TMS - STUTTGART

November 2, 2000

Tim Henman

MODERATOR: Questions for Tim.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, difficult. It had its moments of being a very good match, a lot of good quality tennis. I think the lesson I learned today is trying to find that balance of when I need to play all the tennis. At times when I try and play my best and go for my shots, I feel against him it's not the most effective way. You have to be very selective and just be patient, because a lot of the times in the rally, he's not the one that hurts you a great deal. He's very, very consistent, makes very few unforced errors. But you've got to find that balance of creating opportunities, when to come forward, picking the right one.

TIM HENMAN: I think, yeah, definitely. His strengths are his passing shots, his tenacity. That's why he's had such a good year.

TIM HENMAN: Good opportunity.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, one of the Golden Rules in tennis is to watch the ball. I can't say I saw a great deal of either of the volleys. If you can't see it, it's a pretty difficult game.

TIM HENMAN: It could have done. The 7th game could have been pretty crucial. You know, that went my way. The second game didn't go my way. You know, it does. At this level, it boils down to, you know, who takes their opportunities. Obviously, in the first set, you know, he's quick out of the block, played pretty ordinary first game. From 3-1 till 6-3, I couldn't have any complaints with the standard of my tennis. It was really good. It's a question of just trying to sustain that.

TIM HENMAN: I felt a lot more confident, yeah. I don't know how many deuces we had or how many breakpoints I saved. Yeah, there were quite a few. After coming through a game like that, yeah, I thought the momentum would swing in my favor. You know, he responded with a really quick service game. Suddenly, you know, 4-All, I was back under pressure again. You know, 40-15, I've got a forehand, I hit it deep in the corner. I think my chances are looking pretty good in that game, as well. He hits a great recovery shot that I couldn't deal with. All of a sudden, I was down another breakpoint.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, combination of the two. I think there's definitely extra pressure, just the amount of balls he makes. Your margin for error in these conditions is so much less because the ball is flying through the air quickly. You've got to keep the ball pretty low over the net. In the heavier conditions that we've played in the last few weeks, obviously you have a lot more margin for error.

TIM HENMAN: I said I was the underdog before this match. Obviously, having lost, it doesn't really increase my chances. While it's still mathematically possible, I'll go out there and, you know, keep giving it everything.

TIM HENMAN: Cortisone in his shoulder?

TIM HENMAN: Well, I mean, yeah, I thought it was his ankle that was bad.

TIM HENMAN: I don't know. I'm sure he's not going to give too much away. No, he's had a few injuries in the past. You know, I think the -- he didn't play particularly well against Ferreira. His record is not particularly good. I didn't see a great deal of the match, but I presume from what Wayne said, you know, he was fit on the court. We'll just have to see how everyone holds up.

TIM HENMAN: No.

TIM HENMAN: No, no. I think I will prepare for Paris. I think I'd have to make the final in Lyon to actually improve on my fifth tournament. I think I'm better off, you know, resting up and preparing, play as well as I can in Paris. As I said, what will be will be. I really can't have any complaints with my game right now. I've played, you know, some great tennis. I'm not suddenly going to become despondent, because that's not the way I'm going to keep moving forward. Go to Paris and see what happens.

TIM HENMAN: He is. I mean, his record speaks for itself. You know, I think he's got sort of a good set of people around him, which is important, that are going to help him keep improving in the right areas. If he can improve his serve, I think the serve's probably one area that he can improve. It's tough. When he's so good, so young, it's tough to see where the improvement can come from. Whereas, you look at someone like Federer, he seems like he's got a lot of aspects to his game. But Hewitt is a phenomenal competitor. I'm sure he's going to be around for a lot longer.