Tennis:Britain's Tim Henman, refusing to be overawed by the world number one, said today he was still "absolutely" convinced he could beat triple Wimbledon champion Roger Federer when they meet in the second round.
Revelling in his role as the underdog, Henman was relieved that
the crushing pressure of expectation was not on his shoulders. But
he said it was vital to go on the offensive against Federer who
today broke Bjorn Borg's record 41-match grasscourt winning
sequence with a scintillating 6-3 6-2 6-2 first round victory over
Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Henman put his devoted home fans through the emotional
wringer when defeating his first round opponent, Sweden's Robin
Soderling.
Four times a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, he put in one of his
typical rollercoaster performances before triumphing 6-7 6-3 6-2
1-6 6-3.
For the other two big names in British tennis, it was a day
of mixed fortunes. Scottish teenager Andy Murray, who reached the
third round last year on his Wimbledon debut, beat Chile's Olympic
gold medallist Nicolas Massu 6-4 6-4 6-4 in an impressive Centre
Court display of power tennis.
But British number one Greg Rusedski was scuttled out of
Wimbledon in the first round. He was never able to get in an
effective blow against Russia's double grand slam winner Marat
Safin who won 6-4 6-4 6-4.
In sharp contrast to the dejected Rusedski, Henman was
confidently talking the talk when reflecting on his clash with
Federer.
Asked if he believed he could win, Henman said "Absolutely
Yeah... I know my game matches up well. I've got to play my own
game and try and create some opportunities, not let him dictate as
much as he likes to do. When you get the opportunities, you've got
to try and take them."
"With all due respect it's very much another match for me,"
Henman said. "If you're talking about a favourite and an underdog,
Roger will be the favourite."
But at least Henman is leading 6-4 in their matches, having
most famously knocked Federer out of Wimbledon in 2001 after the
young Swiss player had eliminated Pete Sampras.
Henman, who has not won a tournament since the Paris Masters in
2003, lost
the first set tiebreak against Soderling with an
apparent ace, electronically called out, followed by a double
fault.
Playing in his 13th Wimbledon, he steadied to win the next two
sets before Soderling easily levelled the match. The former British
number one was dominant in the final set, however.
Henman was joined in the second round by British wildcard
Richard Bloomfield, ranked 259 in the world, who pulled off a
comprehensive 6-1 6-2 6-2 win over Argentine Carlos Belocq, ranked
88.
However there was little for local fans to cheer in the
women's singles. British number one Anne Keothavong was trounced
6-0 6-2 by Croatian Karolina Sprem.
Katie O'Brien lost 2-6 7-6 6-2 to Italian Tathiana Garbin while wild card Naomi Cavaday lost her baseline duel with Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-4 7-5.