[zveeen]

well done Kiwi

good luck against Nikolai

[Yappa]

Well, Kohli couldn't play, so no doubles practice for Beijing.

[Neely]

...

Hamburg, 15 May 2008


Press Conference with NICOLAS KIEFER


Kiefer - Davydenko 7:5, 6:3


Q: Gratulations. How do you feel?

KIEFER: Good. It is really an overwhelming feeling. It was a great atmosphere out there, it was really fun again. And it turned out well again. Fighting spirit. You can't really expect a better ending.


Q: Don't you start to think it's kind of scary at this point?

KIEFER: No, it's great. I enjoy it. It's really a nice feeling. I also realize that my game gets better every day, a bit more consistently. Today I had to add up to it again. It's quite hard to beat Davydenko on his favourite surface. It wasn't easy for sure, I needed a lot of power. I felt it in my body. It didn't work that well but I tried to fight. I know that I have to let myself rest more in the next week - I will probably only play every second day then.


Q: Tomorrow it's the first time you will be the favourite according to rank. How do you deal with that?

KIEFER: Maybe it's like that on paper and for sure that's what's expected. Everybody says he should win against him. But I don't see it this way. Seppi is a tough opponent and he plays very consistently. Especially on clay, it will be difficult. I don't see myself as the big favourite. I will try to go out there, enjoy it, to play my game and not concentrate too much on his game. I know, my big advantage is the audience again, which will push me forward even if things don't work out the way they should. That's the best of all. I've been here for 10 years now and it got better every year. As one says, love grows over time.


Q: But there were other important things as well. You never lost your nerves during the important phases, you didn't work yourself up that much.

KIEFER: Yes, I did get worked up. I was on fire inside. Like a volcano, but I kept it quiet.


Q: Is Davydenko the type of guy who can make that volcano erupt?

KIEFER: No. He is a tough player, he gets every ball back. You don't receive presents. You have to work for each and every point. With other players, you can get free points once in a while. I have practiced with him a lot. It really isn't easy. He is like a ball machine, as consistent as that, always left, right, left, right. You can really get desperate at times. I I coped well and stayed tough mentally and went through all the rallies. I have the persistence, the power. It was very tough, but I made the big points.


Q: You always touched the outer lines of the doubles court. Is that a ritual, a reflex? Is that for luck?

KIEFER: I've been doing that for ages. That's just part of me. I don't know if it helps my luck. I've been doing it for 15 years. There were years it worked well and other years were it didn't (laughs).


q: Seppi threw out Monaco. Can you remember situations in your career where you threw a big player out of the tournament and couldn't motivate yourself for the next match?

KIEFER: At my age now, lots of things could happen. I have to try my best, see what's possible. Of course a lot of people will say now, you will easily beat Seppi. But exactly those are the tough games. I think if I play like I play at the moment, I have a good chance to beat him. But that depends on your daily form. You need a bit of luck, a dead net here, a ball on the line there. I just have to make all the important points. If that's the case I think it will be possible.


Q: Don't you get nervous thinking you could make it to the semis? How do you manage to just concentrate on the next match?

KIEFER: It's a match like every other one as well. I have to concentrate on that. Of course it's nice that I bet two top 10 players in two days. But I try to prove myself something, and that's the biggest challenge for me, to go out there after three difficult days, difficult games and give my best. Those are the types of challenges I work for. That's why I have the team around me, which tries to built me up as good as possible. It's team work, but at the end of the day it's me out there on court trying to succeed.


Q: That was really emotional at the end when you were cheered by the fans. Is it comparable to Hanover in the past?

KIEFER: Yes, it was really emotional, a great feeling. I would have loved to stand there until the next morning (laughs). But the legs get tired and the back as well. It was nice, of course, you enjoy that. But on the other hand, as I heard the Klitschkos saying: "After the fight is before the fight". And that's true. After the match is before the match. As soon as I get off court, I start to prepare for the next match. But it was a great feeling, a great atmosphere. You try to take that with you. It will be difficult to fall asleep, because everything is very exciting. Of course, it's home, in Germany. But tomorrow, when I get up, the match against Seppi counts. I am looking forward to going on court again.


Q: How do you prepare specifically? What will you do tonight and tomorrow?

KIEFER: I will get myself pampered a bit, eat a bit. I got a bit of a weakness this week, I eat an ice cream every night. That's something like a quirk (laughs). That's what you do.


Q: So you are probably not that ungrateful that the doubles were cancelled last night because of Philipp's injury?

KIEFER: I would have liked to play, and I'm sorry for the tournament. Charly gave us a Wild Card, and if we hadn't needed it some young players could have used it. I was ready for a fight, and you can always use the doubles to try some things out. But it didn't happen. I was a bit sad about that.


Q: I meant because of your physical shape?

KIEFER: Yes, but one hour more or less …


Q: You asked for the physiotherapist once and then sent him away again. What happened there?

KIEFER: He built me up a bit (laughs). No, it's obvious you will notice your body after pressure like that. A couple of pain killers and things can go on.


Q. You indirectly thanked your girlfriend after the match. Is she here?

KIEFER: There are people with a normal job.


Q: She could have taken off.

KIEFER: She was here at the beginning of the week. If I'm still here at the weekend, she will come here as well. But it's a long way (laughs).


Q: What do think is really still possible for you? What is your feeling?

KIEFER: No idea. Of course it's a nice feeling to be in the quarter finals for the first time here in Hamburg. Tomorrow is a day like every other one as well. I have to get up, have breakfast, eat lunch, practice and then go on court. The only thing that counts is pick up your legs, run, fight. Those are the things that always have to be present. The attitude, the fighting spirit. If everything fits then … it's like a puzzle. You can't speculate. I have to go in there like in every other match as well.

[kiwi10is]

an alle Deutschen Fans:

Sonntag 20.Juli 22:30 NDR eine Olympiasendung mit Kiwi

und am 5.08. Olympia Sonderedition vom Pilawa Quiz auch mit Kiwi

[Neely]

Thanks I didn't know about that yet!

[Yappa]

I don't want to be reminded of Athens.

[kiwi10is]

Today Rainer Schüttler got nominated by the NOC for Beijing and since Rochus, Darcis and Sela will not be allowed to go by their NOCs it is very very likely that Rainer will get onto the ITF acceptance list.... We will get a Kiefer-Schüttler comeback in doubles.... Kiwi will be very happy about that!!!!

[Yappa]

I don't know. I know that he'd like to play with Schuettler, but that wouldn't be very fair to Kohlschreiber, would it? And is it even possible, changing the doubles team?

[kiwi10is]

Kohlschreiber only got in because of Kiwi so he shouldn't complain if he has to give his doubles spot to Schüttler!!!

and on Monday Kiwi and Rainer will be No 1 and 2 in Germany and I think the best two should play doubles :-p

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by kiwi10is

und am 5.08. Olympia Sonderedition vom Pilawa Quiz auch mit Kiwi

And I'm not at home...

Guess Ill beg someone to tape it for me, thx für the info!

Now that Kohlis injured anyways the probabaillity for doubles is growing and growing rainer kiwi

[Neely]

OMG, I missed the Olympic quizshow with Kiwi, too

Did somebody see it and can tell me how much they won?

I hope they were more clever than the last time as they squandered the money by risky play despite not knowing the answer for sure...

[Glinda]

They won 30.000

But Kiwi

He thought the average german woman was fully educated at 30(instead of having her first child... )

And both he and Stich had Geography LK in school and didn't even know for sure which countries are seperated by the Pyränäen (even I [= total noob in geography] knew that...)

But it was kind of funny Aaaand he still had longer hair

[Neely]

Thanks for the message to let us know But secretly, I would have hoped for something bigger.

Did they fall down after answering the last question wrong, or did they chose to stop because they thought they would not know the question? Last time he played with Andrea Kiewel they went a risk despite they had no clue about the right answer and fell down hard in the money ladder.


Wow, that was pretty bad if they didn't know this Pyränäen question?

[Glinda]

They had it right but they seemed to be just guessing... with a little bit of help

They set their bars at 10.000 and 30.000 and answered wrong to the 50.000€ question. But I would have answered the same

What was never an olympic sport?

They guessed "headjumping" (wtf! ), but it was "Stelzenlaufen"

[kiwi10is]

http://hopmancup.com/?id=103&NewsId=229

'Kiwi' Kiefer Excited to be Back in Perth
30/12/2008

By Chris Pike

GERMAN veteran Nicolas Kiefer arrives back at the Hyundai Hopman Cup as his country's top-ranked male player and he's hoping a strong Cup can set up a strong 2009 for him.

Kiefer returns to Perth after first appearing at Hyundai Hopman Cup XVIII, and will provide the veteran leadership to the German team, with his partner exciting teenager Sabine Lisicki.

Kiefer is coming off an amazing 2008 that saw him make the final of the Masters Series Canada in July were he beat last year's Hyundai Hopman Cup winner Mardy Fish, Russian pair Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolai Davydenko, and fellow Hopman Cup participants for this year James Blake and Gilles Simon.

From there, he made the third round of the Olympic Games before being invited to be part of the season-ending Masters Cup. It was a strong year for the 31-year-old who went on to make his only Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open when he last appeared in Perth in 2006.

He enjoyed his Hyundai Hopman Cup experience that time and is glad to be back in Perth again.

"I have good memories from when I was here for the first time in 2006 and it's always nice to be back. I was chatting with Paul so many times and he invited me, and us as a German team, back again, so I'm really happy to be here," Kiefer said.

"It would be nice if I had the same Australian Open as last time I came here, I wouldn’t complain if that happened. This is my focus now though. We are here now and Australian Open is in four weeks, so that's still a fair way away.

"It's the best preparation for it because we get the chance to practice outdoor in the heat and then have the matches indoor against great opponents with three matches for sure, and three mixed doubles."

Germany begins its quest for a third Cup title on Monday's Session 3 taking on Australia, and that will see a tremendous men's match between Kiefer and Lleyton Hewitt. Despite Hewitt holding a 3-0 career record over Kiefer, the man known as 'Kiwi' is looking forward to the challenge.

"It's never easy to play against him, especially here in Australia but you have to take it how it comes. It will be a good atmosphere, I'm going to enjoy it and it's going to be a great game. He is always a tough competitor and never gives up," he said.

"It's the same for me, I like to fight and I like the one-on-one competition. The game is getting faster and faster, and you just get older and older, so you have to try to find different shots to be successful."

Kiefer is also looking forward to teaming with Lisicki for the first time, who broke into the world's top 50 in 2008, and he's feeling fresh and ready to go after a two-month break.

"This is the first time and I'm looking forward to it. She's a newcomer and only 19-years-old, so it's a good mixture," he said.

"Tennis-wise I can't say how I'm going because I haven’t played for a while, but physically I'm pretty good. Everybody knows the season is off for a long time and the last tournament was at the beginning of November, so it's almost eight weeks later, so honestly I don’t know how my form is."

Rather than spending Christmas back home in Sievershausen, Germany, Kiefer and his family were in Thailand and now they've all followed him to Perth.

"I was actually in Thailand and it was 30 degrees there, so it was better than Germany at this time of the year. My family was there, my parents are here in Perth and it's nice."

Ready to go!!