WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 11, 2003

Tim Henman

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it was pretty tight in the third. You know, I'd done pretty well to get myself back into the match, and, you know, and the last couple of games, it's just there for either of us to take. And, you know, as it turned out and often does, you know, he took his chance, and I wasn't able to take mine in the 8th game.

TIM HENMAN: No, it's tough. When you're coming into these types of tournaments, when you have so many of the top guys playing, there aren't going to be any easy matches. You know, that's the predicament when you're trying to move back up, which I obviously am, and you're not going to be -- you're not seeded in these events. You're going to be playing some tough guys in the opening rounds. But it's not altogether a bad time to play. If you're going to play one of the top seeds, sometimes the first match is as good as any time to play. It's frustrating that I came up short today, but I don't really -- apart from my forehand, I think my game's in really good shape. A lot of times I was actually setting up the point well, and early on I was missing all sorts of forehands. That, you know, gives me something to go on and work on.

TIM HENMAN: No, it was exactly the same story in Washington. You know, the first match I played Goldstein, we played a night match. I wasn't playing badly, but he was playing very, very well. And we played for two and a half hours and, you know, I got through that match and it was a really, really tough match. I didn't play my best, but I didn't play badly. And, you know, I definitely took some confidence from that and, you know, obviously good things happened that week. When you're playing in a tournament like this, instead of it being Goldstein, it's Coria. You know, he's one of the best in the world right now. He's obviously confident and playing well, and, you know, he was able to get through it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, I thought I was playing okay. I certainly wasn't playing great. You know, he's playing as well as anyone right now. So that's why, you know, a first-round loss is disappointing. But I think when you look in the context of the way I've been playing and the way I feel like I'm hitting the ball, it's not something I'll dwell on a great deal. I'll still look forward to the Open, obviously, where conditions, I think, will be a little bit quicker, and I'll definitely want to have a good run there.

TIM HENMAN: I don't think, you know, particularly disappointing when you look at the way I've played. You know, I played a couple of very good players, and I haven't played my best in those matches and, you know, they've been better than me on the day. I think if I was scratching around for my form and struggling with my game, then there would be a few alarm bells ringing. But early on today I felt like I was constructing a lot of good points. And the one negative was my forehand, and I did miss a lot of them. Nine times out of ten, it was the right shot to go for, but I didn't execute. And, as I said, you know, that happens from time to time. It's definitely something that I'll focus my attentions on.

TIM HENMAN: No.

TIM HENMAN: Hmm...

TIM HENMAN: Not a lot I can do about it, is there? I'm not going to play the week before, so... I didn't play for four weeks after Wimbledon, and when I went into Washington it didn't make much difference.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, for a few days. I'll have a break from tennis. I want to do a lot of work sort of physically because I felt like I was moving much better today, but in Montreal I felt that I wasn't -- I wasn't moving quite as well as I'd like. That's obviously a big part of my game. So I'll work hard physically, but I'll probably take a few days off, off from tennis, and then go up to New York. Larry Stefanki is coming next week, so it will be a good chance to hook up with him and work hard on my game.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, yeah. Not hitting the ball, no.

TIM HENMAN: No, no, just my footwork around the ball and just the, you know, moving forward into the net. I thought in Montreal I didn't really move particularly well. And especially when you're playing in fairly slow conditions, if you're not moving, you're not getting into position. Then the way the majority of these guys play, they'll open up the court and put the ball away. So I felt like I was moving much better today, but still something I can work on.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I played a good player today; you know, he's not 5 in the world for nothing. I had breakpoint at 3-4 in the third. That was obviously a pretty crucial time. But, you know, I came up short, but that's life in this business.