn't coaching at all? I don't know. I mean, as Nathalie said in her book, "Everyone's coaching but sometimes you just don't understand," you know.