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TMS - ROME


May 8, 2001


Tim Henman





THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did you think it was ironic that he got warned for coaching?

TIM HENMAN: Oh, yeah. I suppose. I hadn't actually thought of it that way. I suppose it is a little bit ironic. But I was just saying unofficially, I'll say it officially now, the first set is, you know, that's what my game's all about. I don't think I could -- I couldn't have executed that any better. But as soon as I get away from the game plan of structuring each point and playing each shot on its merit and trying to win rallies instead of being patient, that's when I'm vulnerable. And that's when unforced errors came, and that's what you can't afford to do. And I needed to reestablish my game plan, my mental sort of attitude, and I did that really, really well at the beginning of the third set. And that's what the telling factor was, I think.

Q. Knowing you played so well against him in Monaco, when you saw the draw, what is your initial feeling when you see his name against yours again?

TIM HENMAN: Underdog.

Q. You or him?

TIM HENMAN: I'm the underdog, I certainly felt that. But, again, that's the -- going back to the level of expectation that I've, you know, I've been talking about, I'm not expecting so much on the clay, but that's -- that is something, that, again, went well for me. I think from hearing what other people said, he certainly wasn't -- he certainly wasn't looking forward to the match, because it's -- I don't give these guys rhythm, and I play a different style of play and different style of game. I'm serving and volleying, and I don't think it's so enjoyable for them.

Q. Were you happy you didn't have to play yesterday? It would have been heavier.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, it's still pretty heavy as well. I think that was, in hindsight, that was better for me today to be a bit warmer. Still, the court is pretty saturated. It took a lot of rain yesterday. I don't know why they didn't use the covers.

Q. They can't cover it. It's a very complicated story.

TIM HENMAN: Oh, is it?

Q. Was this even more satisfying than Monte-Carlo because you've done it again?

TIM HENMAN: In a way. In a way, it was sort of more -- sort of more satisfying to come back after being sort of dominated early on, then turn things around. You know, the two sets that I won, I couldn't be, you know, I couldn't be happier with. But it's still, this is where I'm striving to get better. I can't afford to play those sloppy games early on in the second set. Because against a guy who is playing at the next level up, I won't be able to -- I won't be able to get back into it. And, you know, he's not playing his best at the moment. He's got other things probably on his mind. But, still, there's no remarks column, is there? It's a good win for me.

Q. You were saying earlier he's a bit brittle. Is that because he's had, you know, in his best period of the year, poor results? Or is that because he's got two babies --?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I mean, I think in all honesty, I always said that -- I always said that getting married wasn't a distraction. I didn't think it was. But perhaps looking back on it, subconsciously, you know, he's got twins at home. I suppose that's --.

Q. Be careful what you say.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it is, it's -- I think it's a good distraction to have. But, you know, he's too good not to play well in the future on clay, that's for sure.

Q. Was there some sort of query on that very last point, because you didn't seem that you were able to enjoy it.

TIM HENMAN: Well, there wasn't a query in the end, but there was. Yeah, I was sort of -- I knew that that shot was very close, and I was kind of -- I was waiting for someone to do something about it because I thought it was going to be checked. So I wasn't really walking towards the net. I sort of then turned around to have a look, see what he was up to, he asked me how it was. I said, "I don't know, do you want it checked?" But he also stuck out his hand, so I grabbed it pretty quickly. (Laughter.)

Q. There are members of our number who are surprised to see the Davis Cup captain at almost every tournament these days.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think it's great.

Q. There are members who wonder why he's here.

TIM HENMAN: No, he's certainly a, you know, a great supporter and he's -- he's certainly not coaching me. But he's definitely there to, you know, to help if I need it, and I really appreciate that. I think also at this time of year he's working very hard for what he's trying to achieve, and that is September on clay in Ecuador. And I think he's -- he wants to see how Greg and I are, you know, what makes us work, what makes us play well on clay. And I think also he's, you know, he's a real genuine lover of the game and enjoys being here, enjoys watching. Watching, watching obviously all my matches, but I think if you follow him for 24 hours, he'll be at all sorts of matches watching people. And, no, on the --.

Q. The predecessor was slightly different.

TIM HENMAN: Well, you said it, not me.

Q. You said he's not coaching you?

TIM HENMAN: Sure.

Q. But, I mean, does something inevitably rub off if you're even just casually chatting with him, which presumably you do, about matches?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, sure. No, he's definitely --.

Q. It's his experience.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think he's been -- he's been really good on Davis Cup. That's when I've gotten to know him. But now he's being -- coming to these tournaments and, you know, he's great to have around.

Q. Is he someone who you think, you know, all right, you haven't got a coach, you may not have a coach through Wimbledon, but in a sense, have you got someone there who you can turn to because --?

TIM HENMAN: If I need it, most definitely. Well, I'd like to think so. And, no, Roger's been great. And, you know, he's -- he's not suddenly going to try and -- he's not going to suddenly try and - what's the word - impose, you know, his knowledge on my game. But he's certainly there to help wherever possible, and, you know, I appreciate that.

Q. Because in actual Davis Cup ties, you've gone on the record as saying that the fact that a captain is there is almost irrelevant to you because you don't converse that much during changeovers.

TIM HENMAN: Not really, no. But that's where, I think -- I'm a believer in less is more. But certainly if he's getting to know my game, I think he's getting to know Greg's game well also. I think Roger talks quite a lot to Brad and, you know, it's only -- could be only a couple of words here or there in a match and a shoulder turn here or, you know, ball toss position there, and it makes a big difference.

Q. In his day, he was the top player for a long time.

TIM HENMAN: Exactly, yeah.

Q. You were the one who said -- That's a totally different issue. If he was doing the job and helping however, unofficially, that's one thing. I mean, if he's just going to all the tournaments and not doing something, that's totally different. (Inaudible.)

Q. How do you think the locker room reads the Sampras, Agassi results today? With surprise, with perhaps not too much surprise?

TIM HENMAN: There's always going to be an element of surprise, isn't there, because they're the favorites whenever they step on the court, aren't they? But it just goes to show how difficult this surface is and, again, you know, the men's game, it talks volumes about the levels and the standards. You just can't take anything for granted, and that's exactly the case, isn't it?

Q. Any advice for Pete?

TIM HENMAN: No, no, certainly not. He knows what he needs to do. But I think Tim Phillips has obviously been here, and I think it's great that he's been talking to all sorts of people, all sorts of players, you know, listening to opinions. It's a good example that, you know, you talk about the seeding issue, and I think they've been worried in the past about how sections of the draw can be so open if one of the seeds lose. It's a classic example, isn't it? It happens; it happens every week, because the seeding doesn't...

Q. What do you make of your next opponent?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he's --.

Q. Big guy, isn't he?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I've practiced on the same court with him the last couple of days, and he hits the ball really hard. He's got a very good serve. So, again, yeah, it's not going to be -- certainly not going to be easy. I think there's plenty more running to be done. But, you know, I just have to worry about my own game, if I serve well.

Q. Served and volleyed a lot against Rusedski in Milan Indoors?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I'll find out from Todd Martin and Dean, you know, what the story was there. Again, you know, it goes back to my -- it goes back to where I'm at in my own game.

End of FastScripts....

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