US OPEN

August 26, 1997

Martina Hingis

VERONIQUE MARCHAL: Questions for Martina in English.

MARTINA HINGIS: I have no reason not to be. I played well. It was a good start on the centre court.

MARTINA HINGIS: I read it in the paper. It was two days ago I think in the paper. Well, okay, I'm going to face two opponents in one time (laughter). Well, I knew she has nothing to lose. I try my best. It was weird playing someone who is pregnant. It's different.

MARTINA HINGIS: I only did two or three of them. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to do more.

MARTINA HINGIS: But she got them, some of them.

MARTINA HINGIS: Before we went out there on the court, where is your little stomach? She was happy about it. She came later on. She did a great job out there.

MARTINA HINGIS: Everyone is getting older, so you can't stay there on the top forever. I think it's great that the youngsters are coming, as me, too. I know Lucic very well because she was in my house practicing before the Open last year. We both had a big success later on. She won the Juniors; I made the semis. The other ones, I know as Juniors when I played, too. I think it's very good, that they're allowed to play actually.

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, sure, yeah. I think women's tennis anyway is improving a lot. You can see changes every half year. Everything is getting faster, more athletic. It's very hard to win like two or three tournaments in a row. It's almost impossible because everyone is always ready for the next tournament.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I don't really have a favorite one. I like the claycourt because I grew up on it. But, you know, it changes and I like the hardcourts pretty much, yes.

MARTINA HINGIS: I'm playing with?

MARTINA HINGIS: I don't know about other lives. No, I start very early. I was only two years old. My mother was a professional before, so she just tried the best she could. We are a great team. She did a great job. I'm very proud about what we did, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: I didn't get a chance to talk to her. I wasn't out here, but I watched it on TV. It was very nice. It was great to see all the players come out there. It was a very beautiful ceremony.

MARTINA HINGIS: She looked very healthy (laughter).

MARTINA HINGIS: Me?

MARTINA HINGIS: I only played this tournament. I took two weeks off before this one. Grand Slam tournaments, you always want to be very well prepared for that one. Then I just play two or three club matches in Czech Republic. I'm going to start to be ready for indoor tournaments. I won't play like two or three, not that many, three tournaments in a row. I always better take a week off.

MARTINA HINGIS: That's what he asked before. She looked very healthy. Well, as soon as she comes back, she's going to be a great player, as she always has been. We'll see what's going to happen, you know.

MARTINA HINGIS: It's never going to be 100%. You can't be sure with that. It's like when you once had a surgery. If you ask someone else, it's never the same as it was before. I still can run very well, I think. I don't have any problems. It doesn't bother me at all for what I need.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think there is or there should be a little difference. I was seeded No. 16 last year, and now I'm No. 1. So there is a big difference, I would say.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, they offer me to have a ride at Belmont Park again. We'll see. Maybe next week.

MARTINA HINGIS: We want to go this afternoon.

MARTINA HINGIS: Central Park.

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I just heard that at Wimbledon. I didn't know that before. Well, hopefully it doesn't happen to me. I had a couple accidents, too, but nothing serious so far.

MARTINA HINGIS: Actually, I have a little cow bell from Switzerland. When I carry my bags, you can hear it sometimes a little bit. That's it.

MARTINA HINGIS: I explain it like every tournament. I can't explain it. I don't know. I started really early, as I said before. Since last year, you know, everything started going very well. I think a big change was for me, especially mentally, that I won the Wimbledon doubles title there with Helena, that I won a big Grand Slam. Doesn't matter, didn't matter for me that it was only doubles. It was just a big tournament. Last year I made the semis here, so I knew I could be the great player also at a Grand Slam tournament, as I beat Majoli and Sanchez. I won my first WTA tournament, yeah.

MARTINA HINGIS: Especially you have to know why you lost those matches. I knew it was almost bigger for me to make the Finals at the French Open than a victory at Wimbledon. It was a wonder I could compete there after surgery. Iva was just a better player by that time. I'm going to try to beat her next tournament. That's good about tennis: you always get new chances, new tournaments. It makes a difference. Against Lindsay, she was just better. I beat her the two weeks before. Later she beat me. I was a little tired maybe, but it doesn't matter, she was better.

MARTINA HINGIS: I had that feeling once. Sometimes when you face Steffi, especially like two years ago, I didn't even want to go to Wimbledon because I saw the draw, first round Steffi. That wasn't very lucky for me. I was like 19 in the world and I had to play her first round, especially you know that on Thursday already. It's like, "Why do I have to practice? I don't even want to go there." But since then, everything changed. Become much nicer for me.

MARTINA HINGIS: It could be. I don't know.

MARTINA HINGIS: My studies?

MARTINA HINGIS: I'm not that well, I'd say. I have a private teacher at home. It's very hard to do something on tournaments. You have to push yourself on that. I'm not that kind of person. I'd rather go out, go rollerblading, have fun, not sit behind the books.