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January 14, 2009
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES
L. HEWITT/J. Tipsarevic
7-5, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Started off well today. What happened?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: I don't want to underestimate Lleyton's performance, but really -- I'm not blaming the heat, because other players are also playing in the same conditions and winning and losing matches.
But really, last time when I played on weather like this was, I don't know, maybe one and a half years, because last year when I play Aussie Open it was not like this.
I started the year in Chennai where matches started at 6:00 a.m., so I didn't have this situation. But when I was feeling more or less normal I was feeling the ball really well.
Lleyton, though, needed some time to find his game. But getting adjusted to the heat just took the best of me.
Q. You seemed to have some problems with your fingers.
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yes. Because in Chennai the humidity was huge. I have at the moment three open blisters on the hand which I have to tape. The problem is that the blisters are more or less close on the joints of the fingers, so I cannot tape too hard because then the mobility of the finger is not possible.
So I taped it lightly, but then after a while it started to go off. I apologized to Lleyton for taking some more time off.
Q. Could there be a move now, or could there be room to move matches here earlier on days we know the weather is going to be so hot?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: How much was it today on the court?
Q. 36 degrees. I'm not sure what the court temperature was.
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Again, I'm saying, of course it's playable. I don't see, let's say Lleyton being affected by heat. But definitely I need some more practices on days like this, because my pre-season I did in Barcelona on 15 degrees and ten days in the mountains at minus five.
So, I mean, the heat is not the reason. Other players are having the same situations on court. Of course there are days that they should abort matches. They made a heat rule, I think, at the Aussie Open, which helps.
But really, playing in the weather like this, in my opinion, it's a little bit more fitness than it is tennis.
Q. To can you explain your tattoos?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Tattoos have a private and personal meaning to me.
Q. Are they symbols that are...
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: The right one is family: Father, mother, me, and brother. Left one is a sentence from a book.
Q. Does the condition today make you a little bit tentative about Melbourne next week?
JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Well, a little bit. I have -- I have a few days to prepare. I'm planning to practice in weather like this, if it's going to be.
But I'm feeling the ball really, really well. I had a terrific pre-season and a good start to the year. I'm really feeling the ball incredible. I'm a little bit disappointed how the match ended today.
I'm feeling a little bit sorry for the Serbian crowd. I actually looked like -- well, I don't want to say injured on the court, but just walking around like a ghost. I feel a little bit sorry for them, and I want to thank them for their support.
End of FastScripts
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