MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL


January 13, 2010


Lleyton Hewitt

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES


L. HEWITT/A. Seppi
6-0, 6-2


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was that okay, or would you have preferred longer on the court?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was perfect today. Yeah, just what I needed. Yeah, I knew going out there, I could see in the early stages the conditions were gonna be tough for all players out there today. It always does get a little windy here at Homebush anyway.
But, um, it was more trying to play the percentages, especially early on and just get a feel for it out there, and I felt like I did that really well.
Yeah, obviously throughout the first set I didn't give him any cheap points and I really made him come up with -- you know, if he was gonna win a point, he had to play a bloody good point to get past me.
I felt like I was returning extremely well and putting a lot of pressure on his second serve when I got the chance.

Q. How did you pull up, Lleyton?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I feel good. Feel fine.

Q. Obviously a much-anticipated game next against Baghdatis. The fans are looking forward to it. How much are you looking forward to it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I haven't really thought about it, to tell you the truth. I was just concentrating on Seppi the last couple days and what I've needed to do and get try and get ready for the Aussie well more than anything in the back of my mind.
So obviously tonight I'll start thinking about Marcos. Yeah, he's had a couple injuries and he's bounced back well from those. He dropped down and played quite a few Challengers throughout last year to get his ranking back where he is at the moment.
Yeah, he's always a class player. Great ball-striker and moves well from the back of the court. Yeah, he's had a couple wins this week.

Q. Be happy not to finish the match against him at 4:30 in the morning this time?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, over three sets, that would be a way, wouldn't it? Have to rain for a while. (Laughter.)

Q. Does that stick in your head though, that match? It obviously does for a lot of people given the timing and everything else, but it was an epic clash in all respects.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. It was different. Hopefully it never happens again to anyone. Yeah, I would have wanted to wipe it out of my memory box if I'd lost the match in five sets. But obviously winning an epic match in your home Grand Slam, yeah, stuff like that always stays in the back of your mind.

Q. You had the two good wins in Perth and the win here. Is it just setting up the right messages for yourself and everybody else watching you as well?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, today was a step up again. And, yeah, Perth after a few months off was always gonna be tough early on as well.
This is my first match outdoors for the year, so it was a tough match outdoors in terms of the conditions and getting used to that coming from indoors last week at the Hopman Cup. I handled the conditions well.
And, yeah, it can get windy and blustery as well in Melbourne on center court, and it swirls quite a bit down there as well. Yeah, it's all good preparation for Melbourne.

Q. Have you heard much about the World Cup of Tennis? Do you know much about it, or are you sportive of the concept? What do you think it might do to Davis Cup?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't heard anything about -- anything to do with it at the moment. I'm probably not the best person to ask. Don't know anything about it.

Q. It's a 32-nation competition supported by the likes of Federer coming into play the next couple of years, a knock-out-style tournament played over ten days. A little bit of talk that something like that would potentially long-term replace the Davis Cup.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, as I said, it's hard just off the top of my head now to -- yeah, as I said I don't have a clue about what you're talking about, so... (laughter.)
Yeah, I had I would have to sit-down and look at it the whole thing before I made a comment.

Q. Do you think the Davis Cup the way it's structured right now bears perhaps replacing in the next few years? Restructuring?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. It would have to be something a lot better if it was gonna take it away from the Davis Cup. Obviously Davis Cup has meant a lot to me over the years for me personally and for our country as well.
Yeah, I would have to know the ins and outs of everything if I were gonna compare it to the Davis Cup.

Q. The back holding up okay?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's fine. No worries.

 

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