Tim Henman: In the form of his life. Now for the chance of a lifetime

A very British hero tells Ronald Atkin that winning his beloved Wimbledon is his destiny. And that victory could be in three weeks' time

There is a new film in the works, by the people who gave us Notting Hill, which has as its theme a British man winning Wimbledon. Should that happen for real three weeks from now, and should it be Tim Henman who hoists the Gentlemen's Singles Trophy, David Beckham's likeness may be supplanted on that vacant plinth in Trafalgar Square. Come to that, Nelson himself may be required to move over.

The cold statistic about Wimbledon failure among British males is that 66 years have passed since one of our own, a certain Fred Perry, became champion. This season's set-to on the All England Club's manicured lawns is, by common consent, the most open in a long time. The Pete Sampras fires burn lower these days and neither of last year's finalists is currently well enough to wield a racket, so why not Henman, three times a semi-finalist in his last four attempts?

Why not indeed? Henman himself is as confident about the prospects as he has ever been. Bragging is not, nor ever has been, in the nature of this hero of Middle England. But as the stirrings of Henmania at Tim-bledon threaten to assail the World Cup's domination of the nation's sporting passions, T H (for Henry) Henman knows he will never have a better chance of emulating F J Perry. He is in the best form of his 27 years, ranked fifth in the world and likely to be similarly seeded for the championships. This could, at last, be the occasion when Perry becomes passé.

Henman traces the crucial improvement in performances and results to the kick-in effect of his coach, Larry Stefanki, who came on board following Wimbledon 2001. Having just missed out on a place in the eight-man field for the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney last December, Tim did the bright thing and instead travelled to San Diego for 10 days of intensive, warm-weather training with the California-based Stefanki.

"The things we started to work on only came to fruition at the beginning of the year," said Henman in a break between matches at the Stella Artois tournament in London. "Larry has definitely had an impact on my game, which has come a long way in six months. Though we haven't quite been together for 12 months, I know I'm a better player going into Wimbledon."

It is only necessary to check results to support that opinion. The British No 1 won his first tournament of 2002 in Adelaide, defeating Greg Rusedski in straight sets en route and seeing off Mark Philippoussis in the final. He has twice been runner-up, to Nicolas Escude in Rotterdam and Lleyton Hewitt in Indian Wells, and was a semi-finalist, on alien clay, at Monte Carlo. It is at the Grand Slams where he has disappointed, going out to Jonas Bjorkman in the fourth round of the Australian Open when he was the top remaining seed and exiting against Xavier Malisse in the French Open's second round.

It needed a rain delay on the Stella's opening day last Monday for Henman to receive confirmation about the extent of his improvement. He was watching a TV rerun of his 2001 final with Hewitt (won by the Australian 7-6 7-6). "I looked at the way I served 12 months ago and at my movement around the court. Although I played some good tennis I didn't think I was anything special." And now? "I think one day I'll win Wimbledon. It is my job to try and prove that, an extremely difficult thing to do. The only way is to go out and put myself on the line and play the tennis I am capable of. If I do that Ican win it."

Stefanki concurs: "Tim is sound enough now to start believing he is a great athlete." If not this year, Henman gives himself half a dozen more chances. "Look at the way [Andre] Agassi is playing at 32 and how many years he has been around. There is no reason why I can't play as long. You just have to touch wood and hope things go your way physically and you stay clear of injuries. But that's not to say I won't be very keen to try and win this year.

"In previous years Sampras has been clear favourite by such a margin. Pete is not what he was, but I would still put him up as one of the main threats, purely on his record. When you have won seven times you are still the player to beat. At the French Open there are 30 or 40 guys with a real legit chance of winning, but on grass the number is a lot less, as Sampras's results at Wimbledon indicate, as do mine to a lesser level.

"As well as Pete and me, Hewitt, Agassi and Roger Federer could win, and you have to put Rusedski and Philippoussis in there too because their games are so suited to grass. Andy Roddick is a bit of an unknown quantity on the grass but when you serve the way he does, yes, I am sure he will fancy his chances.

"But I will go into Wimbledon a much better player than 12 months ago. I have been trying to do the basics well, and when you do that on grass that's when you can begin to play the right sort of tennis, because you get so few chances. Look at someone like Pat Rafter or Stefan Edberg. When they were at their best they were constantly putting you under pressure, not giving you any volleying errors, making you play every return. I have to find the right balance in all aspects of my game.

"Serving a load of aces like Rusedski and Philippoussis is not the way I play best. I have tried that method. I have stood on the baseline and had the attitude: 'I'm going to hit this thing as hard as I can'. That got me to a certain level but now I am beginning to change the way I serve, and all of a sudden in the first six months of this year I have had my best results. That should be an indication I am moving in the right direction, but I am under no illusions that it can and will get a lot better.

"I feel I am building momentum with my game. That's not to say I haven't been disappointed with some of my matches but looking at my performance overall it is certainly as good as it has ever been. That's why I know there is so much more to come, and that is a good sign for me. If I go into Wimbledon thinking I haven't improved I would be in trouble, because there are so many good young guys coming up who will overtake you. But my recent improvement has been my biggest in a long, long time."

Surprisingly, Henman does not find the weight of a nation's expectation a burden. "It builds a brilliant atmosphere," he insisted. "That's what I always wanted to be a part of, it has always been my dream. I take a lot of confidence from my previous good performances at Wimbledon, the whole scenario is a massive help. Wimbledon is in my home country, grass is a good surface for me and I am living at home, which makes a big difference.

"But the biggest factor is the support. The atmosphere I play my matches in is second to none. That has certainly won me tough matches, got me through in tight fifth sets, and it puts pressure on my opponents. I have played well right from the word go on Centre Court and that helps. When you have positive vibes, positive memories of something like that, it certainly gives you a lift. So does my reputation on grass, and you need to take all the help you can because the level of competition is so high. If it is going to be a psychological advantage, then I'll take it."

One clear disadvantage Henman has to contend with is the manner in which television influences the scheduling of his matches for peak viewing time. In last year's semi-finals Rafter and Agassi were on, and off, court first. Henman's match with Goran Ivanisevic was caught by inclement weather and was played over three days. Had it ended on day two, when Henman was hurtling towards victory until it rained, who knows what history would have had in store for the man from Oxford?

Without casting sour glances at the BBC, Henman confirmed: "I would like to be put on court earlier because if you come through you are going to have more time to prepare for your next match. That Ivanisevic match was definitely the most difficult of my career. No question, to play over three days is pretty much unheard of, let alone in a semi at Wimbledon. I don't think I am wrong in saying that for large parts I was the better player, but unless you win there is nothing to show for it. There is no question that, having been as close as I was, it will make me very keen to put myself in that situation again, because if I do it could be a different story."

Henman has not looked at that semi-final subsequently. "I don't think I even have a copy of it," he said. Nor did he stick around to watch the final, opting to play golf instead, because "I didn't think I had anything to learn from it". As he heads towards parenthood in September, Henman admits the prospect of still being Britain's lone home-grown player of true quality is a concern. "Until we start seeing results it's frustrating for a lot of other people as well as me," he said. "I am concerned about it, I try and do my best, but I also understand I have more important issues personally to try and solve. Unfortunately, it has been a long time since we had a group of world-class players and that is something we need to change."

The fact that he doesn't suffer locker- room ribbing about his lone status says much about the dire state of the game in Britain. "It is just accepted," was how he summed up reaction from his fellow pros. "What has to be changed is almost our culture, the way we approach sport in this country, and that might be too tough a task."

The depressing thought is that, for all his success, Henman has not managed to change the perception of tennis. Paul Hutchins, the former British Davis Cup captain, says: "I don't believe what Tim has achieved has had any effect on helping to raise tennis standards, which is ridiculous."

What a contrast to Beckham's influence on football, and the pressures it has inflicted on England's captain. "There is always somebody worse, or better, off than you," Henman acknowledged. "On a whole different scale David seems to have dealt with it in a brilliant fashion and is a good example for a lot of people. If it comes from my results on court, I would definitely take that kind of attention. Would I be able to handle it? I don't know, except that I would still go about my business in the same way, but I will cross that bridge if I come to it."

The bridge may loom sooner than we think. By the time the film on Wimbledon starts shooting at the All England Club next January, the picture's theme of a British champion could already be outdated. T H Henman certainly hopes so.

Biography

Timothy Henry Henman

Born: 6 September 1974 in Oxford.
Lives: Barnes, London.
Height: 6ft 1in. Weight: 11st 1lb.
Family: Married to Lucy, couple expecting first child in September.
Highest world ranking: 5 (July 1999, June 2002).
ATP Champions' Race ranking: 9.
Career singles record: played 340 matches, won 177.
Grand Slam bests: Australian Open: fourth round 2000, 2001. French Open: third round 1999, 2000, 2001. Wimbledon: semis 1998, 1999, 2001. US Open: fourth round 1996, 1998.
ATP titles: 11 singles, 3 doubles.
Also: His grandfather, Henry Billington, played at Wimbledon in the 1940s and '50s, while his mother, Jane, competed in Junior Wimbledon.