Tim Henman's message is simple: back the Brits.
He should know. For years Henman carried the tennis hopes of a nation on his shoulders, famously reaching four Wimbledon semi-finals over a long and successful career. It's remarkable to realise Henman once faced a teenage Novak Djokovic in 2006. "If you’d told me he was going to win 24 Slams, I’d have said you probably needed your head checked," smiles Henman of their encounter.
I'm speaking to Henman at Padium in Canary Wharf as part of a special padel day hosted by Sky Sports to make the start of the tennis summer. Me and my friend Ben even get to play a match against Henman and Laura Robson. We barely win a point, let alone a game.
However I was able to grab Henman for a quick chat about the tennis season ahead. It went slightly better than the padel.
Square Mile: What has surprised you most about the season so far?
Tim Henman: That’s a good question. I think the women’s Australian Open was amazing. I was just talking about Iva Jovic – I was so impressed with her. An 18-year-old American getting through to the quarter-finals. I think she’s got a massive future.
The way that Elena Rybakina played was incredible as well – her ball-striking and her physicality show just how dangerous she is. I love the unpredictability of the women’s game right now. I think there are about ten players who could win, led by Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek, then Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula playing so well – there’s such a long list. I think that’s very, very exciting.
On the men’s side, what surprised me was how well Novak Djokovic played. To see him sort of turn his tournament around in one afternoon… when you reflect on his first three rounds in Melbourne, he played okay – he won, which is the main thing. Then he gets the walkover against Jakub Menšík and then he’s down two sets against Lorenzo Musetti. I mean, he was almost going home and he was playing very poorly.
Then against Jannik Sinner, when he was down 3–0 in the first set, I thought this could be embarrassing. I thought he could get absolutely destroyed because he was completely off the pace. But the way that he played in the second, third and fourth sets was absolutely incredible. It’s just the perfect example of why you should never write off these great champions.
In Australia, Alcaraz probably showed an extra string to his bow compared to Sinner
Square Mile: You played Djokovic once.
Tim Henman: I did, yeah. In Rotterdam. Three sets – I think I lost 7–5 in the third. He was only about 18.
Square Mile: How was it playing him?
Tim Henman: He was a good player. I mean, he was 18 and already playing on the tour. If you’d said to me then, “How good do you think this guy will be?” I’d have said he could get into the top ten and maybe win a Slam.
But if you’d told me he was going to win 24 Slams, I’d have said you probably needed your head checked. What he’s achieved has been incredible.
Square Mile: Obviously Carlos Alcaraz now seems to be the one to beat. If a time machine transported you back 30 years and you walked on court to play him, what’s your game plan?
Tim Henman: First, I’d make sure the courts were from my era – nice and fast. In these slower conditions, the way Alcaraz moves and the quality he has from the back of the court… that’s going to be a rough afternoon for me.
But when you look at Jannik Sinner and the way he played against Djokovic, he just kept playing the same way. Maybe rightly so – he backed himself that his best would be good enough to beat Djokovic.
The difference with Alcaraz in the final was his variety. He changed pace, played with more shape, used the slice backhand, upset Djokovic’s rhythm and kept the rallies longer. That’s where Alcaraz probably showed an extra string to his bow compared to Sinner.
Square Mile: Do you think it was inevitable, the way the sport evolves, that we’d end up with two superstars dominating the men’s game?
Tim Henman: There will always be a new era, but I don’t think anyone would have predicted these two stepping up quite like they have and dominating the way they do. We’re still looking for the next male player to really close the gap.
The way Alexander Zverev played in Melbourne was impressive against Alcaraz – he had an opportunity there and served for the match in the fifth set. This time last year Jack Draper was very much in the conversation as well, so it’s great to see him back on court and hopefully he can stay healthy.
We’ve got unpredictability in the women’s game, but people say it lacks identity. Then we’ve got a strong identity in the men’s game and people want more players in the mix
Square Mile: You mentioned the variety in the women’s game. Sabalenka has multiple Slams, reached almost every final recently, but doesn’t automatically win every tournament. Would the men’s game benefit from a bit more variety too?
Tim Henman: It’s funny because people have said about the women’s game in recent years that it lacks identity. The men’s game has identity because it’s led by Alcaraz and Sinner. So what we end up talking about is that we’re very difficult to please.
We’ve got variety and unpredictability in the women’s game, but people say it lacks identity. Then we’ve got a strong identity in the men’s game and people want more players in the mix. It just shows you can’t keep everyone happy.
Square Mile: Who would you predict as the next man not named Sinner or Alcaraz to win a Slam? Could it happen this year?
Tim Henman: That’s a good question. If it happens, the US Open is probably the most likely one. I don’t really see it happening on clay or grass.
Could Daniil Medvedev get back there? Possibly. Zverev has such a good serve, but can he back it up in the other areas? I’m not sure. Right now, I see Sinner or Alcaraz winning all four again.
Square Mile: If you had to predict Wimbledon – could it even be Djokovic again?
Tim Henman: It’ll be interesting to see Djokovic’s schedule. I don’t think he can win the French Open anymore, so maybe he focuses on grass. I think he can win Wimbledon. If he can reach the final in Melbourne, he can win Wimbledon. So I’ll be interested to see how he plans his schedule.
Square Mile: If you got a phone call and it was Jack Draper on one line and Emma Raducanu on the other, asking how to approach Wimbledon – not technically, but mentally dealing with the home pressure – what would you say?
Tim Henman: It’s about controlling the controllables. Fundamentally there are two things they can control – their preparation and their performance. Jack is surrounded by a really good team, so he needs to stay inside that bubble and not get distracted by everything going on around him. He had a tough grass-court season last year, so hopefully he’s fit and healthy and can learn from that this year.
I’ll give you a ranking mover: Arthur Fery. I like the way he played in Australia
Square Mile: Are you glad you didn’t have social media, Netflix documentaries and all that when you were playing?
Tim Henman: We were actually talking about this yesterday. It was a very different environment, but we still had probably 25 journalists every week wherever we played.
Am I a fan of social media? Not really. I’m not on anything – it’s not really for me. But it’s another platform where players can control their own narrative a little bit. I just wouldn’t be listening to too many other opinions out there.
Square Mile: Is there any player you’d recommend people watch this season? Not necessarily someone to win a Slam, but someone worth tuning in for.
Tim Henman: I’d probably need to get the rankings out and find someone a bit lower down, maybe outside the top 100.
But I’ll always say: back the Brits. We’ve got a good cohort of British players now competing at the Slams, both in the main draw and qualifying. So my message is: back the Brits.
Square Mile: Give us one bold prediction for the season ahead.
Tim Henman: I’ll give you a ranking mover: Arthur Fery. I like the way he played in Australia. I’d like to see him inside the top 100 by the end of the year.
Sky Sports is the year-round home of tennis. Watch the biggest stars on the ATP and WTA Tours at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open live this March, exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW.
