Will Henmania again lead to Wimbledon heartbreak?

WIMBLEDON, England -- During a break midway through Serena Williams' first-round victory at Wimbledon, the Centre Court scoreboard offered updates on other matches, including the news that Englishman Tim Henman trailed on adjacent Court 1.

Henman's score provoked murmurs of surprise from the big crowd, followed by a collective chuckle. At this point, Henmania is not to be taken seriously.

The Oxford-bred lad known as Tiger Tim has long been the best bet for a British breakthrough at Wimbledon, and he began his latest bid Tuesday by averting a humiliating upset. He lost the first set and nearly lost the second but managed to beat grass-court novice Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-2.

The last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936. Henman has advanced to the second week each of the past eight years but is 0-4 in the semifinals and, at 29, racing the clock.

This might be his best chance yet. Pete Sampras is retired, and Andre Agassi is hurt. British bookmakers give only defending champion Roger Federer and Andy Roddick better odds than the No. 5-seeded Henman.

"The pressure he has is totally different to the pressure the other players have here," Federer said. "He's the only British player on the men's and women's side who has a real chance to win the tournament. I think he has done really well under the circumstances."

At the entrance to the All England Club stands a statue of Perry, a reminder of what another homegrown champion would mean. Henman knows perhaps all too well, because his grass-court roots go deep.

His great grandmother was the first woman to serve overhand at Wimbledon in 1901, and his grandfather reached the third round three times from 1948 to 1951. If Henman won the tournament, he would be a candidate for knighthood, and even Williams says she's rooting for him.

Coming off an improbable run to the French Open semifinals, Henman believes he's finally got the game to go the distance.

"There's no comparison to the way that I was playing 12 months ago," he said. "The way I've been playing gives me a lot of confidence that even when I'm not playing my best, I'm going to win."

That was the case against journeyman Ramirez Hidalgo, a Spaniard making his Wimbledon debut. Henman flirted with disaster but overcame two set points in the second set, then took charge with his serve-and-volley game that's best on grass.

Henman looked tense even in the final set, however, and the usually stoic Brit reacted to one errant shot with a profanity.

The umpire scolded Henman, who facetiously slapped his left wrist with his right hand before resuming play.

"I was showing too much emotion," he said dryly. "I don't think there were too many that heard. Hopefully not."

Aside from his one-word outburst, the atmosphere for the match was strangely subdued, perhaps because fans know Henmania perennially ends in heartbreak. The biggest ovation came at the end, and Henman returned the applause as he walked off the court.

"It was good to have their support," he said. "I'm sure I'm going to get that throughout the tournament. And I hope it's for two weeks."

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