Wimbledon: Henman hopes to get hearts racing

Tim Henman was today hoping to lift the hearts of a nation by becoming the first British player to reach a men’s singles final at Wimbledon for 63 years.

The British number one faced the formidable serving power of charismatic Croat Goran Ivanisevic, who was bidding to become the first wild card to go all the way in SW19.

Despite a packed Centre Court, another 5,000 expected to occupy the famous Hill and millions of anxious television viewers on the edge of their seats, Henman revealed a commendable ruthlessness when he admitted the only person he was playing for was himself.

‘‘It doesn’t matter if you have a psychologist, a trainer, a masseur, a stringer, it’s about what you do on court,’’ said Henman, bidding to emulate Bunny Austin’s 1938 final appearance.

‘‘I’ve always played for myself.

‘‘Away from the court I keep myself to myself and I’m pretty reserved.

‘‘But deep down I’m very determined, very, very competitive. You get really fired up out there. It’s an unbelievable atmosphere to play in.’’

Henman practised yesterday for an hour with Barry Cowan, the big left-handed Brit who took Pete Sampras to five sets in the second round, in a bid to familiarise himself with the angles of the Ivanisevic delivery.

‘‘Goran is playing well, as most people have seen,’’ said Henman.

‘‘I’m under no illusions that it will be tough but I feel good about my chances. I’ve dealt well with his game in the past and I’ve played him when he’s been playing good tennis. That gives me confidence going into the match.’’

Henman had beaten Ivanisevic in their four previous meetings and was hoping to draw on the experience of his two losing semi-finals against Sampras in 1998 and 1999.

‘‘It’s not going to be a new experience for me,’’ admitted Henman.

‘‘But it’s going to be an interesting match to see whether I can go further than I’ve been before. I believe I can achieve that.’’

The other semi-final has a familiar ring to it as Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter face each other for the third year running in the last four.

Their clash last year was described by John McEnroe as one of the best matches he has ever seen at Wimbledon, but either player would simply settle for a win of any kind today.

Agassi won in straight sets two years ago but Rafter gained his revenge 12 months later, winning a five-set epic before losing to Sampras in the final.

Now with Sampras for once not lying in wait for the victor, the American and Australian both know that whoever wins will be favourite to lift the trophy on Sunday evening.

For Agassi it would be a second title following his 1992 triumph, but the second seed knows he will have to improve on his semi-final showing where he lost his first set of the championships against Nicolas Escude.

‘‘I’m really looking forward to it,’’ said Agassi, one of only five men to win all four Grand Slam titles.

‘‘I’ve said many times about Pat that he’s a great player, a great competitor, and I’ve had some great matches with him.

‘‘They’re always ones to remember. Win or lose, you really cherish the opportunity to raise your level at the right time.

‘‘I’m certainly going to have to do that. He looked really sharp in some pretty tough conditions.’’

Rafter, 28, had a considerably easier time of it in his semi-final against 10th seed Thomas Enqvist, beating the Swede in straight sets in less than two hours.

And the double US Open champion now has a wonderful opportunity to write a fitting final chapter of a career that he will almost certainly bring to a close at the end of this season after long battles with injury.

‘‘I’ve gradually been getting better and better with each match,’’ said Rafter.

‘‘But I thought last year’s match was pretty exceptional, from where I came from anyway.

‘‘If I can play that well then I definitely have a chance. I’m going to have to play that well to win.’’