There was'nt a thread for this in the other players forum, and as it concerns Marat I wanted to post it, so
put it here as this is where everyone will be over the next 10 days ;D
Marat really has to chock up those points and overtake Henman if he wants to go to Houston.
3:55pm (UK)
Recovering Henman Targets Houston
Tim Henman’s prospects of blossoming this autumn have been bolstered by the British number one’s return to light training.
With a berth in the exclusive Houston Masters Cup in his sights, Henman is hoping to have a full week of on-court practice behind him before beginning his bid for the Madrid Masters Series title on October 18.
With the top seven finishers in the ATP’s Champions Race assured of their ticket to Houston, together with the next highest-ranked winner of a Grand Slam tournament, sixth-placed Henman is currently in a strong position.
Gaston Gaudio, who won the French Open and is just behind Henman in the Champions Race, is also assured of his place whether or not he drops out of the top group as he cannot finish outside the top 20.
Henman holds a commanding lead but one which can still be bridged, over eighth-placed Marat Safin, who together with ninth-placed Andre Agassi will be aiming to deny Henman a late-season trans-Atlantic trip.
Henman has shaken off the back strain which he felt most acutely in the wake of Great Britain’s Davis Cup defeat by Austria, and his recovery from the shoulder injury which he sustained at the same time is also giving cause for encouragement.
Results over the next three tournaments on Henman’s schedule will dictate whether he achieves his mission but the French Open and US Open semi-finalist is already talking a good game.
“The rest I had last week has done me the power of good,” said Henman.
“My back has loosened up enough for me to start easing back into my off-court training but I’m giving my shoulder a little bit of extra time to recover.
“I’m hopeful of hitting some balls soon, though, perhaps at the weekend.”<br>
After Madrid, Henman will play in Basle, before making a return to Paris for the Masters Series tournament which holds happy memories from last year.
It was at the indoor Bercy venue that Henman captured his first career Masters Series title. He has since invested the confidence gathered from that triumph into his naturally solid game, with results in 2004 proving highly impressive.
“I always enjoy this time of the year from a playing point of view, and I’ve had a lot of success in Basle in the past and Paris last year was obviously fantastic so I’m looking forward to the next few weeks,” Henman said on his personal website,
www.timhenman.org.
“Traditionally, it’s always a bit frantic at this time of the year for the players that have a chance of qualifying for Houston, and it’s nice to be in that position.
“It would be even nicer if I could qualify sooner rather than later so I could enjoy the next few weeks a bit more!”<br>
Should Henman carry off the Madrid title, it would earn him 100 valuable points and most likely secure his passage to Houston.
“There are so many points up for grabs in both Madrid and Paris that there are still quite a few permutations,” he added, “but I’m going to concentrate on my own game as I have done throughout the year and hopefully that will get the job done.”
but he truly deserved 2 win superset ;D
