THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 22, 1998

Martina Hingis

Q. Talk a little bit about your shutout, 6-0, 6-0; how did it feel?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I am pretty confident right now after winning Indian Wells. I just feel great right now. It is great being out there. And, you know, that if you really want to, at the important points you go out there and you make them. Especially I knew that -- I never played Kruger, actually, before. But after they said on the court that she is 21 in the world and she made pretty good results Indian Wells, she beat Coetzer. I knew she had a pretty good round right now. She is a player that could be really dangerous for me, so it was a good match.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, last year was different, because I kind of had no pressure on me and I just could play my own game. But now I am a year older. Since one year I am No. 1. I am probably a little bit stronger, also. My -- physically, and mentally, hopefully, also a little bit further than I was last year. If you want to stay on the top -- at the top for a while, so you kind of -- and you are No. 1 for one year, you have won so many tournaments, so you can be confident a little bit.

MARTINA HINGIS: Actually, it is really not my problem. But I think it is a little bit sad for her. A lot of people talk always about, now when finally I am going to play her. But I never really got the chance to do it. So it is a little disappointing for me that I never got to play her. Especially I am in pretty good shape right now. Lindsay played a great match against her. But I feel a little bit -- maybe she is a bit disappointed that she wants to come back. With her body and the health is the most important thing for a person. I guess if the body is not working the way she wants it to, a little bit sad for her. But not for me. Tennis has changed since last year a lot. There are so many great other players out there, and it is not -- when she stopped she was very dominating, and it is not the same anymore.