ATP Tour World Championship

November 28, 1998

Tim Henman

Q. So close. Came up with some fantastic stuff at the end, didn't he?

TIM HENMAN: That's right. I think in the latter part of the third set, he definitely raised his game in those games that he broke me at 3-2 and at the end. He came up with some great shots. I think you've got to give him credit for that.

TIM HENMAN: No, it's not. When you're out there, it's a match, and a lot of it you're sort of playing by instincts. You don't have so much time to think about it. No. I think the more afterwards you have time to think about it, the more the disappointment sinks in.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I mean, I think it was a lot of good quality tennis. As the match went on, the standard got better and better. In a lot of those service games throughout the third, there were opportunities for both of us. It was a question of who could take them, who could hit the right shots at the right time.

TIM HENMAN: Well, I think my tactics were right. I think my execution at times, especially in the first set, wasn't as good as it could have been. I think, again, my serving has not really been good enough throughout the week. There have been times when I think today, second and third set, it definitely improved. It's got to be higher all around.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think that is sometimes dictated by your serve. I think I wasn't making a great deal of first serves. I was having to win a lot of points from the baseline and moving forward. That's probably not the way that I want to be doing it.

TIM HENMAN: I think that was obviously a turning point. He played some good tennis at the end of the first set. He had a couple of chances on my serve in the first game. I think if he'd have gotten an early break, that would have been very difficult; he might have been able to run away with things. As you say, second game, I was a little bit more aggressive. I went for a little bit more. That's what paid off. Likewise, in the first game of the third, I think again I played really aggressively. Those were the times we broke. Having said that, I don't think I was cautious when I didn't break. I think he then came up with some better shots.

TIM HENMAN: Not really, I don't think. I think the important thing was yesterday to go and practice afterwards. We hit for about another half an hour, sort of got back to where I was beforehand. I think that made a big difference. I went out there with a lot of confidence.

TIM HENMAN: Obviously it's boosted my ranking another couple of spots. It's a good ending to the year, but a disappointing end to the year. Having said that, I'm already very excited about next year. I feel like I've got lots of things to improve on over the Christmas period. I think if I continue the progress I've made in the last five, six months, then, you know, quarterfinals of a Slam is not what I'm going to be looking for; I'm going to be getting to the finals and winning them.

TIM HENMAN: It is. You look back over the year, there have been some amazing lows and some amazing highs. I think to finish No. 7 is a good year. Then when you look at it in a little bit more detail, you realize the short periods that I've played good tennis; it's basically been half the year. So if I can make No. 7 in half a year, if I play a full year, then I think there's obviously a lot to improve on.

TIM HENMAN: A loss. Pretty similar matches, in fact. Against Sampras at Wimbledon, I struggled early on, and likewise today, I didn't play my best tennis to begin with. I really, really hung in there, played much, much better in the second, and, as the match went on, it got closer and closer. Against Sampras at 5-6 in the third, he hit three great shots in a row to break me. I think you look at some of the shots Moya hit to break me on both occasions; he did exactly that.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he hit some great lobs. You know, the Spanish guys have got such variation on their groundstrokes. I think he is the one obviously that has just that little bit more that stands out. He's got a deceptive serve, a very good athlete for a pretty big guy. His forehand is very difficult to read.

TIM HENMAN: I feel tired after today's match. I'm definitely looking forward to having some weeks off. It has been really intense, short of jam-packed last six months. I've really enjoyed it. I'll be looking forward to getting back and working on things in December.

TIM HENMAN: I probably won't play quite as many. 23, 24 maybe, all going well. You have to see how things go, hopefully stay healthy. If I play as consistently as I have, there's no need to play quite as many events as I have this year. Perhaps I might be a little bit fresher.

TIM HENMAN: I think they are very similar. I think I played better against Sampras. But having said that, I definitely couldn't have given more on either occasion.

TIM HENMAN: It's difficult to say. I think the last -- in sort of over six months, it probably does take its toll. But perhaps if I played a few less tournaments, it may do it. It's difficult to say. I wouldn't say coming into here I was tired. I felt really motivated, a hundred percent ready to go. I think, if anything, the sort of pressure and the tension of the matches in the round-robin take their toll. Today, to play another two and a quarter hours, you know, is tough.

TIM HENMAN: Not really. I quite enjoy the round-robin. It's not what we're used to. It's something different. In a field with the top eight players, you're going to have really tough matches. Both sides to the coin. I can understand if people don't really enjoy it so much. But for me personally, I think it's a good format.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely. I think in the last six months - I seem like I'm repeating myself - but it's the last six months when so much has happened. I feel like I've really established myself in the Top 10. The feeling is inside me, that's not good enough now. I've got to go to the next level. I'm going to be pretty close to the Top 5, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future. If I can play well in the Slams, then I think I've got to set my sights to the very, very top.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely. It's pretty much the same feeling. Doesn't get any more enjoyable. Doesn't get any easier having lost a match like this. It's history now. I've got to move on from here.

TIM HENMAN: Well, if you win a Grand Slam, you're not going to go down in the rankings. Yeah, I mean, if you can win a Grand Slam, I think that's the ultimate in this game. I keep taking steps in the right direction. February and March, perhaps I was standing still or looking like I might fall backwards. I can't complain with the progress that I've made.

TIM HENMAN: Definitely. I have Sydney; I played pretty well in Sydney. I have Key Biscayne. Then I have Wimbledon. Basically the first six months is a great opportunity for me. It's a month away -- a little over a month before we start playing in Doha and then Australia. But I feel very ready to continue the improvement, continue the rise.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's fair to say at the moment on these types of surfaces, Sampras still stands out. I think I've beaten virtually everybody else. Hopefully I can beat him next year. But, no, knowing that I've beaten them, there's no reason why I can't go right to the very top. That's definitely my aim. Whether it happens next year or the year after, that's what I want.

TIM HENMAN: Hopefully everything's improved. But still, the serving, I think that has probably made the biggest improvement. But I still think it can make an even bigger improvement if you're comparing it to everything else. I think perhaps the best I've served was in Basel. Perhaps the levels this week have not been as good as that. So if I can serve at those types of levels on a regular basis, that makes the rest of your game a lot easier. That is one of my immediate goals. I think Greg is a good example of that. You know, he makes life so easy with his serve. He's a good example.

TIM HENMAN: Yes, starting in Barcelona.