Serena set to join the elite idols of tennis
2009/02/02
SERENA Williams said it was “uber-cool” to join her idols in the elite group of women with 10 or more Grand Slams on Saturday after reaching double figures with her fourth win at the Australian Open.
Williams, who is also the reigning US Open champion, said she would now aim to repeat the “Serena Slam” of 2002-03, when she held all four majors at the same time.
The American became only the seventh woman to reach a perfect 10 at the Grand Slams with a crushing 6-0, 6-3 win over Russia’s Dinara Safina at Melbourne Park.
Williams, who also reclaimed the world number one ranking, said she was thrilled to join the likes of Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova but did not yet feel comfortable being compared to such legends.
“I idolised Steffi Graf,” she said.
“When I played her I was like ‘Oh My God, it’s Steffi Graf’ and Martina Navratilova was someone who was my role model, so when I think of these greats I don’t really think of my name, I think of them.
“I think people are starting to think of me in those terms, which is uber-cool, I can’t even get my mind around that.”
Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles in her career and Navratilova claimed 18, with Margaret Court the all-time leader on 24.
Williams’ Australian win brings her within striking distance of Billie Jean King, who collected 12 singles Slams in a career spanning 20 years.
The 27-year-old said she did not know how many Slams she could win.
“I never think about it,” she said.
“I just feel I never want to stop playing. I’m playing and enjoying myself and if I win Grand Slams that’s great.”
Asked if she could repeat the Serena Slam, she relied: “The Serena Slam would be awesome to do again. With the likes of Dinara playing and all the other girls, it’s going to be tough but I’m in for the challenge.” — Sapa-AFP
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Monday, February 2, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Federer ~ Don't count him out just yet.......
ON TENNIS
Don’t count out Federer just yet
By DALE ROBERTSON Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 17, 2009, 10:56PM
Federer in recent Australian Opens• 2004 – Won title, beating Marat Safin in the final. • 2005 – Reached the semifinals, losing to Safin. • 2006 – Won title, beating Marcos Baghdaditis in the final. • 2007 – Won title, beating Fernando Gonzalez in the final. • 2008 – Reached the semifinals, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Everybody thinks this will be Andy Murray’s year and, if it’s not, it will be Rafael Nadal’s year again. Or perhaps Novak Djokovic’s.
Almost nobody seems to believe Roger Federer has much gas left in his tank after he surrendered the No. 1 ranking to Nadal in 2008. Never mind that he did take the season’s last Grand Slam, claiming a modern-record fifth consecutive U.S. Open. Or that he did thump Murray, practically a consensus favorite to claim his first major at the Australian Open, in straight sets in the Flushing Meadow final.
But Federer himself is one guy who insists reports of his demise are absurdly premature. He asserted recently — before Murray beat him in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi and again last week in the Doha semis — that “I have been dominating for several years and obviously I think I can do it again. I expect 2009 to be a very good year.”
A bout of mononucleosis got him off to a slow start last year, and Nadal’s continued evolution from being a good player into an all-time-great candidate formally spelled the end of the Swiss’ 4½-year run on top when the Spaniard emerged victorious in their for-the-ages Wimbledon final.
Ranking not priority
History and the computer-point differential between Federer and Nadal weigh against his bid to return to No. 1. In the 36 years of the ATP computer system, only Ivan Lendl in 1989 reclaimed the top spot the year after he lost it. But that’s not Federer’s front-and-center priority anymore. Rather, he’ll pick his spots carefully as he attempts to surpass Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Slam titles.
Federer, 27, remains one behind Sampras with 13. Given that Sampras won three of his after turning 27 — and Andre Agassi won five of his eight — the odds favor him accomplishing the feat, even if Murray’s for-real emergence as an elite adds a layer of complication.
The Scotsman’s entry into the who’s-the-king-of-the-hill conversation has balanced the halves of the men’s draw in the major championships. The two semifinals are now equally challenging matchups if the seeding holds up. The Big Three have become the Big Four and the likelihood that any one of them can hog three of the four Slams, as Federer did in 2004, 2006 and 2007, appears minuscule.
It’s far more probable that each of them will claim one, the democratic norm before Federer took over the ATP Tour in 2004.
Nonetheless, it would be foolish to count out Federer anywhere except at Roland Garros, where all appears hopeless for him.
Different at Wimbledon
But Wimbledon’s lawns remain a level playing field. The five sets and five hours he and Nadal battled it out there in July only spoke to their respective greatness, not to any dramatic paradigm shift or changing of the guard. Healthy, Federer remains the Wimbledon favorite. For the near term, Murray will find the pressure crushing — no Brit has won since Fred Perry in 1936 and he will be reminded of this fact hourly for the fortnight — and Djokovic lacks the right grass-court stuff.
The Serb is the defending champion in Melbourne, though, and Murray is playing the best tennis of the four right now, having defeated each of the others in ’09. (He’s also 6-1 vs. Federer of late.)
That’s why everyone has fallen in love with him.
A reasonable response. But falling completely out of love with Federer is dumb.
Sure, he could lose Down Under, even early. Still, should he seize that fourth Aussie title two weeks hence, it won’t be an upset. Not yet, not this year.
dale.robertson@chron.com
Don’t count out Federer just yet
By DALE ROBERTSON Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 17, 2009, 10:56PM
Federer in recent Australian Opens• 2004 – Won title, beating Marat Safin in the final. • 2005 – Reached the semifinals, losing to Safin. • 2006 – Won title, beating Marcos Baghdaditis in the final. • 2007 – Won title, beating Fernando Gonzalez in the final. • 2008 – Reached the semifinals, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Everybody thinks this will be Andy Murray’s year and, if it’s not, it will be Rafael Nadal’s year again. Or perhaps Novak Djokovic’s.
Almost nobody seems to believe Roger Federer has much gas left in his tank after he surrendered the No. 1 ranking to Nadal in 2008. Never mind that he did take the season’s last Grand Slam, claiming a modern-record fifth consecutive U.S. Open. Or that he did thump Murray, practically a consensus favorite to claim his first major at the Australian Open, in straight sets in the Flushing Meadow final.
But Federer himself is one guy who insists reports of his demise are absurdly premature. He asserted recently — before Murray beat him in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi and again last week in the Doha semis — that “I have been dominating for several years and obviously I think I can do it again. I expect 2009 to be a very good year.”
A bout of mononucleosis got him off to a slow start last year, and Nadal’s continued evolution from being a good player into an all-time-great candidate formally spelled the end of the Swiss’ 4½-year run on top when the Spaniard emerged victorious in their for-the-ages Wimbledon final.
Ranking not priority
History and the computer-point differential between Federer and Nadal weigh against his bid to return to No. 1. In the 36 years of the ATP computer system, only Ivan Lendl in 1989 reclaimed the top spot the year after he lost it. But that’s not Federer’s front-and-center priority anymore. Rather, he’ll pick his spots carefully as he attempts to surpass Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Slam titles.
Federer, 27, remains one behind Sampras with 13. Given that Sampras won three of his after turning 27 — and Andre Agassi won five of his eight — the odds favor him accomplishing the feat, even if Murray’s for-real emergence as an elite adds a layer of complication.
The Scotsman’s entry into the who’s-the-king-of-the-hill conversation has balanced the halves of the men’s draw in the major championships. The two semifinals are now equally challenging matchups if the seeding holds up. The Big Three have become the Big Four and the likelihood that any one of them can hog three of the four Slams, as Federer did in 2004, 2006 and 2007, appears minuscule.
It’s far more probable that each of them will claim one, the democratic norm before Federer took over the ATP Tour in 2004.
Nonetheless, it would be foolish to count out Federer anywhere except at Roland Garros, where all appears hopeless for him.
Different at Wimbledon
But Wimbledon’s lawns remain a level playing field. The five sets and five hours he and Nadal battled it out there in July only spoke to their respective greatness, not to any dramatic paradigm shift or changing of the guard. Healthy, Federer remains the Wimbledon favorite. For the near term, Murray will find the pressure crushing — no Brit has won since Fred Perry in 1936 and he will be reminded of this fact hourly for the fortnight — and Djokovic lacks the right grass-court stuff.
The Serb is the defending champion in Melbourne, though, and Murray is playing the best tennis of the four right now, having defeated each of the others in ’09. (He’s also 6-1 vs. Federer of late.)
That’s why everyone has fallen in love with him.
A reasonable response. But falling completely out of love with Federer is dumb.
Sure, he could lose Down Under, even early. Still, should he seize that fourth Aussie title two weeks hence, it won’t be an upset. Not yet, not this year.
dale.robertson@chron.com
Monday, February 18, 2008
Andy Murray Wins second Title.......
Andy Murray claimed the Marseille Open title with a hard-fought 6-3 6-4 victory over Mario Ancic.
World number 11 Murray was made to fight every inch of the way before finally subduing his Croatian opponent in one hour and 40 minutes.
The first set went on serve until the eighth game when Murray, who had just saved three break points to hold, secured the opening break to go 5-3 ahead.
And the Scot eventually served out a 58-minute opener 6-3 on his fifth set point, clinching it with an ace to break a run of eight deuces.
However, unseeded Ancic - who is outside the world's top 100 after missing six months last year due to mononucleosis - continued to make life difficult by pounding away with his trademark huge serves.
Murray was broken for the first time in the fourth game of the second set, double faulting to fall 0-40 down before relinquishing his 100 percent service record two points later due to a backhand error.
Sparkling
But he broke back immediately courtesy of some sparkling strokeplay from the back of the court and then came through another arduous service game to hold and level matters at 3-3.
A further break in the seventh game put Murray 4-3 ahead and on the brink of his second title in three tournaments this season, having also won the Qatar Open.
And two service holds proved enough for the fourth seed to seal a 6-3 6-4 success.
"It was really tough with a lot of close games," said Murray.
"I served well throughout and returned really well in the second set.
"He started getting a bit tired in that second set and that was probably the key to the match."
The result also vindicates Murray's decision to sit out Great Britain's ill-fated Davis Cup tie in Argentina last weekend due to a minor knee injury, a withdrawal that was criticised by his team-mate - and elder brother - Jamie.
World number 11 Murray was made to fight every inch of the way before finally subduing his Croatian opponent in one hour and 40 minutes.
The first set went on serve until the eighth game when Murray, who had just saved three break points to hold, secured the opening break to go 5-3 ahead.
And the Scot eventually served out a 58-minute opener 6-3 on his fifth set point, clinching it with an ace to break a run of eight deuces.
However, unseeded Ancic - who is outside the world's top 100 after missing six months last year due to mononucleosis - continued to make life difficult by pounding away with his trademark huge serves.
Murray was broken for the first time in the fourth game of the second set, double faulting to fall 0-40 down before relinquishing his 100 percent service record two points later due to a backhand error.
Sparkling
But he broke back immediately courtesy of some sparkling strokeplay from the back of the court and then came through another arduous service game to hold and level matters at 3-3.
A further break in the seventh game put Murray 4-3 ahead and on the brink of his second title in three tournaments this season, having also won the Qatar Open.
And two service holds proved enough for the fourth seed to seal a 6-3 6-4 success.
"It was really tough with a lot of close games," said Murray.
"I served well throughout and returned really well in the second set.
"He started getting a bit tired in that second set and that was probably the key to the match."
The result also vindicates Murray's decision to sit out Great Britain's ill-fated Davis Cup tie in Argentina last weekend due to a minor knee injury, a withdrawal that was criticised by his team-mate - and elder brother - Jamie.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tsonga ....get to know the name
Tsonga beats Nadal to reach final
© ITN 2008
Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has shocked Rafael Nadal to reach the final of the Australian Open.
Tsonga, who is only playing in a Grand Slam event for the fifth time, beat Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 to reach his first-ever major final.
Tsonga dominated his service games with serve-and-volley tactics, serving 17 aces to Nadal's two and winning almost a third of his points at the net.
But Tsonga also broke Nadal's serve five times while winning all of his own service games.
Nadal may be second in the world rankings behind Roger Federer but he has a poor record in the Australian Open.
It was the first time he had appeared in the semi-finals in Melbourne and he clearly lost confidence in the third set as he reacted angrily to losing points.
© ITN 2008
Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has shocked Rafael Nadal to reach the final of the Australian Open.
Tsonga, who is only playing in a Grand Slam event for the fifth time, beat Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 to reach his first-ever major final.
Tsonga dominated his service games with serve-and-volley tactics, serving 17 aces to Nadal's two and winning almost a third of his points at the net.
But Tsonga also broke Nadal's serve five times while winning all of his own service games.
Nadal may be second in the world rankings behind Roger Federer but he has a poor record in the Australian Open.
It was the first time he had appeared in the semi-finals in Melbourne and he clearly lost confidence in the third set as he reacted angrily to losing points.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Dark clouds over Limoges, Wimbledon & the world
Today in Limoges, we have dark clouds, heavy rain and temperatures of between 10/12 degrees. "Today" has lasted from May through June and is now set for July.
Wimbledon is on then off then on etc etc............
So what's happening? A blip in the weather? A poor summer? A one-off?
I think not. The trend of unusual and unseasonal weather has been with us for some years & the scientists have been examining and appraising the situation for many years now.
See the problem for me is not that something is happening and accelerating ~ that's obvious. I see it with my own eyes.
No! The problem for me is that the experts themselves disagree both on the causes of what we are witnessing and the potential solutions.
* There are those who blame mankind. They argue ~ We have developed and built our societies on the fossil fuels & simultaneously polluted our atmospheres with so much carbon as to alter the normal balances of nature, weather etc. The only solution ~ and it may be too late ~ is to reduce carbon emissions.
* There are those who argue that what we are going through is a natural adjustment ~ part of the cyclic nature of the earth. They also indicate that man's contribution is negligible and the major cause in the shift is the sun. There is no solution. Things will get worse.
So here I am in the Limousin watching the rain ~ [ not watching tennis!] and also seeing the first signs of confusion & doubt in our usually confident approach to life.
There's one thing that's certain ~ there's much more of this to come and the process will accelerate.
The recent floods in UK give us an insight into how quickly someone's life can be turned upside down.
I guess we need to worry more about Global warming than any other current problems and, of course when will Wimbledon restart!
Wimbledon is on then off then on etc etc............
So what's happening? A blip in the weather? A poor summer? A one-off?
I think not. The trend of unusual and unseasonal weather has been with us for some years & the scientists have been examining and appraising the situation for many years now.
See the problem for me is not that something is happening and accelerating ~ that's obvious. I see it with my own eyes.
No! The problem for me is that the experts themselves disagree both on the causes of what we are witnessing and the potential solutions.
* There are those who blame mankind. They argue ~ We have developed and built our societies on the fossil fuels & simultaneously polluted our atmospheres with so much carbon as to alter the normal balances of nature, weather etc. The only solution ~ and it may be too late ~ is to reduce carbon emissions.
* There are those who argue that what we are going through is a natural adjustment ~ part of the cyclic nature of the earth. They also indicate that man's contribution is negligible and the major cause in the shift is the sun. There is no solution. Things will get worse.
So here I am in the Limousin watching the rain ~ [ not watching tennis!] and also seeing the first signs of confusion & doubt in our usually confident approach to life.
There's one thing that's certain ~ there's much more of this to come and the process will accelerate.
The recent floods in UK give us an insight into how quickly someone's life can be turned upside down.
I guess we need to worry more about Global warming than any other current problems and, of course when will Wimbledon restart!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Murray's thoughts on British tennis......
Murray blames British attitudes ...................
British number one Andy Murray has launched a wide-ranging attack on underachieving British tennis players and the authorities that run the sport.
"The problem with British tennis is that there's always so much negativity," Murray told the Sun.
"There's always someone complaining, whether it's a coach moaning about the players or players criticising coaches.
"The attitude of some of the players is terrible. Why can't everyone just get on with things?"
With Murray absent because of an injured wrist this year's Wimbledon has been Britain's worst for 17 years, with no home player making it into the third round of either the men's or women's championships.
The people who are allocating funding say a lot of the players are spoilt but surely these players have been made spoilt
Andy Murray
Murray's criticism echoes that of Boris Becker, Tim Henman and British tennis chief Roger Draper over the past few days.
Murray praised fellow Scot Jamie Baker's attitude, saying: "Players with his type of discipline and work ethic should get the funding, not the ones who try to blame something else and say, 'it's this guy's fault or that guy's fault'.
"Just get on with it. Tennis is an individual sport. The funding you get is a bonus. We are very lucky.
"The people who are allocating it say a lot of the players are spoilt but surely these players have been made spoilt.
"We have to stop making excuses. It's not just about numbers. It's about finding the kids who want it."
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/tennis/6260352.stm
Published: 2007/07/02 08:22:41 GMT
© BBC MMVII
British number one Andy Murray has launched a wide-ranging attack on underachieving British tennis players and the authorities that run the sport.
"The problem with British tennis is that there's always so much negativity," Murray told the Sun.
"There's always someone complaining, whether it's a coach moaning about the players or players criticising coaches.
"The attitude of some of the players is terrible. Why can't everyone just get on with things?"
With Murray absent because of an injured wrist this year's Wimbledon has been Britain's worst for 17 years, with no home player making it into the third round of either the men's or women's championships.
The people who are allocating funding say a lot of the players are spoilt but surely these players have been made spoilt
Andy Murray
Murray's criticism echoes that of Boris Becker, Tim Henman and British tennis chief Roger Draper over the past few days.
Murray praised fellow Scot Jamie Baker's attitude, saying: "Players with his type of discipline and work ethic should get the funding, not the ones who try to blame something else and say, 'it's this guy's fault or that guy's fault'.
"Just get on with it. Tennis is an individual sport. The funding you get is a bonus. We are very lucky.
"The people who are allocating it say a lot of the players are spoilt but surely these players have been made spoilt.
"We have to stop making excuses. It's not just about numbers. It's about finding the kids who want it."
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/tennis/6260352.stm
Published: 2007/07/02 08:22:41 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Henman out today
Henman hopes crushed by lopez
Henman - hopes over for another year.
Tim Henman served up another epic on Centre Court but this time neither his fighting spirit nor a boisterous home crowd could keep his Wimbledon dream alive.
After a topsy-turvy tussle lasting three hours and 17 minutes, Henman departed with a wistful wave after a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 2-6 6-1 defeat to the world number 78 Feliciano Lopez.
Having done the hard work in clawing his way back from two sets down to force the 13th All England Club fifth-setter of his career, Henman flopped in the decider and with him went the host nation's last singles representative from the draw.
To the credit of former quarter-finalist Lopez, he shrugged off the disappointment of losing two sets in succession and produced a virtually flawless final set, which he wrapped up with a flashing cross-court backhand at the net.
Both players had served strongly in the opening two sets, but Lopez's nerves held best as he charged through the first tie-break 7-3, and clinched the second 7-5 having repelled a Henman fightback from 5-0 down in the breaker.
But the Centre Court crowd had come to expect the customary twist from Henman, who had survived an epic five-setter stretching over four hours to win his first-round match against Carlos Moya.
Henman pushed their belief to the brink when he dropped his opening service game of the third set, but responded in spectacular style by punishing Lopez's serve for the first time to break twice in succession.
Having served out to take the set with aplomb, Henman was well on top, as the Spaniard's serve began to crumble and self-belief clearly became a problem for him.
Briefly, tantalisingly, it looked like the Henman of old in the fourth set, as he rounded off a thoroughly dominant passage of play with a delicious lob to level the match at one set all.
But the momentum swung in the fifth set, for which Henman had to be strongly favoured having won nine of his previous 12 of his All England Club final-set encounters.
Lopez restored confidence by serving out in the opening game to love, then attacking the Henman serve and being rewarded with the first break.
Brimming with belief of his own, Lopez rediscovered his booming serve of the first two sets and began to punish Henman's faltering play.
A second break, after Henman had netted the simplest forehand volley which would have kept him in the match at least temporarily, hushed the home crowd and ended contest, and with it home interest for another year.
Henman - hopes over for another year.
Tim Henman served up another epic on Centre Court but this time neither his fighting spirit nor a boisterous home crowd could keep his Wimbledon dream alive.
After a topsy-turvy tussle lasting three hours and 17 minutes, Henman departed with a wistful wave after a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 2-6 6-1 defeat to the world number 78 Feliciano Lopez.
Having done the hard work in clawing his way back from two sets down to force the 13th All England Club fifth-setter of his career, Henman flopped in the decider and with him went the host nation's last singles representative from the draw.
To the credit of former quarter-finalist Lopez, he shrugged off the disappointment of losing two sets in succession and produced a virtually flawless final set, which he wrapped up with a flashing cross-court backhand at the net.
Both players had served strongly in the opening two sets, but Lopez's nerves held best as he charged through the first tie-break 7-3, and clinched the second 7-5 having repelled a Henman fightback from 5-0 down in the breaker.
But the Centre Court crowd had come to expect the customary twist from Henman, who had survived an epic five-setter stretching over four hours to win his first-round match against Carlos Moya.
Henman pushed their belief to the brink when he dropped his opening service game of the third set, but responded in spectacular style by punishing Lopez's serve for the first time to break twice in succession.
Having served out to take the set with aplomb, Henman was well on top, as the Spaniard's serve began to crumble and self-belief clearly became a problem for him.
Briefly, tantalisingly, it looked like the Henman of old in the fourth set, as he rounded off a thoroughly dominant passage of play with a delicious lob to level the match at one set all.
But the momentum swung in the fifth set, for which Henman had to be strongly favoured having won nine of his previous 12 of his All England Club final-set encounters.
Lopez restored confidence by serving out in the opening game to love, then attacking the Henman serve and being rewarded with the first break.
Brimming with belief of his own, Lopez rediscovered his booming serve of the first two sets and began to punish Henman's faltering play.
A second break, after Henman had netted the simplest forehand volley which would have kept him in the match at least temporarily, hushed the home crowd and ended contest, and with it home interest for another year.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Dutch Courage
The Dutch will need all the courage they can muster when they engage a very strong and experienced British Davis Cup team next month.
The lineup is exactly what I have wanted to see for some years ~ the blending of the older & wiser Greg & Tim with the younger Murray brothers.
Can't wait to see our Davis cup team on top again.
The lineup is exactly what I have wanted to see for some years ~ the blending of the older & wiser Greg & Tim with the younger Murray brothers.
Can't wait to see our Davis cup team on top again.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Good News for Britain Davis Cup Hopes
Tim Henman will end his Davis Cup retirement next month after being named in the Great Britain squad for the Euro-Africa Zone tie against the Netherlands.
Captain John Lloyd's efforts to tempt Henman out of his self-imposed exile have proved successful and he will be Britain's second-ranked player for the match in Birmingham on April 6-8.Henman joins number one Andy Murray in the six-man squad, along with the Scot's older brother Jamie, Greg Rusedski, Jamie Baker and Richard Bloomfield.Henman last played in the competition against Austria in 2004 before retiring to concentrate on the ATP Tour.Lloyd said: "I am confident we have one of the strongest teams in years for this tie against the Netherlands. It is vital for us to win if we are to work our way back into the World Group."I am really excited about the balance of the team with huge professional experience and some really exciting young talent."We have got a bit of a fear factor going on now with our squad and particularly if we get home matches, bring anybody on. If our team is fit and ready to play there are not many teams who would like to play us."When I took the job last year we had an exceptional singles player in Andy Murray who was rising fast, Greg Rusedski who had not won too many matches and had injury problems, and other players who were not quite ready."But things have turned round quickly. Andy has continued to play exceptionally and taken another step to being an established, world-class player, and we were very fortunate to get Tim back into the team."Henman has been persuaded to return in part by the prospect of sharing the burden for Great Britain's chances with world number 12 Murray.
Meanwhile Jamie Murray has been rewarded for his superb doubles form, which has seen him capture two ATP Tour titles this season and climb to 43rd in the doubles rankings."Jamie has taken the doubles by storm and he has come up faster than anybody anticipated. He has had an exceptional year and he has really gone on a streak with his American partner (Eric Butorac)," Lloyd said.Bloomfield has been in good form on the Challenger circuit this year where his results have helped him to move up to world number 183.
Captain John Lloyd's efforts to tempt Henman out of his self-imposed exile have proved successful and he will be Britain's second-ranked player for the match in Birmingham on April 6-8.Henman joins number one Andy Murray in the six-man squad, along with the Scot's older brother Jamie, Greg Rusedski, Jamie Baker and Richard Bloomfield.Henman last played in the competition against Austria in 2004 before retiring to concentrate on the ATP Tour.Lloyd said: "I am confident we have one of the strongest teams in years for this tie against the Netherlands. It is vital for us to win if we are to work our way back into the World Group."I am really excited about the balance of the team with huge professional experience and some really exciting young talent."We have got a bit of a fear factor going on now with our squad and particularly if we get home matches, bring anybody on. If our team is fit and ready to play there are not many teams who would like to play us."When I took the job last year we had an exceptional singles player in Andy Murray who was rising fast, Greg Rusedski who had not won too many matches and had injury problems, and other players who were not quite ready."But things have turned round quickly. Andy has continued to play exceptionally and taken another step to being an established, world-class player, and we were very fortunate to get Tim back into the team."Henman has been persuaded to return in part by the prospect of sharing the burden for Great Britain's chances with world number 12 Murray.
Meanwhile Jamie Murray has been rewarded for his superb doubles form, which has seen him capture two ATP Tour titles this season and climb to 43rd in the doubles rankings."Jamie has taken the doubles by storm and he has come up faster than anybody anticipated. He has had an exceptional year and he has really gone on a streak with his American partner (Eric Butorac)," Lloyd said.Bloomfield has been in good form on the Challenger circuit this year where his results have helped him to move up to world number 183.
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