TMS - CINCINNATI

August 11, 2000

Tim Henman

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tim.

TIM HENMAN: No, that's right. Again, it was exactly what I wanted. And I talked about sort of my concerns last night of having a letdown and did my best to make sure that didn't happen and was really pleased the way I played.

TIM HENMAN: Hmm. I feel like my game matches up pretty well against Fabrice. He's got a great backhand with so many variations that I just try and attack his forehand as much as possible. And I served consistently. And from the baseline I think my movement was good. I was giving myself lots of opportunities, and, you know, generally executed my shots well.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think I mean any win's good for your confidence. But, you know, when you beat someone of Pete's caliber, it can only be a good thing. And I felt like my game is getting better and better and wanted to take advantage of it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, that definitely could have been a turning point. You know, Fabrice is definitely getting his teeth into the match. The first set was pretty one-sided. I got off to a good start and never really let him in. But at that stage he was beginning to find his rhythm and was putting me under pressure. So that was one of the important points of the match.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think when you play in conditions as hot as it was, the ball's getting lively and flies through the air. So it was definitely my tactic to get to the net on every possible opportunity and that was something that he did on a few occasions. And I think for both of us it was, you know, pretty successful and we were able to get good positions from that.

TIM HENMAN: I think, yeah, you don't want to -- I was satisfied with that win last night, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't going to dwell on it. I tried to sort of push it out of my thoughts as quickly as possible and start preparing and start thinking about today's match.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I just wanted to -- I was delighted, but I wanted to make sure that my preparation was equally as good and I was just focused and as prepared.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think I was probably, as I said to you guys, I was sort of very conscious of it. And I just didn't want to waste this opportunity, and I think that helped me.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, no. I think this is, you know, as I said, the first half of the year is, you know, has been pretty solid. I think I played some good tennis but nothing has really happened for me. And I've given myself a good opportunity to have an even better second half of the year. And right now I couldn't be happier with the position that I'm in.

TIM HENMAN: Not exactly. I don't think there's been a relationship between a big win and then a bad loss in the next round. But I think overall, tournaments have been inconsistent, and that's something I've worked very hard at. And that's why I take a certain amount of satisfaction from the way that I played in the first half of the year because the consistency was what I've been looking for. And it was almost like laying the foundations, and I feel like I can take advantage of that now.

TIM HENMAN: Well, I think it's a good achievement for anyone to have in the game when you look at his record and the things that he's achieved. If anyone beats him, you know, in a tournament, it's going to be -- I think it's going to be one of your highlights. No question that I was very, very satisfied with that. But it's not really the time to be thinking about it.

TIM HENMAN: I think so, yeah. Later. Later on down the road.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, not too bad. I was just pretty -- I was sort of generally pretty tired. There's a lot of preparation. It's quite a long day when you're practicing early and there's a certain amount of hanging around. And, you know, there's a big sort of buildup towards that match and to come through it is very satisfying. But I was pretty ready to get some good sleep.

TIM HENMAN: No. No. Straight to bed.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, we haven't played very for a long, long time. We played in Miami a few years ago and I thought I played very well that day, but I don't think he played particularly well at all. It's been clear for everyone to see how much he's improved in that time. So hopefully he's a bit tired today and tomorrow after his match because, you know, it's a great effort to get through. But I look forward to it. I feel like with him, the leader in the Race right now, I've got nothing to lose and, again, a lot to gain.

TIM HENMAN: Oh, I watched quite a lot of his match today really, sort of just waiting to play myself. So, you know, he's obviously very confident on whatever the surface. And as I said, you know, it's a good match for him to come through, a close one. It will be good for his confidence. But hopefully physically it could have taken a bit out of him.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's his overall, you know, the quality and the consistency of his play. Because he's serving and his ground strokes, you know, his big strength, and he's able to maintain those levels for long, long periods. I think that's probably one of the reasons why he's had the results he's been having.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, no question. Gonna need to play a lot of good tennis between now and that happening, but no question it's one of the biggest tournaments in the world, and I'd love to win it.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's getting close to that. I think in the last two matches -- last three matches rather, I've played at a very, very high level. And I still think I can improve in certain areas, but just want to keep this sky.

TIM HENMAN: I think I'm serving pretty consistently. That definitely helps because you've heard a lot of guys say when you serve well you generally play well. No question I've been holding my serve relatively easily, and that puts pressure on the other guy's serve. And I'm happy with the way things are.

TIM HENMAN: It was tough today because you never knew who was going to win. But you're remembering a few different things. But there's no good scouting a match if you're going to lose yours because it's going to be no good to you. But I wanted to, you know, make sure that I was concentrating on what I had to do today. But I feel like I've got a pretty clear game plan as to the way I should play tomorrow.

TIM HENMAN: It was hot out there, yeah. I wasn't too disappointed when it went to the third set. Because I don't know exactly how long they played, but it was a hell of a battle. And, you know, Guga's won the French. I think that's probably physically the toughest one to win. So... I'm sure he'll be able to bounce back tomorrow.

TIM HENMAN: I think also the crowd can be -- their sort of level of participation, if you like, could be dictated a little bit by the heat. It was, it was very hot out there. So I think everybody's a little subdued and, you know, I don't have a problem with that. I enjoy playing in front of big crowds and on big courts. But, you know, if it was quiter today, it's not going to make a difference today.

TIM HENMAN: At one stage, yeah, it just got a little bit blustery. I think it was at the end of the first set, the wind was swerving a little bit. But when it was constant coming from one direction, it's not too difficult. So the conditions have been nice. Very nice.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it's a pretty familiar question. But I've never really had a problem with it. Having said that, it's not something I can do anything about. I've always had that, the sort of expectations, the hopes and desires of my home country. But I enjoy all their support. So likewise, it's important that I just concentrate on what I'm doing. And if I win my matches, then you find everything else takes care of itself.

TIM HENMAN: I'm sure that, you know, there would be a lot of pleased people for me. But, again it's important when I go on the court I'm not playing for everybody else, I'm playing for myself. If I start, you know, thinking that I'm trying to win this match for all the people watching or supporting me, or if I lose how disappointed they'll be, then again it's a distraction and that's not the way to approach it.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, yeah. It's nice to hear a few English accents. (Laughter.) Not too many of them around.

TIM HENMAN: I don't know. I haven't actually heard that. But I'm not sure I would be for that. I think it's a great, you know, it's a great site here and the players are so well looked after. Most importantly, we've got the golf course across the car park. But I think it's a great tournament and I'm pretty sure that I can say that the players love coming back here each year, and, you know, I definitely wouldn't want to change anything.

TIM HENMAN: I think maybe you perhaps would, you know, put in a couple of extra courts so that there was perhaps a little bit more access for practice. But I think you pretty much got everything you need.

TIM HENMAN: A day I think, yeah. I'm pretty sure.

TIM HENMAN: I've played a couple. I played pretty well today.

TIM HENMAN: 80 I had so far.

TIM HENMAN: I think, again, you know, it depends on the player a little bit. But certainly I will take a lot of confidence, whatever happens, from this event, and next week in Indianapolis. This is, you know, it's another indication for myself about the way I should play. If I'm going to be successful. So, you know, I just take this, concentrate on this tournament and worry about the other things when it comes around.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. It's -- it depends. Sometimes if you're playing a lot of matches and you're winning, then if you're a seed then it's nice to have the bye into the second round. It's one less match to play. Having said that, you can sometimes come unstuck when somebody else has had matches. And, you know, playing a qualifier, I think that was evident. I was, you know, a little bit -- I was a little bit off my game playing Mamiit who came through qualifying, obviously got two matches under his belt. It can be difficult. But I think this is a better format with a 64 draw and, you know, no byes. I think it's -- I think it makes more sense.