Top 44 Tim Henman Quotes

I wasn’t really allowed to ski during my career because it was too risky in terms of potential injuries.

I would say, hand on heart, I probably had a very good relationship with the press. The tennis journalists that followed me throughout my career… sure, you know, we had a few bumps in the road, if you like, but that’s what you’re paid to do.

It’s always fun catching up with the other players because so many of them were really good mates when I was playing on the main tour. The thing you miss when you give up is that camaraderie that you experienced because, for 35 weeks of the year, it really is a travelling circus.

I love red meat.

I was part of the David Lloyd Academy and when I was 16-17 years old I got to practise with Stefan Edberg and that really helped me.

The Olympics had never really been on my agenda. I had been a huge sports fan growing up, But it never really occurred to me that I would have a chance to participate.

The pressure I did feel before matches was self-inflicted. I didn’t go out on court there thinking about what was being said in the papers and on TV about me.

You cannot play every week, and a couple of weeks away is vital. When you look at Federer’s record and the number of Slams he has competed in, it highlights how he plans so far in advance.

I’m a private person. I don’t want to write a book because I know the story and feel no need to tell it to anyone else.

If you’d asked me when I was 18 if I’d be happy being in the top 100 male players for 10 years, I’d have taken that like a shot. As it turned out I was top five for a decade.

The ATP is a difficult structure, it is 50% players, 50% tournaments. And so if you are the chairperson of that organization, it’s very difficult to please everyone.

Everyone deals with pressure in different ways.

The players should appreciate how lucky they are with the opportunities they’ve got, and they’ve got to get out there and maximise that. That’s what success is about and unfortunately in British tennis there are too many people over the years who haven’t maximised their potential.

Unless we get children playing tennis, we’ll lose the talented ones with good athletic ability and hand-eye coordination to football and other sports.

A professional notices any small change to their racket, whether it’s something a bit different to the grip, the strings or the frame.

I had eight consecutive years in the top 20 and five of those were in the top 10. That’s something I’m very proud of. And the way that I played some of my matches at Wimbledon was also very special.

I feel at times I get blamed for the weather at Wimbledon.

It’s a fact of life that there will always be people who try to cut corners.

Playing the tennis circuit, I travelled so much for so long, that being at home is now one of my favourite things.

I had a shoulder problem during my career when I changed my service action and needed an operation.

Tennis is not always that accessible but I sometimes think badminton is harder – tennis you can always play against the wall but badminton is tough to even play outdoors with the wind.

Players have a very short window of opportunity and they’re just interested in what they can earn.

From when I was about the age of 16 to 33, I was away about 30 weeks a year.

I never envisaged how much I’d enjoy just being at home, with the kids, playing loads of golf.

Returning serve on clay is not easy because you don’t always have a sure footing so you can’t push off in the way that you would like.

The players that always used to frighten me were the big servers so someone like John Isner if he gets on a roll with his serve, can be a nightmare to play against.

Clay is so challenging as a surface because you want to be playing aggressively but the margins are so small and it’s easy to get the balance wrong and start making errors. Getting your movement right and preparing correctly to hit your shots is key.

My wife has horses and we’ve got dogs and cats, so our family loves animals.

When I think about how badly I wanted to be a player, and how obsessed I was with the game, I think that, for a long time in British tennis, that’s been a big question mark with the kids, how much they want it.

For a few years after I stopped playing people would ask me how I was coping with retirement and there would often be a slightly worried tone to their voice. But I always answered the question the same way: that if I knew retirement was going to be this good I would have quit a long time ago.

Movement on clay is totally different to every other surface and you have to have that balance and understanding of how to slide.

When you are dealing with two players who are almost mirror images, the contest often boils down to first-serve percentage. Who is getting more cheap points on their first serve? Who can dominate the other guy’s second serve?

I heard there was a bit of talk that there might be a second ‘Wedding Crashers’ film. It would certainly get my support.

My children can really understand the Olympic Games, To have a medal is very, very special.

My wife and I went on a safari break in Singita, South Africa, for our honeymoon and then we went back for our 10th anniversary, which was amazing.

No question, when you’re talking about Grand Slams, they’re the pinnacle of the game, and that’s what I want to be winning.

We need to educate the younger players because match-fixing has no place in sport.

I’ve worked hard ever since I was that 18-year-old kid who travelled to South America and India to play small tournaments in the hope of cracking the top 200.

When playing, I had acupuncture.

When I played, I maximised my potential.

A professional’s racket is such a personal thing, and it’s the tool of your trade.

Being a professional player, you just want to control what happens on court and let the other stuff take care of itself.

People need to know that they can make a living. We are losing a lot of the best athletes to other sports at the age of seven or eight, which is exactly the time when you want to get a racket into their hand.

I still remember playing my first Challenger tournament in Hong Kong in 1990, and the prize fund was $50,000.