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THE STELLA ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPSJune 12, 2006Tim HenmanLONDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tim, please. Q. You must be quite encouraged by that? TIM HENMAN: Yeah, a lot of different aspects, I think. First match I think is always going to be tricky. And you're playing someone of his caliber in that type of match, it's sometimes not so easy to sort of settle down and find your rhythm. But on the whole I did a good job of trying to set the tone and making sure that I was the one that was dictating the play. So, yeah, overall, it was a good one and gives me something to build from. Q. Are you surprised you played that well? TIM HENMAN: I played okay. I mean, there were a few moments where it was a little bit, you know, up and down. Couple of service games where I didn't really do a great job of imposing my style early on. You know, when Andre is picking the spots and then just hitting his shots, it's difficult. But, as I said, you know, I would be the first to admit the last couple of years I've struggled with more my style on grass because the conditions have changed so much. You know, I was pleased with, you know, the way that I was able to construct the points and play the way that I wanted to play. Q. You didn't appear to be a man struggling with his back. TIM HENMAN: Yeah, no, it was -- as I tried to say yesterday, you know, it was Thursday, Friday where I did have a lot of soreness and stiffness. That kind of had caught me by surprise because, you know, as I've said for the last, you know, three, maybe even four months, my back has been very, very good. So it was definitely a little bit unsettling. You know, I haven't done anything different in terms of my training, my stretching, and the work that I've done, so the only variable is being the change in surface. I think that does make sense, you know. There's times when you can be waiting for the ball to come to you because it obviously doesn't come through so much, and still there's a lot more bending. I think that was the change. You know, Saturday I really had a very light day because I was pretty sore, and then yesterday I had a better practice session. Today, you know, felt very good on the court. So, fingers crossed, it can stay that way. Q. Is that different in terms of recovery time? Is that different to how it's been in the last 18 months? TIM HENMAN: Well, there's a difference. I think it can be -- and I've spent -- I've paid so much attention to my back, I obviously am a lot more aware of different types of feelings. And because it was just those -- it was just a sort of general soreness all the way across my back, that's why I wasn't so concerned, although I didn't really practice on Saturday, which wasn't ideal. But it's when it's in one spot and I'm getting a lot of sharp pain, then I know that, you know, it's probably going to be, you know, five, six, seven days before I can do anything. That was, again, the way that I was able to sort of hope that it was just a soreness. It did, it settled down with a lot of ice, a lot of stretching. And it feels like it did slow down pretty quickly. So, yeah, fingers crossed. Q. You're not feeling any reaction now? TIM HENMAN: No, it felt good today. I wouldn't say it's as good as it has been. I'm still a little bit stiff at times. But, you know, no comparison to Saturday. But will be interesting to see how I pull up tomorrow after my first match. But I am, I'm optimistic. Q. When was the last time you went into Wimbledon as happy, optimistic and comfortable as you are now? Few years? TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it's been a couple -- I think in, you know, 2004 I was feeling pretty good about my game having just made the semis in Paris. But certainly last year I think is sort of the freshest in my mind. You know, it was a real struggle for a number of reasons. I think it reflected in my performance. I've said that, you know. I didn't, you know -- I wasn't feeling good physically, and I think that had a knock-on effect mentally. I didn't deal with the conditions particularly well. I let that affect me. You know, overall, it was just -- it was disappointing because it's, you know -- these are my home tournaments. This is what my career has been about to a certain extent. To be out there and not enjoying it was just so disappointing. Q. Was that your lowest moment? TIM HENMAN: Not my lowest moment, but one of my most disappointing because, you know, to be playing on Centre Court Wimbledon and just, you know, fighting with myself and playing as poorly as I was and not enjoying it is not what my -- not what my career's been about. So there's been, you know, a focus from within to make sure that, you know, irrespective of whether I'm playing well or playing badly, I'm going to be in a good frame of mind, I'm going to be very, very positive, and I'm going to enjoy it. I think that will be a foundation to playing good tennis any way. Q. Do you feel you're less under the microscope with Andy coming through, with World Cup on? TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely. I think, again, I've experienced playing sort of during the World Cup and European Championships and stuff. I think it is, it's a fun distraction. It's a good distraction for not only you, but for me as well. And, you know, Andy helps that scenario as well. It's something that I've talked about for pretty much my whole career. We need more and more people to come up, not only for sort of the rivalry, the healthy competition, but just, you know, to spread the load of spotlight. Q. Back to today's match, is there still that sort of excitement about playing someone of Agassi's stature? TIM HENMAN: Definitely. I mean, I think for the number of years that we've both been on the tour, and he's been on considerably longer than me, we've only played on three occasions I think. So some of these guys, you know, I've played other guys 13, 14 times. It's always going to be special. And first time we played on sort of my home court and on a grass court. It's always going to be a fun experience. Obviously, to play well and win is extra special. Q. Pretty horrible draw for both of you. But in retrospect, is it helpful to have somebody like that? Does it immediately focus you? TIM HENMAN: I think it does. I mean, as professional as we try and be, sometimes you have a match where you sort of -- there's an element of overconfidence and you're looking to get yourself into the tournament, and all of a sudden, you can come unstuck. But when you're playing a match like today, it does, it's very clear that there's no point in focusing on anything else because you're going to have to play well to progress in the tournament. I think that, you know, that helped me today, especially towards the end of the second set. There were a couple of important service games and I hit a lot of good shots at the right time. Q. Rafael Nadal, how good a player do you think he can be on grass, and do you think he might win Wimbledon one day? Do you think he could do that soon? TIM HENMAN: I think when you compete as well as he does, it's very dangerous to write him off on any type of surface. But I do, you know, think with the extreme nature of his game and, you know, how much he relies on his movement, and I think how much harder that will be for him on a grass court, you know, I think it's -- I think it's unlikely. But, as I said, you think how far his game's come on other surfaces. He won Madrid at the end of last year on a pretty fast -- on a relatively fast court and altitude. You know, he's gonna fancy his chances on grass, I'm sure. And I just like the attitude that, you know, he just wants to come and play and challenge himself. And, you know, irrespective of whether he loses in the first round of Wimbledon or makes the final, you know he's going to be out there to better himself as a player and see how good he can be. Q. He's reportedly asked for his game on Wednesday not to clash with the Spain-Ukraine game. Can you see yourself doing the same on Thursday? TIM HENMAN: Yeah, maybe my back was sort of psychosomatic. I was meant to be practicing at 2 o'clock on Saturday. That's what happens when you play with an American coach, you know. He's not quite on the right wavelength yet. But I had to miss it because my back was a bit sore. So I sat there with an ice pack on my back for 20 minutes of both halves, so it fit it in quite well. Q. On the subject of mentioning Andy there and taking some of the attention away, has he asked any advice about how to deal with the Wimbledon buildup? TIM HENMAN: Yeah, little bits and pieces. I think it just -- it's not like we sort of sit down and -- Q. In conversation? TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I mean, just when we're practicing or having lunch or dinner or something, it might come up. You know, he might ask my advice on, you know, whether it's dealing with the press or, you know, coaches or whatever it may be. And, as I've said all along, I've always -- I'd always want to help him if I can and if he wants advice. I think on the other side, it's important that he keeps working some of these things out for himself, because I think that's when, you know, he'll be able to learn and obviously progress himself as a player. Q. What advice, what practical advice would you give him? Not to read the papers? TIM HENMAN: Just, I mean, from that point of view, yeah, there's a lot of those issues or a lot of those scenarios that are out of his control, they're out of my control, what you guys are writing or what people are saying. So, you know, you're just not really doing yourself any favors if you're paying a great deal of attention to it. I think at this time of year, I think what I've done a good job over the years, is really controlling to the best of my ability the things that I can control, and that's my practice, my preparation, and, you know, the way I'm playing on the court. And at the end of the day, if you get those things right, then you kind of find that a lot of the exterior stuff is taking care of itself anyway. Q. Do you think all the talk about coaches and him, Brad Gilbert, all those sort of things that have been swirling around, do you think that can be a distraction? TIM HENMAN: If he lets it, yeah. I mean, these things can easily distract you if you're paying attention to it. I think he's gotten the message that he's out there to play for himself and to keep his head down and, as I said, you know, worry about the things that he can control. So I don't think it's really fazing him too much. Q. Can I just ask how -- for you to come and step on a grass court, I know grass court tennis has changed so much, but simply to step on the grass court, the movement, how confident is that when you leave the clay? TIM HENMAN: It's always been a transition that I've felt so comfortable with because I think the movement aspect is a huge part of grass court tennis, and perhaps more so now because there's going to be much more tennis from the baseline. I was kind of taken by surprise this year that I had some, you know -- a lot more soreness in my back because I just felt that, you know, softer courts and, you know, it's softer on the joints. I felt that would benefit me. Q. In terms of when you walk on to it, the first rallies or whatever, you must feel completely and utterly at ease? TIM HENMAN: I used to feel a lot more at ease with it, to tell you the truth, but just because the nature of how grass court tennis, you know, used to be. I've always liked the ball coming off the court and coming on to the racquet. You know, that doesn't happen anymore. So there's a lot more adjusting to do. And, you know, as I've said all along, you know, I like a target, but you don't get a target on grass because so few people serve and volley now. So those are the challenges that, you know, you have to adjust a little bit more to. Q. Is it partly due to the fact that you've become more comfortable on clay? TIM HENMAN: I mean, that, now, I benefit from that because I'm going to have to use that -- I'm going to have to use that style more on a grass court because I don't serve like Roddick or whoever, who can still serve through the court. That's where it's a big advantage for me. But I would still love to be, you know, serving and volleying on both balls and people coming at me more, but that's not going to be the nature of it. Q. A home tournament. How important is it to get a good run deep into this tournament to set you up? TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, it's certainly what you would like. But, you know, as I've shown over the last, you know, 10 years or whatever it is, my performances, my results here I think have had very little bearing on the way that I've played at Wimbledon. So, you know, I'll certainly take as many matches as I can get, and this tournament means an enormous amount to me. If anything, it's been more my home tournament than Wimbledon because this is where I was based for so long practicing and training, so I'll be very keen to do as well as I can.
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