Henman at Wimbledon..

[dantuck_7]

He is 2 sets all with Moya 5-4 in games.

It just seems very cringe-worthy the support that he gets.

Come on Tim! Come on Tim!

This was typified for me by a Newcastle supporter cheering on him. Not that I've got anything against Newcastle fans - but they do have something in common with Henmans fans.

As I write this its Match Point to Henman...............

But no, that chance has gone.......

[MrRottweiler]

I don't like to be critical of Henman but he will never win Wimbledon. He's lacking the gear needed to get to the final stages. I think his peak has been and gone.

[Alex0paul]

Henman without doubt is one of the best players of his generation. Yes he hasn't won a Grand Slam but he has made 4 Wimbledon semis, a semi at the US Open and a Semi at Roland Garros. Add to that he won the Paris Masters Series which is known as 'the fifth major' and was in the top 10 for 10 years. Of course he wont win it now as he is 32 and there is man called Federer but he has a kind draw and hopefully if he gets through this match he could and should get to the second week.

That bloke in the Newcastle shirt was a prat though, kept looking out of the corner of his eye for the camera.

[imy147]

yeh that final set was unbelievable! i was down the snooker hall and evry1 stopped playing when tim was on his match points haha! then the groans when he failed to convert them. i cant help but feel when u let 4 match points go its not meant to be. hope to be proven wrong 2moro!

[PaulTheSoave]

I wonder how long the hysteria will last this time. Every year its the same, Mcenroe mentioning he got the potential and will win it one time, just to please The BBC masters he gets paid by. Henman was a good player but no way in the category of Federer, Sampras, Borg, Mcenroe, Connors. Dont forget he was always favoured by an easy draw. I bet the Wimbledon bosses took a few months to sort that out.

He just lacked the extra bit of class and hes not really a real sportsman to me. More, a bloke who goes off to have a cup of tea with mumsy instead of putting in a few extra hours of training.

[April madness]

Paul, you mentioned the players that dominated in the sport, Federer, Sampras... Nobody has said Henman could be like them? He was a good sportsman, probably good enough to win a tournament with luck, but I guess lacked some qualities to win a big one like Wimbledon.

[Semih_Sayginer]

April

When Wimbledon is on, especially before Murray was properly on the scene, there was what some would call "overenthusiastic" support of henman, as if he was a top player and almost favourite to win Wimbledon...

Of course, this was just loads of the population getting involved in the spirit of things, but a lot felt it went too far and that the media and the commentators were making it a cringe fest, building him up for a big fall each year.

hes a really good tennis player. was never a world beater and is probably past his best IMHO, but all he did was play tennis to the best of his ability. i blame the media for any upset/embarrassment that some folk felt about any of his performances.

[April madness]

In a way, I can understand. Tim was a top player in UK, and I guess everyone in UK wanted him to win. Probably all this hype also got to his nerves and made things even worse like you said.

We in Latvia have a young and upcoming player now, he just became 18 years old (and interestingly, in his debut match in French Open he won Henman), and everyone here is very enthusiastic. Don't like that myself, as higher expectations might lead to huge disappointments too, especially that he still lacks a bit of experience and stability of performance at his young age.

[elvaago]

England invented tennis. It's a bit of a sour grape for them that no Brit has won the event since 1971. So they, like any country that used to be good at a sport, cling to any potential winner, no matter how small the chances. And then they blow everything out of proportion, the media goes mad and the player is put under immense pressure that reduces his chances even further.

[ADR147]

actually i think it was french monks who are credited with inventing tennis? - but yes its hard when you have not had a british winner since 1971 and the last mens winner was fred perry!!! - i suspect andy murray might win it one year though, he has a lot more to offer than tim henman ever did.

[berolina]

actually i think it was french monks who are credited with inventing tennis?

No, they invented Champagne.

[atthebookies]

Well. Thats all folks!

Is it not time he should join the seniors' tour. They all praising him on The Beeb at this moment. Did he reach the final?

No, he went out in the second round! Wake up Sue Barker!

[Alex0paul]

To be fair to him he is younger than a couple of players who are still doing well on the tour. Jonas Bjorkman was 34 when he reached the semis last year and in the next round he is playing 36 year old Wayne Arthurs so there is still life for Henman. It could be argued in the same way as to why is Jimmy still playing? Its because they love the game and love competing.

[footygirl]

Well. Thats all folks!

Is it not time he should join the seniors' tour. They all praising him on The Beeb at this moment. Did he reach the final?

No, he went out in the second round! Wake up Sue Barker!

I've been saying that for years.

What Ms Barker has to remember is that you have to be objective and put whoever your favoured player is to one side, and discuss an issue dispassionately