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U.S. OPENSeptember 3, 2013Lleyton HewittNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK M. YOUZHNY/L. Hewitt THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. It's a cruel sport obviously sometimes. Can you talk us through the emotions of all that, the last couple of sets? LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, obviously could have gone either way. There was a lot of momentum changes, yeah, right from the start. Yeah, he had a lot of different swings out there where we both played better at certain stages for three or four games. You know, it was hard for both of us to hold our serves at times as well out there. You know, in the end, he played the big games when he needed to. He didn't give me too many cheap errors. Q. One of the greatest moments of your career obviously came here when you won the title. How would you compare, you know, today? Was this almost as painful as that was exhilarating? LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I don't know about that. Yeah, it's obviously disappointing to lose, but, you know, I left it all out there. There's not a whole heap more I could have done. Q. Those crucial games, 4‑All in the fourth, 5‑All in the fifth, and errors are coming, is that just tightness from wanting it too much or is it fatigue? What sort of causes those little hiccups sometimes? LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, you know, it could be anything. You know, we obviously had some long rallies out there. And, yeah, the game at 5‑All in the fifth, I could have easily have won that game. I played a pretty good game. Yeah, I didn't, you know. Just missed a backhand wide on my game point to go up 6‑5. It's a game of inches out there, really. Q. Now that it seems like you're pretty healthy again, what's the biggest difference between you now and you when you won this title? LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I don't know. Obviously back then, yeah, the way that I moved obviously on the court was, yeah, pretty good. Obviously the way I counter punched. The game is always changing as well the whole time. Yeah, I've played through a couple of different generations, as well, I guess. Yeah, you're always trying to work on certain areas of your game. There's a lot bigger, stronger guys out there obviously dictating play with their serve and sort of forehand out there. You know, 1‑2 tennis. Q. People who have been significant in your past here are all retiring: Sampras, now Blake. All these guys are getting older. I wonder, do you have a ceiling? Do you want to be here when they finish the roof when they in 2016, 2017? LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know, mate. No idea. Q. What does this mean to you, this run? You played great tennis and obviously have come back from the surgery and so forth. In general ‑ I know it's hard at this point having just lost the match ‑ but looking back at the last week, talk about what that's meant to you in terms of your confidence and ambition? LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, it's obviously great, you know, to come into the tournament and have tough draw in the second round playing a quality player. To get through that match and then to bounce back, and it was always going to be hard physically to keep coming out match after match, because in the second round that obviously took a lot out of me to get through Del Potro. And, then, yeah, every match was going to get tougher and tougher from there on is as well. Yeah, I fought my way through the third round, and obviously I could have gone either way today. It obviously gives me a lot of confidence. It would have been great to have won today. As I said earlier, I left it all out there this whole week, week and a half. Yeah, you don't have regrets. Q. Who's the best tennis player, Nadal, Sampras, or Federer? LLEYTON HEWITT: Ah, well, I think Federer, you know, he's the greatest at the moment, for sure, you know, just what he's done in slams and how many he's won. Whether Rafa passes him at the end of his career, who knows? Yeah, obviously on clay Rafa is the greatest ever, so... Q. You say this gives you some confidence and everything. Talk a little bit about that in terms of the Davis Cup that's coming up, the tie next week. LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it gives me obviously a lot of confidence beating quality players. It's going to be on a different surface. So, yeah, Davis Cup is totally different, as well. You've just got to go out there and focus on the one match that you're playing and not keep worrying about, you know, the tournament. Yeah, it's going to be a tough tie for us. We obviously need Bernie playing well and ready, and then, you know, hopefully we can find a way to get three rubbers. Q. Does the mental aspect of the game in terms of closing out matches at all get tougher as you have been around longer? You're young you don't realize what's at stake as much, but further into your career... LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes and no. I don't think‑‑ yeah, when you're young you do anything to be in that position sometimes. It's tougher as well to close it out because you have never been there before. Yeah, it's one of the hardest games to win. It's the last one. Q. Presumably when you're with a team at the Davis Cup, you're experienced, a little older. Do you relish that role? LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. We've got a, you know, pretty young and inexperienced team really. Yeah, no, I enjoy it obviously alongside Pat and Rochey. I just try and instill some, yeah, belief into the team in what they're capable of doing. Bernie stepped it up in the last tie in Uzbekistan and played some really good tennis. I think it's a good position for me to be in later in my career. Q. Pretty tough. New York crowd breaks out the, Aussie, Aussie chant. What goes through your head? LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's great obviously. I had a lot of support out there today. I had a lot of support all my matches this week. Yeah, it's great to come back. I think the fans here, it's an electric kind of atmosphere out there, which suits my personality and my game style. Q. In 2001 when you won here you were much younger and on your own. Now you're traveling with your family. Does that give you more perspective about the tennis losses? LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, probably. Every loss still hurts obviously. Yeah, it puts everything in perspective, I guess, and your priorities have changed. Yeah, still when I'm off court I still do absolutely everything I can to get in and prepare for matches as well as possible, but obviously you don't probably dwell on matches quite as much because you have other things to worry about. Q. How difficult it's going to be to maintain this level on clay court? What's your thought about Polish team? Not sure about Janowicz; he's injured. LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said before, it's going to be a tough tie. Obviously they chose clay, but I don't think it's their best surface, either. Yeah, Kubot, I think it's his best surface, clay. It's going to be interesting. They've got a good doubles player. Obviously Janowicz is a quality player. I'm sure he's going to play, though, because if he was that injured he wouldn't have played doubles here. It was one of the silliest things I have seen. Yeah, I will be focusing on what we have to do and we have to try to win three matches. Q. Cahill was out watching you today. Did you know he was coming? I guess even though you didn't get the result, was it kind of nice to have that kind of support from fellow Aussie? LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I had no idea. It's always great to have, yeah, quality Australian people around, and, you know, obviously top athletes. And I try and support as many of the other Australian athletes as well when I'm traveling. Shame I couldn't get the win. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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