DAVIS CUP - USA vs GREAT BRITAIN

April 2, 1999

David Lloyd

Tim Henman

TIM HENMAN: I hoped it was going to. Obviously I got myself involved in the first set, and you're always going to believe that you're going to win in a match as close as that, you've got to stick in there as much as you can. I stuck in and I couldn't quite get in the lead, that was my problem, I was playing catchup all the time.

TIM HENMAN: I don't know, you'll have to ask him that.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think it was a good match, and I think he did play very well. I think his serving was high quality all the time. I have to give him credit, he played a great match.

TIM HENMAN: You don't achieve what he's achieved in the game without a good serve. And today he showed that. He served really consistently, he served big at important times and made life difficult from that aspect.

TIM HENMAN: It's tough. But it's my character to bounce back, and I shall do that. I'll be ready for the doubles tomorrow. It doesn't hide my disappointment now, but you've got to move on, and we still believe that we can turn this around.

TIM HENMAN: Definitely, I think there were a couple of things I noticed today, and I felt like it was a new experience for me, coming out on the court, I knew the first -- my first match in the World group was going to be a big match, but I think I was surprised by the intensity and just the sheer atmosphere out on the court. There's a lot of talk about Davis Cup and the way people react to it, and I think it made it very clear to me that the record book and new ranking, that stuff just goes out the window, it's about performing on the day. I played a good match. If I'd have won it it would have been a great match. But it's disappointing to lose that.

TIM HENMAN: What about it?

TIM HENMAN: It wasn't a rocket scientist, was it?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think he said before this tie Davis Cup, Davis Cup produces a lot of memories, and he said before some good ones, some bad ones, you have to wait and see. And I'm sure on a personal basis that was -- it will be a great memory for him; not quite the same for me.

TIM HENMAN: On a new level.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I said that it was a new experience, and that's the Wimbledon semifinal was the biggest match I've played in my career, and to tell you the truth, in the first few games, I thought this was on a different scale, and that definitely surprised me. But I can't question the way I responded to that. But I'll go away, and in the future I think I'll take away a lot from these matches. It's tough to look at it that way in the moment. The semifinal of a Grand Slam, especially Wimbledon for me was a big thing, especially. But I have the feeling like this was bigger. I think it puts in perspective the nature of this match.

TIM HENMAN: Oh, sure, I'm always going to give a hundred percent in any match I play, and both Greg and I will do our utmost to turn this around. This is what you want to be involved in, but you want to win matches like this, and it's disappointing when you don't.

TIM HENMAN: I think psychologically it's a great start for the U.S. to win a match of that nature. But I think with regards Greg's match you've got to give Todd a lot of credit. I think he's played some of the best tennis that maybe he's played in a long time.

TIM HENMAN: You're not thinking about that. You're thinking about the match. You worry about those things afterwards. It was a tough match mentally and tough match physically, but you play each point as it comes, and it went down to the wire, didn't it?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think again it was the support I had was as good as it gets, and I think there were -- there are moments when I'm struggling and perhaps they get a bit quiet, and then you give them something to really shout about and they lift you to new levels. And I think when you're a set down, when you're two sets to one down, when you're always behind in the fifth, you need all the help you could get. And I couldn't have asked for more from them.

TIM HENMAN: For sure I was nervous at times out there. I think that's the human side in all of us. But I think also -- I think sometimes I was worried about his return, rather than concentrating on my second serve. But there are times when you're going to serve and volley with my second serves, you're going to take a few risks, and you're going to serve a couple of double faults. But when I did serve them and I kept bouncing back, as I did in all situations.

DAVID LLOYD: Well, I'd prefer to be 2-Love up. But it's a long way to go. Every match is always going to be 50/50. We've lost two 50/50 matches. Tomorrow is another day. Tim's match was a touch and go all the way through, and Todd Martin played I thought as good of tennis as I've seen anybody play. I don't think I've seen anybody return Greg's serve like that, and starting from scratch, but tomorrow is another day. I thought the atmosphere was fantastic, and I think it has been a great experience for Tim and Greg to play.

TIM HENMAN: We still believe -- as I say, every match is a 50/50 match. We'll be in doubles tomorrow, and then who knows? I wouldn't still call it. I'd prefer to be 2-Love up, but they've got to get three. And they haven't got there yet.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I can't blame the surface, I can't blame the balls, I can't blame the crowd. I can blame Courier for making some good shots at the right time. It's a disappointing day.