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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 14, 2006

Martina Hingis

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Martina.
Q. First game of the third set, you came back from 15-30 to take that game. The second game you hit a couple of backhand winners down the line. Third game, brilliant overhead.
MARTINA HINGIS: That's the third set or first?
Q. Third set.
MARTINA HINGIS: Good memory (laughter).
Q. Tagged the line a couple of times, returned two overheads. You're up 4-1. Do you feel like all the big points are yours?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, in the third set, I think that was a pretty big point because breaking her to go up 3-1 definitely gave me a little more confidence, and also trying to run away in the third set. It always helps.
Yeah, then just holding my serve. That took a little bit pressure away from me. I had to kind of scoop off air that I could breathe, and then it's just continue to have the fluency.
Q. You look poised to win this tournament. If you win this tournament, will it bring an end to the comeback trail to win this tournament?
MARTINA HINGIS: I'm not even close to win it yet. When I saw the draw, I was looking, yeah, maybe potentially third round or like fourth round to play Lindsay. I'm over this bump now. Just looking forward to the next match because as soon as you start looking too far ahead, you might lose focus.
I think Safina is a very tough opponent. Just definitely have to look at her seriously.
Q. What does it mean psychologically to beat Lindsay? She's one of the markers for you, right?
MARTINA HINGIS: Definitely. Match-wise, you know, to beat Lindsay here in Indian Wells where it probably matters a little bit more than anything else, she lives close by, probably Grand Slams, that's the tournaments you aim for when you're No. 2 or 3 in the world.
This one I know she takes very seriously. To beat her here, it's great, yeah.
Q. How much does it say to you about where you are? Does it help you know where you are?
MARTINA HINGIS: For sure. Beating Lindsay today here under these circumstances on this occasion, it's definitely not easy mentally for me to play her. It's the first time since I've been back to play her. But now I know that I have the potential to meld with the best, and that's very helpful, yeah, confidence.
Q. In your mind, what was the difference in the match today?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, in a way I was probably a little more fresh. Maybe she has the advantage over me that she's still been around for the last three years. Probably I was a little more determined, even more hungry. I ran down a lot of balls, which probably other girls try to overhit her or risk too early. Even I had a letdown a little bit in the second set, I just tried to focus in the third early on, just to put her under pressure, and it worked.
Q. She said that she has a bulging disc in her back which has been bothering her. Were you aware of that? Did you feel that out in the match at all?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I mean, she's been around on the tour for so long, she has experienced a lot of different injuries. When you feel a little bit here and there, I don't know exactly what she had. I mean, you couldn't see any tapes or anything. But sometimes you could see in her walk.
I think I also made her, you know, even think about it probably more. You still have to play. Even if someone's injured, you still just have to take advantage of it. Everybody has a little something. It's not like you go on court sometimes with not having anything.
I was pretty close to a hundred percent. That's the goal of what you try to do when you are in an all-year-round sport like tennis.
Q. You didn't spend that much time inside the baseline. Was that by design? She wouldn't let you in? You wanted to stay back?
MARTINA HINGIS: It's hard. She was hitting the balls like this close to the lines. It's very hard to mentally stay focused all this time because you're under so much pressure. I mean, like no one else probably. She served very well. Her first and second shot are, you know, the best out there.
She pushes you away from the line. I mean, with her, you just have to -- I mean, everyone says you have to try to make her run, but it's very difficult. Once you get over a rally which is three, four points, then you have definitely a better chance. But usually you don't even get there.
Q. During this incredible comeback run you're going through now, has it ever crossed your mind, "Why did I leave in the first place?"
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I knew the reason why I left the game. Like I said already in some of the interviews previously, I had to face players like Serena, Lindsay, the sisters all the time, then probably I wouldn't give myself this question. But looking at the game from the outside and commentating, looking at the players, how they did, maybe four or five years ago everyone was really determined and hungry. It was like 20 players out there who could win the tournament.
Now really somehow it feels like it narrowed down to five, maybe 10 sometimes. It's always a different Russian who is really hungry and determined.
I mean, sometimes it felt like they all had their run. Now they're trying to bounce back. But it's not as intense as it used to be.
Q. Freshness is a key element?
MARTINA HINGIS: Sure. My body feels like it's going fine now again.
Q. Lindsay pounces on second serves maybe as well as anyone in tennis. Your second serve wasn't probably as bad as it looked today because no one is going to take advantage of it like Lindsay.
MARTINA HINGIS: You're right. Because you're under so much pressure, I mean, against other players you get away with it. Not against Lindsay.
Q. You played her so many times.
MARTINA HINGIS: What is it, 25?
Q. 25 today. You had a good rivalry. You had a period when you were beating her. Towards the end, she was beating you pretty regularly. You go out on court today. Was the tennis a lot different or did it feel like 2001, 2002 all over again?
MARTINA HINGIS: It's hard. Once you're on court and you play the first few games of the first set, it definitely felt like being back in there, those big battles we used to have. Unfortunately, we had to face each other in the fourth round already. But I think it was definitely worth a semis or a final match today.
Hopefully I get there to have a better ranking soon and I don't have to play her that early.
Q. More within the match-up, when you went on court today, did you remember your other matches with her, when you play her now in 2006, did you say to yourself that you were going to have to do a few things differently than when you left?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yes and no. I mean, watching her over the last three years, you know she has some things which she improved on and some which got worse. You know, trying to take advantage of those weakness and strengths she has. Probably one time it crossed my mind, the finals we had here once. I was up like 4-1, 4-2, 40-15. I ended up losing the match. I'm like praying once I was up 5-1, I was like hopefully now I can finish it (smiling).
I know that I was up a set and, like I said, 4-2, 40-15. I didn't make it. I ended up losing that match. That was one of the finals which I -- somehow sometimes you want to turn back time. Yeah, that crossed my mind around 4-1. Once I made 5-1, I was happy.
Q. Speaking about matches you've had, you've had some wild ones, the French Open. Coming back and looking at that as the next Slam, is that something you're looking forward to or is there a sense of unfinished business there?
MARTINA HINGIS: I think every tournament I'm playing at I take it seriously. Like I said, I mean, like you've been saying, I've missed three years. I don't want to miss any more time out there.
Q. Is this the most satisfying victory of your comeback, considering your history with Lindsay?
MARTINA HINGIS: No, I would say every match which I was winning, even like the first match being back, the first one at the Australian Open, then making the quarters, maybe the run I had in Tokyo was pretty good. But today, one of them, yeah, definitely. Definitely peaks.
Q. Lindsay says your balls are clearing the net by more.
MARTINA HINGIS: I'm trying to have more spin. It's a harder ball to take. I mean, sometimes it's slower, but it's more like probably the men would play, like heavier topspin. Don't get it there all the time, like behind the service line. Still a very tough one to control and do something out of it.
Q. You're going to hit your forehand like Rafael Nadal soon?
MARTINA HINGIS: I don't think so. I don't have such shoulders. Sometimes now already I'm like, "Oh, my God."
Q. What is your status in the locker room now? Do younger players look up to you? Are they afraid of you?
MARTINA HINGIS: No, I have very friendly relationships. Sometimes I would hit with some of them, like Maria Kirilenko, even Maria - the other Maria. I've been playing well. I mean, no one was ever like afraid. I mean, sometimes maybe on court they have respect. I think always you have to leave it on court and not outside. I mean, it's still a life.
You have to live beside the tennis courts. I'm not the kind of person who is just going to streamline. I've never been like that.
It's kind of nice that we have this separate locker room for champions, so you have your privacy and quiet time. Thank God I won here once.
Q. A lot of people dismissed Team Tennis, they say it's exhibition tennis. Would you be here now without it?
MARTINA HINGIS: Maybe not. Without it, I probably wouldn't be out here. I don't know. It's a hard question to answer, but it definitely gave me confidence to be playing those matches. It was still not totally exhibition, but it was not professional tennis, but somewhere in between. You still have to go out there and don't want to blame yourself, you try to get prepared and play with a team. I've always been very much a team player. I usually enjoy playing doubles more than anything else, Hopman Cup, all these things.
Yeah, I don't know. Without the Team Tennis to give myself some confidence that I still had some game, yeah, probably.
Q. Did McEnroe help you?
MARTINA HINGIS: I played only two matches with Mack. I think the one week I was with the team, we already had a nice lead to make the semis. He just kind of joined us. I played a couple mixed doubles. That was about it, yeah.
Q. What do you admire most about Roger Federer on and off the court?
MARTINA HINGIS: His probably discipline and devotion to the game, professionalism he has. It's like amazing that at such a young age as he is to be so dedicated, yeah, professional about his sport.
Q. How do you feel about the fact that there's not bonus points any more? Do you feel badly, because you probably would have gone up a lot faster?
MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, that doesn't matter to me. Doesn't matter. Sometimes it's easier if you play a top player sooner than later because once they're in the game, it's probably sometimes harder to beat them.
Slowly but surely I'm getting there. Hopefully I don't have to play someone like Justine or Mauresmo or Lindsay first, second round. I think I've almost reached that right now.
Q. Was it a special feeling to walk out there today and resume a rivalry with Lindsay?
MARTINA HINGIS: It definitely was. Playing her, you know, like we've been saying, she's the one who you kind of aim for, you've been playing all those years. She's still there. Yeah, you definitely find out where you're at, what your potential still is.
Yeah, it was always special to play Lindsay.

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