Tim Henman: Life After Tennis - page 2

08 June 2009

1Comments | Comment on this Article

- What do you think of British tennis at the moment?

I think that it’s getting better the women’s side has done much much better they have got Anne Keothavong  who got into the top fifty and there are four or five girls who have been close to the top one hundred, and that’s a good example of healthy competition.

The men’s, if you take Andy Murray out of the equation, it’s still way too thin there is a big void behind him that needs to be filled. But his performance in the last twelve months has been fantastic he has been playing brilliantly and hopefully he can continue with that.

- Well that leads me into my next question really British expectation is very much solely on the shoulders of Andy Murray, which is also what you faced, how difficult is that a pressure to cope with, particularly with Wimbledon just around the corner?

I think it’s all about your own mindset and the way that you approach that I think if you focused on that and as you are walking on court you’re thinking ’oh my god there are fifteen thousand people in the stadium and fifteen million on TV and all the media and the press’ you are just putting so much pressure on yourself that it would be impossible to play.

Whereas when I was playing there I couldn’t wait to get out there it is the best court in the world to play on and it’s the biggest and best tournament in the world. I always had unbelievable support there and had some really good results I just loved it and so I was much more focused on what I wanted to do and the way that I wanted to play rather than what everyone else was thinking?

- Wimbledon is fast approaching and looking back now what’s your fondest memory of playing there?

(Laughs) It’s tough to narrow it down to one can I give you more that one? I think the first time that I played on centre court, I played against  Kafelnikov when he was French Open champion and world number three, I beat him 7-5 in the fifth which was one of my best results at the time.

Then I played on the middle Sunday a couple of times, which has only happened about three times in the history of the tournament and I have played on two of them, they call it people Sunday because it was for fans who had queued to get into the stadium it was just incredible. And I would have to say beating Federer as well, I beat him back in 2001 that was pretty special.

- Have ever considered returning to the game, maybe not as a player but as a coach?

I think in the future I will probably get more involved with it but no not really. If you are going to work with a top player and coach a top player then there is a lot of travel involved with that and that really doesn’t appeal at the moment, but maybe in the future it might be something that could be an option but not at the moment.

- What do think now needs to be done, from a British perspective, to get strength and depth in both the men’s and the women’s side?

I think grass roots is an important area you have got to get more kids playing from a young age and then giving then the opportunity and access to playing in clubs and coaching, and to have the right coaching, then you get the good ones coming trough towards the top of the game.

The problem is the numbers are too small you only really get one or two in each age group when you really want to get eight to twelve kids all pushing along and then you get them competing with each other and it works out much better.

- But if you compare the number of British players finding success compared to the Spanish or the Russian what are they doing that we are not?  

I think a lot of it boils down to the individual and I think that some of our players have lacked the hunger and desire and dedication to go out there and make it happen.

The LTA are able to provide a lot of things, sometime the players don’t really deserve, and they almost getting a little bit too easily where as in somewhere like Russia or Argentina they don’t get any funding it’s just about them making it happen and finding a way to achieve that success and I think that is what the players need to look to do.

- And who do you think is going to win Wimbledon?

On the men’s side if it came outside of the top three I think Nadal, Federer and Murray are definite favourites. On the women’s when the Williams sister are healthy and motivated I always think that they are the two to beat.

- And what about the French, bearing in mind that only one of the big four in the men’s draw made it to the semis?

I know that’s why it’s always so interesting to watch because I think, on the men’s side, the strength and depth is just incredible and no one was expecting Nadal to lose and now what an opportunity for Federer. But if you are though to the semis of the French you are not going to have any easy matches so it’s going to be interesting to watch.

- What’s next for you?

I’m playing golf tomorrow morning (laughs). No my commentary for Wimbledon, I’m working for the BBC for two weeks, so that is next thing for me.  

- What is it like watching tennis from the other side of the fence as it were?

Yeah it’s pretty relaxed and pretty easy I haven’t lost any matches yet from where I have been sitting (laughs).

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

Robinsons, official Wimbledon sponsors, and Tim Henman are training Alesha Dixon in the lead up to the first day of the championships where she will play the queuing public to see if she can have as much success on court as she did on the dance floor. The campaign is designed to encourage families to hit the courts this summer. For more information visit robinsonsdrinks.com/wimbledon