WIMBLEDON

June 21, 2005

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: Tim for you.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it was. I think it was pretty clear to everyone to see that it was a struggle to start off with. I wasn't particularly pleased with the way I was playing, and he was certainly making life difficult for me. You know, I needed to try and sort of break out of that. I think I was -- you know, I was not playing well, but I was flat with my attitude and my body language on the court. I think the crowd could see that, as well. Two sets to love down, you've got to -- you know, you've got to dig in and play with what you've got. Slowly but surely I started to play better. I started to, you know, serve, very, very consistently. You know, found a way to get through it.

TIM HENMAN: Well, I don't think as such. I think it helped, I was serving first in each of those sets, and I started to get a better rhythm. I was hitting my spots, you know, coming in behind the second or third shot, which was much more effective. You know, I kept hanging in there. That's pretty much all there was to.

TIM HENMAN: No, I think it was related to the way I was playing. I was really struggling with all aspects of my game. You know, for whatever reason, whether I was a little bit nervous -- I think that probably added to it as well. First match is never easy. And I think playing someone like Nieminen. He was making life pretty difficult with his level of play. As I said, you really have to dig deep, and that's certainly a big positive for me. You know, I fought hard and was able to turn it around and get myself through to the next match. And certainly, you know, I'll be looking to play better on Thursday.

TIM HENMAN: No. You know, don't get me wrong, it's not a good situation to be in, two sets to love down. But, you know, I've done it before. You know, you still got to believe in yourself. I didn't really feel like I was going to play much worse. So I was hoping that it was going to start to improve, and I did that. You know, slowly but surely I was able to start turning the match around.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, you know, I'm never going to lie down in any event. But here at Wimbledon, you know, with the record that I've had and how much I enjoy playing, you know, I had to do something. And, you know, certainly as the match wore on, the crowd started to get more and more into it. It's a good one to get through. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed, you know, coming here and going out in those circumstances.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he's the type of guy that's going to take all the positives possible out of it. And certainly I can and need to play better. But, you know, to get myself out of that and still be in the tournament, you know, must show that there's something there. As I said, you know, we'll have a good practice tomorrow and keep working on different aspects. As I said, I expect to play better on Thursday.

TIM HENMAN: I didn't play well today. I'm not going to hide from that. But, as I said, yeah, first two sets were a struggle. I think my attitude and my frustration wasn't helping myself. I need to be, you know, a little bit more positive in myself. Then, as the third and fourth, fifth sets went on, I started to do a lot of things better. I still think, you know, in the first set I'm coming in a lot behind my serve. I don't think it was particularly effective. I had a look at some of the stats, and you know, fourth and fifth sets, I think I serve-and-volleyed less than 20%, but actually that was when I was at my most effective. I served very, very well. I was hitting the spots. If it came back, I was able to put him under pressure. That's something I need to take note of and need to keep working on.

TIM HENMAN: No. There's been an element of frustration, but I've really tried to, you know, put that behind me. The conditions -- you know, the conditions are what they are. You know, it's slow, heavy, and high-bouncing, and that isn't going to change. It's the same for everyone, and I've got to do a better job dealing with it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I was just frustrated for whatever reason. It doesn't happen very often. But I was, you know, struggling with my sort of incompetence to execute shots, and I needed to, you know, change that. I certainly, you know, did as the match went on. And, likewise, I'm not going to say it's easy, but it's pretty straightforward. When everything is going well and you're playing well, and with my ability, I'm going to beat most of these people. But these are the type of matches, you know, they're going to make you or break you. And I found a way to get through it.

TIM HENMAN: 10:30 is not too late for me. But I watched it all.

TIM HENMAN: No, I wouldn't do that.

TIM HENMAN: No, no, no. I think it was one I hit out wide. What happened? The line judge called it late, and the umpire had called the score before she called out. Then the umpire said, "I was too quick with the score, it was out."

TIM HENMAN: I think tactically I need to play -- you know, it's going to vary slightly with different types of players. But, you know, the way that I played in the latter part of the match, the second half of the match, is I think the most effective way. Going back seven or eight years, it's obviously a big, big change in grass court tennis.

TIM HENMAN: Absolutely, yeah.

TIM HENMAN: Absolutely. We've been crying out for it for a long time. A guy who's, you know, got some genuine quality about him. You know, it's evident to see the way he's played in the last few weeks. You know, looking at his game, he's I think got a big future ahead of him. And absolutely, you know, the more guys you can get at this level who are, you know, world class players, it's going to help everyone. Not only is it healthy competition for us, but it can disperse the spotlight. There's going to be more than just one player to write about.

TIM HENMAN: I did, yeah.

TIM HENMAN: I felt going into the match he'd win. But, you know, Bastl is a good pro. You know, he pretty much took him apart. All aspects of his game were, you know, good. Even first match at Wimbledon is a big thing. He hasn't played many five-set matches. At 18, not really to have any dips in concentration, it was impressive, that's for sure.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I saw him in the locker room. He was -- I've spoken to him at different stages. You know, he's got game, but I think the biggest thing is his head is screwed on properly.

TIM HENMAN: I've played Bastl, and I've spoken to Petch about different players he's played. He's the one that's going out there and performing like that. I think it's fantastic. I don't know who he plays next.

TIM HENMAN: He plays Stepanek. That's going to be a tough match. Stepanek's been playing well. I think Andy will look forward to it.

TIM HENMAN: Marat didn't play last year like he did last night. As I think everybody appreciates, there's opportunities for different players to be able to play on grass now. He's, you know, not necessarily a guy that's had that much grass court experience. He's been playing okay. As I said, I'm going to be focusing a lot on my game. You know, I still feel like if I improve, I've got a good chance.

TIM HENMAN: Is that anything unusual (smiling)?

TIM HENMAN: Who?

TIM HENMAN: They looked agitated?

TIM HENMAN: You must have been looking at the wrong people.

TIM HENMAN: Again, I came out and I wasn't playing my best, missing shots, and he's playing well. You want that type of atmosphere that you're talking about at the end to be there from the word "go," but sometimes if I'm not playing my best, the crowd sort of senses that. If anything, they're a little bit subdued, as well. If I can get out of the blocks a little bit quicker and play a bit better early on, then it will probably help with that, as well.