ROGERS MASTERS

August 8, 2005

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, Tim Henman. Questions, please.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it's frustrating. For the first set and a half, I was playing some really good tennis. You know, only took a couple of service games where I didn't quite dominate as much, and he started to get his range. I did a good job to hold on to my serve to go up 4-2. Then the next time I served at 4-3, I got down Love-40, played a couple of loose points. That was when my level dropped a little bit and he started to play better and better. When he got the second set, played some really great tennis after that.

TIM HENMAN: No, there's not. It's difficult. I haven't played, you know, that much tennis and that many matches, and you want to try and get into the rhythm of things. And I have been working very, very hard, and have got absolutely no complaints with that aspect. But then you come into a tournament like this, you know it's going to be tough from the word "go." That was evident today. He played some tough tennis and was too good in the end.

TIM HENMAN: I don't -- I think at this stage, I'd love to be, you know, winning and getting on a roll. But I'm not putting any extra pressure on myself. I'll keep doing the right things. As I said, you don't know when it's going to pay off, but it will pay off. And it's just a question of staying patient.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think so.

TIM HENMAN: No.

TIM HENMAN: Not really, no. I think I sort of was able to reevaluate things after Wimbledon. And certainly the first, you know, six months had been a struggle. And I think you look at if you were to, you know, look at sort of 15 or 20 different areas, you know, in terms of my preparation, my fitness, my practice, some things away from the court, it wasn't as if they were bad, but I just think there were areas that it slipped maybe a few percent here and there. I think, you know, I was getting a little bit frustrated with my form. I think that sort of accumulated. I think that was probably reflected in my performance. That's why I really felt good about stepping away and having a couple of weeks where I could just switch off and relax and spend time with my family. Then when I came back to start practicing and training, I felt very, very motivated and refreshed. You know, it certainly hasn't shown in my results yet, but I'm a big believer the hard work you put in will pay off somewhere down the line.

TIM HENMAN: Yes.

TIM HENMAN: Tuscany.

TIM HENMAN: No.

TIM HENMAN: Interior, not on the beach.

TIM HENMAN: That's always been the nature, hasn't it?

TIM HENMAN: June and July is always pretty hectic. You come here, you can get on with your business with, you know, just less attention. Yeah, I don't have a problem with it either way. That's been the nature for the last 10 or 12 years. That certainly hasn't changed. You know, again, I'll keep doing what I've been doing. I'll work hard and keep trying to improve different aspects. I'm sure it will pay off.

TIM HENMAN: You know, I think sometimes it's difficult -- I know how difficult it is. Sometimes you ask a question, it's almost like you feel that he has to give an answer. Sometimes you just feel it would be better off him saying, "You know what, I didn't really see it. It was really close. Line judge has got a better look at it than I have." One decision like that's not going to decide a match.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, exactly that. Have some good practice here. There's plenty of guys. Great facility. Good weather. You know, get ready for Cincinnati next week.

TIM HENMAN: No, there's an aspect of looking at, you know, how much or how little I've played over the last sort of month and a half. I've been putting in great work on the practice court, been hitting the ball well, but I need to get matches under my belt. Playing in this type of event, there's certainly not going to be any easy ones to sort of play your way in. As I said, it didn't happen for me this week. But I'll keep working, keep doing the right thing, and I'm sure it will happen. If it doesn't happen in Cincinnati, then I'll hope that -- I'll keep working, and it will be the US Open. You can never tell for sure when it will pay off. I've been a big believer and I've seen it throughout my career: when you're doing the right things, when you're working hard, it will pay off on the match court.

TIM HENMAN: No. It's disappointing, don't get me wrong. I'm not happy with it. But, you know, that's what's happened. You have to deal with it.

TIM HENMAN: No. I worried when I wasn't healthy, when I had physical issues. That's no fun. But, no, I'm fit and healthy now. That's definitely not an issue.