British players-henman,murray,rusedski etc

[jewell]

Thankfully the Brits managed to see off the Russians.

I heard Murray might miss the Davis Cup against Serbia which will be a big blow. If he does miss out then I would have to make the Serbs the favourites for the tie.

[Annie]

Sorry but I am not too happy with the Brits today LOL I'll get over it though

Congrats Tim and Greg

[marats]

Congrats British boys but i'm staying supporting our dear Marat !

[sabz]

i am still upset that Marat didnt win, but WELL DONE TO TIM!!
interesting to see how he fairs with Hewiit, he has a losing record of 8-0, so doesnt look to good . But then again, Tim is definately full of surprises at the moment! ;D

[Madou]

Woohoo Tim has beaten Hewitt ! Even if he won against Marat, I'm still happy for him. I would be so glad to see him playing at his best again !!

[Annie]

I watched a few games of that match AND TIM ROCKED!!!!!!!!!! Well done man!!!! that was great ;D ;D ;D

[SAFINNO1]

Henman ends Hewitt jinx in Miami

Tim Henman ended his six-year losing streak against Lleyton Hewitt with a stunning 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami on Saturday.
Henman, 31, claimed his first win in nine meetings with the Australian and will face Simon Greul in the last 32.

But fellow Briton Greg Rusedski suffered a battling 6-4 6-4 defeat to Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela.

Hewitt saved five set points in the opening set before Henman floated a backhand winner down the line.

And the Briton took a 4-1 lead in the second before clinching victory with a volley winner.

Success was sweet for British number three Henman, who has racked up back-to-back victories over former world number ones after defeating Marat Safin in the first round.

"I played a good match," he said.

"I think my match against Safin was much cleaner and of probably a higher quality but this was a case of different conditions against a different opponent. This was more satisfying."

The shock result leaves Hewitt, the Australian 13th seed, struggling to find his touch as he dropped to 13-7 for the season.

Since losing to American James Blake in the Las Vegas final earlier this month, Hewitt has won only one match.

He said: "The guys that come through the first round are obviously doing something pretty well to beat other reasonable players.

"Tim is definitely one of the tougher non-seeded players."

Henman, ranked 56th, first took on Hewitt in 2000 at Scottsdale where he lost 6-4 7-6.

Rusedski was unable to equal his compatriot's feat, slipping to a straight-sets loss against Chela.

The British number three battled from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead in the first set, but Chela recovered to level the scores and then stepped up a gear to make it 4-3 before eventually serving out for the set.

The Argentine then broke Rusedski in the fifth game of the second set and went on to secure the match.

[SAFINNO1]

Murray doubtful for Davis Cup tie

Andy Murray has been named in Great Britain's squad for the Davis Cup tie against Serbia & Montenegro, but says he is unlikely to be fit to play.
The Scot sprained an ankle during his defeat by Stanislas Wawrinka in the Nasdaq 100 Open in Miami on Wednesday.

He was subsequently named alongside Greg Rusedski, Arvind Parmar and James Auckland in Britain's squad for the Davis Cup tie in Glasgow in April.

But when asked if he might have to miss the tie, he said: "I think so."

Murray was beaten 7-5 3-6 6-4 by Wawrinka in the first round in Miami.

He suffered his injury when he slipped and split the brace he has worn on his ankle since last summer.

"Half an hour after being off the court it started to hurt quite a bit," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"I think tomorrow morning when I wake up it will be a little bit sore. It would have been bad if I wasn't wearing my ankle brace.

"But it might not be the worst thing if I miss it (the Davis Cup tie) because I'll get some time off."

Murray is keen to get some rest before the gruelling clay-court season gets under way.

"The hardest thing is being away (from home) for so long and then if I do well I have to go straight into Davis Cup training," he said.

"If you think that out of the next 16 weeks you may have to play 15 of them, it's not the easiest thing to have on your mind."

[SAFINNO1]

Henman crashes out to qualifier

Tim Henman went out of the Nasdaq-100 Open with a bizarre 0-6 6-1 7-5 loss to German qualifier Simon Greul on Monday.
The Briton raced through the first seven games with ease but lost the next seven as Greul levelled at one set all.

And a nervous Henman then let a 4-2 lead slip in the decider as world number 130 Greul fought back.

With a tie-break looming, the German broke Henman for the fifth time to seal the win and he will next face Andy Roddick or Fernando Verdasco.

Greul beat Paradorn Srichaphan and Dominik Hrbaty in his opening two matches in Miami, but he showed none of that form in the early stages against Henman.
rash of errors and double faults saw him lose the first set in 18 minutes, and it was not until the eighth game that the German got off the mark - something he celebrated by raising his arms in mock triumph.

It seemed to revitalise Greul, while Henman - who beat Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt in the previous rounds - lost concentration.

The second set disappeared almost as quickly as the first, and Henman was into a final set.

Greul saved three break points in his first service game, but two games later another double fault gave Henman the seemingly decisive break.

But with victory in sight, Henman's nerve faltered.

Errors from the Briton contributed as Greul levelled at 4-4, and four games later the German took full advantage by sealing the match with a forehand winner.

[Annie]

wtf was that??? The score and the game itself is beyond me LOL

[sabz]

totally agree with you Annie!!
he beats Marat, then Lleyton - and then loses to HIM?? wats that all about
and dont get me started on that scoreline!!

[avalon]

[kittycatnat]

Aww i feel sorry for Tim, he beat Marat and Lleyton, two of the best players, and then loses to Greul.

[sabz]

Found this article on the BBC website

Henman keen to prolong his career
British number three Tim Henman says he has no intention of retiring at the end of the season.
Henman has slipped to 63rd in the world rankings, leading to speculation he might quit at the end of the year.
But the 31-year-old told BBC Radio 4: "If I wasn't enjoying it and feeling I was able to compete, then certainly it would be time to assess things.
"But right now that certainly seems a long way off and there's no reason why I can't play a good few years yet."
But he ruled out making a return to Great Britain's Davis Cup squad if Andy Murray was forced out of the team to face Serbia and Montenegro because of illness.
Henman, who retired from the Davis Cup in January, said: "It's a crisis situation which doesn't include me. I'm not going to change my decision on the basis of someone else's health."
And he does not expect to make a comeback in the future, despite captain Jeremy Bates' efforts to persuade him to change his mind.
"He's always kept the door open for me and likewise I'd never say never. But I'd be very surprised if I play Davis Cup again," he added.
Henman was fifth in the world in April last year, but his ranking has tumbled following a frustrating 12 months.
He has been hampered by back and shoulder injuries and fallen behind Andy Murray and Greg Rusedski in the British standings.
"There's no doubt it's been a difficult 15 or 16 months and that's been probably dominated more by back problems than my results on the court," Henman said.
But he showed glimpses of his best form in beating Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt in consecutive matches at the Nasdaq-100 Open - before losing to German qualifier Simon Greul - and now feels his luck is turning.
"In the last couple of months I've really felt like I've begun to turn the corner," he added.
"I've felt healthy on the court and that puts a totally different slant on everything.
"When you can practise and train properly and actually enjoy what you're doing it's going to have a knock-on effect on performance."

[SAFINNO1]

Rusedski victory puts GB in front

Greg Rusedski gave Great Britain a vital early lead in their Davis Cup clash against Serbia & Montenegro with a battling performance in Glasgow.
Rusedski needed six match points but finally saw off Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 7-5.

"Even though I lost the second set I felt I played the better tennis," said Rusedski afterwards.

With Andy Murray out of the opening day, Arvind Parmar faces Novak Djokovic in the second singles rubber.

Rusedski eased through the opening set against Tipsarevic, breaking in game seven, but found it much tougher going in the second.

Tipsarevic took the tie-break 7-2 and both players had break points in the crucial third before Rusedski capitalised in game 12 on his second set point.

It was a similar story in the fourth until a dramatic 10th game that saw Rusedski let five match points slip away.

But the 32-year-old was not rattled and kept up his superb form on serve before converting his sixth match point with a forehand winner.

"I was really pleased with the way I played today," said Rusedski. "There is a lot of pressure out there and I'm very pleased to come off in four sets.

"It's been a long while since I've tested myself over three hours so that's definitely a big plus for me today. So far the body feels great so I have no complaints."