The Boy Done Good (Tim Henman)

Member Name: C_Padd

Product:	Tim Henman
Date:	17/07/01 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good game for grass - serve volley

Disadvantages: Attitude problems - Too 'nice' and aggression in wrong directions

It’s no embarrassment for Tim Henman not to have won Wimbledon, and this year was no exception, he did both himself and the nation proud. It was certainly no failure to reach the semi-finals of a grand slam tournament, lose to the eventual winner, and along the way beat Roger Federer who himself put out Pete Sampras, as well as Todd Martin and Sjeng Schalken, both quality players. No Henman once again has shown that he is one of the best current men’s players on grass at the moment, and I’m sure that he will one year achieve his aim and win Wimbledon.

Tim Henman was born in Oxford, England on the 6th of September 1974, so is currently 26 years old. He is just over six foot tall, weights 71kg (155lbs and is married to his wife, Lucy. This year he reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon for the third time in his career, as well as making the quarter-finals twice. Outside of Wimbledon his record in the majors is not so good. He has won a total of seven minor titles in his career, but nothing major. On the Clay at the French open he clearly struggles, but with some good performances he has reached the 3rd round. His failure to play on all surfaces is clear and in the US and Australian opens he has only reached the 4th round in both. As the British number one, we should be doing a little better than that, but I still feel that Tim is a great tennis player, and has several good years to come.

Tim is currently the British number one, beating British/Canadian Greg Rusedski into number two spot. Greg plays more of a big service game, and for some is the more entertaining to watch and also has more of a personality. Tim used to be very inconsistent, at times he was one of the best, but others he lost matches left right and centre. As a result his world ranking slipped, but he has been as high as number 5 in the world in July 1999. He is currently ranked 11th in the world, but a good past record on grass and drop outs at Wimbledon pushed his s
eeding up to 6th. At the moment I feel he is the best British player at the moment, and one of the best we have produced in a long time. Fred Perry was the last men’s champion from Britain and Henman has a good chance to get that Wimbledon title. He is only 26, so still has a few years left in him to try and win his first Major.

Tim’s game is well suited to grass. He has a decent serve, as you need in the men’s game, but it is not in the class of Rusedski, Philipousis and Dent. Still he can serve aces when required and what he lacks in pace he makes up in accuracy. He has a great serve-volley game that is a good combination to have on grass. When he sends down a good serve, or a long shot to the opponents base line, he is able to run fast up to the net and volley the return back as an unplayable return. He has one of the best volleys in the men’s game at the moment, and makes full use of it. He also has all the basic ground shots, but it is perhaps not lack of ability on the pitch that hampers his progress in major competitions, but mental weaknesses. He often suffers from lack of confidence and it shows in his game with inconsistency from one match to the next. He also has a reputation of being too ‘nice’ and lacks passion and fire. This also comes across in matches as he often lacks what it takes to kill the games off and fails to stick with it if the games get tough. He does have a bit of a mean side, and was thrown out of Wimbledon a few years back for hitting a ball at a ball girl, and has also been warned about conduct to umpires and for breaking rackets. What he needs is to learn to channel his aggression so he can use it usefully in a match situation, and not let it show in improper ways like he has in the past. He is technically a good player, and obviously loves his tennis, so the skill is there; it is just a question of getting in the mental state to win things at the highest level. Still he is a fantastic pl
ayer, and is in my opinion the best British player at the moment, and is a real possibility of a British man winning the men’s title at Wimbledon since the legendary Fred Perry. He showed at this years Wimbledon what a great player he is, by beating Roger Federer who put out Sampras, and only going out to the eventual champion in the semis. Next year I am confident he can go all the way and win the title he wants so much.

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