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U.S. OPEN

August 28, 2007

Martina Hingis

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. Very strong first-round match. Do you feel pretty good about the first 1-under your belt?
MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, definitely, because sometimes when you have a rough couple of months, coming back from an injury, all that, it's like L.A. and San Diego, the tournaments were a little bit rusty, rocky.
I just took some time off, get my body and myself back together. Today I'm very pleased. I hope I can continue this way.

Q. Are you over the injuries, feeling at full health?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, I mean, the way I moved today, I think it looked quite all right, the way I played.
You're always a little bit nervous about something happening. When you're injured, you don't want to get it back or something, so you try to strengthen things. I'm happy that I have good people around me right now and they help me to stay healthy. It's good.

Q. When you look back, 10 years since you won here, does that feel like 10 years or does that feel like a lifetime ago?
MARTINA HINGIS: Depends. Sometimes it feels like yesterday, sometimes like a lifetime. I think when you wake up in the morning you feel really good, you feel like you've been on the tour forever.
Also by the fans, the recognition I get, I was given over the years, the response has been tremendous. I walk into New York restaurants, people know me.
It's a great thing to be rewarded with. I'm just very happy to be back out here and playing good tennis.

Q. Is it mentally tough to go from being a favorite to a has-been, days have come and gone?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, it's kind of funny, they put up this poster, me holding a trophy. I'm like, okay, I look really young. Short haircut, all that. It's been 10 years. I mean, I know that. Really, I had time off.
I had a good comeback last year. I tried to bring the best today, not think about what has happened. I know that nobody can take away from me. You have to keep evolving and keep trying to get better.

Q. Expectations aren't as high. Pressures maybe are less than 10 years ago.
MARTINA HINGIS: Definitely. I get to play on center court. That felt really good. My name's still out there. Not all the people get to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I got to play out there today. I feel very proud of that.

Q. Did you almost exceed your expectations last year?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I have nothing to lose. Last year I lost second round, so I haven't had, like I said, the last couple months were kind of rocky road with all the injuries and that. Every match is a good match. Every victory is a good one.
I feel like I can only win at this tournament, only get better.

Q. I guess I meant career-wise. You made the year-end final, your comeback was pretty remarkable. Did you exceed your own expectations? Did that set up a higher bar for you this year?
MARTINA HINGIS: I did. It wasn't as I expected. The first couple months I played a lot. I won Tokyo. I had quarterfinals again at the Aussie Open. Everything was a smooth ride. But after that, you know, here and there, the injuries came. Everything wasn't a bed of roses anymore.
Yeah, I played Wimbledon where I still had only the week preparation going into Wimbledon. Now I had two weeks of good training. You know, sometimes you feel like it's not never enough. But I definitely played a good match today. I'll hopefully work my way into the tournament.

Q. When you looked at the draw, you're in the part of the draw that people say is a bit softer. Were you glad to be there after the injuries this summer?
MARTINA HINGIS: Some say it's softer. Some say it's harder. It depends how you look at it.
I mean, of course, the first two, three rounds I'm supposed to win. I really take it one at a time because I don't have that many matches under my belt.
I look forward to my next match. I don't know that girl that well, Parmentier. I guess I get that French section going.
Definitely I have a few people to look at her, to tell me about her. Kuznetsova had last week a good run, winning the tournament. We've played before. Hopefully we get to meet again.

Q. I notice your frame is painted black, no stencils. The usual Yonex bag is missing. Are you playing with a frame you're familiar with, looking for a new deal?
MARTINA HINGIS: I'm not talking about this subject right now. Yup, it's a black frame. Testing racquet.

Q. If you don't win the tournament, who would you like to see win the tournament, man and woman?
MARTINA HINGIS: You don't want to see anybody else but yourself holding the trophy. I'm sorry. I can't give another answer.

Q. Can you take us through the injuries, what you've done to rehab yourself?
MARTINA HINGIS: My hip, back, femur bone was inflamed. Like stress reaction.

Q. When did that begin?
MARTINA HINGIS: It began like after Miami. I felt it a bit in the doubles of Miami, but I continued to play. That's when I pulled out of Charleston, the first time, just kind of went, Oh.
Didn't think much of it. Usually my body recovers pretty quickly. The more I do it kind of helps it. This time it was just like getting worse.
I don't know how to call it. My hip was uneven, I guess.

Q. Wobbly?
MARTINA HINGIS: No, not wobbly.

Q. Out of alignment?
MARTINA HINGIS: Out of alignment. I mean, the more you did, you kind of made it worse because then you start compensating. I saw a few doctors and was in Munich. That helped. I started recovering, yup.

Q. You've been through a lot of different things in your career.
MARTINA HINGIS: No kidding (laughter).

Q. When you see young girls coming up now, you were younger than most of them when you first started, do you look at them and say, You have no idea what this life is like?
MARTINA HINGIS: I see the freshness, the hunger, all that. That's how I used to be. Sometimes the older you get, maybe sometimes priorities change. You look at life differently. There's days that you think, oh, that was kind of a nice lifestyle when I didn't have to train every day like six hours, when I had the time off.
But then on the other hand like right now I feel like I don't want to miss a minute off, being out there, being able to compete, all these things.
You try to put things on a scale. I'm a Libra anyway. Try to balance things.

Q. If you could go back and change one aspect of your early years, what would you change?
MARTINA HINGIS: Maybe that French Open final (laughter). I wish I won that one.

Q. When you think about it, do you wish you were just a bit more in control?
MARTINA HINGIS: No, I think I kind of was. In the match I was in control, but all of a sudden it slipped away. I let it slip away. I was two points away from victory. Three points. It was 15-All.
Anyway, it was just like I had it in my hands. But that's maybe one of the only ones. Many other things went my way. Some didn't. It kind of balances out.

Q. John McEnroe says every year when he goes back to Roland Garros to do commentary he loses at least one night of sleep about his loss.
MARTINA HINGIS: There's a few people like that, right, who has never won the French Open.

Q. Do you ever lose sleep about that match?
MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, no, no. I'm more relaxed about it today, you know. They keep showing it in the rain delays anyway. I try not to really look at it.
But that match made history, so on the other hand it was good. If I win 4-4, nobody would talk about it.

Q. How would you compare your game today compared to 1997? Are you a better player today with not as good of results?
MARTINA HINGIS: I think the game evolves all the time, so you have to think you're a better player today. I mean, maybe some things, the experience kicks in. I used to recover faster when I was younger.
It's kind of ongoing bunny, like in the ads, because I used to play so much more. When I think of '97 I was 85-5 and played also doubles matches along with all the singles. I just really played a lot of tennis at that time. That kind of kept going for the next four, five years.
It's not like that anymore. I really have to, you know, tell myself differently now.

Q. You talked about having the fire in your stomach sometimes, other times it's not quite there. When you got here, was it back?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah. I had a really good two weeks of time off. I pulled out of Toronto because of my hip and also getting things straight, just really getting my fitness back, all that.
That definitely helped me a lot to get the hunger and get the spirit back.

End of FastScripts

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