WIMBLEDON

June 20, 2005

David Sherwood

THE MODERATOR: David Sherwood.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Is that right?

DAVID SHERWOOD: I would think so. I don't really know of many Yorkshire players that have played. I know Gary.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Jonny obviously last year with his five-setter against Karol Beck.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, no, I felt comfortable all week really. Went out there and just carried it on really, just hitting the ball well. I served well. I started off serving well. A little bit of nerves towards the end, my serve went. Apart from that I felt really comfortable.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I had tonsillitis last week -- or two weeks ago, sorry. It was always a question mark of my fitness. But I think three sets today helped. If it had gone a bit further, I don't really know if I would have struggled or what.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Pretty badly. I didn't eat for four days. I lost close to a stone. It was tough. I had Nottingham last week. I've had a week's training in Sheffield. Been down here since Friday. Preparation's been all right really apart from that.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, no, my first serve was starting to fade a bit in the third set. The last three service games, he had a lot of chances, which he didn't really have in the first and second set. That's probably the main thing that I've got to go away and work on now for Wednesday.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I don't know if I was worried. I felt fine at the time. But obviously with everything that's happened, I thought it might be an issue. Luckily it wasn't.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I'm not sure, to be honest. Yeah, I've never had it tested or anything like that. I think -- there's a lot more in it, I think.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, definitely, especially on the courts here. Used it well. Playing a left-hander as well, so I like to slide it out wide to his backhand.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, still with Gary, yes, and Jason. They're still here with me.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yes.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I think, obviously being at Wimbledon, it's always going to be special. But the Davis Cup, because it was sort of the first time I've been in that sort of spotlight I think will always be a special one. But this is equal, if not better.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I felt confident going into matches - well, more confident going into matches. I went to France for two weeks after that and did reasonably well. Unfortunately, I got injured after that. But, yeah, I think it obviously helped with my confidence.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, definitely, definitely. We've been talking about after what he did at Queen's and how well he's been doing, so yeah.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I tore a stomach muscle in France.

DAVID SHERWOOD: This is my first singles match. I played doubles four times and lost four, so...

DAVID SHERWOOD: No, I don't think so. I think obviously being a wildcard entry, which is very helpful, I think there's more pressure on the other guys to beat us comfortably, which really I think they should be doing.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, obviously you want to try that little bit harder and justify the All England Club giving you the wildcard. But every match is tough here. If that doesn't happen, then...

DAVID SHERWOOD: I think -- well, I practiced for like two days before Nottingham, which was just before the playoffs.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Queen's, well, yeah, that's when I was laid up, so...

DAVID SHERWOOD: I think, yeah, I've just sort of toned everything down, stopped doing things that you can't really do to be a professional tennis player. Yeah, I think I've worked on it.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I think sometimes. I think today everything sort of went reasonably well. There was no real reason to be angry or anything like that. I don't really think about it any more. I think I've just grown up a lot. It just comes naturally now.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I mean obviously people around me and coaches and my family are telling me things that I should do and shouldn't do. I think that does help. I think, like I said, it's just all part of growing up.

DAVID SHERWOOD: It's good. It's never really ever been bad.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Well, obviously with the wildcard they've given me here and the help they've been giving me, before and since Davis Cup, I think, yeah, it's a good relationship.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Still based in Sheffield, but they are helping me out a little bit.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah. They were down there watching and stuff.

DAVID SHERWOOD: She won the silver in the long jump in Mexico in '68.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yes.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yes. I didn't get to see it. I got to see it on TV because it was Surbiton. But I watched it on TV.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Really only school, but that's as far as it got because tennis came after that.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I was left wing, sort of center forward.

DAVID SHERWOOD: No, not at all after a day like today...

DAVID SHERWOOD: Not really, no. It's not really sunk in what I've just done out there. I think I'll go away, get a massage and stuff, and start preparing for that tomorrow.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I think today will have helped because I'll be used to playing again and going out there and giving it everything. So I think, yeah, it's obviously going to help.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah. Well, like I said, I had like a week and a half. I've put quite a bit of weight on and worked hard in the gym with my dad. My fitness is not that bad. It could be better.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I'm not really sure, to be honest with you. I've never been in this situation before this (smiling). Like I said, I'll probably go and get a massage and get some good food in me tonight and come and have a little practice tomorrow before Wednesday.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I'm staying in a Travel Inn in South Wimbledon.

DAVID SHERWOOD: We booked until Wednesday, so...

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I think obviously it was bad for everyone involved. But luckily we weren't that close to it or anything like that. But it was -- I think it was just more the not knowing, not knowing what was happening, what was going on.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, the Friday. On the Friday, sort of when Jonny and Danny were playing their doubles, it was only two kilometers away. That was a little bit scary. I was inside there.

DAVID SHERWOOD: (Smiling).

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, I think definitely, like today showed. It was obviously a leveler because he's 54 in the world and I'm 260. I don't think anybody was expecting a result like that. But on grass, if you do play a clay courter, anything can happen.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I think so. And obviously things coaches have told me this week, "Just go out there and play my game, don't be sort of overawed by the experience and the day." I think that was probably the main thing that helped.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Well, I like to listen to music any time, anyway. I'll be sitting in the changing rooms any time of the day listening.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Not really, just anything.

DAVID SHERWOOD: I'm into sort of like rap and R&B and stuff like that. Just anyone.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Yeah, Snoop (smiling).

DAVID SHERWOOD: I did at Davis Cup, but since then I've not really done it. Just beforehand and afterwards really.

DAVID SHERWOOD: Well, obviously with what happened at Queen's, I think he's had a tough time, like I did with the tonsillitis. I think he's playing well. He's a great player. Hopefully he can go out there and get a win.