Tim Henman

Born: September 6, 1974 in Oxford (South East in England)
Height: 1.85 m
Played: Right-handed

Some encounters separate the men from the boys, and for Henman, such a match occurred in the first round of Wimbledon ’96 against the newly crowned French Open champion, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, on Centre Court. Although they were peers, Kafelnikov was far superior at the time – he had already established himself as “the man,” while Henman was seen as a boyish-looking player, admired for his classical style but perceived as perhaps too fragile, physically and mentally, to win the big titles. In that skirmish, with a supportive home crowd behind him, Henman showed grit a couple of times and sensationally prevailed in five sets, suddenly becoming a national hero in Great Britain. His subsequent matches at Wimbledon ’96 captured immense public interest. It was a tournament full of surprises, and when Henman reached the quarterfinals, he was even seen as a potential champion, although he ultimately lost to Todd Martin. Nonetheless, that tournament made him a new tennis star and cemented his lifelong association with Wimbledon. After Wimbledon ’96, it was obvious that Henman would have a better career than the most accomplished British player born in the 1960s, Jeremy Bates, who waited until he was almost 32 before winning his only title. Henman captured his first title at the age of 22, in Sydney.
A phenomenon called “Henmania” accompanied his appearances at the most prestigious tennis event from then on, lasting until 2004, his most mature and consistent year when he reached the French Open and US Open semifinals for the only time in his career; the best period, in fact, began in late 2003 when he triumphed at Paris-Bercy – his biggest career title. Between 1996 and 2004, Henman was Wimbledon’s biggest attraction (in 2005, the British hopes shifted to teenage Andy Murray), reaching the semifinals four times and the quarterfinals another four times. The closest he came to fulfilling his Wimbledon dream was in 2001 when he lost an epic, three-day semifinal to Goran Ivanišević – being just two points away from what felt like a “failed destiny.”
Henman was often the victim of tough draws. In 1998 and 1999, he faced the best grass-court player of the ’90s, Pete Sampras, and although he played well, the details made the difference in both four-set losses. In 2002, another wild Wimbledon – first time in history dominated by players mainly operating on the baseline – he quickly lost in the semifinals to Lleyton Hewitt, who was ruthless against attacking players in the early 2000s. Ironically, the other semifinal that year featured David Nalbandian against Xavier Malisse …both of whom Henman would have been heavily favored against.
Some might call Henman an “underachiever”, as he is a leader of the most Grand Slam semifinals without reaching the final, had he not won Paris-Bercy in 2003. In hindsight, that title was remarkable, considering how players like Nikolay Davydenko and Roger Federer developed afterward. Henman’s semifinal win over Andy Roddick, who was the best player of that season, should be recognized as a huge victory. After so many disappointments in native Britain (he failed to conquer Queens Club too, once being very close in three finals), it was the French capital that Henman broke through. In the final, he faced Andrei Pavel, who had shocked everyone with his successful week shortly after the comeback from injury. “It’s been an unbelievable week for me,” Henman said after the final he won convincingly, as expected. “If you’d have told me six months ago that I’d win this title, I’d have probably thought you were smoking something.”
In terms of style, Henman was a prototype of the early Federer. His classic game and frequent use of backhand slices often drew comparisons to Stefan Edberg and Patrick Rafter. However, unlike those multiple Grand Slam champions, Henman wasn’t a consistent serve-and-volley attacker, even on grass during the era when it was the norm. Perhaps this more measured approach explains Federer’s early struggles against Henman – the Brit won six of their first seven meetings (the only loss coming when Henman retired) including one final (Basel). To some extent, Federer was losing to a more experienced version of himself. But by 2004, as Federer adjusted his style to become more of a defensive player, the Swiss turned the tables, winning their last six matches without dropping a set, including two almost identical finals (Indian Wells ’04, Tokyo ’06) – the last finals in Henman’s career, he finished it with a negative record losing 17 out of 28.

Career record: 496–274 [ 273 events ]
Career titles: 11
Highest ranking: No. 4
Best GS results:
Roland Garros (semifinal 2004)
Wimbledon (semifinal 1998-99, 2001-02; quarterfinal 1996-97 and 2003-04)
US Open (semifinal 2004)