Guys: If my steering wheel is hard to turn and brakes are hard to push, does that mean fluids are low?

I got my car repaired over the weekend and got it back today. What I had repaired was [b]not[/b] the brakes [b]nor[/b] anything regarding the wheel. It's very annoying having to use such force to turn and brake. This was not a problem prior to the car repair..

The mechanic did say he had to remove the battery, not sure if thats makes a difference.

I plan to call him tommorow but I'm trying to remedy the situation myself first.