US OPEN

August 26, 2003

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tim.

TIM HENMAN: No, I think certainly from serving from that end, it was definitely the tougher end to serve. You know, it was a strategy that if I served to his forehand, I was going to be hopefully able to volley to his backhand, which is his weaker side. It's an obvious tactic. All credit to him, he hit three winners. You know, you can second guess yourself if you'd like, but I'm certainly not going to.

TIM HENMAN: You know, in my opinion, he's playing better than anyone in the world right now. I think that's stating the obvious with the way he's played in the last, you know, four weeks on the hard court swing, from Queen's and Wimbledon. You know, he is going to be very tough to beat. He's so confident right now. He's got such a big game. But he's using it very, very well. I think that's probably been the difference in the last couple of months.

TIM HENMAN: I wouldn't quite call that finesse. You know, he used his game very well tonight. You know, he did make some changes from the match in Washington. I don't know what his first-serve percentage was, but he served very, very well. When you've got a weapon like that, and you're backing it up with a big forehand, it's very tough to play against. You know, I had my chance. I needed to get something out of the second set. You know, when he came through that second set, it was going to be an uphill struggle.

TIM HENMAN: I struggled results-wise. I think I'm definitely trying to put a little bit more emphasis on my performance. The difference was in Washington, I wasn't certainly playing my best early on. I came through a couple of, you know, really tight matches where I was struggling. Once I got a little bit of confidence from those wins, I was able to build on it. You know, I finished off the tournament pretty well. The difference is, in a Masters Series, you're playing great players from the word "go." You know, my last three matches against Nalbandian, Coria, now Andy, those are tough opponents. In sport, there's going to be a winner and a loser. It's disappointing to lose and have those results. But I think if I actually look at the way I'm playing, the contrast from 12 months ago, being healthy, in a funny sort of way, I'm very optimistic because I'm enjoying myself. When I've played the way I have in Washington, then I'm certainly looking forward to finishing this year off strongly, you know, building for the start of next year.

TIM HENMAN: The second set, yeah, is key. You know, the first set, I certainly was finding my feet a little bit. You know, I felt like my game was very close to making life awkward for him. You know, that's why it was going to be so critical. At one set all, I think it's anyone's match. At two sets to love, Andy's confidence is only going in one direction. You know, I had very few opportunities on his serve. His service games were going quicker and quicker. But if it had been a set all, then perhaps he starts to feel a little bit more pressure.

TIM HENMAN: Yes.

TIM HENMAN: No. His backhand is not all that bad. It's a tough comparison, isn't it? It's compared to his forehand. He's got a great forehand. I think an advantage for him that he has is, you know, not many other guys are going to come in. He's not going to have to hit too many passing shots off his backhand. It was a tactic that worked well in Washington. Still, it was, you know, a tactic that worked well for me. It's going to be a tactic, I'm going to use it against anyone. Obviously, at the net, it's my biggest strength.

TIM HENMAN: I think, again, when I sort of reflect at this moment in time, exactly where my game is, I played the leader in the world game right now. You know, I feel like I had my chances, and I didn't take them. And certainly it's important for me to understand how things have turned around relatively quickly because, you know, it wasn't so long ago that I was really struggling with my game. Not being healthy was not helping the cause. But certainly having beaten some of the players I did in Washington was a timely boost, and that's why I feel that if I play well in Davis Cup and finish this year off strongly, then without playing really a great deal, I'm sure I'll be back inside 20, then play a full schedule, start off the year well. I'll be knocking on the door.

TIM HENMAN: Sure.

TIM HENMAN: In some respects, yeah, early on. Early on, you know, I was optimistic I could play in Australia. Certainly, when I wasn't able to do that, I felt like I'd be able to pick up from where I left off relativity quickly. I literally only had one or two wins, and we were heading into the French Open. Suddenly you're thinking, "Where are the wins going to come from?" I was in the Top 10 for a long period of time. My ranking was going south. But, you know, from Hamburg and the French, I played better. Queen's and Wimbledon, I played okay. You know, we're talking about five tournaments. I'm about 30. So from that respect, it just emphasizes the point that I probably won't even have played half the schedule. I'd like to think with four good indoor tournaments, which certainly I feel optimistic about playing well in, I would like to think I can finish inside 20. That's certainly the way I view it. If I can play a full schedule, play better at the early part of the year, I don't see why there's any reason why I shouldn't be back up pretty high pretty soon.

TIM HENMAN: Vienna, Madrid, Basel and Paris.

TIM HENMAN: I just think against Andy, and certainly the way he's playing, you cannot give anything away on your serve. I felt at times certainly in the first set early on that the 1-All game was a poor game to lose. He hit a couple of good shots, but a few too many unforced errors. When I was serving for the second set, that was -- on the one hand, he hit some great shots, but on the other hand, you feel that's an opportunity that got away.

TIM HENMAN: I'm serving a lot bigger than I was probably, you know, a couple of months ago.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think so. As I continue to play more and more, I think I can serve bigger. But still, you know, I got to serve consistently. I'm not going to serve like Andy. You know, he's probably the best server in the game right now. But the way he mixed it up, you know, he's got the pace behind his serve. But he's serving very smart. That's something that we can all learn from.

TIM HENMAN: Well, I beat him a couple of weeks ago.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, absolutely.

TIM HENMAN: I think with regards -- you know, having had a shoulder injury, I still think there's probably a small percentage where I can start -- you know, I think I can serve a little bit bigger. But, you know, I still think you have to look at the way the conditions play and, you know, the way players return. On the one hand, conditions are getting slower and slower. You know, players are returning better and better. It's a tough scenario. That's why so few players are serving and volleying these days because I think it's more and more difficult to do that. But, you know, that's my style of play. I'm the one that has to make it better because I don't think conditions are going to change that dramatically. But certainly if I serve a little bit better and keep my ability at the net, then I know the vast majority of these guys won't like having to hit passing shots all day. I have to make sure I play to my strengths. There have certainly been times when I can get sucked into playing these other players' style of play. That's not going to do me any good.

TIM HENMAN: Absolutely.

TIM HENMAN: Can't wait for it (smiling).