Henman made it clear that, despite his role at the Laver Cup, he has no intention of transitioning to a full-time coaching role
Tim Henman has expressed his admiration for the rise of young British tennis star Jack Draper, especially after the 21-year-old claimed the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells. However, Henman, who was once Britain’s number one, is not surprised by Draper’s success. He always believed that Draper had the potential to make it far in the sport.
Speaking to The Guardian, Henman explained, “I’m not really altogether that surprised. I think what is taking place now is the pieces of the puzzle coming together, and those pieces have always been there.”
Despite Draper’s evident talent, Henman acknowledged that a few setbacks, particularly injuries, have kept him from maintaining consistent momentum on the tour. “It’s just, perhaps, a few of the little injuries that have kept him away from building that momentum and tournament play,” Henman said.
Now, with Draper currently ranked seven in the world and having just won his first Masters 1000 title, Henman sees even more potential for the young player. “He still hasn’t really played a consistent 12-18 months on tour. There’s always been those interruptions,” Henman noted. He also praised Draper’s game, saying, “When you take a little bit of a deeper dive into his game, there are very few weaknesses and still areas to improve on.”
Henman’s enthusiasm for tennis is not limited to his support of Draper. Recently, he was appointed as the new vice-captain for Team Europe at the Laver Cup, an event he’s particularly excited about. “I’m so excited about the Laver Cup because of the event itself, and the best players from Team Europe and Team World going at it. But there’s a finite period,” he said, referring to the limited-time nature of the competition.
However, Henman made it clear that, despite his role at the Laver Cup, he has no intention of transitioning to a full-time coaching role. He explained that coaching demands a significant time commitment, especially when it comes to travel, and he’s had coaching offers in the past but they didn’t appeal to him. “I think coaching is a far bigger commitment in terms of time, in terms of travel, and I’ve had those offers, but it just doesn’t appeal to me,” Henman said. He added, “And that may change. I would never shut the door on coaching an individual player.”
While Henman enjoys working as a pundit and finds his balance with television work, his focus remains on the exciting prospects of the Laver Cup and the future of British tennis, with Jack Draper being one of its brightest stars.
