VOLLEY GOOD FELLOW - I'VE NEVER HAD A REAL JOB-AND I DON'T WANT ONE NOW'

Seventeen years after retiring from tennis, Tim Henman says being a Wimbledon commentator is more of a hobby

- CHRISTINE SMITH

He may be one of Britain’s most famous tennis players, but Tim Henman admits that family will always be his biggest achievement as he looks forward to celebrating his silver wedding anniversary with his wife, Lucy, later this year.

Tim, who will turn 50 in September, says that while he is incredibly proud of the many tennis tournaments he won during his stellar career, Lucy and his three daughters, Rose, 21, Olivia, 19, and Grace, 16, will always come first.

“My family is way more important,” he confides in an exclusive interview on the eve of The Championships at Wimbledon. “I am lucky to have such a great and happy family. It’s crazy to think my eldest is 21 now and away at university. It goes so quickly, but I feel very lucky that I get to spend so much time with them.

“Lucy and I will have been married 25 years this year and that is very special. Long may it continue!”

Tim has no qualms about his approaching 50th birthday, saying, “It’s only a number, after all! I feel comfortable with it. Mind you, when I was 22 and I saw someone who was 50, I used to think that was old and now it is me! But it is all good. I will be in New York for the US Open, so hopefully I can celebrate it there.”

Once again, Tim will be part of this year’s BBC broadcasting team for the corporation’s coverage of Wimbledon and will join tennis legends he used to idolise, such as John McEnroe, in the commentating box, alongside host Clare Balding.

He laughs as he recalls being a commentator at the tournament for the first time in 2008, a year after he had retired. “It was Federer v Nadal in the final,” he says. “It was, in my opinion, the greatest men’s final and I remember thinking to myself, ‘Don’t say something stupid! This is the best match ever. You don’t want to ruin it!’”