Tim Henman enjoyed a legendary tennis career, flying the flag for Great Britain on the world stage.
For years Great Britain struggled to produce a top star on the ATP Tour as the nation continued their wait for a Major champion.
When Henman made his professional debut in 1994, it quickly became clear that the country finally had someone who could challenge the best in men’s tennis.
Just two years later, Henman reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, losing out to America’s Todd Martin in three sets.
He repeated the feat one year later before going a step further in 1998, losing to Pete Sampras in the semis, as he became the first British man to reach the last four at Wimbledon since Roger Taylor, 25 years earlier.
Another semi-final defeat followed in 1999 before Henman came as close as ever to reaching the final at SW19 in a 2001 thriller.
Tim Henman said he knew in his ‘heart’ he would win Wimbledon after fourth semi-final defeat in 2001
Henman enjoyed a thrilling journey to the last four in London 24 years ago, as things finally looked set for the Brit to go all the way at his home tournament.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| QF | Roger Federer [15] | 7-5, 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 |
| 4R | Todd Martin [23] | 6-7, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 3R | Sjeng Schalken [26] | 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2R | Martin Lee [WC] | 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1R | Artem Derepasko [Q] | 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 |
He faced a tough test against Wild Card and three-time finalist Goran Ivanisevic in the semis, as the British fans anticipated a tense clash on Centre Court.
The towering Croat clinched the first set, 7-5, quieting the British crowd with some thunderous ball striking.
It was then Henman’s turn to strike, battling back to take the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 [8-6], leveling proceedings.
A dominant third set from Henman put him on the brink of a first career Wimbledon final, leading, 5-7, 7-6, 6-0.
The momentum was clearly with Henman before the British weather saved Ivanisevic, as play was called off for the day.
When the players returned on Saturday, Ivanisevic had regained composure, and survived in a fourth-set tiebreaker, having been just two points away from defeat.
Again the weather caused play to be delayed, as Ivanisevic and Henman were told to go home just five games into the deciding set.
Returning for a third day, Henman was the first to blink, as mistakes from the Brit and several excellent return winners from Ivanisevic saw the latter secure a late break, at 4-3.
Serving for the match, Ivanisevic secured his place in the final, overcoming Henman and the British crowd in a marathon, three-day affair on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
Henman was unsurprisingly devastated during his post-match press conference, having been just two points from victory.
“Yeah, first and foremost, it is disappointing,” he said.
“You know, in the circumstances, it feels like it’s been a pretty long three days.”
The Brit then shared his thoughts on the rain delays as he admitted they didn’t favor him.
“It’s difficult, I’d be lying if I said it was easy, but you just have to deal with those circumstances,” said Henman.
“If we could control the weather, then obviously you wouldn’t try and put yourself in that situation.
“As I said, sometimes it works in your favor, and sometimes it doesn’t, I think, in all honesty, it didn’t work in my favor with the first break, but that’s the way it goes.”
Henman was determined not to let the result get to him, however, and reiterated his belief that he would return to win Wimbledon.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough this year, but I certainly know that you know, I’ll be back for many more tries,” he said.
“You know, I think I’m right in saying that, I’ve said most years that, I believe I’ll win this tournament, it certainly isn’t any different this year.
“I certainly feel, with my game, I’m better than the vast majority of these players, certainly on grass.
“Add to that the fact of playing at home, playing with the support I have, I certainly in my heart know that I will win.
“But it’s my job to make sure that I, you know, keep doing the training, keep working at my game to make those improvements.
“You know, we’ll just have to wait and see whether I achieve it.”
Did Tim Henman return to win Wimbledon after his heart-breaking defeat in 2001?
Unfortunately for Henman and the British crowd, he never came closer to reaching the Wimbledon final than he did in 2001.
A semi-final defeat in 2002, was followed by two defeats in the quarter-finals before Henman began to struggle during the latter stages of his career.
His defeat to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt in the 2002 semi-finals was far more convincing than the one he suffered at the hands of Ivanisevic one year earlier, as he lost in straight sets, 5-7, 1-6, 5-7.
Three consecutive second-round exits from 2005-2007 spelled the end of Henman’s career as he hung up his racket having never quite gotten over the line at SW19.
Britain had to wait a few more years for a home winner at Wimbledon, as Andy Murray stepped up to the plate in 2013, ending the 76-year wait for a British champion.
He won his second Wimbledon title in 2016, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest tennis players in British history.
Murray will no doubt have been inspired by Henman’s efforts, however, as the former world number four fought bravely on Centre Court year after year.
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