Henman refuses to rule out GB return
Tim Henman retired from Davis Cup competition last year
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Monday, 25, Sep 2006 09:00
Tim Henman has admitted that the curtain has not come down on his Davis Cup career quite yet.
The British number two is being wooed by new captain John Lloyd in the hope that the 31-year-old may have a change of heart and return to the Great Britain camp.
Henman had been the mainstay of the team for a decade before retiring last year, but with Greg Rusedski set to hang up his racquet in the not too distant future, his talents are again required.
Lloyd has made no secret of the fact that he wants Henman back, and it seems that the request may not be rejected out of hand by the Oxford player.
"If I didn't want to keep the options open, I would have said that I've retired for good," Henman said from Bangkok, where he is due to face countryman Andy Murray in the first round of the Thailand Open tomorrow night.
"I've never said never, but I still feel comfortable with my decision. But who knows, that might change. I always want to keep the dialogue going, but we'll have to wait and see. The tie is a long way off.
"I certainly know in my heart that I've always given 100 per cent when I've played for such a long period of time. But it gets to be a physical thing and I felt like something had to give. You have to be realistic. I can't do it all. My body doesn't recover as quickly as it once did, and playing five-set matches back to back is certainly not easy."
Murray, who has beaten Henman three times in three meetings between the Britons, has taken the lead role in Davis Cup matches in Henman's absence.
And it was his two wins in the Ukraine, coupled with an opening rubber victory by Rusedski, which ensured the team did not face the ignominy of being relegated to the second tier of European/African competition.