Tennis-Wimbledon-Depressed Henman vows to try again ( 2003-07-04 09:36) (Reuters)
A dejected Tim Henman admitted time was running out for him to win Wimbledon
after his latest failure on Thursday.
The 28-year-old Briton's four-set quarter-final defeat by Frenchman Sebastien
Grosjean was the seventh time in eight years he has lost in either quarter or
semi-finals at the All England Club.
"Maybe, I think perhaps my chances are getting less. But that won't stop me
coming back and trying," said Henman, whose annual bid to end his country's
67-year wait for a Wimbledon men's champion has become a national obsession.
"I wouldn't say they (my chances) are diminishing greatly. It's inevitable as
the standards are getting better, I have to find ways to keep improving.
"That's not going to stop me coming back. This is the one tournament I
desperately want to win. In the bigger picture, in my career, I've still got
another four or five years.
"You've got to have belief if you don't believe in yourself you've got no
shot. At moments like this it's difficult to accept but it doesn't detract from
my belief that I can go away and improve."
Henman accepted he had been outplayed by Grosjean over the two days of their
rain-affected match.
"His standard of play over the whole course of the match was better than
mine," said Henman.
"He served better than me. He served great, for a guy of 5ft 9 (1.75m). On
return of serve he's very, very solid. He didn't volley much but I didn't volley
well.
"In most aspects I didn't match up well. I give Seb a lot of credit. He
played better than me. But that doesn't really hide my disappointment and
frustration at outcome of today's match."
DESPONDENT NOTE
Henman, the 10th seed, would have faced big-serving Australian Mark
Philippoussis in the semi-finals had he won, with a final against Swiss fourth
seed Roger Federer or American fifth seed Andy Roddick after that.
"You look at Roddick, Federer and Philippoussis, the way they have been
playing, if I was in the semis with them it's tough to make me a favourite ahead
of any of them," he conceded.
Henman refused to blame his recent shoulder injury for his defeat, but
admitted he was finding it hard to carry the burden of British expectations
single-handed.
"I'd like other (British) players to be competing at a higher level. If
you've got eight or 10 players in the top 50 or 100 it is good for competition,
it deflects some of the attention."
The Englishman struck a despondent note in conclusion, though.
"I don't feel any sense of achievement. I heard the other day that (Jimmy)
Connors and (Pete) Sampras are the only guys to make the second week here eight
years in row, so perhaps I should see some achievement, but right now I don't."
