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TENNIS great Tim Henman can’t wait to pick up his clubs in Bahrain and show the world he’s as much an ace on the golf course today as he was a darling of the courts in his heyday.
The English star will be among a host of sporting legends appearing in a unique pro-celebrity tournament being hosted at the Royal Golf Club.
IMG Worldwide and the Bahrain Economic Development Board are organising a weekend of competitive golf and special events, taking place on Friday and Saturday, in the run up to the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
Henman, 38, said: "I’m really looking forward to being there. I have never been to Bahrain before and that is one of the main reasons I wanted to go as I have heard a lot about it.
"As part of my tennis career I have played in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and I have also played golf in Abu Dhabi but this will be my first time in Bahrain. I can’t wait."
Henman, a former British number one, played a serve-and-volley style of tennis. He was the first player from the UK since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon men’s singles championship.
Henman, who will be staying at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa, reached six Grand Slam semi-finals, won 15 career ATP titles, was ranked number four in the world and retired after helping Great Britain defeat Croatia in a Davis Cup match in 2007.
He was also renowned as one of the best golfers on the tennis tour, playing off a handicap of four, but has since had time to improve his game further. He explained: "Well, I’m enjoying playing a lot of golf as much as I can now that I have free time.
"I’m still heavily involved in tennis and I’m a member on the board at Wimbledon. I’m also commentating for the BBC at Wimbledon this year and also the Olympics which I’m really looking forward to. I work closely with my sponsors HSBC, Robinsons, Jaguar and I am also an ambassador of the Hideaways Club, a holiday properties company.
"I first picked up a club when I was four or five years old, we used to play whilst on summer holidays in Portugal. I love the game and think it has similarities to tennis; it is an individual sport and has very much the same thought process.
"I think a tennis serve is very similar to a tee shot in golf. I love the challenge of golf, I’m fairly good as I have played a lot and now play off scratch. I’m very passionate about the game, watch as much as I can and try to play as much as I can, especially when I’m abroad."
That experience has also included a few rounds playing alongside Colin Montgomerie, the designer of the Royal Golf Club course who will also be putting his talents to the test in this weekend’s tournament alongside Paul Casey and Thomas Bjorn, American football icon Joe Montana, and football legends Gianluca Vialli and Ruud Gullit.
"It was fantastic! Monty is a great guy and a legend of the game. I was lucky enough to play with him twice in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s great to get inside the ropes and see what the pros are thinking," added Henman.
Nicknamed Tiger Tim, Henman is worth £17 million and remains a celebrity among the British public and a particular favourite with women of a certain age.
He comes from a talented sporting family – his father Tony, a solicitor, was accomplished at various sports. His mother Jane, a dress designer, played Junior Wimbledon and introduced Tim and his older brothers Michael and Richard to the game as soon as they could walk on the family’s grass tennis court.
His great grandfather played at Wimbledon. His maternal grandfather, Henry Billington, played at Wimbledon between 1948 and 1951, plus representing Britain in the Davis Cup in 1948, 1950 and 1951.
In 1901 his maternal great-grandmother, Ellen Stanwell-Brown, was reputedly the first woman to serve over-arm at Wimbledon.
His maternal grandmother, Susan Billington, appeared regularly at Wimbledon in the 1950s, playing mixed doubles on Centre Court with her husband Henry, reaching the third round of the ladies’ doubles in 1951, 1955 and 1956.
Between the ages of 10 and 17 he was a member of the David Lloyd Slater Squad, where he trained alongside a number of other young British tennis hopefuls and won many titles at different tournaments.
However, it was not all plain sailing. While at school, Henman was diagnosed with osteochondritis, a form of bone disease. However, he continued to play tennis. In 1992 he won the National Junior titles in singles and doubles, deciding to join the professional tour in 1993.
Nowadays he enjoys putting something back into the sport. Other activities during the kingdom’s two-day celebration will include a community tennis coaching initiative featuring Henman at Bahrain Tennis Club.
There has yet to be a ‘tennis great’ from Bahrain, but Henman believes that might change one day? "I believe it will, yes," he said. "There is a massive interest in the game in the Gulf region and the more opportunities the better for youngsters – it’s a world class sport in the region.
"I hope that this coaching plan inspires a few more people to take up the game, the most important thing is that people enjoy themselves playing tennis and that is what we aim to do."
His impending arrival in Bahrain has already caused a stir amongst the expat community. One fan said: "He’s gorgeous and as a school girl I used to cheer him every year at Wimbledon – even in the rain. There used to be so many of us outside that the commentators described it as Henman Hill. I know dozens of mums who will be popping along to the golf club to cheer him on too!"
A modest Henman, a happily-married father-of-three, said: "That’s news to me but I’m glad I’m talked about in that way!"
