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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

March 22, 2007

Tim Henman

KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Started so well, 45 minutes of vintage Henman.
TIM HENMAN: Yeah.

Q. But difficult to sustain against someone like him on a night like this?
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it is. I think you hit the nail on the head there. Obviously my game plan was to get to the net at every opportunity, and especially in the windy conditions. I think I wanted him to hit as many passing shots as I could, and you know, for a certain -- and a little bit, I played some fantastic tennis.
But, you know, it doesn't take a great deal for that to turn around. And I think a combination of my first serve percentage dropping a little bit and then him starting to pick up his passing shots and return a serve. You know, the balance begins to shift.
I still felt -- after that he's dominated 6-2, 6-1, but I still felt like I had the 4-2 game in the second set where I had break points. I had break points first game of the third. So there's a little bit of frustration there.
I've unfortunately seen it before with his passing shots, and, again, I have to give him credit because he's unbelievably athletic and accurate with those shots.

Q. It was very difficult in that wind, wasn't it?
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, yeah. It's very tough. Probably the center court is the better court to play on because it's a little bit more sheltered, but the ball is going all over the place.
You know, in some respects it can help my style because if I can get forward and make them hit passing shots. But then again, I have less margin for error with the way that I play.
Yeah, it's just difficult. But at the end of the day, you know, we've both got to find a way to deal with it.
First set I was better and the next two he was.

Q. Did you feel there was enough in that performance to feel that your season is starting to move along a bit now?
TIM HENMAN: I don't think there's -- I think very rarely is there a question of how I'm playing. It's not like it takes me a long time to really get back hitting the ball well, and I wouldn't necessarily say there's any aspects of my game that -- I think they can all be better, but I don't think there's any aspects that I'm too concerned with.
At the end of the day, you want to be getting wins under your belt. You know, it's frustrating from that point of view. Again, I've used the word patience. In these type of events playing a guy of his caliber, it's not easy. So I've got to keep working on the things I believe in, and first set I played some great tennis.
Now it's a question of just staying in that for a little bit longer, and probably having played as little as I have in the last four months, it probably has a part to play with why I wasn't able to sustain it.

Q. When you're in that kind of flow that you were in the first set, do you think, yes, I really feel as though I'm back in the groove now; this is me again; I'm out here enjoying it and playing, putting the ball where I want to put it?
TIM HENMAN: I think, as I said, that's -- it's a question of obviously hitting the shots and executing them, but you've got to do it for a little bit longer.
I'm never one for taking things for granted. Don't get me wrong, the first set was very, very good. But, you know, my thoughts have moved on from that very, very quickly when I'm out there.
You know, playing the next set and the next game and the next point was where my thoughts were, so you don't have time to really dwell on it a great deal. And perhaps, you know, looking back on it, tomorrow when I practice, those are the positives I will focus on, because there was a lot of good stuff there.
I think I served it 75 percent in the first set with those types of conditions against a guy that returns --

Q. It was 80 percent at the start.
TIM HENMAN: Was it? Yeah. And against a guy that returns and retrieves as well as that, that is a good sign.
You know, what did I end up? I think I ended up at 63 or something for the match, which is a pretty good game for someone that's going for their serve.
Yeah, I've got to keep doing those things, and if I keep doing that, then hopefully the results will come.

Q. Obviously every match is a new match and you forget about matches that you've had against him before. But is it only human nature that as he was coming back, were you starting to think, I've seen this before? Actually you've said it now, but were you thinking it on court at all?
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, certain shots. You know, when I was serving at 2-1, I came in on as good an approach as I can hit, as he just -- not quite in position, but rips it across court on a breakpoint for a winner.
For a split second, you do sort of say, hmm, I have seen that before. You know, he did it again on another breakpoint I think I had, hit another -- it was actually to break me to go up 4-2 in the second set. The wind was really strong from across the court at his end, and he still hit the line going cross-court, which is so tough to do.
If he goes down the line, you can hit it this far outside the singles line, so it's got to come back in.
So to go cross-court and hit the line was pretty impressive. It was slightly disappointing. He did it against Federer last week. Roger wasn't really coming in as much, but his retrieving and his consistency is impressive.

Q. Does that shock you, beating Federer? Is he the type of player that would beat Federer?
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, all the ingredients were there for an upset, no doubt. If Roger has struggled at any time, it's been in the early rounds. Guillermo has played so much tennis since he's come back with challengers and now on the tours and even having the two matches in qualifying there, he would have been very much in the groove.
It just goes to show the margins are so, so small. But I think it still emphasizes the point how good Federer is that he wins like he does.

Q. Do you think he could reach the Top 10 very quickly?
TIM HENMAN: I don't think the Top 10. I think he can get, you know, Top 30, Top 20. You know, I think what he's done is very impressive, the level of his play so quick. But yeah, Top 10 would be a tough ask, but we'll have to wait and see.

Q. It's a while since you've played a best-of-five set match, which is likely to be your next singles experience.
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I hope so.

Q. Would you say you are ready for that?
TIM HENMAN: I mean, touch wood, I'll probably start cramping after a set (laughter), but I've never struggled, really, with that type of thing. I think it's -- I've always been in very good shape, and I think it's my body type, as well.
You know, I don't really struggle for playing. I played him 4 hours 50 in Melbourne and I've played plenty of matches at the French. So famous last words, yeah.

Q. The fact that it's been a while, there's no trepidation there at all?
TIM HENMAN: No. I mean, if something were to flare up, certainly if my back had problems, I think that's a different scenario from purely an endurance factor. Famous last words.

Q. How is your back? Obviously you started doing the Pilates and all the things. But on a general everyday --
TIM HENMAN: Very good, yeah.

Q. Is it completely different to how it was a year ago?
TIM HENMAN: Oh, much, much better, yeah.

Q. Where you weren't sure what would happen when you would wake up?
TIM HENMAN: Yeah, much more confidence (knocking on wood). My back has been very good. But the reality is at my age I don't take it for granted.
There's a lot of work that goes on on a daily basis, and those are the types of aspects that don't get easier. You know, I can reflect on many years where I never did anything in terms of my -- in terms of that specific work, did a lot of training and physical work, but in terms of the care of my body I was just ready, never warmed up, never sort of stretched beforehand and thought I never would.
And I remember practicing with Sampras at the US Open and he was running up and down the corridors and he was stretching, and I remember looking at him and thinking, I'll never do that. I'll never need to do that. And there I was a couple years later about an hour before my practice skipping and stretching. That's the reality for you.
My back is good; my knee has been good. But it becomes harder, there's no doubt, as you get older. So you just have to keep working on those aspects, as well.

Q. Is there any difference in terms of you saying, As you get older, is there any difference in the way you accept defeat now as to what there was? Obviously tonight, the circumstances with the wind, it was difficult. But do you feel any difference in yourself to the way you would have felt five or six years ago if you would have lost the same match in the same circumstances?
TIM HENMAN: It works both ways. Yeah, I think in some respects, yeah, my -- at this stage of my career, the perspective that I have -- I've always felt like I had a good perspective, but with my family and things, I think sometimes in a good way you're able to shake it off and put it behind you.
But other times then when you've got to put in all that work and you're training in some respects harder, doing a lot more of the more mundane stuff, it's the boring gym work and the stretching and the Pilates, that's when it's a balancing act, because I'm putting in a lot of the work and I want to see some of the results.
But then on the flipside, I think because of my attitude and having played for as long as I have and the experience I've got when I've been in different situations in a match, then it doesn't really -- doesn't really phase me. I'm pretty happy just to go out there and play. So there's definitely two sides to the coin.
But I want to be putting in this work and then seeing the rewards for it. So that's definitely the challenge for me.

Q. So it still hurts today?
TIM HENMAN: Oh, absolutely, yeah. Definitely, yeah, it's not something that sits well with me. But you've got to -- when you compete as much as we do -- I mean, Federer, that's why he's just exceptionable and an exception.
You look at Sampras' best years, and a lot of guys that finished No. 1, Guga, Roddick, they probably lost between 15 and 20 times a year, which if you think about it is a lot.
So definitely it's an aspect in tennis that you have to learn to deal with, and absolutely, it needs to hurt. You've got to be able to learn and move on from it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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