AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2004

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, absolutely. It was, as you say, I got off to a really good start. I felt like first set and a half I was kind of dictating a lot of the play and to a certain extent dominating the match. And, you know, first three or four games at the end of the second set he started to, you know, play much, much better. He served better. He took the initiative away from me a little bit. We had a pretty tight game at 5-4 in the second set. But, you know, didn't go my way. You know, this said, I still felt very confident and comfortable about the way I was playing. But to then go and win the third and fourth 3 and love, it was very good for one's confidence, obviously good to get the win.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I felt like some of the time when almost the better I hit the ball, the better that -- the better he played. Sometimes he feeds off your pace. But, still, I felt like my game plan and my tactics were good and I was coming forward, you know, pretty much as much as possible. You know, in the wind, it's pretty swirly out there, I think I certainly felt it was easier to be at the net rather than hitting passing shots. Again, early part of the third, early part of the fourth, to really stamp my authority on it, get off to such good starts, it was important and obviously pleasing to do it so well.

TIM HENMAN: Which three?

TIM HENMAN: Well, Laver and the Vodafone, you know, it's so much more sheltered. Not quite indoors, but it's much, much easier than when there isn't kind of that roof and obviously the much bigger stands. So I think courts 1, 2 and 3, the outside ones, it is tough out there. You kind of -- you have to accept that sometimes it's going to be a little bit ugly. It's almost as if at times you got to keep your sense of humor and understand that you're not going to be able to play your best tennis all the time because the ball's moving around. I think it's important to be mentally very strong. I think going into the match, I was aware that he can play some great tennis; he's a really good athlete; he's got a good first serve. I think sometimes he can get frustrated. I was gonna make sure that I was very strong between the ears.

TIM HENMAN: Hmm.

TIM HENMAN: Hmm.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I heard that. I'm absolutely 100 percent. No, I feel very good.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely. You know, it certainly changed, A, the momentum; but, B, the way that, you know, we were playing the points. Because before he'd miss some first serves and I was able to move forward and dictate the play. Whereas I would sort of block the return back and I would be slightly on the defensive. He was making me move. I think it just goes to show how important the serve can be. He did, certainly from 2-3 to 5-3, that was his best bit in the match. But you prefer it doesn't happen. But you've got to accept sometimes that your opponent raises their level, plays some good tennis. No, as I said, third and fourth sets were great.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he's -- irrespective of how much tennis he's been playing, he's always been a great competitor. He's given me some trouble in the past. We've had some really tight matches. In some respects, it's an easier type of match because I think it's much more -- it's very clear and very clear in my mind the way that I've got to play. But, you know, he's a class opponent. You know that you're going to have to play to a good level, otherwise you'll come up short. Because he is capable of beating some great players.

TIM HENMAN: It was -- yeah, it was awkward at times. I think you always accept that coming to Melbourne, it can be a bit windy. I think, as I mentioned before, the hardest aspect, it swirls a lot. If you're playing in a kind of -- in the wind when it's just coming constantly from one direction, it's not really that much -- not really that much trouble because you make adjustments depending on which end you're playing. If it's constant, you feel like you can get into a groove. But when it does change direction so often, that's when it can put a little bit of doubt into your mind. But, as I said, I think for a guy that has pretty short swings and is getting to the net as much as possible, it's actually conditions that don't suit me too badly.

TIM HENMAN: It does seem... yeah, it does seem there's been in those two matches I've played, it seems -- it does seem different from previous years. And perhaps not having been down here for 12 months, you perhaps forget a little bit, you know, how passionate everybody is about sport down here. But certainly there does seem to be a lot of British people. It's just a fun atmosphere. Every Slam has their unique feel to them, but this definitely is the most relaxed and, you know, it does seem like there's a lot of people enjoying themselves.

TIM HENMAN: Perhaps. We'd like to think so, wouldn't we (smiling)? I think -- I try and mention the rugby. But then the people you talk to say they're Aussie Rules player, so they don't really do the rugby stuff. I got to try to pick my targets a bit better.

TIM HENMAN: There was three in a row that went my way. I hit a return out that didn't get called. He hit a shot down the line that was in and that got called out. Then the next, what was it, the next serve he hit was in and it got called out. So I thought that was pretty humorous, but I don't think he did (smiling). Having said that, you know, there was definitely a few calls that he then went about questioning that were correct calls. You know, it's inevitable when we're hitting the ball pretty quickly, and they go close to the lines, some we're gonna get right, some we're gonna get wrong. Likewise to the linesmen.

TIM HENMAN: I think the majority of the time. That 5-4 game was pretty horrendous. You know, I had one breakpoint where I kind of set my stall out to not miss, and, you know, we had a 20-, 30-shot rally. If that's the way we were going to play the point, fine. We were both missing at that stage. I think it was perfectly feasible to keep the ball in. Then to miss it 12 feet long, I can try hard and say that was a good miss, but I don't think many of you will agree with me. But apart from that, I think a lot of the time I was trying to certainly play each point in the right way and. As I said, I think the sets you win 2, 3 and love, you've got to be doing something right to win by that score line.

TIM HENMAN: I hope not, no. No, it's just something that, you know, we talk about after the match. Certain, you know, just certain periods when, you know, I make some good decisions and play some good points at the right time. You know, perhaps when he had that good spell at the end of the second set, it just felt like as he was dictating play, he was almost getting to the net before me. You know, if he's serving and volleying, there's not a lot I can do about that. But then perhaps it would have been a good time perhaps to serve and volley a little bit more myself so that I was the one getting to the net. It's points like that that, you know, we can discuss. Hopefully, I can pick up on them a little bit quicker on the court.

TIM HENMAN: I mean, it's the same. I don't know, maybe Paul's got bad short-term memory, he forgets. No, it's part of trying to analyze things after the match. You know, I'm sure we'll talk about it a bit more later.