Wimbledon giving Tim Henman itchy feet

Tim Henman is surrounded by a gaggle of children and is handing out free rackets. It is like watching a bizarre Christmas scene, except Santa is wearing whites. “You can only have one if you look at me in the eye and say, ‘Thank you’,” he says.
The former British No 1 always insisted that he wanted to “give back” to the game, but who knew he meant it so literally? At 34, Henman has slipped effortlessly into retirement. Golf, skiing holidays, three daughters and two labradors have taken up the bulk of his time, with his rackets left to gather dust in a corner.
But a return to action was accelerated by an invitation to play at the opening of Wimbledon’s Centre Court roof last month and the grass appears to have given him itchy feet.
As he hollers instructions at a tennis centre in North London, it is clear that, after 21 months of peace and quiet, Henman has lost none of his passion. This is where he belongs and it does not come as a huge surprise that, with the pre-Wimbledon hype flowing in his veins, the former world No 4 is exploring avenues back into the game.
The offers are not in short supply — exhibition matches, the Masters Tour, grassroots initiatives and BBC commentary work — but the opportunity that gets Henman’s eyes shining brightest is the potential of a career in coaching.
“I’m already very involved, but not officially involved,” he says. “I still speak to Paul [Annacone, his former coach and head of men’s tennis at the LTA] every week about men’s players. I go and watch, but I don’t have any specific involvement. For sure, that would be an area where I would like to give back, try and help some of those guys who are coming from the junior game into the professional game. I always keep an eye on them.”
Never one for hyperbole, Henman is playing down his involvement. He has been hitting with leading juniors at the Win Tennis Academy in Bisham Abbey, Buckinghamshire, for months and his phone calls to Annacone are more daily than weekly.
Mike Walker, who runs Win Tennis, described Henman’s input as “absolutely invaluable”. Walker said: “He is an exceptional role model and any input is of huge benefit, not only to the kids but also the coaches.”
One player who has caught his eye is Daniel Evans, the 18-year-old from Birmingham, who has recently been signed up by Patricio Apey, the former agent of Andy Murray. Evans has the highest ranking in the world for his age group and Henman is convinced that he is going places.
“He’s already 300 [in the world], so he’s a long way ahead of where I was [at that age],” he says. “I practise with Dan a bit, so it’s the same with Andy [Murray]. I have always been there to pass on any advice.”
Murray apart, the British women are in an unfamiliar position this year of having greater prospects at Wimbledon than their male counterparts. Anne Keothavong has broken into the world’s top 50 while Elena Baltacha and Katie O’Brien are knocking on the door of the top 100. It is a situation that should redden the cheeks of the men’s contingent and Henman is not about to start making excuses.
“The British women have done really well and all credit to them,” he says. “If you go back five years, it was terrible. There were no prospects. All credit to Anne, she was at 150-200 in the world for a long time, but she worked really hard and to suddenly get through to the top 50, it’s fantastic.
“The reality is that some of the men aren’t good enough. They don’t have the ability to be top-class players. I think the biggest issue is maximising potential and too many British players in the past haven’t done that.”
One Alex Bogdanovic, a perennial underachiever, springs instantly to mind. “Alex has the ability to be a top-50 player, but mentally and physically he hasn’t been good enough,” Henman says. “I have spoken to Paul a lot about him and he says ‘Boggo’ has turned the corner and changed his attitude. He probably hasn’t had the results to show for it yet, but if he keeps working hard and doing the right thing, I can’t believe that he can’t get his ranking up again.”
Henman’s brood alone could increase the potential of the next generation, but he is reluctant to point daughters Rosie, Olivia and Grace in that direction, largely because of the scrutiny it might provoke. “Part of me hopes they don’t play,” he says. “If one or all of them wanted to play, then of course I’d support them, but part of me hopes they do something different.”
Tramlines to sidelines: former players who switched roles
Brad GilbertThe American coached Andre Agassi to six grand-slam titles in an eight-year partnership and Andy Roddick to the US Open in 2003. Personality clash brought a premature end to his spell with Andy Murray.
Miles MaclaganA Great Britain Davis Cup player who specialised in doubles. Became Murray’s coach at the beginning of last year.
Magnus NormanThe former world No 2 has joined forces with Robin Söderling, his Swedish compatriot, the beaten French Open finalist last month.
Thierry ChampionA former quarter-finalist at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the Frenchman is best known for his work with Gaël Monfils. They split in 2006.
¤ Tim Henman is an ambassador for the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 and Under Challenge. For more information please visit wimbledon.org/roadtowimbledon