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“Tennis is successful a bully place, but I deliberation it could beryllium better,” says Tim Henman erstwhile asked astir nan authorities of nan athletics that has consumed astir of his life. He will soon outline ways tennis could beryllium improved but, first, it helps to retrieve that nan 51-year-old played successful six expansive slam semi-finals, including 4 astatine Wimbledon, won an Olympic metallic badge and became No 4 successful nan world contempt changeless gripes from part-time tennis supporters who wrongly said he lacked nan grit of an elite player.
Yet grit filters done Henman’s memories and explains why he loves tennis while ever striving to scope a amended place. We meet astatine nan Queen’s Club and nan elegance of nan venue provides a stark opposition to nan bid of inexpensive B&Bs wherever Henman lived, down nan roadworthy successful Earl’s Court, for 2 years astatine nan outset of his career. Money was tight past and sometimes 4 young players could stock a azygous room.
“I someway convinced my parents that I should time off schoolhouse astatine 16 to play full-time tennis,” he says. “I was still very mini truthful my results weren’t peculiarly good. We were based successful a acold area astatine Queen’s pinch nan 2 indoor courts. It was specified a basal facility, but it was brilliant.”
Henman grins erstwhile I inquire him astir B&B life. “Amazing,” he says. “So good. Funnily capable I bumped into Andrew Richardson conscionable earlier I walked successful to spot you.”
Emma Raducanu’s coach helped her scope nan last astatine nan Queen’s Club past Sunday. Richardson besides guided nan 18-year-old Raducanu to her astonishing expansive slam victory arsenic a qualifier astatine nan US Open successful September 2021. That aforesaid period she decided to occurrence him arsenic her coach earlier rehiring him this summer.
Henman nods erstwhile I inquire if he shared a room pinch Richardson successful Earl’s Court? “Absolutely. We first met erstwhile we were 11 and played against each other. Andrew was champion man astatine my wedding.”
Henman was adjacent to Raducanu during her unforgettable US Open run. Coaching was not allowed from nan players’ container past and truthful Henman encouraged and advised her astatine courtside, wherever he was moving arsenic a tv pundit. When she clinched nan title nan first personification she turned to was Henman, who pointed backmost astatine her successful delight. So he offers a unsocial position connected her narration pinch Richardson.
What did he deliberation when, 2 weeks aft she won what is, to date, her solitary big title, Raducanu removed Richardson arsenic she said he was not knowledgeable enough? “I was amazed she chose not to activity pinch him. She’s worked pinch a batch of coaches since past and now I really dream that her determination to get backmost pinch Andrew useful for some their sakes.
“He’s 1 of my champion friends and I’ve besides been astir Emma. So it would beryllium bully if results improve.”
Raducanu and Richardson person made headway and successful nan Queen’s Club last she lost to Donna Vekic. The victor acknowledged Raducanu’s resurgence aft a difficult year, but Vekic reserved astir praise for David Felgate – whom she restored to her ain squad a fewer weeks ago. Vekic said nan triumph astatine Queen’s, wherever she scraped into nan main tie arsenic a fortunate loser, was shaped by Felgate’s expertise.
Felgate was 1 of 3 coaches Henman utilized during his career. “Emma’s had 8 aliases 9 coaches,” Henman says, “but it’s her prerogative. I looked for consistency, continuity and building nan narration – and that’s why I had 3 coaches successful 16 years.”
Raducanu won nan expansive slam title that eluded Henman, but she has a agelong measurement to spell earlier she matches nan extent of his wide achievements. The measurement he had to conflict for his spot connected circuit forged a resilience and steeliness successful him. Does he judge Raducanu’s daze US Open triumph damaged her development?
“It was truthful unexpected because nary 1 had ever qualified and made nan last of a slam, fto unsocial qualified and won it. So she didn’t really person a instauration to build from. She’d conscionable done her A-levels and played immoderate grass-court tournaments and past her ranking went up to No 20 successful nan world.
“All of a abrupt she was playing top-level events and she wasn’t ready, physically and mentally. You can’t driblet down to build lucifer believe and resilience but would you alternatively it had not happened? Absolutely not. It’s 1 of nan astir unthinkable achievements successful sport.”
Henman is cautious erstwhile asked whether she tin triumph different slam. “It would beryllium very hard. Not galore group triumph slams truthful you could say, if you’ve done it once, you tin do it again. But it’s each astir nan process. She’s sewage to go physically much resilient to build up her schedule, her lucifer count, her weight of shot, her velocity of activity and durability.”
Is Richardson nan correct coach to unearth that consistency and durability? “Of course. He was a bully subordinate and he understands nan crippled well. He’s sewage a bully history pinch Emma arsenic they’ve known each different since she was successful her early teens.”
Even much than Raducanu, Jack Draper has struggled physically and nan astir talented British men’s tennis subordinate connected circuit has missed astir of nan past twelvemonth done injury. Does Henman expect that Draper, who reached No 4 successful nan world 15 months ago, will play astatine Wimbledon?
“I don’t know. He’s pulled retired of Queen’s [this week] but this clip past twelvemonth he was successful that speech arsenic to who mightiness situation Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. He’s had specified a rotten clip because he was playing awesome tennis.
“It’s very challenging whether it’s this bony bruising aliases his knee. He’s conscionable sewage to effort and enactment diligent because, if you’re not healthy, you can’t compete.”
Henman expresses his misgivings successful respect to nan sadistic almanac that has resulted successful nan wounded of truthful galore starring players. Alcaraz has been forced to miss nan French Open and Wimbledon. And, aft racking up a 30-match winning streak, Sinner’s assemblage betrayed him during nan first week successful Paris. Leading Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 6-3, 6-2, 5-1, he mislaid 18 of nan adjacent 20 games to clang retired successful nan 2nd round. Sinner looked arsenic if he had deed a wall aft winning successive Masters tournaments successful Madrid and Rome.
“The schedule needs looking astatine because little is much and I would decidedly streamline it,” Henman says. “The Masters 1000 events should beryllium 8 aliases 9 days and past you request immoderate periods wherever location is nary tennis astatine nan very highest level. It’s bully for nan players and fans and builds anticipation for nan adjacent event.
“I’m not a instrumentality of nan 12-day Masters 1000 events. Physically and psychologically that is tiring and, if anything, we should beryllium trying to shorten nan season.”
Money drives modern athletics and truthful is it feasible that immoderate tournaments could beryllium curtailed aliases moreover cut? “It’s difficult, but that’s wherever nan athletics needs to travel together. When you look astatine nan governance of tennis location are 7 different bodies – nan ATP, WTA, ITF and nan 4 expansive slams. And correct now we person this PTPA lawsuit.” The Professional Tennis Players Association triggered ineligible action against those 7 organisations while accusing them of collaborating to trim prize money, enforce a restrictive ranking strategy and repress players’ promotional opportunities. “We really request to communicate, and that has made it very difficult pinch nan lawyers.”
Henman has precocious been astatine nan heart of tense negotiations betwixt nan starring players and nan expansive slam tournaments complete prize money. He is simply a committee personnel astatine Wimbledon, but his achievements successful nan crippled mean Henman is respected by nan players and past week location was a breakthrough. Wimbledon announced a 20% summation successful prize money, which nan players accepted, but has nan business been afloat resolved?
“The connection needs to beryllium amended and conversations are not going to stop. It’s a immense spot of our athletics that we person mixed [men’s and women’s] events and look astatine really nan expansive slams person led nan measurement successful adjacent prize money and nan opportunity that they’ve fixed to lower-ranked players. In nan women’s game, nan Wimbledon prize money for qualifying this twelvemonth will beryllium much than immoderate of nan [WTA] Masters 1000 events.”
Henman is peculiarly animated erstwhile confirming his reappointment arsenic nan vice-captain of Team Europe successful the Laver Cup against Team World astatine nan O2 successful London successful September. He believes nan competition, which began successful 2017, has nan imaginable to go arsenic powerful successful tennis arsenic nan Ryder Cup is successful golf.
“I perfectly emotion it,” Henman says. “Until I first knowledgeable nan Laver Cup successful personification I’d thought it was an accumulation event. But erstwhile I was astatine nan 2022 Laver Cup, erstwhile Roger Federer played his last lucifer earlier retirement astatine nan O2, I was blown distant by nan strength and passion of some teams.
“The players are individuals and rivals and present they are coming together for nan greater bully of Europe aliases nan remainder of nan world. The measurement nan arena was delivered was unthinkable and truthful erstwhile I was asked past twelvemonth if I’d for illustration to beryllium vice-captain I was blindsided. But I felt it was an absolute privilege and I could not person enjoyed it much successful San Francisco – apart from nan truth that we didn’t win.”
Team Europe has won 5 of nan 8 Laver Cups and Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, nan caller French Open champion, person agreed to play astatine nan O2. “We were bitterly disappointed erstwhile we mislaid past clip but it was past that Alcaraz signed up. He said: ‘I’m coming back.’ If nan players emotion nan arena they person that strength to win.”
Will Alcaraz beryllium fresh again by September? “I person nary idea. It’s evidently a superior injury, because he pulled retired of Madrid, Rome, Paris, Queen’s and Wimbledon. So, fingers crossed.”
Negotiations to entice Sinner to make his Laver Cup debut are nether measurement and Henman says: “We person a WhatsApp group truthful we’re ever successful dialogue, looking astatine really nan squad could style up.”
It seems a agelong clip since, astatine nan extremity of 1992, Henman was 18 and yet near B&B life successful Earl’s Court. “I sewage my first ranking points successful Morocco and cardinal Africa. I had 7 points and my ranking was 780 astatine nan extremity of nan year. That was specified a defining moment, because I was connected nan ladder. I wanted to beryllium 700. I wanted to beryllium 500. I wanted to beryllium 300.”
Henman smiles erstwhile I inquire if he believed past that, 1 day, he would go nan fourth‑best subordinate successful nan world pinch an enduring power successful tennis successful nan decades ahead?
“No chance. If you’d said to maine then: ‘Sign this archive and you tin beryllium apical 100 for nan adjacent 10 years, and play nan expansive slams,’ I would person bitten some arms off. It’s what I ever wanted to do.”
The Laver Cup is astatine nan O2 from 25-27 September. Visit lavercup.com.
