The Hindu : Sport : Henman's campaign comes to an end

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Friday, Jun 24, 2005

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Henman's campaign comes to an end

Nirmal Shekar

There is no dream quite like the impossible dream. In the world of sport, there is no dream quite like the Henmaniacs' dream at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Why dream at all when you know that realisation lies beyond the boundaries of the possible? Good question.

The answer is simple. Like unrequited love, unrealised dreams are so much dearer to our hearts than the ones that readily come true. The longing, the agony, the lingering hope, the melancholy of it all...it is stuff of Shakespearean drama.

Ask the ones that pack the show courts here during The Fortnight. Check with the thousands that braved the scalding summer sun on the Henman Hill on Thursday, and the millions that anxiously sneak up from behind the sofa in their drawing room once in a while to check the scores of the Henman match on TV, unable to continuously bear the agony — actually a potent mix of agony and ecstasy.

As the ageing hero took yet another painful blow that has temporarily halted the longest unsuccessful march in the history of organised sport — Tim Henman, seeded six, was beaten 3-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 by the unheralded Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the second round on the centre court today — it was once again time to marvel at the enduring tragi-comic love affair between English tennis fans and a 30-year old who will almost certainly leave the game without having his name inscribed on the most coveted trophy in the sport.

A new low

On an afternoon when the teenaged French Open champion and fourth seed, Rafael Nadal of Spain, was bundled out by the little known Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, Henman touched a new low. This is the first time in 10 years that he has failed to get past the second round at Wimbledon.

But then, a dozen years after his debut here, after four quarterfinal and four semifinal appearances, and three months short of his 31st birthday, Henman — and his army of supporters — came in here believing that he is still a serious challenger for the title. It is this unshakeable belief in his own destiny that drives the man, that has seen him endure all the frustration and grief to mount yet another campaign.

Henman is a good man, a decent bloke, although he did use bad language on court today in frustration — something that was caught on microphone and for which the BBC actually apologised to its viewers. But that was a rare aberration and even in the old country they don't come like him anymore. At his best, he is one of the finest grass court players of his generation, one of the toughest, granite-willed competitors seen in these parts. Perhaps the best volleyer since Stefan Edberg packed his bags for the last time, Henman could have won Wimbledon with a spot of luck.

Make that a lot of luck, if you wish. Actually, each summer, as yet another edition of the Henman saga plays itself out, your correspondent thinks of the John Lennon classic `Imagine'.

"Imagine there is no heaven, it is easy if you try. No hell below us....'' Well, imagine there was no Pete Sampras. Imagine there was no Goran Ivanisevic. Imagine there is no Roger Federer, no Marat Safin, no Andy Roddick.

Well, this one is not easy; however hard you tried — unless you belonged to a unique breed of tennis fans (Henmaniacs) who dream with undying optimism.

The four times that Henman made the semifinals here, he was beaten by the man who went on to win the title. In 1998 and 1999, that man was Sampras. In 2001 it was Ivanisevic and the following year it was Lleyton Hewitt.

The point is, given his obvious limitations, Henman is one level below men who might be expected to win Grand Slam titles. Yet, he could have done it here. Several of his tribe have been crowned champions. But too many different things have to fall in place for that to happen. It is like some giant jig saw puzzle that can only be solved by accident.

Can that sort of accident ever happen here? Don't bet on it, although you will get lucrative odds if you did.

Henman's legs are not what they used to be. He doesn't blanket the net like he used to in the past. His serve has never been a major weapon. And he simply keeps himself going, these days, on pure adrenaline, on the surge triggered by flag waving supporters who he works like an old ring master.

But, alas, the greasepaint is melting. In Britain itself, young men such as Andrew Murray appear set to steal his thunder. And it would take a great sporting miracle to carry him to a tryst with his perceived destiny.

Yet, the dream lives on. His fans know that they will never get what they want. But they keep wanting, keep hoping. It is a seemingly endless game where the fascination lies in merely wanting, hoping. Realisation is the end of the game. Who wants this soap opera to end?

Today, against Tursunov, who beat Marat Safin in the first round here last year, Henman started well, breaking serve in the opening game of the match and taking the first set. But, predictably, he faltered soon enough and the roller coaster ride saw him being outplayed in the second set. In the third, the sixth seed found the crucial break in the eighth game but Tursunov hit back to draw level in the fourth, breaking Henman's serve in the fourth game.

Tursunov, who came into the event with a protected ranking following a long injury layoff because of a recurring back problem — he did not play any tournaments after the 2004 U.S. Open until Indian Wells this March — was right on top in the decider. He broke to 5-4 but let go of two matchpoints and lost serve when serving for the match the first time. But the 22-year old Russian made no mistake the second time. After breaking to 7-6, he served out the match, closing it out on his fourth matchpoint.

"It won't sit comfortably with me for a period of time but you have to move on from it,'' said a disappointed Henman, adding that he was planning to be back here next here and had no reason to quit.

Even if Henman does come back here next summer, it is quite likely that the best British hope in 2006 would be a Scotsman. Andrew Murray, 18, underlined his growing stature with superb 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 defeat of the 14th seeded Czech Radek Stepanek later in the evening.

The torch has already passed. The Impossible Dream is on life support.

Mixed doubles

Sania Mirza will partner Simon Aspelin of Sweden in the mixed doubles event. Mahesh Bhupathi will play alongside Mary Pierce of France. Leander Paes has not entered.

Prefix denotes seeding

Men's singles:

Second round: 27-Richard Gasquet (Fra) bt Gilles Elseneer (Bel) 7-6(7), 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-2; 28-Jiri Novak (Cze) bt Fabrice Santoro (Fra) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Igor Andreev (Rus) bt Davide Sanguinetti (Ita) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Gilles Muller (Lux) bt 4-Rafael Nadal (Esp) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Dmitry Tursunov (Rus) bt 6-Tim Henman (G.Br) 3-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6; Max Mirnyi (Bel) bt 33-Olivier Rochus (Bel) 7-6(4), 6-2, 7-6(3); 9-Sebastien Grosjean (Fra) bt Victor Hanescu (Rom) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Andrew Murray (G.Br) bt 14-Radek Stepanek (Cze) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; 15-Guillermo Coria (Arg) bt Xavier Malisse (Bel) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4.

Alexander Popp (Ger) bt Wayne Arthurs (Aus) 6-3, 6-7(4), 3-6, 7-6(4), 14-12; Jurgen Melzer (Aut) bt Alex Calatrava (Esp) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1; 12-Thomas Johansson (Swe) bt Andrei Pavel (Rom) 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-6(4).

Women's singles:

Second round: 2-Maria Sharapova (Rus) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (Bul) 6-0, 6-1; 16-Nathalie Dechy (Fra) bt Jane O'Donoghue (G.Br) 6-2, 6-1; 20-Daniela Hantuchova (Slo) bt Shahar Peer (Isr) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Jill Craybas (U.S.) bt 29-Marion Bartoli (Fra) 6-1, 6-4; Cara Black (Zim) bt 32-Virginie Razzano (Fra) 6-4, 7-6(5).

Eleni Daniilidou (Gre) bt Laura Granville (U.S.) 6-2, 6-0; Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) bt Yoon Jeong Cho (S. Kor) 7-5, 6-4.

14-Venus Williams (U.S.) bt Nicole Pratt (Aus) 7-5, 6-3; Alyona Bondarenko (Ukr) bt Tatiana Panova (Rus) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

8-Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Severine Beltrame (Fra) 6-1, 6-2; Kveta Peschke (Cze) bt 11-Vera Zvonareva (Rus) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

19-Ana Ivanovic (SEM) bt Stephanie Foretz (Fra) 6-4, 6-3; 26-Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Gisela Dulko (Arg) 6-2, 6-4; Conchita Martinez (Esp) bt Kristina Brandi (Pue) 6-2, 6-3; 4-Serena Williams (U.S.) bt Mara Santangelo (Ita) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

12-Mary Pierce (Fra) bt Julia Vakulenko (Ukr) 4-6, 7-6(7), 9-7.

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