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Henman eyes the Shanghai cheque

Britain's No 1 will have to match the world-class quality of Bercy but the reward will be a place at the game's top table

Ronald Atkin
Sunday 27 October 2002 00:00 BST
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As one of the world's more beautiful locations, Paris does not do bleak, though the district of Bercy runs that description close. Over the next month, however, Bercy's vast pyramid-shaped indoor stadium, wedged between the railway termini of Austerlitz and Lyon in the south-east of the French capital, will become, in the estimation of the French magazine Tennis, "the centre of the world for tennis lovers".

Next week Bercy stages the final act of the ATP season, the Masters Series tournament, and at the end of November comes the Davis Cup final between France and Russia. In between these glittering events there is the Tennis Masters Cup, presented this year in Shanghai, and it is the prestige and cash offered by this eight-man event which has infused added zest to the Bercy action over the next few days. After a year-long points race, only two of the eight spots have so far been confirmed, by Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi. The remaining six will be finalised under Bercy's dome and in front of a notoriously raucous gathering which often appears more closely connected with wrestling than tennis.

Despite their Davis Cup supremacy, no player from France has a shot at a place in Shanghai, not even last year's Bercy champion and Masters Cup finalist, Sebastien Grosjean. Those in contention, and all straining at the leash in Paris, include Britain's latest celebrity dad, Tim Henman, as well as Russia's Marat Safin, the dour and surprising Czech Jiri Novak, Roger Federer of Switzerland, the American Andy Roddick, Germany's Tommy Haas and three Spaniards, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Albert Costa.

Having demonstrated as defending champion in Basle over the past week that sleepless nights are now more likely to be down to the newly-arrived Rose Elizabeth than his recent nagging shoulder problems, Henman will be keen to embark on the road to Shanghai. Only once before (Hanover 1998) has the British No 1 qualified for a place in the tournament still popularly referred to, despite the frowns of officialdom, as the Masters. On that occasion he narrowly lost to Moya in the semi-finals.

As a winner in Adelaide, runner-up at Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Queen's, and semi-finalist at Wimbledon, Henman was enjoying perhaps his best season until sustaining that shoulder damage on the North American circuit prior to the US Open. Despite a clear shortage of match involvement since, Henman was hitting and serving impressively in Basle. Now, as sixth seed in Paris, he collects a first- round bye in the 48-man entry before facing the three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten. Henman is in Safin's quarter and Agassi's half, but such is the nature of these top occasions. At least he has avoided his nemesis, Hewitt, unless he makes the final.

The Bercy title, one of nine in the Masters Series, which ranks second only to the Grand Slams, is one of the sport's biggies, certainly bigger than any of the nine Henman has so far collected. It was won, and won quite brilliantly, in 1998 by Greg Rusedski, who hammered a peak-form Pete Sampras for the lone British triumph in Bercy's 16-year history; a history which has produced some great champions – Boris Becker three times, Sampras and Agassi twice, Stefan Edberg, Goran Ivanisevic and Safin.

Since attendance is obligatory at Masters Series events, sick notes and the nervous expectation of parenthood are the only excuses accepted. Apologies have duly been provided by the ailing Rusedski, Richard Krajicek, Thomas Enqvist and Wayne Ferreira, plus Sampras, who has folded his tent for the remainder of the year while contemplating imminent fatherhood and the rosy afterglow of victory at the US Open.

As world No 1 and leader of the ATP Race of Champions (on which qualification for Shanghai is based), Hewitt is top seed for Bercy. Hewitt, again battling the virus that has affected his stamina for much of the last two seasons, has just finished filming his latest commercial deal, for toilet paper. Despite going down the pan in Stockholm last week, the Australian will be unworried as he seeks a solid show in Paris and then a repeat of the Masters Cup success that vaulted him to the head of the rankings at the end of last year.

There are three former champions – Agassi, Safin and Grosjean – competing at Bercy. Agassi, who missed this tournament last year because of being on dad watch as Steffi Graf produced their son, Jaden Gil, has much incentive to do well in Paris. It was in that city, albeit at Roland Garros, that he enjoyed what he termed his best moment in tennis by winning the French Open in 1999 to complete the set of Grand Slams. The man from Las Vegas will be aiming to collect his fourth Masters Series crown this year, his third Bercy title to match the mark of Becker and, of course, the chance to overtake Hewitt at the top of the Race of Champions. Not bad for a dad who will be 33 next April.

There is total prize money of more than £2m on offer at Bercy. The big boys should take the money while they can, since tennis, like football, is in funding trouble and the Masters Series cash is to be cut back in 2003. For the time being, though, the chance to be on the Road to Shanghai is enough.

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