THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 19, 1999

Tim Henman

MIKI SINGH: Questions for Tim.

TIM HENMAN: It was a pretty bad dream for me. You can look at it twofold: if I get an early break in the first game, I could just run away with the match. You know, I think if anything, early on I was playing into his hands a little bit. He obviously likes a target. I was making unforced errors, which he thrives off. I was really struggling with my game. I know that I've got a lot more resolve than that. I've got a lot more options. I can play many different ways. I needed to play differently. The satisfaction was that I played a game that isn't my most comfortable. I had to grind out some long rallies, and I did that. The first round matches, a couple of times this year I've struggled. I get through them and hopefully can have a good run in the tournament.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. No, that was only for 24 hours, I think. I think if you read into that too much, I think you got the wrong end of the stick. I was disappointed and really frustrated having had a match point and lost it. I mean, there's never any doubt that I lost interest in the game. I had a couple of days off, played some golf, as I said I would. I've been practicing as well as I've practiced in a long time. Probably didn't show in the beginning, but I got through it.

TIM HENMAN: Prevention rather than cure. On these courts, it's pretty abrasive. You can get friction on your toes. As long as I keep it covered, I shouldn't have any problems.

TIM HENMAN: A little bit, yeah. I've played him a couple of times before. I think on those occasions, I've lost the first set as well. But, no, I think he has added an extra dimension to his game. He's definitely one of the quickest guys around. Just from hearing the way he had played in previous events, I knew he was going to be quick. I didn't expect him to come forward as much as he did. But I felt like once I'd got him at the net, it wasn't perhaps his most comfortable position to be in.

TIM HENMAN: I did, yeah. I think in those -- how many years ago was it? Four years ago.

TIM HENMAN: You know, at that level, I was competing pretty well. I was winning tournaments. That's why I think, given time, I can compete at the highest level on clay. I don't believe it's going to be the surface I'll have my best results on. In juniors, in satellites, in challengers, I've won events. There's no reason why I can't do it now at this level.

TIM HENMAN: Not really. I played one horrendous match. It's as simple as that. On the other occasions, I played really, really well in Tokyo to beat him. I beat him on grass, which is probably his least favorite surface. In Dubai, I played a good match. I created opportunities in the second set, and they didn't go my way on that occasion. You know, I feel like I know the right way to play against him. He's now pretty close to a Top-30 player. He's capable of beating a lot of good players. I know that I'm going to have to bring my best to the court. If I do that, I think I've got a good chance.

TIM HENMAN: He is. You can't say that there are many guys that play like him. He is unorthodox, but he's effective.

TIM HENMAN: It doesn't unsettle you, but I think there are times when he hits shots you haven't really seen before. You can be a little bit surprised. He hits the unexpected sometimes. That's why it's important to really focus on my game. He beat Magnus Norman today pretty comfortably, which is another good win. He obviously started this year really well.

TIM HENMAN: I don't think I'll be doing much differently to the way I played in Dubai. I was trying to serve pretty quick because I don't think he perhaps controls his returns sometimes as well as others. He has his racquet strung very loosely so the ball flies around. I think, if anything, that suited him in Dubai. It was very heavy. It was pretty slow. But I think with the heat here, that should favor me a little bit more. But likewise, we get into some long rallies, I'm going to have to stay positive and I'm going to have to be ready to rally.

MIKI SINGH: Probably Sunday.

TIM HENMAN: I don't know. I wouldn't say there's a reason for us really to play at night.

TIM HENMAN: No.

TIM HENMAN: It depends on how you play. When I lose, I'm always going to be frustrated, pissed off, whatever. On that occasion, I felt like I'd done everything right. I prepared well, I'd been hitting the ball well, I practiced well. I played an average to good match, and I lost. There are times when I'd lost 3 and 4, then that's not a match that you just move on from because there would have been a lot to talk about. But likewise, from Dubai, I knew I was playing well. I didn't win that match. I lost 6 and 5. I could have come through that and won the tournament. Having said that, I moved on from that. I knew my game was there. I made the final the next week. I think you have feelings to the way your game is. At the moment, I feel my game is in good shape.

TIM HENMAN: Every time I play him, I think about that. It's inevitable. Likewise, I learned from that. I got into a rallying match there. You know, I played negatively. I still could have won, but I know if I do that, that's when he gets his best chance to beat me. When I play aggressively, when I serve well, like Tokyo, I wouldn't put Wimbledon, it's probably a surface he hasn't played on.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, that's my worst match. Nothing wrong with that.

TIM HENMAN: Exactly. You've got to have it. That was definitely it.

TIM HENMAN: Today it was a little bit different because everything was missing the mark really early on. But my natural game plan is to serve and volley. If you're not making first serves, then on the second serve, he's getting a good hit at it. When I was chipping and charging, it was pretty slow. It wasn't really going through the air very well. That's a tactic that is playing into his hands, and it's not working. I'm not just going to continue doing it because that's going to give him a good opportunity. I think, if anything, his forehand is a little bit weaker. He likes a target. If I stay in the rally from the baseline, it's different. He's got to think about it a little bit more. From a mental side of things, besides the first set, it was a good performance. Tennis-wise, I can play a lot better.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely. It would be different if, A, my game was poor, and B, I hadn't won many matches this year. You're always going to be defending points if you're at the top end of the game. You're going to have two and a half, three thousand to defend as the year goes by. It's not something I'm too concerned about. If I can improve from this, then there's no reason why I can't add to my points.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, everything. I've been playing good tennis for a long, long time. I don't want to just let that slip. I want to take advantage of it because I can continue to go higher. Look at how Moya started off the year. Lost first round in Sydney, first round in Melbourne, he won some matches in Dubai, but really ordinary start. Suddenly he gets his game going, he's No. 1 in the world. It can change around very quickly (snapping fingers). Likewise, it could turn around negatively for me. I've got to take advantage of the opportunities I get.