Henman faces Arazi in crunch tie

TIM HENMAN has set his sights on a winning start when he takes on Hicham Arazi in the opening rubber of Britain’s Davis Cup play-off today.

Defeat against Morocco would see Britain relegated from the world group and Henman knows the final outcome could well depend on his opening performance.

“It is a very important game, but the nature of this means that every point is winnable by both sides,” he said, hoping his performance can catapult Britain forward as he did last year in Ecuador.

“It worked well in Ecuador, we got off to a good start and silenced the crowd. Here it will be important to try and take the crowd out of the equation, because if it gets close they could be an important factor.”

Henman was keen to praise Arazi’s ability but he believes patience could be the key to victory.

Team-mate Greg Rusedski cannot wait to get started following a disappointing summer.

“I’m looking forward to it, I’m feeling confident and I feel my game is coming back,” said Rusedski, who takes on Younes El Aynaoui in the tie’s second rubber.

“I’ve had a great 10 days training all of my hard work has paid off and physically I feel a lot stronger.

“If Tim can get us underway with a win, it puts the pressure on Morocco.”

Rusedski also believes his and Henman’s Davis Cup experience could also be a key factor.

Meanwhile the Moroccans are also looking forward to the tie. Captain Karim Alami said: “We’re ready to start. We have practiced hard and we are prepared physically.

"I don’t think we are favourites, because Britain have two high ranked and very experienced players and we have a lot of respect for them,” he said.