WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2002

Tim Henman

MODERATOR: First question for Tim, please.

TIM HENMAN: Good. Yeah, very good. It was a tough match. I was -- you know, never really felt totally comfortable out there with me game. He was certainly making life difficult for me early on. You know, with yesterday's happenings, it's a good one for me to get through.

TIM HENMAN: Uhm, just, you know, getting through the match. I think I definitely began to pick up my game. I was serving a bit more consistently. I think the best aspect was probably my volleying behind my serve. You know, I gave him very few opportunities once I was at the net. And, obviously, you know, you take confidence out of coming through some difficult stages. You know, the 5-4 game in the third set, I was definitely up against it. It was a little bit tight. And those are the games that you get through, and you can build from.

TIM HENMAN: They were great. When I was down a set, things weren't looking pretty, I needed a lift, and I certainly got it. To get such an early break in the second set, it began to change the momentum of the match. Broke early in the next two, as well.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's just experience. I know how advantageous, how positive they can be. And I'm going to use everything I can. As we've seen so far, the standard's so good, you know, so even, if you like, in the men's game, you've got to take everything you can. And they certainly, certainly help me a great deal.

TIM HENMAN: No, you know, I try and, you know, give them the positive things to talk about. You know, they're very, very much involved in the match. And, you know, they obviously want me to win. So if I'm not, and I've lost the first set, then there's an element of anxiety there. But I was able to turn things around.

TIM HENMAN: Realistically, it's a step up in level because he is a very, very good player - an even better player on grass. So it's going to be a tough match for me. But I look forward to that challenge, as well.

TIM HENMAN: I wasn't playing perhaps quite as well as I would have liked. But as, you know, professional sports players, you know, you don't have a right to come out and play, you know, your best tennis all the time. You've got to work at it. As I said, yesterday was a good example of that. You know, I think all three of them, Agassi, Sampras and Safin, they probably didn't play quite as well as they would have liked, and their opponents took advantage of that. Today I wasn't, to begin with, playing quite as well as I would have liked, but I was able to get a different result. A lot of positives to take out of that.

TIM HENMAN: I think I can improve in lots of areas. I'm not going to specify one area. But, you know, I'm still in. That is the most important thing. Winning at this level is what it's all about.

TIM HENMAN: Not exactly. But I was certainly aware of it last night. It obviously crossed your mind. But that's why you're going to, you know, focus, try and concentrate even harder, be even more sort of selfish in your approach to your own game because that's the only thing that you can control. As I said, after a few difficult moments, to come through and play as, you know, consistently as I did, I am very, very pleased with that.

TIM HENMAN: Which half of the draw was playing yesterday (laughter)?

TIM HENMAN: Is that my half? There's a lot of experts out there. A large majority of the experts, I haven't paid a great deal of attention to it. I think that's enough said, really, isn't it?

TIM HENMAN: I think they're a bit slower, yeah.

TIM HENMAN: I think because they're a little bit slower, the ball is probably bouncing a little bit higher. That's, you know, probably been the nature of the game in general.

TIM HENMAN: Oh, very. Yeah, the bounce is very consistent. You know, on these courts, there are very, very few bad bounces. But, you know, I think the sort of general consensus is that they're playing a little bit slower, the balls are a little bit heavier.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I was pretty nervous. I don't know how you were (smiling). That's to be expected, isn't it? It's how you overcome that. You know, I hit a couple of really good second serves when I needed them, saved some breakpoints. To get through that game and obviously then be up two sets to one, it's a good one to come through. You don't want to suddenly be playing a breaker in the third because that's when it can get tricky.

TIM HENMAN: I think about Wimbledon a lot, whether it's during the tournament or outside the tournament, because, you know, I've said on a number of occasions it's the biggest and most important tournament for me. That's always going to be the case. So I'm obviously involved. I'm in the middle of it right now. I'm just worried about my next match. Concentrate on my performance.

TIM HENMAN: No, no.

TIM HENMAN: It's come up today?

TIM HENMAN: Fill me in.

TIM HENMAN: All right.

TIM HENMAN: What do you want me to say?

TIM HENMAN: Well, Korda tested positive, didn't he?

TIM HENMAN: Truyol tested positive, young Spanish guy. There's been Chela and Coria. Is that the four? I'm not missing any others? So, you know, we have a program, a testing program. Those people have been caught. You know, we get tested all the time. How many times a year do we get tested? I would say between half a dozen to a dozen times. I've been tested out of, you know, competition. You know, some guy rocks up on your doorstep and says, "You're doing a drug test." If that's the case, and they've caught people, then that's a step in the right direction. I don't suddenly think that, you know, we should be thinking that we've got some sort of drug issue in the sport. That's about it really.

TIM HENMAN: Is that what it is (smiling)?

TIM HENMAN: Is it? God, I have to be careful here, don't I? It's been a bit of fun. In all honesty, I've been a little bit surprised by the reaction. When I was approached to be involved, as Ariel were going to get involved in the British game, I thought it would be a bit of fun. I'm not scared to have a bit of a laugh at myself. I'm glad that so many other people are laughing too.

TIM HENMAN: No, not yet (smiling).