ROUND 2

Aus.Open 16 January 2002

MARTINA HINGIS defeated GRETA ARN 6-1 6-2

Q. Martina, you look in surprisingly good shape for someone who has come off surgery and a Christmas break?

MARTINA HINGIS: Well, I had a long break to recover, so not much I could do at first, but then somehow, like I said, it did me well because I could kind of recover physically and mentally, and just have a little time off for myself and just be at the same place for a little longer than just like one or two weeks, so that was really nice, and just spend time with family and everything, just kind of relax from daily stress and get in shape and get back together, and I am very happy the way things have gone now.

Q. You have obviously been working on building your strength. Is that through weights, or what sort of mode of training have you adopted?

MARTINA HINGIS: Just lots of tennis, lots of hours spent on the court, like four hours a day on court, and then running in the mountains and the snow and the cold weather, coming here a little early and getting used to the heat and the warm weather. Now, like I said, I am a tennis player, I am not a physical - never going to be a power junkie or something, so I have to work on that and I have to work on my weapons.

Q. Martina, there's a lot of injury problems this year among not just the women but the men. Why do you think that is this year? There seems to be an increasing number. Is the schedule too intense?

MARTINA HINGIS: I don't see - I don't know. I mean, I haven't really followed the men's - it has been only two weeks, so I can't rely on that, because I just came back from an injury and had a surgery, but it comes with the game. Sometimes the risk and the limits - you still have to sometimes go out there and play, even though you feel tired. That is just the - business sometimes requires it. You have to still go and write a story even if you are tired, and you just have to do it because of your dateline. There is no other than that in all sports; I think you have to live with injuries sometimes.

Q. Do you think the injury time is being abused by some players?

MARTINA HINGIS: I'm sorry, I don't want to comment on that.

Q. Do you think maybe it's one of the strategies that a player might be able to employ at a certain time?

MARTINA HINGIS:It is not in my case. I normally play fair games.

Q. Are you able to pace yourself to try to peak in the second week?

MARTINA HINGIS: I think these first matches and the 32 seeds, there are more of a warm-up. Sometimes you had those great match-ups first rounds. You still have them today, with Anna playing Henin and also Serena had to play Conchita. Those are still great players, but it cuts off at those top meetings. Sometimes you are 17 in the world and you have to play a seeded player, so that is not happening any more. But now it kind of starts off - this is the third or fourth round, and definitely in the second week, but you just have to go round with round. Anybody can play these days.
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