Here are some things Hewitt had to say about JC and the match
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Q. Maybe not too many guys would have beaten him today, the way he was playing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, he was great. You've really got to take your hat off to him.
You know, I felt like I went up another notch from yesterday. I felt like I hit the ball a lot better, especially my backhand. Backhand cross court didn't quite -- you know, backhand down the line, I probably didn't hit that great today.
But, yeah, he played well. He mixed up his serve extremely well. You know, he's getting tougher and tougher on these kind of courts.
[...]
Q. Did you know after that when you couldn't get anything on your serve, did you know it was gonna be...
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I knew I was gonna be struggling. I was trying to battle, but also trying to play a different style of game to what I'm used to as well. You know, trying to go for a lot of winners, I guess, which off the wrong balls, where normally I'd try and work the point a little bit more.
Yeah, I take nothing away from him, though. He was too good.
[...]
Q. You had a great match with Juan Carlos in Shanghai, a close match. What's changed in his game in the last eight months?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I felt like he played a pretty bloody good game in Shanghai, as well. Obviously, in the end, I was a bit lucky to get over the line being down a break twice in the fifth set.
I felt like I played an incredible match in Shanghai to win that. Probably not a lot's changed. The standard we were playing there for three sets today was pretty good. It was definitely up with the standard of Shanghai. In Shanghai I felt like I played great two sets and then, you know, got a little bit tired, I think, in the third and fourth, and somehow was able to find something late in the fifth.
Q. Did he do anything different?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a whole heap different. I felt like he was playing pretty well at the end of last year?
Q. Did you have a feeling today or did you think if you could squeak that third set - somehow - that you still had a chance?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle, the way that I was feeling. Especially playing a guy like that, who's so fit. Very rarely do you see him lose a match due to fitness. So even if I was two - sets -- one up, there was no guarantee I was gonna be able to win one of the next two sets.
You know, I was still somehow trying to get out of that set. At 5-4 there, came up with two aces on the two wide far lines. You got to just say "too good" to that.
In the breaker, I fought back. He played a pretty incredible breaker. He hardly missed a first serve. Smacked a couple huge forehands on to win. Even his backhand up the line at 6-5 was a gutsy shot to go for
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Q. Maybe not too many guys would have beaten him today, the way he was playing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, he was great. You've really got to take your hat off to him.
You know, I felt like I went up another notch from yesterday. I felt like I hit the ball a lot better, especially my backhand. Backhand cross court didn't quite -- you know, backhand down the line, I probably didn't hit that great today.
But, yeah, he played well. He mixed up his serve extremely well. You know, he's getting tougher and tougher on these kind of courts.
[...]
Q. Did you know after that when you couldn't get anything on your serve, did you know it was gonna be...
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, I knew I was gonna be struggling. I was trying to battle, but also trying to play a different style of game to what I'm used to as well. You know, trying to go for a lot of winners, I guess, which off the wrong balls, where normally I'd try and work the point a little bit more.
Yeah, I take nothing away from him, though. He was too good.
[...]
Q. You had a great match with Juan Carlos in Shanghai, a close match. What's changed in his game in the last eight months?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I felt like he played a pretty bloody good game in Shanghai, as well. Obviously, in the end, I was a bit lucky to get over the line being down a break twice in the fifth set.
I felt like I played an incredible match in Shanghai to win that. Probably not a lot's changed. The standard we were playing there for three sets today was pretty good. It was definitely up with the standard of Shanghai. In Shanghai I felt like I played great two sets and then, you know, got a little bit tired, I think, in the third and fourth, and somehow was able to find something late in the fifth.
Q. Did he do anything different?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a whole heap different. I felt like he was playing pretty well at the end of last year?
Q. Did you have a feeling today or did you think if you could squeak that third set - somehow - that you still had a chance?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle, the way that I was feeling. Especially playing a guy like that, who's so fit. Very rarely do you see him lose a match due to fitness. So even if I was two - sets -- one up, there was no guarantee I was gonna be able to win one of the next two sets.
You know, I was still somehow trying to get out of that set. At 5-4 there, came up with two aces on the two wide far lines. You got to just say "too good" to that.
In the breaker, I fought back. He played a pretty incredible breaker. He hardly missed a first serve. Smacked a couple huge forehands on to win. Even his backhand up the line at 6-5 was a gutsy shot to go for
