It would be unfair of me to comment on the history of British tennis as I was only born in 1980, however over the past 20 years there has only been one Brit in my mind who was world-class. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Tim Henman.

Tiger Tim, as he is more affectionately known, was British number one throughout his career and had very little competition apart from the Canadian-turned-Brit Greg Rusedski and, latterly, new kid on the block Andy Murray.

Henman made his mark on world tennis in the mid 1990s and soon became a favourite not only with his home crowd but with crowds across the world. His fantastic smile and good-natured personality made him a very likeable character on the court and he was well thought of by his fellow professionals right up until his retirement at the end of last year.

'Even when he was in a losing situation on many occasions Henman used the support of the crowd and his own inner strength to battle through to victory'


Although Henman failed in his ambitions to win a Grand Slam, his record at Wimbledon was superb and showed the quality of player he was. Reaching the semi-finals on many occasions, the British star was unlucky to come across the phenomenal Wimbledon greats such as Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Tiger Tim reached four semi-finals and four further quarter-finals at his favourite tournament and, although many fans believe you need to beat the best players to become a true legend, Henman is still one of the best grass court players of the modern game.

His game was also well suited to the hard courts and indoor tournaments where he again had great success winning prestigious events in Paris and Basle. He won 11 ATP tournaments and reached a further 17 finals, showing his huge pedigree for the big stage.

He even showed his rare liking for the clay with a brilliant semi-final at Roland Garros in the 2004 French Open, something unheard of for a British player. He followed up his semi in Paris with another semi in the US Open that year, falling once again to his great rival Roger Federer.

The determination of Henman to try all aspects of his game on every surface is something I admire the master for. He was dedicated to his sport and wanted to achieve so much for his country and his fans. Even when he was in a losing situation on many occasions Henman used the support of the crowd and his own inner strength to battle through to victory.

On a personal note, some of Henman's Wimbledon heroics have been some of the best matches I have ever witnessed. His five-set victory over Paul Haarhuis back in 1997 stands out as an all-time cliffhanger when Henman dug deep to finally beat his Dutch opponent 14-12 in the final set.

I was glued to my seat as a teenager watching the twists and turns before finally being able to see my hero defeat his rival. Pure brilliant viewing - something I am sure to miss this year, unless Andy Murray can put in a good performance.

Murray has a fantastic game but he is too young to be classed as Britain's best ever player. However, he certainly has the potential to be a great. Still only 20, Murray has shown glimpses of brilliance on the court - most notably in defeating Federer on a number of ocassions - but injuries and poor fitness have impeded his success.

He still has a long way to go before he can be classed in Henman's league of consistency. A top 10 player throughout his career, Henman reached a career high of number four in the world at a period when Sampras, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and, of course, Federer where his competition. Not bad!

There will be many fans and sports journalists who disagree with my comments and many will remember favourites from the past who I unfortunately never got to see play. But one thing everyone should agree on is that Tim Henman is a British legend.

He will be missed at Wimbledon this year by his loyal supporters and his fellow players are sad to not see him in the draws of the 2008 ATP tour season.

One bit of good news is that Tim will be making his commentating debut at the All England Club in late June. Let's just hope he's as good at talking as he was at playing!