TMS - INDIAN WELLS

March 15, 2001

Tim Henman

MODERATOR: Questions for Tim.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, most definitely. I felt like I got off to the best possible start, but obviously didn't totally stamp my authority by getting up 3-Love. You know, I think looking back at the match, it's pretty staggering that I broke him once with the number of chances I had. Obviously, I had breakpoints. The number of times I actually got to Love-30 and never gave myself more than one chance, which would have been even better. But, yeah, I was certainly very disappointed with my game. He certainly changed his game, played a different style than perhaps previously. I think that made the difference.

TIM HENMAN: It's not the way he played before, so I noticed that. Then you have to deal with that. You know, to a certain extent, I didn't deal with it very well.

TIM HENMAN: I think he gave me -- before, I felt like he was just sort of playing more defensively, and that gave me a lot more opportunities to get forward and to attack. Whereas today, I suppose you could still say he played defensively because it wasn't like he was coming to the net a great deal, but in the manner of the way he was hitting the ball, the flight of the ball, the spin of the ball, it was in a way more aggressive. There's a slight sort of contradiction. He was obviously taking pace off the ball, giving it a lot more height over the net, hitting the ball a lot deeper, then the ball was jumping up on me a lot more. That definitely kept me back more than I would have liked. If anything, then when I did get an opportunity, it's like you feel like you've got to take that opportunity. At times I was going for it too much and I made unforced errors.

TIM HENMAN: Well, no. You know, we played in similar conditions in Melbourne, I think. It was windy there. I obviously dealt with it well on that day. You could add to that that I didn't deal with his game well. I probably didn't deal with the conditions well either.

TIM HENMAN: You take risks and I take mistakes. I play defensively, I played into his hands. Where do you draw the line? You know, that's the decision as a player you have to make. In the last game I decided, you know, "Pass me to win the match," and he did. I had breakpoint, I came in, and he hits the corner with an inside-out forehand. A couple of times, you know, I played the long rally, try and be patient. 15, 20, 25 shots. Am I going to outrally him? No, it doesn't seem like it because that's the way he wants to play. I wait for my opportunity, go for my opportunity when I have a chance, try to hit a winner and I miss. That's the frustration. That's what you have to deal with, and I didn't deal with it.

TIM HENMAN: I wouldn't like it. I wouldn't want it. I don't think it's part of the game. I don't think it should be part of the game. That's why I've always played the game, because it's an individual sport. That's what I enjoy. I don't enjoy losing today because I didn't find a way to win. But that's the challenge. When I win, when I win matches like that, that's the satisfaction.

TIM HENMAN: Exactly. It's an individual sport; we're not a team sport. We're out there to win it or lose it on your own. I lost it on my own today.

TIM HENMAN: You probably did (laughter). I'll settle for, "Think, think," though.

TIM HENMAN: I'm trying a lot of things. Obviously, one end is much harder to play from. You have a big glare off the court, playing against the wind, feels like you're playing uphill. That's when he was putting me on the defensive. I tried to serve and volley. Therefore, that takes out the long rallies, takes it out of the equation. On a couple of occasions I get myself into good positions, miss easy volleys. I make volleys, sometimes he hits good passing shots. I certainly wasn't hitting the tennis ball particularly well today, but I felt like I was trying to find a way around it. I tried quite a few different things, but none of them worked.

TIM HENMAN: I would say it was more to do with him actually on that day. He played some really great tennis. I felt like I had the right game plan, and he hit a lot of great passing shots. You know, if anything, I felt like my game was sort of on track. There's never, ever, ever a good time to lose a match, but I was taking the positive out of it. I'd played well there, and now I had time to prepare. You know, I felt like everything was ideal coming in. It was a good one to get through against Schuettler. I certainly improved against Pioline. It was an opportunity here. That's an added frustration that one has to deal with.

TIM HENMAN: I'm sure there be lots of things. It's not quite the time to sort of start thinking about those. You know, at the moment, it's still the frustration of losing. That is all that one thinks about or feels. In the next 24, 48, whatever, hours, then it's time to think. I'm sure I'll play him again in my career. Obviously, the way he played today, he's going to take away the positives of that. He'll think next time he plays, that's the way to play me. I've played against guys that have done that to me before. I've beaten him. I have to learn for next time.

TIM HENMAN: Probably not really. I think this is probably the only time I'm going to get to have a break. If you look at my schedule, I'm playing the Ericsson, then we have Davis Cup, I want to play a clay court event before the Masters Series in Estoril, Monte-Carlo. You know, perhaps I'll take a few days off. I'm not going to play until Friday, I think, at the earliest in Miami. It's not like there's a rush to get there.