EUROCARD OPEN

October 22, 1997

Tim Henman

Q. Well, it started bad and things got better as it went on.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I think the whole sort of tension in both of our minds comes from the first game because, you know, I start off serving - and I don't know how many deuces - and it seems like I played a pretty good game; made a hell of a lot more first serves than I started off with yesterday. He was really on to his returns and on to my serve. And then, you know, breaks me first game and I sit down. I sit down at the change of ends and was gone a bit mentally and I lost my serve. Against Ivanisevic, that is quite often. That is the set gone. So, there is me, you know, trying to contain myself. Fortunately, I was able to do that. Then his first service game, I obviously put a lot of balls -- hit some good returns and I break back, and then there is a role-reversal right there. He is the one now who has had a good opportunity to begin with; now we are back on level terms. But, I think that is where his frustration came from. Throughout the first set, I was -- I think I was making a lot of balls -- he was obviously having trouble with his serves, but a lot of his serves did go in. I was, you know, returning with interest. And, obviously, I served a lot better.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I suppose it is part of your game plan when you play Goran. You talk about his serve and the way you have got to hold on to your serve. But one thing you can't do is you don't want to be losing out a mental battle. You don't want to be the one going crazy because we all know he is capable of doing that. And, so that is why, even though I lost my serve first game, I didn't, you know -- there is a long way to go obviously. So, I was able to turn things around in the next game. And then, you know, once I could see that he was beginning to be a little bit fragile mentally, then you knew this was where there may be an opportunity. And, I think I took it. So, you know, even though I think at a set and 2-Love he stopped, I feel pretty comfortable about my chances.

TIM HENMAN: Nothing. You saw as much as I did. He has had problems with his shoulder and arm last week and that is pretty much what I think he will say.

TIM HENMAN: I, obviously -- everybody saw that he pulled out. I saw those results. He pulled out in the semis. But, having said that, you know, I saw quite a few serves fly past me over 200 kilometers an hour. But, unless if he hit one shot and then something suddenly had gone, then that is a different situation.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, it is getting better, yeah. Yeah, it is not -- I may not sound 100%, but I feel 100%, so, hopefully that won't cause me any problems.

TIM HENMAN: I can speculate as much as you'd like, but you are going to have to ask him that. That is what I said, I don't think -- up until the last couple of points, serves were still flying down quickly. As I said, if he has hit one forehand, I think that he was, you know, complaining about -- maybe he has actually done something with one shot; whether he snapped something. You would have to ask him that. You have to wait and see. I am sure he will go and see someone about it.

TIM HENMAN: You do. You know it is a good sign, I suppose, if he does start, you know, muttering and complaining himself because I should think that is when you are doing something right and I think I was. He was frustrated with his serve. I don't think he was making as many first serves as he would have liked. When he did, I was returning all of them. And that is where he can get frustrated.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he wasn't that pleased in Sidney either. Yeah, they have both been pretty entertaining matches.

TIM HENMAN: Not easy. Likewise, you have obviously got him in a good situation. You want to take advantage. You still want to concentrate on your game. You don't want to start pushing the ball in because he does have that sort of mentality, when he is playing in that state, he is just going to go for everything and you also hope that he doesn't start going in. But, for the eleven games that we played, I think eleven of them were good. I didn't play a particularly bad first game.

TIM HENMAN: Yeah. You go on with that hope in your mind.

TIM HENMAN: It all helps. In the last three events, these two weeks really are where the points are up for grabs. Everybody is here. All the bonus points are available and there is definitely quite a few bonus points up for grabs.