Henman Ready for Stella Artois Challenge
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© Getty ImagesHenman: Playing at Queen's for
the 11th consecutive year.
After his sensational run to the semifinals at Roland Garros last week, Tim Henman arrives on more familiar territory as he begins his quest for the Stella Artois Championship.
Henman, making his 11th consecutive appearance at The Queen's Club, has reached the final three times. And the 29-year-old is looking forward to getting back on the grass at the place he calls home.
"This tournament has always been a priority for me, and is one that I'm very keen to win," said Henman, who has a 21-10 record at the Stella Artois and reached finals in 1999, 2001 and '02. "I've come close to winning it three times and this is a very exciting month for me.
"This is where I've practiced since 1992, and it's home even more so than Wimbledon in some respects, so I've got to use that to my advantage."
Henman had his first practise session on grass at Wimbledon on Monday morning, and the Briton said it was good to get back on his favourite surface.
"It's always a special feeling for me to get back on grass, especially having been in Paris longer than I'm accustomed to," said Henman. "It's so much easier to adjust from clay to grass than it is the other way around. I'll do the same thing tomorrow and we'll see how it goes on Wednesday."
Henman, the No. 4 seed who received a bye in the first round, will take on either Gilles Elseneer or last week's Surbiton winner Karol Beck in his second round match.