Wimbledon: Henman hoping for revenge

Tim Henman will be seeking both revenge over a close friend and a quarter-final date with Pete Sampras when he clashes with Todd Martin in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

The 26-year-old British number one has a score to settle from the tournament in 1996, when Martin beat him in the quarter-finals.

Sixth seed Henman said: "It was a pretty close encounter in 1996 with just one break in the match I think.

"It was all a pretty new experience then and his experience told a bit on that day. I'm sure it will be close again.

"He's a dangerous grass court player, he's got a very good record and has been in big-match situations before.

"At this stage it boils down to who plays best on the day and obviously I hope that's going to be me."

Henman will be buoyed by the fact that he beat Martin in the Davis Cup in Birmingham, and has been practising with the American in the build-up to Wimbledon.

Martin meanwhile is also in confident mood after coming through tough tests in the last two rounds.

"I do feel good about my game," said Martin, a relative veteran at 30 years of age.

"I remember from 1996 how unfair everyone was to Tim on his first big occasion and he went from being a good player to being everybody's expectation that they were going to have a British champion.

"Everything has improved in Tim's game. He is a very complete tennis player. He is in great shape right now and understands the game, especially on grass, as well as anybody.

"I'm excited, it's always nice to play here. I consider Tim to be a pretty good friend of mine so the specialness is increased.

"We occasionally go out together and I think that makes playing each other easier. We can go out there and bust our tails and lay it on the line and not risk anything with our friendship."