WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
August 7, 2004
L. HEWITT/A. Agassi 3-6 6-3 2-6
Q. What's your feeling about your own performance today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit up and down, I guess, throughout the match.
You know, the first set I had four breakpoints and wasn't
able to take them. I had twice 15?40. I think the first one
was at 1-all in the first set. I just really had to take my
opportunities.
When you're playing the best guys in the world, it's like
playing Federer at the Australian and Wimbledon, you know.
I had my opportunities, two or three points here or there,
and I just wasn't able to take them.
It was similar today, especially in the first set. If I could
have got up early in the first set and started putting
pressure on, otherwise I was really playing catch?up.
And we all know how good Andre is as a frontrunner.
Q. You served well all week. What was the problem today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I didn't serve great. First serves, I didn't make
enough of them against a guy like Andre.
Mind you, though, he returns that well that, you know,
you either got to ?? you slow it down and take the risk
of him really getting on to your first serve, or you keep
it up. I still had a fair few aces out there and not that
many double-faults considering, you know, how low my first
serve percentage was. But I could have definitely served
better out there today, yeah.
Q. Obviously, a disappointment today. But can you just sum up the significance
of this week for you, what you've done, what you've achieved?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's obviously disappointing at the moment straight
after the match. But, yeah, it's been a good week. The guys
that I've beaten this week are class players. And, you know,
it hasn't been easy.
Coming here and, you know, really felt like my game went
up a notch with every match. And, you know, it's no disgrace
losing to Andre Agassi in the final either; you know,
he is a big-match player. I felt like I had opportunities
and I wasn't able to take them. You know, fought my butt off
to try and get back in the match.
Yeah, I think it's a good thing for, you know, going in ??
have a week off next week, Washington, week off, US Open.
Hopefully, I can take the positives out of this week and
use them in three weeks' time.
Q. Your first serve just wasn't there. How big of an impact did that have?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think I just answered that question.
Q. Okay. I guess I just thought that can you talk about not getting them in...
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think I just talked about that. Thanks.
Q. What was your thinking after you won the second set? Did you feel like
you were starting to control the match ever or...?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. Obviously, I felt like I had the momentum.
But then again, it was like whoever was serving first in
the set had control. They were always that game ahead,
and they had the opportunity to go out there and go for
their shots a little bit more in that returning game.
That's exactly what Andre did in the first and third sets,
and he did it well. He's a master at that.
I felt like I was doing that a little bit more, I was
getting through my service games pretty convincingly in
the second set and that was opening up ?? I always had
that game lead to try and put pressure on him.
You know, obviously, I just hung in there in the second
set and tried, you know, hustling a few balls down there,
then came up with a good get to get the break and serve
out the second set.
But, you know, in the third set he served extremely well.
He hit a lot of first serves and a lot of serves right on
the line there and corners and stuff. I just couldn't get
into his service games.
Q. Andre is 34. He's playing three sets in a day match right after three sets
in a night match. Are you impressed with his endurance and conditioning?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. I don't think anyone's ever doubted, you know,
his fitness. And, yeah, it shows in the tournaments that he's
won in the past. He's been able to win the French Open,
compared to a lot of the guys winning the French Open these
days, at an older age. And that's pretty much one of the most
grueling tournaments there is for your body. For him to be
able to do that, and he came back from two?sets?to?Love in
that final. He's always played well at the Australian Open
where it's extremely hot. I don't think he'd have a bad
record over five sets throughout his whole career, no matter
what his age is. He's in great shape.
Q. If you compare this match to the match in the US Open 2002, what was the
difference then? Did you play a different strategy today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. That match was quite a long time ago now.
You know, over five sets as well. Wanted to try and get
off to a bit better start. I went two?sets?to?Love down
that day in New York. Had opportunities in the second set.
You know, I was probably the better player in the second set
that day, and then he was the better player in the third set
and I ended up getting that set.
I didn't really focus much on that match at all. I was more
trying to worry just about my game going out there today and,
you know, trying to work things out as the match went along.
Q. Do you train this coming week before Washington or are you going to take
some real down time?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'll see how my body is. I'll definitely be in the gym.
I may not hit every day. I've hit a lot of balls the last,
you know, couple of weeks anyway and spent a lot of hours
on the practice court. There's no reason why I won't be in
the gym.
Q. How much of an advantage do you have, do you think, about going into the
US Open when most everybody else is in Athens? Is that a big thing for you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not necessarily. No, you know, for me, for me to perform my
best at the US Open, I feel staying in America and playing
another tournament on this continent and, you know, in the
same conditions that I'm going to get at the US Open, I think
that's better preparation for me personally.
I'm sure whoever wins the Olympics is going to be full of
confidence and going to be on Cloud 9 going into the US Open,
you know, to have two major, major tournaments within three
weeks, you know, two weeks, with a week's gap there.
So whoever does well there, or gets a medal at least,
they're going to be riding a wave, I guess, going into it.
Q. Travel?wise?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, for me, personally, I feel like it's better preparation.
But, you know, other guys, you know, I can't speak on behalf
of other guys and what their travel situations are and how
well they handle it.
Q. You talked about his serving in the third set especially. He had, I think,
16 aces last night. People don't normally think of Andre as a big server.
Is he stepping that area up?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he plays his serve he's always, I think, played his
service games extremely well. He's played his service games
his whole career, I think, for around his game, his base.
He rushes through his service games extremely quick.
He knows that if he can clean up his service games,
he's going to put enough pressure on guys' service games
to break purely because he's such a good hitter of the ball
and such a good returner of serve.
I think probably on this kind of court it helps him,
his serve, I think more than maybe any other surface like
a clay court or something. The ball's coming through.
He hit a lot of, you know, close, close lines out there today,
and that's the serve he's got. It's not a massive serve,
but it's a very consistent first serve.
Q. You were obviously excited after you won that second set. What was it like
trying to gain momentum out there today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You know, it's one of those matches, as I said, you know,
he sort of ?? I had the momentum after the second set.
I felt like I fought extremely hard to get myself back in
the match.
Then the third set, he came out, held a quick service game
first game of the third set, then I was sort of on the back
foot the whole time. That's just how the third set felt really.
I had, you know, the game that I lost, had 30?15 on my serve,
and I missed two relatively easy forehands to go down
breakpoint, and then play a long point, chasing every ball
down and eventually miss one.
You know, it was just sort of the way the match was going
out there. You know, the next game, I think he made at least
three, maybe all four first serves, and there's the break.
Turn around, sit down and you're 4?1 down in the third.
Q. You were very frustrated at the end of the first set. Was it because he
raised his level too high so you were not able to beat him, or you were
not satisfied with your execution of your game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I just felt like I had chances throughout the first set
and I just wasn't able to capitalize on them. And, you know,
it's always going to be a bit frustrating. I had breakpoints
early in the first set, and then throughout there I had a
lot of 30-Alls on his service games. You know, and then even
the service game I lost at 4-3, I didn't feel like I played
that bad a service game and probably shouldn't have lost it.
And, you know, that's the disappointing thing, as I said.
When you're down that game during the first set, you can't
afford to lose that game. And then Andre comes out, he's
serving at 5?3, I had 15?40 to get the break back again
and wasn't able to.
I think, you know, just a little bit frustrated like anyone
would be, having those opportunities and not being able to
take them.
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