WIMBLEDON

June 24, 2003

Tim Henman

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. First question for Tim, please.

TIM HENMAN: I'm very well. How are you?

TIM HENMAN: After my match?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I feel good. It's good to come through with a win. And the first round is never going to be an easy match. Obviously, seeing Hewitt's upset yesterday, it really, you know, puts you on your guard. You've got to get out there and work hard for every point. You know, it certainly wasn't an easy match for me.

TIM HENMAN: A couple of forehand volleys I missed, it crossed my mind. But it just added -- not that I need any more incentive, but it added an incentive to knuckle down and get the job done.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it was hard work.

TIM HENMAN: No, that's right. You know, he doesn't exactly have a grass court record. He hasn't got a lot of experience in Grand Slams. But I just think it, again, goes to emphasize the strength and depth of the men's game, that these guys, if you're in the top 200, 250, everybody can play. Karlovic emphasized that yesterday. I think everyone believes when they step out on the court, it's not about, you know, reputations or rankings or this and that. You know, they come on the court to compete, and compete hard.

TIM HENMAN: No. I think the players, you know, try and emphasize the point that the standard is so high. But I think a lot of times, you know, people like yourselves just expect that the higher ranked and so-called "better player" is going to come through. I know from being in the locker room and playing these tournaments week in, week out, that the players just don't take things for granted because they know at the moment you're not a hundred percent, the intensity and focus on your match, you're going to get in trouble. You know, from a professional point of view, you want to avoid, you know, what happened to Hewitt yesterday.

TIM HENMAN: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, it was a massive upset. You know, one of the biggest, as everyone said. But I just think when you see -- you know, I watched sort of the end of the third and the fourth sets. I wouldn't necessarily say Hewitt lost the match. Karlovic won it. I mean, the guy was serving, hitting the corners, volleying with so much authority. As you say, he's 200, whatever in the world, and was that his first Grand Slam match?

TIM HENMAN: Nice win to start with (smiling).

TIM HENMAN: There were some positives. I thought I started really well. It was the seventh game of the second set where, you know, on the deuce point, I played it a little bit careful on an overhead that I probably should have smashed. You know, I didn't think he was probably going to come back to the middle of the court. I pushed it down the middle, and suddenly he got back in the point. That definitely changed the momentum of the match. End of the second set, third sets were a dogfight. He was making life very difficult for me. But certainly I was pleased with the way I finished it off.

TIM HENMAN: No. I don't think it's playing any different from the way it played last year. You know, the courts are in great condition. We talked about how the ball bounces a little bit higher. But, you know, I think, you know, from my point of view, these are the conditions we've got. We've got to find out who can deal with them the best.

TIM HENMAN: No. I don't think we've ever played. But he's had a lot of good results in doubles. He's got a good lefty serve. So I think it will be a different type of match because I would expect him to be coming forward a lot more. So, yeah, have to make a few adjustments for that. Looking forward to that opportunity.

TIM HENMAN: When was the last lefty I played? Help me.

TIM HENMAN: Okay (smiling). I think I played a few since then.

TIM HENMAN: Looked pretty uncomfortable.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I kind of felt like the way he was obviously grimacing and wincing when he was attempting to be manipulated, it didn't look very comfortable. He was moving pretty gingerly after that. You know, it crossed my mind that perhaps, you know, he wasn't going to continue. There was a point, I can't remember, it was early on in the second set, where he was digging balls back. I ended up hitting a forehand volley behind him, he dived full length across the baseline. I said, "Okay, that explains it to me. I won't worry about your back any longer."

TIM HENMAN: I don't know. I think this year's obviously been a bit different for a few reasons. I'm not sure. I'm not particularly sure why it is. I do feel pretty relaxed about things. Just when I came back onto Court 1, it was another Wimbledon, it's what I play the game for, it's what, you know, I always dreamt of as a youngster. Just stepping out there, playing in that type of atmosphere with that type of support, you know, it's pretty special. You know, if I'm not going to get excited about that and enjoy that scenario, then it's probably time to move on. But, no, I was ready to have some fun out there. You know, it was a tough match that I came through, so it was a good day.

TIM HENMAN: Not good, is it (smiling)?

TIM HENMAN: I think, yeah, I've been a lot more aggressive on my serve. At times I've been serving very, very well. I think when I struggle on it, I start trying to force it a little bit more instead of just relying on sort of the motion and picking your spot and being a little bit more relaxed on it. I think, as I said, when I lose my rhythm a little bit, I almost force it, I almost try a little bit too hard on it. End of the second set, the third set, that's when I was struggling a little bit. You don't want to really be hitting too many second serves, because guys return so well.

TIM HENMAN: You know, I'm not going to say a great deal on the topic. It's obviously been talked about in the last few days. But I think both sides, you know, are in some good dialogue, and constructive dialogue, because I think everybody wants to, you know, make the game better for everyone: better for the players, the tournaments, for the fans. And I think I'm sure, you know, a lot of positive things will come out of it.

TIM HENMAN: I think there are many aspects that both sides feel need to be improved, you know, whether it's the schedule or those types of issues. But, you know, both sides -- I don't know when they first sat down, but it was like two weeks ago. I think, you know, there's going to be many meetings and a lot of constructive talk. And I'm sure good things will come out of it.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's a little bit more tactical. I think, you know, I'm always going to come in behind my first serve. But I think at times today I probably -- I got into a little bit of a rut of staying back on my second serve, probably a little bit too much. I think you sort of create -- you can create patterns - some good ones, some bad ones. I felt like my chipping and charging was as good as it's been in a long time. But I think on the second serve, I need to get that balance a little bit better.

TIM HENMAN: Good question (smiling). Me. It's what I play this game for. When I first came here, when I first started playing, it's always been about this tournament. It's my favorite tournament. I'm playing at home. And this is the one that I would want to win more than anything else.

TIM HENMAN: It's another balancing act, I think because, you know, the support that I've had, you know, has been massive over the years and I'm sure has got me through difficult games, difficult tiebreaks, difficult matches. You know, their support has always been part of the success that I've had. But there are times, you know, away from the court when you have to kind of knuckle down and, you know, worry about your own game and what you're working towards, and, you know, avoid being distracted. But, as I said, I think with my results over the last few years, the way I've played here the last six, seven, eight years, I've managed that pretty well, I think.

TIM HENMAN: Flop (laughter)?

TIM HENMAN: That's the challenge. That's the challenge for me. You know, why haven't I? Why haven't I progressed further in this tournament? I think the bottom line is I haven't been good enough. My task is to improve. I would say my only frustration is when at times, you know, people in sport or in life, if you try your best, you give a hundred percent, there's nothing more than you can do. If people start wanting more than that, that's when, you know, you start banging your head against the wall.

TIM HENMAN: I always felt like it was a big positive for me because I'd had a bit of practice over the years. When you play someone who's playing on Centre Court, they're so concerned about getting the bow right that normally you can get off to a good start, you know, 2-Love, 3-Love maybe. I think now perhaps they won't be quite so nervous.