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EUROCARD OPEN


October 21, 1997


Tim Henman


Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle Stuttgart, Germany

Q. Was that largely a case of serving coming back to some sort of regularity, thank goodness, at the last minute?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely, it was. The first set I was serving pretty poorly, but I was hanging in on my serve and I don't think for the first four games I hardly won a point on his serve. But, on fast indoor court, it is important that you do focus on your own serve. I had my chance and I took it. Second set, I served very poorly, but in the third, I really picked it up and it is, it is old cliche: "It is a good match to win," but I don't think I played my best tennis. Having said that, I think in the match this time last year, I would have lost. So, I am pleased to be in the next round, give myself an opportunity to play Ivanisevic.

Q. When you are going through a run of nine first serves missing, could you perhaps explain to people what is going on in your head at the time?

TIM HENMAN: It is frustrating because I am aware of it and, you know, you think after you missed a few in succession, you think maybe I will take a little pace off this one and just roll it in. But you can't really afford to do that because otherwise you will watch it go by you. But I think for me, personally, I have to make sure that I don't rush it. I have to take my time and just go through a similar routine. Sometimes it can become a little bit quick and on a fast court, you still got to keep going for it. I still believe that I was going to serve -- I could serve well in the third and I think I did. I don't know how many points I lost on my serve in the third set, but I think it was very few.

Q. So, it is almost like you start trying too hard?

TIM HENMAN: A little bit, yeah. You start forcing it. You get a little bit tense. And I think in those two sets, I probably missed virtually every first serve in the net. And that is maybe you are pulling down, you are dropping your head a little bit, but I think when it really mattered in the third set, I served very well. So, that is a plus. That is something I have to continue with.

Q. Do you have a cold?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, a bad throat.

Q. How long have you been feeling like that?

TIM HENMAN: Really for two, three days.

Q. Is it debilitating?

TIM HENMAN: Well, I won't even say it.

Q. In general, would you have said you were disappointed with the way you played or reasonably happy that you came through at the end?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, I am happy. I think what do they say, you look at a glass if it's half full or half empty and I think this is a case where I am pleased to have come through because you can all see that I wasn't playing my best tennis. But then in the third set, I raised my level from probably second to third. So, there is a lot of improving that can be done. I believe now I have -- once you come through a match, you can try and build from that a little bit.

Q. Presumably you will have to be ready and quick tomorrow (inaudible)?

TIM HENMAN: Definitely. Probably going to have very few opportunities and those opportunities that I do have, I have got to be very alert, very sharp and hopefully with a little bit of luck, I can take some opportunities and continue with the way I served in the third set and against Goran, that is the nature of those matches.

Q. How much in a match played like that is in the mind? In the third set your level --

TIM HENMAN: Very much so. It is a real mental battle. Physically, and in all my matches, you know, throughout my year I will physically give 100%, but mentally you can really, really struggle. And, as hard as you might try, some days it can be very difficult and, you know, once in the third set I started to -- on a fast court as well, it is dictated by your serve and I started to serve better; got some confidence on my returns and put some pressure on and played a good set of tennis.

Q. Did the break give you that confidence?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, definitely. It gives you a boost. It puts the pressure on him. You are the one in the driving seat.

Q. He is quick; isn't he?

TIM HENMAN: Yeah, he is. I don't need to sit here and tell everybody that he is a very good player. He is in the top 50. He made the Final last week in Lyon. He is very, very talented, that is for sure. I think he has got so many areas of his game that he will improve and he is going to be around for a long, long time. I think also with Kiefer and Haas, it is probably a pretty good competitive rivalry.

Q. Do you think the tendency towards mentally struggling, having these lapses, is this something you hope is going to die out in your career?

TIM HENMAN: It is not going to die out, but it is something you have to learn to deal with. And, there are going to be -- there are always going to be times when you struggle, but it is how you deal with it. For sure, twelve months ago, it was pretty much the same situation. I didn't play well against Edberg and I lost 3 and 2 or something, but today, you know, I was able to turn that around and come through the match. So it is good to give myself another opportunity.

End of FastScripts….

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