Finals
Indian Wells - Pacific Life Open
D. Hantuchova defeated Martina
Hingis 6-3, 6-4
Q. Which was the biggest problem, the wind or the way she was hitting the ball?
MARTINA HINGIS: Oh, she just played very fearless,
had nothing to lose. You know, I had a few opportunities which I didn't take,
especially early in the set, and then it was just -- you know, she was hitting
those lines. I'm like, "Okay, not much I can do about that."
She hit, you know, very deeply, very few short shots that I could do something
off of it, just can't attack.
With the wind, I was kind of short against the wind. She was just, you know,
played a very good match today. Wasn't afraid of going for the shots, you know,
going down the lines.
Maybe I was too tentative, you know, like tried to play more through the middle,
just get the feel for the court.
When I was 18, I was fearless, too, I guess (laughter).
Q. Were you beginning to think, "She can't keep hitting the lines?"
MARTINA HINGIS: That's what I thought. Just hang
in the match. Even at the end, I thought maybe she gets a little tentative there.
She got a little bit at the end. I mean, she didn't, you know, serve as well.
She served out the last game, the last two points. But even in that game, she
was like, "Okay, you know, just try to put it in, do the shots." And
she did. I mean, she did it. I was a little surprised about that.
But against players like -- you know, if she makes it to the finals, you know,
obviously she played well at the tournament.
Q. How heavy is her ball compared to Lindsay or Jennifer? Effortless, it seems.
MARTINA HINGIS: I thought sometimes it seems like
she can't hit those shots, the way she makes the swing, it's like she's going
to be late. But somehow she managed always to hit it on the lines or just like
inside the lines. There's not much you can do about that because I felt like
many times hitting through the middle, you know, don't give her too much of
an angle. She managed to play such great shots out of that.
You know, next time hopefully I get more chances to play her in the future,
try to figure out something else.
Q. I'm not suggesting you underestimated her at all.
MARTINA HINGIS: No. I mean, I won the first game.
I was up in my second (laughter).
Q. Did she take you by surprise?
MARTINA HINGIS: No, she didn't take me by surprise.
She made the finals, she beat some other girls at this event. Not at all.
The first game, you know, I hit a few good shots, she missed a few, and I was
probably expecting her to miss more than she did. It was always like such close
shots, like every single time, you know, whether she was with or against the
wind. There's not much you can do when the ball bounce like right in front of
the line.
I tried to take a little higher risk in the second or something, come in. But
she didn't give me many chances. So, you know, it's a lot of pressure on my
serve. In the wind, it's just very difficult to serve. If you have her height,
you can always go for more shots. She has a good second.
With me, it's like I have to go more for first safe. Well, you know, hopefully,
like I said, I get more chances to play her.
Q. You just said when you were 18, you were fearless, too. To some extent you
were maybe joking, maybe not.
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I was 16 at that time, not 18 (laughter).
Q. Well, when you were a very young player. Can you take a moment and talk
about how that evolves?
MARTINA HINGIS: Once you make it to the top, there's
another kind of pressure. You know, everyone expects you to do well and get
into the semis or finals, at least play great matches against the top players
over and over, week in, week out.
Yeah, now she did great at this tournament. Now it's about making another step,
you know, proving it next week or over the next few weeks. I mean, the season
is long. So we'll see what happens from now on.
She definitely has great, you know, future ahead of her if she continues to
play like this.
Q. You've played a lot of players now who are younger than you. Most of them
you've beaten, especially in big matches. What makes her so special?
MARTINA HINGIS: I mean, sometimes like young players,
they have ups and downs. But she wouldn't really have any today. I mean, she
would, you know, miss a shot here and there, but she kind of regrouped right
away.
She already had matches like where she had players almost already beaten, then
she still lost those. Like I remember in, was it Toronto or Montreal, where
she was up 6-1, 4-1 against Jennifer and still lost that match. So she's matured
since then. Also Venus, Australian Open, she won the first set, still lost like
6-4 in the third or something.
So, I mean, everyone knew she had a game to play all the top players. But it
was like making another step to also win. You know, hopefully she won't only
beat me but some other ones (laughter). I mean, she beat Henin. That was probably
like the first, you know, top player she's beaten.
Q. The next step with the young players, it tends to be more mental than strokes
?
MARTINA HINGIS: More mental?
Q. Do you think, when they're making the next step?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah. Definitely now it's like
pressure from, you know, sponsors and just like, you know, you pressure me,
too. Everyone expects me to do always well. Now it's stay down and stay focused
on what you do, what you have to do, be aware of also being able to practice.
There's a lot of commitments you have to do. You know, with the age, you learn.
Q. Emmanuelle Gagliardi used a lot of dropshots against her. Why didn't you
try to slow the game a little? Was it impossible?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, in this, kind of can be.
When it's cold and windy, you don't want to go for dropshots too much. Plus,
you know, out of what (laughter)? Out of a first serve? I'm like, "Okay."
No, I mean, it's like I said, she had nothing to lose against, you know, players
like she played at this tournament, against Emmanuelle where she had to prove
it, she kind of struggled, but still she managed to win that match.
We'll see what's going to be ahead of her. You know, drop-shotting her, I'm
not quite sure about that (laughter).
Q. In the past number of seasons, there have been quite a few young players
who have come on the scene, then sort of faded away. Is your sense with Daniela
that she can really go to the elite level or be a multiple Slam winner? What
is your sense?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, you know, she's got great
surroundings. Her mother travels with her. She has a new coach, Nigel. So far
everything works for her. I mean, we'll see.
It's the same with me, you know. She's gone a similar way. Her future really
looks bright at this point, so.
Q. In the wake of a match like this, it wasn't that long ago that you were
16, 17, you could be fearless?
MARTINA HINGIS: Sometimes it feels like it's ages.
No, I think I've gotten better also over the years. You know, the speed has
improved in the women's tennis overall. You know, every time you go out there,
you have to expect a great fight.
Q. How well do you know her off the court? You speak more or less the same
language.
MARTINA HINGIS: She's been around for the last
two years, so, yeah, I've noticed her.
Q. Are you close friends with her or getting to know her?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, like the other day we practiced.
Already in Australia, because until she played Venus, she had also like those
40, 45-minute matches. We were always like, "Okay, you had a great one
today, and I did." Then we played also the finals in the doubles each other.
That's when I first time played her. I was quite impressed, yeah.
She's got all the shots. Good hands also. Good volleys.
Q. Is it harder now to take a loss like this than it was a couple years ago
for you? Do you just recover quicker or slower or what?
MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I know I've done pretty
much everything I could, you know, to make it as far as I was able to. And today,
you know, a few things I know I could have done better, I mean, take my opportunities.
You know, maybe in the past, or in the match even against Monica, I was always
up, pressuring her.
Today was more or less up to her. She always was kind of one shot better than
when I played Monica. She missed the third, fourth shot. Today Daniela, even
I play great slice, great defense, she always made even a better shot out of
that. Monica would sometimes miss. With her, you've just got to stay in the
game. No matter what, you've got to take advantage of opportunities, which I
didn't, so...
Q. Again, does she hit as hard as Serena or Jennifer?
MARTINA HINGIS: It's a little different.
Q. Or she plays close to the lines?
MARTINA HINGIS: She's very well-placed. It's not
like she would hit as hard, but very deep, very long. It's very difficult to
do something out of it. Very well-placed.
I mean, she has a great sense of the court, very good view.
Q. A game almost like Lindsay's, groundstrokes?
MARTINA HINGIS: Yeah, more like Lindsay's.
Q. As hard as Lindsay's?
MARTINA HINGIS: She's faster. I mean, she's younger,
she's faster. She's closer to the lines. Lindsay you've got sometimes more time
to do something of it. But, you know, like always when the young generation
comes, she always come with something new. You know, just try to adjust and
get better next time.
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