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ATP MASTER SERIES MADRID

October 16, 2006

Tim Henman

MADRID, SPAIN

TIM HENMAN: It was pretty impressive. It's good conditions, but it's not the easiest conditions. And if you feel like you're timing the ball well, and it's obviously flying around pretty quick through the air. Serving is always going to be an important factor.
And I served fantastic, really well and at the right times. From the baseline the first couple of times I felt it was a little bit difficult for Fernando's spin. I felt like if anything to flatten my shots out a little bit to get on top of them. I was timing the ball better and better. It was a great start for me and good to continue where I left off in Tokyo really.

Q. When was the last time you played that well, Tim?
TIM HENMAN: I think my matches in Tokyo were really, really good. And I think the match against Ancic is the best I played in probably 18 months, maybe two years.
Today was -- it's difficult. You don't want to talk it up too much when you've got to come back in 14 hours time or something, but it was good.
Served, only had a couple of break points against me and obviously played one game where I was break points down, two where I was break points down. I saved those well. Feeling good on the court. Timing the ball better and better. It gives you confidence for the next one. But it won't get any easier.

Q. Tim, do you have any sort of goal in terms of the rest of the year? Are you thinking at all, for example, like to be in the top 32 by the time of Australia?
TIM HENMAN: I talked about that a while ago. A couple of years ago I said I was getting away from talking about goals and just focusing on my performance and the style of play that I wanted to try and execute, but I think -- again a couple of years later on, I feel like I want to have something to focus on. As I said, I'm not going to put any extra pressure on myself, but it's a small goal to have. If I could get into the top 32, then certainly it would help in Australia. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm going to lose any sleep over it.

Q. Tim, you possibly are playing better than at any other time in 18 months. How much of it is containing the injury problems and how much is psychological?
TIM HENMAN: Well, there's no question I can't play this well if I'm not 100 percent fit. I feel very, very good on the court. I think it's pretty obvious to see with the way that I'm moving and everything about the sort of physical aspects on the court.
You know, sometimes when I'm talking to you guys and you're sort of hoping a few things can happen. But I really did believe that I've been playing this type of tennis in practice for a long time. But you need that proof on the match court. And certainly as you get deeper into a career, the winning is less enjoyable I've found, and the losses start to sort of hurt even more. And if you're not getting those rewards, then it does get difficult.
So certainly I've had to persist at times. Just because I've had a couple of good tournaments and a good win tonight doesn't mean I'm satisfied. I want to keep building from that and see where it takes me. So there's certainly a good start this week. We'll see how things go and then Barcelona next week. I think that will probably be it for the year and fingers crossed I'll be inside 32.

Q. Slightly reminiscent of a way between now and 2003. This is the time in 2003 where your ranking had had that dip and you're starting to play really well again and making this rise that you did three years ago.
TIM HENMAN: I'd like the same results. Yes, it's slightly different. I was obviously coming back from a shoulder injury. I suppose this has been more dominated by my back and a few other struggles. Yes, certainly I feel like I'm coming into form. And this time of year there's certainly a few guys that are not at their most stable mentally. So you want to try and take advantage of it because, I want to have two good weeks and then I can have a bit of a break and recharge the batteries mentally and physically and then have some really good preparation time.

Q. There's been kind of a wait for another British player to come along and take a little bit of the pressure off you. Now that Andy has done that and is established in the top 20, is your attitude at all different? Does that change your approach a little bit? Can you relax just a little perhaps?
TIM HENMAN: I think a little bit has to do with Andy. But I also sort of appreciate where I'm at in my career. My attitude on the court tonight is the way that I'd like it to be all the time.
Having said that it's much easier to be that relaxed when you're hitting the ball as well as I was. It's when you're not timing it so sweetly and struggling with your serve and your rhythm and your general play. That's where it's difficult not to start trying too hard.
I appreciate that however many more months or years I'm going to play, I want to enjoy it. So I'm not -- that's why I'm not going to get too sort of stressed and uptight about it. I just want to be out there and feeling as good as I am on the court, I want to let my game take care of itself and see what happens.

Q. Were you especially pleased tonight that when you did have little moments of crisis, and there weren't many, how well you served your way out of potentially tricky situations?
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely.

Q. You had belief in what you were trying to do.
TIM HENMAN: Yeah. Definitely. The conditions are quick through the air. So you know if you're serving well, you're going to set up a lot of points and hopefully get cheap points. The two game was crucial in the outcome. I was on four games in a row to get up a set and a break. You get him back on serve and perhaps he can find a way into the match. But I played some really good points. I think he had 15-40 and a couple of other break points. That was definitely pleasing and a good sign.

Q. How did you get on against David Ferrer?
TIM HENMAN: We practiced the other day and he was playing pretty well, I must admit. I don't think we've played in a tournament before. I'd like to play like I did tonight and keep being aggressive and take time away and serve as consistently as I did. Because I think if you give him time, he's so strong with his ground strokes, I think he moves better than Verdasco. That will be an aspect that I'll have to take into account. You know, just play with a purpose and -- if can I play with the same level, I think I've got a good chance of winning. If I don't, then I would have certainly made him play pretty well to beat me.

End of FastScripts...

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