TELECOM MASTERS ITALIA

May 2, 2005

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, absolutely. He's a little ways away from playing his best and he needs to get those matches under his belt. But I think, as you said, when you're playing Guga on clay, with his experience and the caliber of player that he is, yeah, I'm very, very pleased. It's one of those scenarios that having made a very sort of difficult transition after Miami going into Monte-Carlo and losing first round there, you want to come into an event like this, get matches under your belt. Having to play Guga first round, I certainly appreciated it was going to be difficult. But, yeah, I was so, so happy with the way that I played, the way that I was structuring points. It was certainly really pleasing.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. As you say, the first round is never easy. I think that was relevant for the both of us. You know, having said that, looking at the way that I played, I think I was certainly very pleased but not so surprised because I've had time to really prepare properly. And, you know, that's certainly the big difference from here and, say, in Monte-Carlo. Because I'd only really played for a couple of hours on clay going there and, you know, I was really able to have some time on clay and, you know, get the kind of mileage in your legs when you're out there playing the longer points. No, there's no doubt that it's pleasing when you've put in that type of work.

TIM HENMAN: Oh, absolutely. I think it was fair to say, you know, in years gone by that there was a certain amount of trepidation coming into this time of year. But, you know, it's been pretty evident for everyone to see how my game has improved on this surface. And when you are improving and you're beating, you know, recognized clay court players, it's going to give you that confidence. Certainly I was disappointed that I lost in Monte-Carlo, but it really didn't faze me. I wasn't so worried about my form. I knew that if I could prepare and try and get into that rhythm that I had, say, at the French, then there was no reason why I can't have a lot more good results.

TIM HENMAN: It was a little bit difficult. I mean, the weather at home had been pretty ordinary, so just trying to get as much clay court time as possible. And I think in fairness, it's pretty different. You know, playing at home, it was much more similar to Hamburg than, say, here; it was cold and very heavy. But I just think the fact that you're out there and you're sliding and you're hitting a lot of balls, that's -- you don't want it to be aimless, but there's a certain amount that I think you need to do on clay just so that you're getting into that mentality of being patient, being strong to, you know, not give away cheap points. You know, at times that probably showed today.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, yeah. Really, fingers crossed and touch wood, I've felt physically really good now for a stretch. And, you know, I'd like to think the reason for that is the work that I've been doing. I feel that certainly, you know, my back hasn't really caused me any problems for a while. It's just another thing that I'll make sure that I maintain because I know that if I don't do it, then there will probably be a reoccurrence of it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, a little bit. I've been in the third round a couple of times. You know, last year it was against Zabaleta, actually. We played later on in the day and it was very cold and very heavy. I played a great first set, but I think he sort of eventually was going to get the better of me in those types of conditions. But, no, there's no reason if we can, you know, keep this type of weather, then there's no reason why I can't improve on that. But, you know, I do feel that instead of worrying so much about the outcome, I've got back to trying to work on my performance a little bit better. As I said, with that preparation and the right mindset on the clay, then it goes hand-in-hand with playing better and having a good result, a good outcome.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he's going to be one of the players to beat. He's really had a phenomenal start to the year. He's obviously so comfortable playing on clay, so there's no doubt he'll have a good chance.

TIM HENMAN: I think that's the area, his ball-striking, his serving and his shots are, I think, you know, as good as ever. I think, you know, having had surgery on his hip, he needs to, again, just keep working on getting more confidence and more strength in his movement. And when he does that, then he'll, you know, go back to the top of the game quickly.

TIM HENMAN: It's something I've done more. It's something that I haven't done all the time. It's easy to sit here and talk about that, but, you know, it's so much harder to put it into practice and do it on a continual basis. And when I've done it, that's probably when I've played my best. And, again, it's a good example of an ongoing challenge. You need something like that at my age to really keep you motivated and keep you, you know, trying to improve. Because I think if you don't have -- if you're not having those continuous challenges, then, you know, you'll struggle to keep putting the work in.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, that was -- that was slightly bizarre. I mean, it does kind of make sense. If you don't feel your best, then it's almost like the self-expectation has gone out the window. But, again, it shouldn't take, you know, an injury. You should be able to try and have that mindset when you're feeling healthy. And, yeah, there's been times - Bercy was a good example - where it obviously worked well.