THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 21, 1999

Martina Hingis

VERONIQUE MARCHAL: Questions for Martina in English first, please.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think it went pretty good. From the beginning on, I was playing very solid, very focused, just try to make her play in the beginning, and she would do a lot of errors. In the wind, it wasn't very easy, especially from one side, you had the sun, playing against the wind. It was like weight lifting a little bit. But, you know, I think I managed pretty good today.

MARTINA HINGIS: What's the score? It was like 6-5.

MARTINA HINGIS: Third already?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I usually say I never lose against the same player two times in a row. Last week was Indian Wells, here already Key Biscayne, we might play each other again if she wins this match now. I learned a lot from last week. She played a very good match, I think. But I was like always one step behind. I worked a little bit on that, try to step in more. We'll see.

MARTINA HINGIS: Very rarely, very seldom it happens. Once against Lindsay only. I guess I'm more serious the second time, especially against the big players. There was always like a little reason why I wasn't , either I was tired, I had a long streak of tournaments, played like semis or finals all the time. Once in a while, you just have to lose. I mean, it happens; not much against the same one again. I know I take the play more seriously. I know what to do pretty much. I know where my mistakes have been before. I try to work on them.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think I first lost some weight. That was like the best I could do. I was actually up-and-down pretty much with my weight, which happens when you get growing and you stop growing, you start growing to the side (laughter). I was at Bollettieri's. That was the first time after a long time that I really worked for two weeks, day after day, three, four hours of tennis. We also went for a run, did something else besides that. That kind of paid off at the championships. I tried to keep going in Australia. We went for a run like 45 minutes, even after matches, which in the first week had been pretty easy. For me, the tournament really should start with the quarterfinals, I think.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you can see it. I mean, I'm back to No. 1. The scores, they tell it.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I move faster again. I'm quicker at the points, yes.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, there is a little extra motivation here, especially this tournament. I want to do well, especially because I didn't do that great in Paris, even more disappointed I think in Indian Wells. There wasn't a real reason why I should have lost against Chanda.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, but I did let her play great. I mean, usually the rankings show where the player belongs to. She's ranked 28 in the world, now 24. But still shouldn't happen. Even last year wasn't like the greatest year. I only lost to Top-10 players, only Kournikova 13 in the world. Now Mauresmo is 17, 18. Her even worse, 28. I'm like, "Okay, things are not going the right way." But I think today was a good showdown in today's match.

MARTIN HINGIS: Yeah, there are certain tournaments, especially when you're No. 1 player, the top player, you have the chance to win these big tournaments. There is a little push all the time at the big tournaments that you take them more serious.

MARTIN HINGIS: Yeah. You can't really tell now right now. There are a few players. Lindsay, I saw she's not playing doubles. She's really focusing only on singles this time. There's only like 150 points between us. She didn't do that great last year, so she has a chance to get back to No. 1, as I try to keep it up there. Venus hasn't played since Oklahoma. She must be fresh. Serena just won the last two tournaments. Steffi made the finals. I mean, there are a few. You can't really tell. There are going to be a few good matches, I think, to look at.

MARTIN HINGIS: No. You always knew that she has a chance to (inaudible) it with the best players. Now finally she won a tournament, and last week even a bigger one. She really made it to the end. She used to have match point against me or Arantxa at the French Open, but she never could finish them. This time she made it to the end. I think that's a pretty good effort, especially that one in Paris that she beat Mauresmo in the final, 7-6 in the third, where the crowd is for sure not on her side. Yeah, that was a big win for her, first time, tournament.

MARTIN HINGIS: Because nobody knew what's going to happen. But for me, more or less, it was pretty much sure. I guess you had a conference with Rene and Eric and not with me. Nobody told me I should show up there.

MARTIN HINGIS: We talked about it. You can always talk to me and question me. It just depends on my answer.