WEBVTT - Lleyton Hewitt: Three dreams achieved in a champion career 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:05.160 Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of the sit Down. 0:00:05.519 --> 0:00:07.960 I'm Matt Trolope, a rat an editor for oz open 0:00:08.000 --> 0:00:08.600 dot com. 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.959 And I'm Vic Runikov, a producer here at Tennis Australia 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.960 and the Australian Open. And you might not know who 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:17.439 I am because I am actually filling in for Viv 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:19.200 who is currently at Roland Garross. 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:21.800 Yeah, we're missing Viv over at Roland Garross. But great 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:23.000 to have you in the studio with his. 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:26.160 Vic and Matt. Why are we sitting down with Leydon 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:26.880 Hewitt this week? 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:29.760 Well, actually, Vick, it wasn't us sitting down with Layton, Hiwart. 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:32.000 It was Todd Woodbridge in the interviewer's chair and he 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.640 got a chance to interview Layton at the recent night 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:37.920 of Champions in the Plaza Ballroom under Melbourne's Region Theater. 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:40.879 And this was an opportunity to reflect on Layton's glittering 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:44.120 career spanned like twenty years, right back to when he 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:46.640 was a teenager coming onto the scene really early with 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.760 his Adelaide title and then went through his doubles triumphs 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:52.879 and Grand Slam singles titles and his Davis Cup success. 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:54.760 This was a chance for Layton to like go back 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:57.000 in time and reflect on all of those amazing career 0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:59.280 moments with a lot of candor and a lot of 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.440 incredible men more ease of that time. So, yeah, this 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:05.080 is a really great opportunity for us to listen to 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:07.199 one of the greats of Australian tennis to talk about 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:08.560 an amazing journey. 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:10.400 And how special that Todd was able to do the 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:11.360 interview as well. 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:13.800 Absolutely, here's what Layton had to say. 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:18.120 Well, ladies and gentlemen, how impressive are the numbers, the 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:22.560 stats and you sometimes forget time moves quickly and you 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:25.240 look back at it and it's quite an extraordinary career 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:28.000 that Leighton was able to build. Would you please welcome 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:39.800 welcome him to the stage, Layton Hewitt, have a seed. 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:44.600 Thank you, it's great to see you, by the way, Thanks. 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.080 Unusual for us to be hanging out in May together. 0:01:47.160 --> 0:01:50.960 That's that's not a tennis season. It certainly you didn't 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.840 get the chance to see that video package just then, 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.920 but it just highlighted everything you know in your career. 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:00.400 And we're going to go through that tonight. 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:03.080 We're going to take him from the very beginning all 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:05.720 the way to where he is now, but just a 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:08.840 bit of a quick reflection upon you know, some of 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:10.760 the things that were up there, like eighty weeks of 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:12.440 world number one, some major wins. 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:13.799 Yeah, well, it's. 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:15.640 Something as a kid growing up that you don't think about. 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:20.560 It's a dream really growing up in Adelaide, and you know, 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.000 you want to get the most out of yourself and 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:26.200 give yourself an opportunity to potentially get to the pinnacle 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:26.880 of our sport. 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.440 But not in my wildest dreams that I think I'd 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.240 be able to achieve it. And well it's a good way. 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:34.160 I'm going to stop you right there, excuse me, But 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.520 the wildest dreams is a really lovely segue for me 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.160 to get things started, because I want to take you 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:44.440 back to that sixteen year old in Adelaide, rank five 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.040 hundred and fifty in the world, and we're going to 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:48.040 take a look at some vision. 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:48.480 Okay. 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:52.200 The sixteen year old had claimed some big scalps on 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:54.480 his way to the semi finals. Now he was after 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:55.799 one of the biggest of them all. 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:57.560 That is a sensational shot by. 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.760 The pressure mounted as the first set went to tiebreaker, 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:04.200 but the teenager's nerves remained steely. He had the shots 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:06.760 and the one love lead right in the second set, 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:09.680 Agacy tried to regain his momentum, but Hewitt kept up 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.480 the attack, proving he could win points from anywhere on 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:16.080 the court. At six all in the second they faced 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.359 another tiebreaker. Hewett pulled up a second surveys, then the 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:23.560 American missed the line. Hewett threw to the final ambras. 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:25.079 I has been a big fan of mine and I 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:27.160 or as I was growing up, so I was just 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:29.120 happy to be out in the same court as him. 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:35.360 Have One of the things you should never do in 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:38.640 broadcasting is actually ask how you feel. But tonight we're 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:40.160 going to be trying to get a lot of those 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:41.280 feelings out of later. 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:44.240 And so when you look back at the little. 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:47.040 Fella up there, so full of confidence, doing perfectly in 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:49.320 front of the meter at sixteen, what goes through your head. 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.920 I don't know about doing perfectly, no, but for me 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.960 it was I was living at home, obviously sixteen years old, 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.920 living at home in west Lake's there and driving into 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.960 Memorial Drive, a place that I trained every day, you know, 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.960 through my whole teenager years, and then I'm standing there 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.880 playing Andre Agassy and I'm actually sleeping in my bedroom 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:12.600 at home, and I've got this agacy rock and Roll 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:17.520 tennis camp poster above my bed. And in the semifinals, 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.360 it's really a pinch yourself moment. You know, I've got 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:22.880 to go out there and play this guy that I've idolized, 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:25.800 I've looked up to. He's a legend of our sport, 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:28.600 not just with his results, but also the way that 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:32.279 he carried himself, his charisma, the clothing that he wore 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:34.960 on the court. You know, my generation loved that, you know, 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:37.680 teenagers growing up. He was all our favorite player. So 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:40.040 for me just to be sitting in the locker room 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.960 before that match, and I'll never forget because the old 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:45.320 stand under one of the stands there. 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:48.520 At Memorial Drive was a really old locker room under there. 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.160 By the time you get to the semifinals, the tournament 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:53.600 really cleared out, there's no one really in the locker room. 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:55.600 There's only a couple of people in and out of there. 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:58.600 And I'm there and I'm sort of panicking and trying 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:02.080 to get my bag ready and you know, vibration dampner 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:04.720 in my racket and make sure everything's set. Andre sitting 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:06.680 in the corner with his feet up reading a novel. 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:10.520 I'm like, he looks awfully relaxed, like what's going on? 0:05:10.760 --> 0:05:12.880 And then I had Brad Gilbert, who was a former 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:16.400 world number four before, but he was Andre Agasi's coach 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.040 at the time, and he was an intense guy. And 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:21.960 he's just sitting there in the corner giving me daggers 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:24.440 and just staring at me the whole time, and I 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:26.360 felt like I couldn't lift my head up and look 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.240 anywhere otherwise I'm looking straight into Brad Gilbert's eyes. 0:05:29.360 --> 0:05:32.240 So yeah, I was shitting myself before I went out there, 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:35.200 how you're feeling. 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:37.880 And for me, it was really I remember walking out 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:41.920 there just wanting to give my best and leave it 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.279 all out there and have no regrets. And it's funny 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.480 how it turns out, because you know, our best shots 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:51.159 were our returner Serve Andrea and mind as it turned out, 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.400 and there wasn't one breaker serve in that match. 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:56.120 It was seven six, seven six, and in the end 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:58.839 I was able to, you know, play the clutch points 0:05:58.880 --> 0:05:59.400 pretty well. 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:03.240 And yeah, Andre tells a funny story after that actually 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.680 when we catch up, because he thought, you know, either 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:09.280 I got to start get ready to retire or this 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:11.080 kid's going to be pretty damn good. 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:13.400 So he was glad that it went one way. 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:15.360 Well, the kid was pretty damn good you win that 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:17.679 semi final, because you go on and you beat Jason 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:20.360 Stoltenberg in the final to win your first tournament, and 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:22.040 it didn't stop from there. During the week, I was 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:25.279 on a chat with Jonnie Bjorkman and we were laughing 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:29.160 because in the clip, you then head to Sydney and 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:31.320 beat Jonas, who was the world number four in the 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:33.680 next match. You know, well, I didn't know any of 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:37.240 these things about special exemptions and all this, and I'd 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:40.800 made the semi finals obviously of the Adelaide tournament, so 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.159 all of a sudden I got a special exemption into 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:46.920 the Sydney tournament, which was a slightly higher tournament, and 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:49.720 Jonas Bjorkmann was coming off a semi final of the 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:52.440 previous US Open actually, where he lost to greg Orzeski 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:55.279 in the semis in ninety seven, and he was world 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:57.760 number four, and I drew in first round of Sydney, 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.920 and I was pretty exhausted, obviously after a massive week 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.400 in Adelaide, and then two days later I come out 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:07.240 and beat the world number four in free sets. So 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:09.960 for me, it was kind of this unbelievable momentum. My 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:14.360 ranking's gone from seven hundred odd to around one hundred 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:17.440 and fifty within six days. Was there a moment within 0:07:17.520 --> 0:07:20.160 this where it didn't feel real and perhaps you go, 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:24.280 I'm going to wake up, But we were with you. 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:27.040 We kind of knew that you had this self belief 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:28.760 and it started there. 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:33.280 Yeah, the week before the Adelaide International that year, I 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:36.240 actually were two weeks before I actually won the South 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:39.800 Australian Hardcourt which was a tournament at Memorial Drive on 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:42.239 Center Court, but it was for the local South Australian 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:44.960 players that just played the pennant and Mark Woodford actually 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:48.240 donated a little bit of the prize money to that 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:50.840 event and he actually presented me with the trophy and 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:54.600 the Czech on Senate Court. Two weeks before the Adelaide International. 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:56.880 I wasn't meant to get a wild card into the 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.560 Adelaide International. A late friend of ours, Colin Stubbs, who 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:06.640 was the tournament director of Adelaide back then, I've Genny Kafelnikov. 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:08.720 They were waiting on till the last minute. 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.360 I was going to be playing qualifying and then you've 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:14.760 Geenny declined the wild card invitation at the last minutes 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:18.200 on the Friday night, right before qualifying draw was coming out, 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:20.360 Colin had to make a decision who he was giving 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:24.080 the last wildcard two And I'll forever be grateful to 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:26.520 Colin that he gave it to a young up and 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:29.760 coming you know, I guess junior player out of a 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:33.160 local player out of Adelaide that opportunity. But the week 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:37.480 before yourself, Stoltz would he invited me out to train 0:08:37.559 --> 0:08:41.440 with you guys, and I was somewhat competitive in practice 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:45.199 sets against you guys, somewhat yeah, and that gave me, well, 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:47.120 that gave me a lot of confidence and belief at 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:48.760 least that I could go on the court and I 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:52.880 wasn't going to get destroyed out there. But that's what 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.760 the camaraderie was about of Australian tennis at the time 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:56.199 as well. 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:59.040 Yeah, you're right, and it was it was very nice 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:03.240 of you to mention Mark and myself because and stalts 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.720 in the light, because I mean, I know that Mark 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:08.199 and I felt that we really did play an important 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:09.360 part in your development. 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.400 Will you let me start your house? I know we did. 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:14.120 I don't know why I did. 0:09:14.920 --> 0:09:17.079 I don't know why I did because because you know, 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:20.520 I feel like the Woodies were a real important part 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:24.000 about getting you right and getting you on the way, 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:25.320 and you. 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:36.719 Know, even so much as this moment right here. So 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:41.600 the irony that's I do tell that story a lot 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:44.760 to people, because the irony I double folded again. 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:49.280 That's the second round of the US Opened doubles in 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:53.840 two thousand and that was the last time the Woodies 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:57.400 ever played a Grand Slam doubles patch together. They were 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.240 getting ready for the Olympics, the Sydney Olympics couple of 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:03.240 weeks later, and that was probably the most subdued that 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:05.360 I'd ever been when I'd want to match, because I 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:07.200 felt like Teddy hit a double fouled, he was going 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:09.920 to wrap the racket around my throat. If I've said 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:12.240 anything at the net, but no, You've always done a 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:15.280 great thing for Australian tennis, and that certainly, you know. 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:17.240 The good thing was I went on and won the tournament. 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:18.920 You went on and won the tournament, You beat us 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:20.920 along the way, and then you actually beat the Olympic 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:24.280 gold medalists in Nessa and Laro in I think the 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:25.200 semi finals. 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:26.880 So that was the start. 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:30.000 That was your very first Grand Slam title. And then 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:33.559 twelve months later you go back to the US Open 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:34.760 and this happens. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:41.120 Would this be the last Ram Slam final for Pete Surfras? 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:43.079 That's really fair, that's it? 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:48.719 Waitn hewittt so M Street sets waking Pete Surfris to 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:49.720 amber match. 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:57.520 Twenty years of age. 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:01.240 So from sixteen in the first tournament you quickly win 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:05.720 a first Grand Slam singles title. I saw you watching there, 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:09.400 and I could see you thinking, what does it look 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:11.959 like now to you? Does it feel different? Does it 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:16.199 look different? What reflections do you have? Well, I hadn't 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:17.400 seen that last game. 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:21.240 I've only seen the match point really played over quite 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.679 a few times. And Yeah, for me, the things I 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.400 think about is, once again, this was a guy Pete 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.200 Sampress that I grew up idolizing. At the time, he'd 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.720 won the most majors that anyone had won. He'd won thirteen. 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:39.360 He was the runaway favorite, he'd hardly been broken throughout 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:43.880 the whole tournament, and walking out onto center court, it 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:47.160 was a real surreal moment for me because I'm playing 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:50.160 against Pete Sampress, who I've grown up only three or 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:53.520 four years ago, thinking this guy's god out there and 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.160 Ivanne Lendel is out there doing the coin toss for 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:59.080 the two of us. I'm thinking that this doesn't feel 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.640 right me. I should be the one doing the coin 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.320 toss for these two planet Grand Slam. 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:05.920 So how do you put that into perspective and go 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:07.160 and play the way you did? 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:09.160 I don't know. 0:12:09.440 --> 0:12:13.040 You know, I had a lot of inner belief what 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.439 I was capable of doing. I love playing the big moments. 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:19.040 I knew all the hard work and training that I'd 0:12:19.080 --> 0:12:22.800 put in behind the scenes as well that was going 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:25.800 to hold me in good stead. And going into that final, 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:28.920 I felt like I got better with every match, and 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:31.600 in the semi final I actually beat you, Genny Kafelnikov. 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:34.040 So quarter finals you beat Roddick I think in five sets, 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.880 and you Thrash in straight sets. And not many people 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:40.600 probably saw the Kaffernikov match. It was the day match, 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.319 and back then it was the Super Saturday, so you 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:47.040 would play the semi both semi finals who played during Saturday, 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:48.640 and then you wanted to try and get through as 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:51.319 easy as possible to save energy for the final on 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:55.200 Sunday afternoon, and playing with gen Kaferennakov, we'd normally always 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:57.360 had a lot of battles out there. We played very 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:00.240 similar game styles, and I played one of the best 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:02.760 ball striking days I've ever had, and I think I 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:05.719 gave him four games in three sets, And for me, 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:08.959 that gave me so much confidence. The year before when 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:10.840 I won the doubles at the US Open, I actually 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:13.120 made the semis of the singles that same year, and 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:15.760 I lost to Pete in the semifinals and I lost 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:18.000 in three sets, but two out of the three sets 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:21.040 were tiebreaks, and I actually felt like I was good 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:23.800 enough to have won those and the match could have 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:27.240 actually gone my way, And so that gave me a 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:31.840 lot of belief as well. Plus I liked the fact 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:36.000 that you know when someone doubted you. And I remember 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:39.520 going in after my semi final and I won the 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:41.559 semi final. I was feeling pretty confident about how I 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:45.000 was hitting the ball, and the American journalists were pretty 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:47.840 full of themselves, and they would talk up their players 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:51.200 a lot, and they started saying, Pete Sanmpres hasn't been 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:54.360 broken served so many times this tournament, you know, it's 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:56.559 impossible how the hell can you beat him? You know 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:58.319 you're gonna have to hope just a whole serve and 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.280 get to a tiebreak, and you don't have the biggest earth. 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:02.480 I said, well, we'll just have to wait and see. 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:04.160 And so yet again I won. 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:04.720 The coin toss. 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:07.199 I choose to receive like I always did, and the 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:10.160 first game I go out and breaking and break you serve. 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:12.720 In my head, I'm thinking, yeah, it's not that hard, 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:13.000 you know. 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:16.520 The silly thing was I got a little bit ahead 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.800 of myself and actually got broken the very next game, 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:21.800 and so we're back at one all after two games. 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:24.720 But the first set, as you saw the score line. 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:27.360 There, the first set was awfully crucial to get that 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.120 tie break after the year before in the semi final 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:31.720 losing two of those type tie breaks. 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:34.920 One of the things, you know, you were an amazing competitive, 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:37.800 fiery but you'd like to have that energy, and New 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:39.800 York seemed to be one of the places that you 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:40.560 played your best. 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:42.560 And the crowd can be difficult, but. 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:43.000 Not for you. 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:46.360 Yeah, well you always knew playing an American that they 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.400 were going to be against you. But I actually enjoyed 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:51.720 playing a big match with atmosphere there even if the 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:54.240 crowd was against me. I actually felt like mentally I 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.680 could get in a zone out there and I could 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:59.720 focus on what I needed to do. I found it 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:02.000 hard to get up and about if you're out of 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:05.320 court twenty four sometimes with a lot smaller crowd out 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.840 there and not a great atmosphere. So for me, there 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:10.920 was always a lot going on in New York. They're 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.520 playing music, you know, during the middle of the game. 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:16.120 Sometimes in the change of ends. There's a lot of noise, 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:19.560 people moving. That stuff didn't worry me though. I actually 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.160 fed off that, and I think deep down, if I 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:25.800 wasn't playing an American, the New York crowd actually loved 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:27.640 the way I went about it because they knew they 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:29.640 were getting their money's worth every time they came to 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:30.280 watch me play. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:32.320 I was going to leave it all out there, whether. 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:34.680 I won or lost, and I think I had a 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:37.040 lot of support, and that was you know, if you 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:39.160 look at all my results over the years, that was 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:41.880 the one tournament that I pushed deep most years. 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:42.200 Yeah. 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.760 Indeed, Well, of course, now you win a Grand Slam 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:48.640 Singles title, extraordinary and you're on the rise. But there 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:50.960 are places that we all love to play and one 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.840 of the surfaces that you love is grass. So you 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.000 go from the US Open to the next Wimbledon. Let's 0:15:57.040 --> 0:15:57.680 take a look at. 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:01.760 That Hewett and enjoying a perfect art breaking now Bambian's 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:06.840 first service humans. He then punished the nervous Argentine and 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:10.640 early and often. Then the world number one came out 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:15.280 by Roy Wow, beauty Heward straight sets winner, the new 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:16.400 Prince of Wimbledon. 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:21.920 That's worth a round of applause as well. 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.880 It's pretty great footage and some great voices on that 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:31.920 tape to including Fiery, Fred Starley and John nukeom and 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:35.360 people that really when you would go to Wimbledon, would 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:38.760 give you the feeling of how important that event was, 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:41.360 what was it like to win it? 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:43.120 It was unbelievable. 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.040 Just back to that when you speak about especially Fiery there, 0:16:46.120 --> 0:16:47.560 but also Nuke in particular. 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.520 Nuke played such a massive role in my career, Nuke 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:51.240 and Tony Roach. 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:54.160 But Nuke would be there commentating a lot of my 0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:56.640 finals in the Slams and he would actually make an 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.920 effort every time to come in and see me before 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:01.760 all of my matches at the Slams and just wish 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:02.360 me good luck. 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.560 In the locker room beforehand, and it was something that 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:05.960 it gave me this. 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:09.080 Extra confidence just to know that absolutely one of our 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:13.119 greats and in the end, a guy that I had 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:14.920 so much time for, a guy that helped me out 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:17.960 so much. So I love that he was the call, 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:19.879 the one calling my match points. 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:20.600 There when I won my two major. 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:23.080 It's really amazing to look at the vision because the 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:26.399 court there was around the time that it started to 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:28.280 change a little bit. It was it was worn in 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:31.440 different places, the bouncers were a little irregular, and of 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:33.560 course you come up against David now Bandon in the 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.840 funnel and I think you'll agree that was a good draw. 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.280 He had never played on the center court at Wimbledon 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:42.359 before that final, and in fact, they broke tradition to 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:43.080 let him warm. 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:43.399 Up, right. 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:48.560 Yeah, yeah, we argued that for a while, but yeah, No. 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.840 It's funny because they talk about David now Banded and 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:51.479 no one knew him. 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:52.280 I knew him. 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.560 We're the same age, so I knew him in juniors. 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.159 I knew how good this guy was. So now Banding 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:59.560 and Coria were two of the best juniors going around 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:03.560 in my age group. I knew how confident now Bandiam 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.000 was and it didn't surprise me at all that he'd 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:08.680 come through that part of the draw because he's game 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.720 suited grass. He had great return of serves, a good 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:14.600 passing shot and his serve was underrated for his size 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.720 as well. But for me, the semi final was probably 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:20.399 the one where I put a lot of pressure on 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:23.080 myself because it was like a battle of the ashes. 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:26.600 I had to play my old sparring partner Tim Henman 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:29.920 in the semis. I knew how much pressure Henners had 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.280 about trying to make a Wimbledon final. I think he 0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:36.639 lost four semi finals of Wimbledon in his career and 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:39.919 he ended up losing to the eventual winner all four times, 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:44.440 but he'd come so close. And that rivalry of Australia 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:47.320 against Great Britain it came out yet again and I'll 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.639 never forget Henman Hill. They had called it where everyone 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:53.800 sits on the mound there and watches the match on 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:57.080 the big screen. I had a lot of Australian fanatics 0:18:57.119 --> 0:18:58.879