Henman Not Retiring Yet, Claims Lta

Reports of Tim Henman's retirement from tennis are premature, according to the Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper. It was reported today that Henman, 32, has decided to end his distinguished career after Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Croatia next month.

But Draper revealed: "Jan Felgate, who's his agent, has basically said there's no official confirmation. It's clear his career will end sooner rather than later. Tim's his own man. He's always made his own decisions. He may fancy one more shot at Wimbledon next year and only time will tell."

The Times today claimed that Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, has not entered any ATP tournaments after the three-day Davis Cup clash starting on September 21. The Briton has won just three tour matches this season and on Saturday pulled out of next week's Pilot Pen event in New Haven because of ongoing back problems.

He said at the time: "It's frustrating because I haven't had that many problems with it all year; in the summer it was fine. But playing on hard courts is a lot tougher on the body and my back hasn't reacted as well as I would've wanted. "It's tough to concentrate on winning when I'm worrying about my back so I want to try to get it right as soon as possible. My goal now is to try to get as much treatment on it as possible before the start of the US Open."

The report suggested Henman will attempt to play in the US Open at Flushing Meadows, which starts on August 27, before bringing his professional career to a close with the Davis Cup tie at Wimbledon.

Henman's world ranking peaked at four in July 2002, but injury and loss of form have seen him slip to 92nd in the world.