Q. Those cursed double‑faults. Is that essentially what did you in in the final set today?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It was only a couple of them. Yeah, two in a row, though. I don't know about that. You know, he's the kind of guy that was ‑‑ he was up a break in that situation anyway before then.

But, yeah, I don't think that was probably the reason why I lost the match today.

Q. Two and a half sets. Your accuracy with your groundstrokes was pretty phenomenal today. Can you comment on that a bit.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was good. I felt like I was hitting the ball well. You know, obviously the start of the match, he came out smoking it and hitting a lot of heavy balls out there. I couldn't really ‑‑ didn't get an opportunity to try and dictate. You know, when I got my half chance in the second set, I had to take it, and I was able to do that. I started serving really well, better than I've been doing all tournament.

You know, I think late in the third set and then the whole fourth set, my serve did go off, my first serve, more than anything. Yeah, that just made it a lot harder to put pressure on him.

Q. How did you feel physically throughout the whole game?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, pretty good considering I haven't played, you know, too many five‑set matches against players of the caliber of Nadal. Yeah, coming into the tournament, I wasn't really sure how I was going to, you know, pull up obviously. So, yeah, to get through the match physically, I felt pretty good.

But, you know, that doesn't mean a lot if you lose.

Q. When you play a guy like this, how important is it to be sort of in a cycle when you're playing a lot of big matches, you're expecting to get to finals, as opposed to maybe if you're not playing at that level? Is there a whole different level of sort of mental concentration, focus that you need out there?

LLEYTON HEWITT: In some ways, yes. But then I felt like today, you know, when the match was getting tighter at points, I felt like that's when I was actually getting on tops slightly out there, and especially in the second set when I tried to put some pressure on him and then had opportunities at 3‑2, 15‑40 in the third set.

You know, he's very much like I guess Federer, winning so many matches, that it's sort of second nature for him. They get down breakpoint and they expect to get out of it. That's why he's one of the best players in the world.

Q. You seem very relaxed and analytical about this particular match. Is that just the change in your life that's gone on that's made you this way?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. That's probably just the way you see me now. I don't know.

Q. He's near enough to unbeatable on clay at the moment. When you come off the court, is it a feeling of, How does anybody beat this guy, or do you come off thinking with a few more clues, next time you play him, you might have a couple of points that you take into it, a couple of factors that might make you a winner?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, obviously, he's extremely tough. But, you know, I still feel like there are small areas. As I said, you know, 3‑2, 15‑40, you have to take those chances against these guys, whether it's Nadal or Federer, the best guys out there.

Obviously, you know, if everything pans out, you'd expect Nadal to play Federer in the final here. Who knows what can happen. Roger is getting closer and closer every time they play. He's obviously doing something right. You know, but then again, he hasn't quite been able to get over the line either.

Definitely confidence‑wise, head‑to‑head‑wise, it gives Nadal a hell of a lot of confidence.

Q. Pretty key point there in the third set at 4‑4, breakpoint, the dropshot. Did you read the spin on that, or were you surprised when it touched down?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It was too good a shot anyway. I wasn't quite going to get to it, I don't think, anyway. Yeah, wasn't so much the spin. It sort of caught half the line, as well, sort of kicked sideways.

So, you know, wasn't a whole heap I could do about it. It was well‑played.

Q. Besides obviously the disappointment of losing the match, where do you feel you are now overall? You have four big matches on clay. Having not played for so many weeks, looking ahead into the grass as well.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, there's obviously ‑‑ you know, when I look back on it in a couple days, there's going to be, you know, a lot of positives I'm sure I can take out of the last week and a bit here. You know, especially, as I said, not knowing, you know, a week and a half ago whether I was actually going to be able to play anyway.

I went out there, gave everything I had. Felt like ball striking‑wise, I'm a lot more confident going into Queen's than I was probably coming into the French Open. Yeah, that gives me a lot of ‑‑ a lot more confidence, I guess. And obviously moving on to grass, it's never an easy transition, but it's one that, you know, I've been able to handle pretty well in the last, I guess, four or five years.

Q. It was a good test for you thinking about Argentina in Davis Cup on clay?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Never really thought about that. You know, going out there, obviously, this was a big enough test in itself, playing the best player on clay at the moment in the French Open, the defending champ. So, you know, I wasn't really focused about Davis Cup too much today.

Q. Going into the rest of the summer, how much confidence is it to come off a court now knowing you could compete when maybe you thought with injury that might not be the case?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I think when I look back on it, you know, as I said, I think ball striking‑wise, I got better and better with every match that I played. Against Hrbaty, I struck the ball extremely well. Yeah, I know now, only play one tournament on clay, now we're on to grass, so it's a totally different situation.

But if I can take that same mentality out there onto the grass, you know, have a positive attitude out there, then, yeah, who knows, maybe I can be dangerous in the next month or so.

Q. I know what you say about Davis Cup being three months off, but it's your next clay court assignment. Do you feel the matches you have here will make you that much more confident going to Buenos Aires than you otherwise would have been?

LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. Davis Cup is a long way away right at the moment. Still two other majors, and obviously Wimbledon is more focused right in my mind at the moment.

Q. May seem obvious, but what is it like to play him on clay versus Rebound Ace or other surfaces? What are the in and outs of it?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, you know, I felt Coria ‑‑ I never played Coria on clay. Looked to me a couple years ago, Coria moving on clay, Ferrero even moving on clay. But I think this guy, yeah, his movement on clay is exceptional. It's second to none, that I've seen. He makes you play so many more balls, normally you'd have winners. On clay he can sort of get enough on it to make you play a tough volley, whereas on grass or hard court, I think, you know, Rebound Ace, I think sometimes you have an easier volley at the net. It's a little bit harder for him to put something, you know, on a passing shot when he's six, seven meters behind the baseline, whereas on clay, he can sort of get away with it. He's so physically strong out there, as well.

Q. You're an underdog in this match. For many years, you were always a favorite when you played. Do you feel different on the court or is it like a regular match for you?

LLEYTON HEWITT: You don't feel any different on the court. Obviously you know that it's ‑‑ yeah, if I could have got over today's hurdle, then the draw really opens up, as well. You've definitely got that in the back of your mind, I think.

But, yeah, it wasn't a matter of thinking that I was a huge underdog where a couple years ago I would have been favored. He's obviously earned the stature to be favored in nearly every one of his matches now on clay. You know, that's something that comes with winning 60 odd matches in a row on this surface.

Q. For more than two sets of this match, you grinded very well with the guy. Didn't seem to be losing your patience out there, even when he was making spectacular returns. Was this a match where the frustration level finally broke you down in the third and fourth set, just got tired of grinding with him?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. You know, it was a matter of ‑‑ you know, against a guy like him, you've got to take your opportunities. You get that half short ball out there, you see the opportunity. I think 4‑All, 15‑All, I had a short forehand. I went back to his backhand, missed it wide. It's just small opportunities like that that you've got to take.

But then again, against a guy, he makes you go for that little bit more as well sometimes purely because, as I said before, he gets so many balls back out there on the run.

But, you know, I guess that's the way that got me back into the second set, was me going out there, being aggressive, going for my shots, staying positive out there. I don't think that really changed. I may have missed a few more balls late in the third and the fourth sets, but you've sort of got to go with it. It got me back in the match, as well.

Q. I heard you were not feeling well before the Hrbaty match. Is that true? If so, how close did you come to not playing it?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I wasn't going to walk on the court. And then, you know, just decided to see how I go.

Q. You were about to pull out?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I was vomiting in the trainer's room literally before I walked out.

Q. Then played one of your best matches.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. 

Betting box Only one click and you're in the sports zone soccer tennis formula 1 boxing basketball a. football golf ice hockey horses specials FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT