USTA 1997 US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Wednesday, September 3, 1997
Martina Hingis defeated Aranxta Sanchez Vicario, 6-3, 6-2

An Interview With MARTINA HINGIS:

Q. Does it get easier or more difficult with each round?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, it was a very strange match today anyway in this wind and just the conditions, they are so different than I have played in, but Arantxa seems to be, like, not really -- because the wind, I think, was bothering her. But she played very well. I think the best match was still in Paris, when we played each other. I just played very well there. She just gave me a hard time, even though it was 6-2, 6-2, but the score was very different than the match. Today, it was very strange. But, I play focused and very concentrated and I just try to hit the ball in. That is the only thing you have to do in wind, because when you are on the side with the wind, so you are always kind of standing on the service line and trying not to miss the ball because it just flies. And, against the wind, you just have to hit as hard as you can.

Q. Didn't you find that Arantxa didn't fight as much as she usually does in today's match?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, it was very hard with these conditions. The wind, you don't have -- you just can't run because if you hit a winner, so you have no chance anyway against the wind, especially you hit hard, you think you have the point already, but the ball just stays in the court. It is not going anywhere. But I just played -- I almost didn't make one mistake and I played very focused.

Q. With your experience in playing and winning Grand Slams, is your game exactly where you want it to be right now as we approach the semifinals?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, it was very easy so far for me to play this tournament, and the only hard match really mentally and on the court was, for me, when I played Likhovtseva. Especially the first set, she gave me a hard time out there, but, you know, besides that, I am just playing very well so far. And, also the tournaments before and I took two weeks off, so I rested very well and I am ready for the tournament.

Q. Martina, what would it mean to you to win three of the four Grand Slams this year at such a young age?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I would miss that one, the fourth. I would be more angry that I lost the finals, but -- no, you just always go for it for every tournament and the Grand Slam counts also when you just go the next year. But, no, you just always want to have all the four Grand Slams. And, it is not over yet. Now, I think it is just beginning.

Q. It is so rare that you lose. What stands out about your loss to Lindsay Davenport, and why is she a tough player for you?

MARTINA HINGIS: Because she hits it very hard from the baseline. She is very aggressive, and she doesn't give you that many opportunities to do something yourself. She sometimes either - she makes a winner or she just miss the ball. That doesn't happen too often that she missed in the past. Especially here on hard court, in the United States, she is even a class better.

Q. If you were to look at the field, even before getting to the semifinals would you pick her out to maybe be the toughest player for you?

MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, that is what I said before the tournament and, here she is in the semifinals. So, I think that is going to be one of the biggest matches, yeah, so far in this tournament.

Q. Martina, she said today that when she beat you at Manhattan Beach, she didn't feel like you were playing your best, and you were obviously tired out after playing a long time. If you play your best against Lindsay, can she beat you?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, we will see. I mean, I lost to her there. There is no excuse that I was tired because she beat me. I beat her two weeks before at Stanford and we always had hard matches, like we play seven times each other, six or seven times, and we always had a three-setter, so it was never easy for each of us. So, we always had a hard time out there.

Q. You always like to relax away from the court during tournaments. What have you been doing here this time?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, not much. I have been pretty busy playing tennis. I always had, you know, either singles or doubles with Arantxa, and because I always played at night, like when we had a day off, so we played the night match I was like, okay, still don't want to get tired, you want to be ready for the night match.

Q. You are a good friend of Arantxa and Lindsay. What are your relations with Spirlea or Venus Williams?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, Venus Williams, no one has quite a big relationship, I heard in the newspaper, and also from the other girls, because most of the time she is only with her sister, Serena, and with her family. And, in the locker room, she doesn't talk that much. And I don't know what she is doing besides that. She just may be practicing and I don't know what she is doing. But, you see her also in the player's lounge pretty often. And, with Irina, she is on Tour for a long time and I know her very well too.

Q. Martina, can you remember the last time it was this cold outdoors that you played? Is this the coldest match you played this year?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, in California I can't remember this cold. But no, well, it was before also couple of times very cold. But, just can't tell right now, but indoors it is not very warm either. You don't care. You have to be out there and you have to play your match. It doesn't matter if it's windy because no one will remember it was very cold and very windy out there if you lose. So, you just have to play your game. You have to play a different game, a different strategy.

Q. Have you had a chance to watch Venus Williams play very much and if so, what are your impressions? What is most distinctive about her game?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, she improved at this tournament. I saw her every match, she got better and better. I was kind of very surprised she beat - second or third round - she beat Anke Huber because she has beaten her also like the tournament before -- no, like in Los Angeles and I was like, "Wow," she had a great one out there and she always had a player which was pretty much, you know, she liked the way they played against her. Just hitting balls back from the baseline. And, she is very tough with that.

Q. Is her style the type that you think would give you trouble?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, she hasn't given me trouble so far. But, you know, she always can improve herself as I am trying to, but, last time we played, she only made three games, so, she has nothing to lose, for sure.

Q. What happened to the beads in your hair that you got in L.A.? When did you take them out?

MARTINA HINGIS: I saw her last night. She was giving them away.

Q. No, your beads, the ones you got in L.A.. When did they come out?

MARTINA HINGIS: Just after that tournament.

Q. Did they fall out?

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I took it out.

Q. Martina, tennis is very much a sport of rivalries and you don't really have a keen consistent rival now. In two, three years --

MARTINA HINGIS: I think Lindsay, she had great results now and in also the other tournaments she won Atlanta, she made Finals, she beat me there and semifinals before. I think she has pretty consistent results now before this tournament.

Q. Do you see her as your prime rival?

MARTINA HINGIS: And Monica, for sure, more the American players, yeah. Well these two, for sure.

Q. And if you had to predict in two or three years, with all the young players coming up, who do you see in two, three years as your prime rival, Lucic?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I think, Lucic, she has the biggest chance to get to the top -- or to the Top 10 very soon and she will be able to play more tournaments. But, Venus has shown that she can play tennis also. And, Kournikova made the semifinals of Wimbledon, you know, they just have to bring the results more often.

Q. But of the young ones, which of the younger players, which one -- do you see Lucic as your prime rival of the future?

MARTINA HINGIS: You can't really tell because she played the first Grand Slam, so you will see -- I can't tell actually too because I don't know how strong she will be mentally. But, I think she is pretty good in that.

Q. You and your mother have a good relationship. As teenagers get older, they become more rebellious. Is your relationship still pretty smooth?

MARTINA HINGIS: Sometimes you just always have disagreements on the court, especially in the practice. But, we are still working very well together and she is not in the match. Sometimes on the court you are not always in the best mood, you are -- you don't always want to do what she is saying. But, you kind of remember what she said to you when you missed something on the court, so you try to improve yourself.