TMS - ROME

May 9, 2001

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

TIM HENMAN: It's sort of history repeating itself, isn't it? Last, I think the last three years, same court, same scenario. It's just, might as well sort of pour water on the balls and then start because you're just playing with led weights in there. There's so little you can do. But I think, you know, I have to give him credit for the way that he handled the conditions.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, sort of more moisture in the air. It's obviously not too warm out there, and these balls, I don't think too many other player have been too impressed with them. They're soft when they come out of the can, so when you've used them for a couple of games and then you add the moisture to that, and then the way they fluff up, there's, you know, not a lot to get out of it. And so you feel like you're so limited with what sort of tennis you can play. It's, you know, I think he's got a great kick serve, and I'm glad it wasn't, you know, I'm glad it wasn't sort of really bouncy because it would have probably been impossible to return. But I felt like in my own serve, I felt like I could start the rally. That was about it. I didn't really feel like I could get anything out of it.

TIM HENMAN: I didn't feel -- I've really sort of -- the one aspect that I've been so pleased about is the way that I've been able to use all the different types of tactics. But I just sort of felt like there wasn't -- wasn't anything you could do to the ball. You just sort of, you could either stand there and basically slug it as hard as you could and see what happened, and, you know, it was just a question of trying to keep the ball in. But, you know, I think he was able to generate a little bit more power than I was.

TIM HENMAN: No, you never know quite what to expect. First set, I just played fairly consistently and he was the one that was trying to play all the tennis and going for the shots, and he missed. Then in the second or third set, I think he, you know, he certainly cut out the errors, but he was still going for some pretty aggressive shots, and, you know, it adds to the frustration, doesn't it? I'm sort of hanging, trying to fight my way back the whole time, and I think in three of the last four service games I got to break points. And on a few of those occasions, I felt like it was when he played some of his best points. It is, it's not -- not too many good things to say about the whole scenario.

TIM HENMAN: Ten points in a row, wasn't there? I felt like I was, you know, I had the first set in the bag, if you like, at that stage. And I nearly let him back into it. But, you know, I then played a good game to hold my serve, then got back into the rhythm. So I won the first set fairly comfortably, and I played a great game to break him. And, you know, then I'm trying to establish the same scenario in the beginning of the second set. And, you know, the first three points of my service game, you know, I'm just run ragged. That's when he's just generating a lot of spin, a lot of power. So I never really was able to establish a lead at all.

TIM HENMAN: Phenomenal tennis, yeah.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, you're just watching all the other matches and you're watching them unfold and everything's 7-5 in the third, 6-5 in the third, 7-6 in the third, you're kind of expecting that trend to continue. I was here to sort of have some lunch and then practice and, you know, go through a regular routine, and then all of a sudden you got sort -- six o'clock I'm thinking, I'm probably two and a half hours away from starting. It's like I might as well go through the whole routine again. I ate three times, practiced twice, and you eventually go on court at nine o'clock. But, as it always is, same for both of you so you got to deal with it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. Exactly that. I mean, I'm sort of very frustrated right now, and, you know, it's not really what you want to do is sort of get back on the practice court in Major League. But probably have a day off tomorrow, then get back to sort of trying to play in some slightly livelier conditions.