US OPEN

September 4, 1998

Tim Henman

Q. Well done.

TIM HENMAN: Thanks.

TIM HENMAN: Sure.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I felt pretty happy with the way I have played. I think, if anything, I have been serving much more consistently and I think I need to have a little bit more focused on my return games. But, no, the serving is the key to my game and that is something that, you know, is coming on pretty strongly. But, there was a couple of stages where I felt like a little bit erratic from the baseline. But I was in few difficult situations and was able to come through.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, you don't want to try and get into too many long rallies because that is favoring him; that is trying to beat him at his own game to keep the rallies short. Sometime you can rush it a little bit, come in on the wrong ball. So, yeah, you have to be pretty selective. I think the first serve, the more I got that in, the more dominent I was being because he tends to chip his returns a little bit. I think that showed when I served for the third set at 5-4 and the one thing I said to myself was: Make a lot of first serves, and I only made one in that game so that was a little bit disappointing, but I think, bounce back was the important.

TIM HENMAN: A little bit. It was one break in the first one, break in the second and then, you know, it was a little bit less consistent. Those are the sets that you need to -- need to hang on to. Especially if you are struggling a little bit it is easy to win sets when everything is going your way, but when it gets a little bit difficult those are the ones if you can win can be very important.

TIM HENMAN: I think it was -- yeah, it was a breakthrough to get through the semis. I lost twice in the quarters. Yeah, I was very pleased with the way I'd played and coming into the hard court swing I knew that this time last year I didn't take the opportunities that were available to me. So this year I was very keen to play better than I had done, and I think that is definitely happening.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, I made fourth round here before, so I felt like I have played well here, but I feel very confident with my game. There is a lot of other very good players left in. But if I can keep improving match by match then I think I can have a chance to go a long way.

TIM HENMAN: Not a great deal actually. I have seen their results. I have seen Di Pasquale, and he has been playing very well on the Challenger Circuit and beat Danny second round in qualies. So, yeah, one of them is going to be in the third round, would have played five matches and I am sure will be feeling confident about their game. So, you know, this is a match that I will be very motivated for. I have had problems with lesser ranked guys in the past, so I am aware of that and I would just go out there and try to continue the way I have been playing.

TIM HENMAN: I think it is a comparison that it is important that I sort of analyze a little bit because at those times I was wasn't aggressive enough and the strength of my game is playing attacking and at those times I think I was a little cautious a little bit too negative. Wasn't going for my serve enough and that is -- I think that is the biggest difference.

TIM HENMAN: You just got to go for things a little bit more. I am not going to out rally people really. I can do it in points here and there at different situations, but the basis of my game is serving big and getting to the net and finishing the points off of the net. At those times when I was playing badly at the beginning of the year, I wasn't doing that. It was -- I think it was a very important learning process in my career. It was very frustrating and not an enjoyable time, but you have to come through. I feel like I have done that.

TIM HENMAN: I think London was -- the tournament in London was a pretty important turning point. Some of those tournaments before Dubai and Antwerp was pretty slow courts. So you have to take into account that wasn't helping things, but London was a quicker court and I think the Krajicek match and the Schuttler match, he was a guy I lost to a couple weeks before and was playing before. To come through those, I think just emphasized the way I should be playing.

TIM HENMAN: It is difficult. But that is what makes the US Open what it is. I don't think you'd really want that taken away. You have got people moving around. You have got smoke coming on to the court. You have got airplanes flying over, but you have got to get on with it.

TIM HENMAN: There are times when you can get a little bit frustrated, but, you know, why would you dwell on that? You just got to get on with it. I think that is the best way to approach it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think probably I'd used that racket for nearly two sets and perhaps the tension had dropped a little bit. So I think, you know, I was going back to a racket that was the same tension to when I started and I think I have my rackets pretty tight these days, so it gives you a little bit more control.

TIM HENMAN: That is on Monday; isn't it?

TIM HENMAN: I don't know.

TIM HENMAN: Is it?

TIM HENMAN: Okay. Just testing. What was the question?

TIM HENMAN: No, I think something about a workout -- I played -- I have played on my birthday about eight years ago, I think. And I beat a guy by the name of.... Michael Jordan.

TIM HENMAN: No, so that was the last -- that was -- yeah, that was last time I have played, but whatever it takes, I am looking forward to it, so it is not going to be easy. Yeah, I think I concentrate on my match and hopefully celebrate my birthday with a win.

TIM HENMAN: We were playing tennis, so I couldn't answer that.

TIM HENMAN: There are two sides to the coin. Obviously there is a lot of expectation, but having said that, the support I get there is, you know, better than any other tournament in the world. Here I feel that there is, you know, less pressure, there is less attention on myself. And coming after Wimbledon, I think that is a nice feeling to have. But I have won matches with all the support. I have won matches when I haven't had so much support, so, this is what our job is about really.

TIM HENMAN: Wimbledon.

TIM HENMAN: I think it was a junior -- like a Junior ITF match. Tournament in Germany somewhere.

TIM HENMAN: No.