Proud father Henman sets his sights on Shanghai
Timothy Collings
Lack of sleep, lack of practice and the arrival of his first baby at dawn last Saturday all combined to inspire Tim Henman to revive his form and make a winning start at the Swiss Indoors tournament on Wednesday.
The top seed and defending champion, who had delayed a decision on his participation in his favourite indoors event until his daughter was born, beat French qualifier Cedric Pioline 6-1 6-4 in 58 minutes.
Afterwards, grinning with pleasure at reporters' jokes about his experiences as a new father, Henman revealed that his wife Lucy had given birth to their baby at precisely the right time, even if it meant he had lost the best part of two nights sleep.
"On Friday night, Lucy's waters broke at around ten o'clock and the baby arrived at about five in the morning, so that night was a write-off for sleep completely," said Henman.
The Wimbledon semi-finalist is bidding to win the Basel title for a third time and boost his hopes of qualifying for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.
"The next night, I slept a couple of hours or so and it has only got a little better since then. Since I got here last night, I'm still not sleeping really well.
"I think there is still a lot of adrenaline running around in my body from all the excitement."
Rarely can a newborn bay have dominated so much time during a post-match news conference at a tennis tournament.
But it was undeniable that the arrival of Rose Elizabeth Henman was a far more intriguing and unpredictable affair than her father's swift demolition of the lacklustre Pioline.
"It was amazing," said Henman. "It all happened so quickly. It was certainly an eventful weekend but it was one that I recommend."
IMPROVED TREATMENT
In relaxed mood, Henman also talked of the chronic tendonitis in his right shoulder that has hampered his form and progress this year, claiming that it was much better after recent improvements in treatment of the injury.
"It feels a lot better now," he said. "To begin with, I think it was just psychological. But I knew that if I left it alone and did nothing, it would get worse so I knew I had to work on it."
He said he has worked hard in the gym to improve its movement and strength and that, although he was not serving as consistently or as powerfully as he could at full fitness, he was feeling much better than he had for some time.
Yet, he said he was still icing it two or three times a day to prevent inflammation of the tendons that have plagued him.
"I know I am over the worst now and I would say I am confident that I am moving in the right direction," he said.
Henman said the unpredictability surrounding his baby's arrival was the single most worrying factor for him last week when he was eliminated from the Madrid Masters tournament in the opening round.
"Not knowing if I was going to have to rush off in the middle or practice or something, the complete unpredictability of it all was what made it so difficult," he said. "It was not easy. Now I am more settled mentally and I can concentrate a lot better on the court."
WELCOME DISTRACTION
He said the next two weeks of the season were "very important" for him, as they are for all the players in the leading group competing for qualifying positions for Shanghai.
"It will all boil down to Paris in the end," he said. "Whatever happens that is the way it will be. For me, this is a bonus week. If the baby had not been born by Sunday morning, I wouldn't have come here. I'd have stayed at home.
"But the baby came on Saturday morning, so here I am."
He said the baby's arrival had been a welcome distraction from tennis, helping him to relax and improve his form.
"I have been under mounting pressure for the last two years and far too focused on who is doing what and where they are playing and what is happening. This year I have been much more distracted and more relaxed. It's a win-win situation.
"I feel good, I hope I can do well here in this tournament, but it is not the main focus of my attention now. I have other things to think of now."
