US OPEN

August 31, 2006

Martina Hingis

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Martina, please.
MARTINA HINGIS: Thank God there's not many people here anymore.

Q. Were you surprised to see her playing that well?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think it's not only that she played well, but I didn't play good. I think I let her play well, and then she just, yeah, opened up, lost the fear, and played exceptional.
I mean, we know that she can play and beat some good players every now and then.

Q. Do you have an explanation for the reason why you were not playing so well tonight?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think after yesterday I didn't have much more to give. I was a little flat and tired mentally. Just I don't know. Just wasn't feeling well. Wasn't my day. I don't know.
You know, in the beginning, I started out well the first service game. That's not unusual. After that, uhm, maybe sometimes you think like the opponent is gonna hand it to you, but she didn't.
I think the difference is now that I'm back in the top 10. I'm the player people have seen me around, and they have nothing to lose anymore compared to when I started the year.

Q. Where do you take your comeback from here? This is your earliest exit ever at the US Open. What's next?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I mean, uhm, that's a good question. I mean, I can't answer that right now to you. I mean, we'll see.

Q. Are you going to try to qualify for the season ending championships?
MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, yeah, that's the ultimate goal, but I think I have to think over some things and, you know, just, uhm, get through the next weeks and then get ready for indoors.

Q. Obviously, you didn't want to play back to back days, but were you at least pleased to see that you were going to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight in front of a big crowd?
MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, yeah. I mean, I wish I had played a better match here in front of a stadium like that. Maybe it would have been better I played some Court 10 or something (laughing).

Q. When you came back from 5 1 to 5 4 in the second set, you could believe that it was getting
MARTINA HINGIS: I mean, still not easy to finish off matches against top players. I mean, yeah. I mean, I've struggled with that when I came back now. I mean, I had some opportunities against Amélie and didn't make it.
You know, you sometimes believe you know, doubt yourself. Can you really make it and close it?
She served well the last game. I mean, I still had some openings, opportunity, but I should have, you know, done that a lot sooner than, you know, at 5 1 being down.

Q. And is it the most disappointing loss of the year for you so far?
MARTINA HINGIS: Uhm, in a way, yes, and no because, I mean, since Wimbledon I have not had the results maybe I would have thought I would. Well, I don't know. Yeah, maybe Wimbledon was more disappointing because that was the first time I lost to a lower ranked player. I hope I'm not getting used to this habit, yep.

Q. After the first set of your match yesterday you said that you changed your strategy up a bit. You came to net a little bit more. Did you try to do anything tonight after dropping the first set?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I tried to come in but, I mean, you still have to, you know, be aggressive but still keep the ball within the lines, still be in control. You know, sometimes today I tried it, and I had some good points, but she wouldn't let me.
Yesterday, I was able to dig in deep, and today, you know, she had a better answer. I mean, we have to say definitely she played a great match, yeah.

Q. But this was a match you felt like you should have won?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I mean I don't know what she's ranked. A lot of you probably know.

Q. 100, but she had an injury. She had a stress fracture in the beginning of the year, and then again after the French Open. So she started to play without any pain in August. Now she can play her best game.
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, well, I mean, she's I've played a lot of tennis lately in the last couple months, a lot of hard courts. Even like I don't think I've had a day off since, so I think now I will have some days off which I didn't want to have.

Q. When you retired, you obviously had an injury, but you realized you couldn't compete power wise with a lot of the players. When you came back, you said that your mind would separate you from the other players. Did your thinking out there let you down tonight?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, I tried a couple dropshots early on and they both were like, yeah... I can't explain. I mean, that kind of set me back. I'm like, Okay, I definitely have to try to do something different. I mean, this is not working today. It worked yesterday against Shuai Peng. Sometimes like I feel like I'm hitting a lob and she still didn't get there.
But today against Virginie I couldn't allow myself to have any because of the or leave her any openings. She was very solid from both sides. There wasn't much I could do sometimes.

Q. Would you reevaluate this comeback. I know in the beginning of this press conference
MARTINA HINGIS: This is probably not the best day to ask. I mean, you can't just be down on yourself all the way because you lose a match here at the US Open. So, you know, I mean, you know, I have my people around me, my support system, so we just definitely have to step back and see how it's you know, what we'll do in the next days, next weeks, next months.

Q. Did you ever think when you came back in January that you would be in the top 10 by the US Open?
MARTINA HINGIS: I was hoping for it, but if it's going to happen, I didn't know. I'm definitely happy after that was a huge match for me, playing Kuznetsova, making in the quarters in Montreal. After that, you know, still winning the semis where I don't think I was at the best after that night, but still winning somehow.
I went back home and, yeah, I don't know. It's just too much tennis. I mean, there's not much I can explain right now. I mean, it's just I wasn't as fresh mentally as I normally go into Grand Slams. It was a tough match yesterday, and coming out there today again and playing Virginie, she's not going to hand it to me, and she didn't.

Q. Between Wimbledon and Montreal, what did you do?
MARTINA HINGIS: I played one match, yeah. I played San Diego and I had a week off. I played Montreal, week off, and here.

Q. When you walked off the court at the 2002 US Open after you lost to Monica Seles, did you have any idea at the time the next time you would be here would be nearly four years later?
MARTINA HINGIS: No, I mean, you don't think that far ahead what's going to happen. Definitely not like it's gonna take three years or what will happen, you know. I still somehow that year I had tough three setters also getting to the fourth round and playing Monica. At that time it was disappointing to lose to her because I haven't lost to her in, you know, a few matches.
I don't know. The surface is quite fast. I mean, it's like in the beginning of the year, the Rebound Ace is a little slower. On clay you have more time. I feel right now if you don't serve well, don't return well, if you're not aggressive enough, I mean, you can't just do it with a passive game. I mean, you definitely have to change something on that.

Q. Do you feel lucky to be here? Monica Seles, she's trying to come back, but it probably won't happen. Do you feel fortunate
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, she's 32 years old. I'm 25, so it's a little bit of difference. 26 next month, so...
I don't want to really compare myself with her yet.

Q. How would you rate the year, the comeback year?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, it's not over yet, so you ask me at the end of the year.

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