Henman hunts ultimate prize

By Tom Fordyce

Henman is in determined mood ahead of the US Open

It might seem like crazy talk, but go with it for a second - could Tim Henman win the US Open?

I know what you're thinking - no he can't, not unless a freak virus wipes out the 37 men who were ranked above him at the start of Monday, and some bespectacled scientist invents a bionic shoulder for the Brit in the meantime.

But hold your cynicism in check for a moment. Sure, Henman is the same player who, just a few weeks ago, capitulated weakly at Wimbledon for the umpteenth time.

But his win on Sunday over Fernando Gonzalez in the final of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington raised some interesting questions for those who have written off his chances of ever winning a Grand Slam singles title.

The Legg Mason might not be the sort of tournament to push football off the back pages in Britain, while Gonzalez could stroll through Wimbledon unrecognised even in tennis whites.

But hey - Andre Agassi wasn't good enough to win the event. He fell in the semis. And Gonzalez is the current world number 14, thank you very much.

That's not all. Henman has been suffering the most prolonged slump of his career. His last tournament win came 19 months ago, before the shoulder injury which threatened to end his career.

He also only arrived in the US a week ago, giving himself precious little time to acclimatise to the weather and court surface - yet he still won his first ever title on US soil.

Most impressively of all, he beat Andy Roddick in his semi-final - the same Roddick who wowed Wimbledon until Roger Federer went to work.

Henman has three weeks to practise before the US Open

That's the good news. And it's all indisputable.

But before you start lumping your life savings on a Henman win at Flushing Meadow, you should consider a few extenuating circumstances.

Henman is now 28, moving into old age in an era where only the incomparable Agassi and Sampras have managed to maintain their best form into their late 20s and beyond.

The men's game is now also more competitive than at any time in history. There are more players capable of going all the way in a Grand Slam event than ever before - which is why no single star dominates the game at the present time.

That shoulder might be good right now, but it is likely to remain an issue for the rest of Henman's career.

And we have also been in this situation before. After that previous big win in Adelaide in January 2002, the draw opened up at the Australian Open and left Henman with what seemed like a golden opportunity to grab a Grand Slam title.

Instead, his game fell apart in the fourth round against journeyman Jonas Bjorkman and he crashed out in straight sets - allowing Thomas Johansson, a player no better than him, to come through and take the title.

When John McEnroe said back in 1997 that Henman was capable of winning a Grand Slam event, he did not mean it was a foregone conclusion.

He meant that, at his best, Henman had a game that could challenge - if other results went his way, and if he played to his very best.

None of that has changed. But there is reason for optimism - and in a year when at one time it appeared Henman was heading for retirement, British tennis fans should be grateful.