US OPEN

September 8, 1998

Tim Henman

Q. At the risk of asking a cliche question, can you describe how you feel?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. Very disappointed with the outcome of the match. It's the fourth round of a Grand Slam. And I think at times, you know, at times in the match, I think I had -- my game plan was definitely right. You know, there are other times when you feel like you want to try and do a little bit more. But, you know, especially on his serve, there's not a lot you can do sometimes.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think -- I think it's tough to say that a match is decided by, you know, one close call, whether a good call or a bad call. But, you know, if it was in, then I do think it did affect the outcome. That was a game where I think I would have held my serve, and ended up being the break that won -- the break for him that won the third set. And I think in the fourth, you know, that was a time when his confidence level rose. You know, he ran away with it.

TIM HENMAN: Makes me feel much better (laughter). Yeah, I think -- I felt like as soon as I hit it, it was in. And I felt like when the ball landed, it looked in. But, yeah, those are things that go your way sometimes. I suppose in his shoes, it went his way. And in mine, it didn't.

TIM HENMAN: No.

TIM HENMAN: I think that goes to show. I don't think really I did anything drastically different in the second set. Perhaps made a couple more returns at the right time, in the space of 20 minutes, without the rain delay, it's a set all. That's the sort of strange nature of the match. But, yeah, it's disappointing now. But I feel like, you know, with the tennis that I'm playing, you know, in the last five, six tournaments, I haven't won a tournament, but I feel like I'm, you know, beginning to put myself in a situation where I'm playing good enough tennis to start winning events. And, yeah, I think that's the positive. I feel like the last two months of the year are going to be really important, and I'm desperately keen to, you know, continue this type of form, and finish off in Hannover.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think so. You know, I definitely realized that I had an opportunity. Yeah, in the last two Grand Slams, I think I've had big opportunities. But, I mean, having said that, I think I have to look at the way I'm playing. I'm playing very good tennis, I think. So, yeah, it's tough to think about the next tournament now when you just lost. But I think that's the aim for the next few days.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. I think -- I don't know what I am. I'm probably 10 or 11 maybe, you know, on that ranking. So with indoor swing coming up, I had good results that period of the year, last year. So if I can improve on that, then I don't see why there isn't a chance that I could be in Hannover.

TIM HENMAN: I think there were times when I served pretty consistently. There are other times when I did struggle in the wind. But, yeah, he's a dangerous, dangerous type of player, the way he plays. There are definitely times when you feel like the match isn't really in your control. He can be hitting aces, or other times you can, you know, put a ball in court, and then he, you know, will let loose on a groundstroke and miss by 12 feet.

TIM HENMAN: Not especially. I think, you know, he's still serving as hard as ever. He's the type of guy that's going to take a lot of risks. So I don't think his game's changed a great deal.

TIM HENMAN: I think, yeah, with the nature of this tournament, I feel -- I feel, you know, pretty ready, even after quite a busy spell in the States. I feel ready to, you know, just keep the ball rolling. Had a great tournament, a great week there last year. I want to back that up again.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think that's another thing that both Greg and myself have listed pretty high on our priorities. So we've got ourselves in the situation of a qualifying match for the World Group. You know, I think we're both keen to save that opportunity.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's pretty similar, yeah. It's perhaps a little bit slower than these courts. But I'd say it's as close as it gets, really, to Nottingham.

TIM HENMAN: I think it's tough. I think there are a lot of surprises in men's tennis at the moment. I think the depth is very, very good. But, you know, it takes a brave man to bet away from Sampras. He seems to be playing pretty confidently. Having said that, you know, Kucera beat him in Melbourne, so it's going to be another tough match.

TIM HENMAN: I think my game has in the past six, eight weeks gone to a new level. But I think it's very closse to actually going up again. But I think I look at the match today, it's just, you know, a couple -- either a missed volley or one that I probably should make or a double-fault, things of that nature. At this level, it only takes a small margin. So that's, you know, the next aim, is to try and eradicate those types of errors. And I think if I do that, I mean, I'm much tougher than I was to beat now. If I get rid of those types of mistakes, then it will get even harder.

TIM HENMAN: I don't know. I felt like today at times, when things haven't been going my way, I've been able to get a little bit more aggressive, get a little bit more fired up. But today it was tough to do that. I didn't really feel there was so much to hang onto in the match, because I had the right game plan. But, you know, when he serves as well as he does in the fourth, there's not so much you can do. But I think the more I play and practice to a higher level, then I think that will come on the match court.

TIM HENMAN: That was when the match was tipping in my favor. And I think the first probably five, six games were pretty key in the third set. I think I had Love-30 on his first service game at Love-1. I had 15-30 in the next game. You know, if I can squeak out a break at some stage in one of those two games, then it might have been a different story.

TIM HENMAN: I mean, you know, looking at the way I've played in the last two Slams, I really feel like I've been in contention both times. And the more -- that's why I say, you know, the more I put myself in contention, I think I will win. In the last four, five weeks in the States and at Wimbledon, I'm putting myself in contention. So that's a big positive. Something that wasn't happening all the time at the beginning of the year. So I really want to go away and finish off this year very strongly.

TIM HENMAN: I felt like I was much, much closer at Wimbledon. Obviously, being a semifinal, obviously the nature of the match. No, I think when you have a pretty competitive nature, doesn't matter where it is or what it is. I don't like, I don't enjoy losing. I think in the next few days when I'm not playing, I think I'll definitely think about it a lot and try and go away and build from it.