TMS - INDIAN WELLS

March 14, 2000

Tim Henman

Q. Not a bad afternoon's work in hot weather?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely a good one to get through. He's never an easy kind to play against. Unpredictable at the best of times. No, in the circumstances, having made the final in Rotterdam, having lost first round in London, it was a similar scenario. And I got through this time.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I think I wasn't going to dwell on it once I was out there, but I was obviously aware of the situation. You know, in Rotterdam, I was playing great. I did all the same things. I practiced hard. I played my doubles on Monday in London, practiced hard on Tuesday, went out and didn't play well on Wednesday. There's a slight question mark: Should I be doing the same thing? You know, my opinion was that I should definitely continue the way I'd been working. So this time it worked.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I knew the way he liked to play. One of the things I would say is that you've got to just try to make him play as many balls as you can, especially on the passing shots. You know, at 5-All, hits a great serve, I put it back and he's got an easy volley. Those are the types of shots that he can be unpredictable on. He missed it, which was a big bonus for me, but you take everything you can get.

TIM HENMAN: I think the first set was pretty key. If he would have won it, I'm sure he would have grown in confidence. I was able to get my nose in front, get that under my belt. If anything, my game picked up. As you say, his spirit sort of went down a little bit again. I wasn't going to start complaining about that.

TIM HENMAN: That's right.

TIM HENMAN: Got a bit of momentum going. Early on, I'd been putting him under pressure in some of the service games. I had Love-30 in the first game, 15-30 I think a couple of times after that. I had to stick at it, and I did that.

TIM HENMAN: -- Extinct?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, most definitely. I think there's some proven examples. But having said that, I think with the state of the average surface and the average ball, I think it's getting harder because, no question that the game has been slowed down. I think whatever style of play you're going to play, if you're going to do it at this level, you're going to have to do it well. There aren't too many serve-and-volleyers around, but it's the way I've always played, it's the way I'll always continue to play.

TIM HENMAN: Yes and no. If you're serving well, hopefully you're going to keep the points short. If you're playing the good returners, there's a lot of quick, explosive movement, lunging. You get used to it.

TIM HENMAN: I didn't know that Grosjean had won.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, again he's another awkward player. We had a really close match in Melbourne. We had a close match at Wimbledon. I'd expect the same.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it's a great facility. It was a nice facility before, but I think the size of the tournament had outgrown the stadium there. You know, we can't ask for more. The players are almost spoiled, I think, with the facilities we've got, the practice courts, the match courts, the stadium. I think it's pretty much as good as it gets.

TIM HENMAN: At times. I think obviously the attention and the spotlight is greatest around Wimbledon and that month with Queen's and then the tournament itself. Having said, that I've always enjoyed it. I've thrived in those conditions. I played a lot of my best tennis at Wimbledon. You know, if I had a choice, I'd play every match at home. Having said that, after Wimbledon, when you've been in that environment for a month, four or five weeks, when it is so intense, yeah, no question, it's nice to get away from it. We follow up with the tournaments in the States. It's always a little calmer, a little more relaxed for me. I can get on with my practice and my matches without quite the same attention. I wouldn't say I'd complain either way.

TIM HENMAN: I don't think it's quite that bad, no (laughter). It can get a little bit hectic at times. To a certain extent, I think I stay a little bit away from it, as much as I can. Yeah, that can be difficult if you're playing well.

TIM HENMAN: I'm not sure. The schedule is slightly different. We're going to be playing Davis Cup after Wimbledon. There's a few extra weeks to take into consideration. Having said that, the Olympics after the US Open, it's going to be pretty busy. I think that might be time to take a rest.