E-Paper
Henman faces milestone match at Roland Garros
Roland Garros and the All England Club both nestle in the affluent south-western suburbs of their respective capital cities.
Roland Garros and the All England Club both nestle in the affluent south-western suburbs of their respective capital cities.
That is where the similarity ends.
However, when Tim Henman walks on to the vivid red clay of the Philippe Chatrier centre court on Tuesday he will be bidding to unite the two grand slams events in his personal record books.
Born to be a grasscourter, Henman has reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon on no fewer than four occasions, though he has never progressed beyond that stage on Wimbledon's lush lawns.
Until two days ago, the Briton had never reached the quarter-finals of a grand slam outside of Wimbledon.
On Tuesday, he has a golden chance of reaching the semis of the French Open, the slam played on his weakest surface, clay.
Between Henman and a last-four spot stands Juan Ignacio Chela.
A player with clay dust permanently caked to his shoes, the Argentine should be a clear favourite.
TELLING STATISTIC
But Henman, seeded ninth here, has split their four previous matches. The most telling statistic is that they have won one apiece on clay. The Briton knows what he has to do.
"I've seen him play some of his matches this week or this tournament, and I think, you know, it's pretty obvious the way he's going to play," Henman said.
"He's not going to be coming to the net a great deal. Therefore, it gives me a great chance to really dictate.
"But I've got to commit to that. If I don't commit and I end up getting caught behind the baseline and not playing aggressively, then that's going to favour him."
Chela is a determined character, a powerful baseliner with fierce groundstrokes off either side and he will be looking to out-hit the Briton.
Henman's style of play -- considered by many to be anachronistic in this age of brutal baseliners -- is more subtle.
Relying on guile and angles rather than power and brute force, Henman cannot afford to be at anything less than his best on Tuesday.
"Whatever the surface, I feel good about my game," he said confidently. "You just have to, you know, deal with things as best you can on the day.
PLAYING WELL
"I'm playing well...so who knows what's going to happen.
"I need to be committed to my style. And if I do that, and I lose, then I don't have any complaints."
Inevitably, talk is growing of Henman achieving what had been unthinkable before the tournament -- a first grand slam title at the age of 29 on clay.
The player himself, though, is adamant he will not make the mistake of looking too far ahead.
"I'm playing well," he said. "(But) it's totally the wrong way to approach it. If you start thinking down the road, you're not going to concentrate on your job.
The last British man to win a grand slam singles event was Fred Perry when he won the 1936 U.S. Open. Perry was also the last British winner of the men's title at Roland Garros -- in 1935.
However, before there can be any talk of grand slams, first there is Chela, and the Argentine could not have wanted for a more preferred opponent.
"I prefer to play against a player who's attacking all the time and comes to the net," he said, summing up Henman's modus operandi.
"On clay, it's slower so I have more time than on cement or hard courts. I prefer that kind of player rather than the player that makes you move a lot."
