BRITISH INVASION IN L.A.? : HENMAN ALREADY A BIG HIT IN UK.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer Tim Henman Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE (born September 6, 1974 in Oxford) is a former English tennis player. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship. is getting rock-star treatment in his native England, but all he really wants is to be known as the tennis star he could soon become. Henman, ranked No. 11 in the world and coming oh so close to the top 10, arrives in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. this week with the same aspirations as so many Hollywood hopefuls: to grab his own small sliver of the spotlight. Winning the Mercedes- Benz Cup, which opens today at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , could make Henman a top-10 hit. It would also make him a household name in more than just Great Britain Great Britain, officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 60,441,000), 94,226 sq mi (244,044 sq km), on the British Isles, off W Europe. The country is often referred to simply as Britain. . First, he'll have to contend with a Mercedes field that includes reigning U.S. Open The term U.S. Open is applied to "open" United States national championships in a particular sport, in which anybody, amateur or professional, American or non-American may compete. These include:
``Obviously, with the way my ranking has gone up since Wimbledon, I'm No. 11, and I've said breaking the top 10 is a definite goal,'' second-seeded Henman said Sunday. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. whether it's mathematically possible this week. But all the results help.'' It could send the Brits - starved for a tennis torch bearer - into a euphoric tizzy tiz·zy n. pl. tiz·zies Slang A state of nervous excitement or confusion; a dither. [Origin unknown. . Earlier this month at Wimbledon, where Henman became the first British male to reach the semifinals since 1973, screaming fans chased the 23-year-old through the rain to get snapshots as he left the All England Club grounds. He'll have no such concerns in Westwood, where he'd rate somewhere in the Judge Reinhold range on the celebrity meter. He's not exactly a household name yet, outside of Britain. ``I think that's fair to say,'' said Henman, 26-17 this year. ``If I continue to have more good results away from home as well as at home, it's inevitable that more and more people will know who I am.'' Henman's ranking has improved every year since 1992, climbing to No. 17 by the end of 1997 after breaking the top 20 for the first time about 18 months ago. After back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinal appearances, Henman went through Rafter and Petr Korda en route to the semifinals this year only to lose a gutty match to eventual champion Pete Sampras. It infused Henman with the full gamut of emotions, from the joy of his best Grand Slam performance on home soil to the disappointment of being ousted just short of his goal. ``It was, looking back, a good fortnight for me,'' Henman said. ``For quite a few days after that, I was still very disappointed. But then you have to reflect and take away the good of it. . . . But it's no disgrace to lose to someone of Sampras' class.'' Henman, who opens against Grant Stafford on Tuesday, won't have Sampras to worry about this week. The world's No. 1 player is recovering from surgery on his right foot and informed ATP ATP: see adenosine triphosphate. ATP in full adenosine triphosphate Organic compound, substrate in many enzyme-catalyzed reactions (see catalysis) in the cells of animals, plants, and microorganisms. officials Friday that he would be a no-show. The L.A. native hasn't played in the tournament since 1993. ``There's no question that Pete's going to be missed,'' said tournament director Bob Kramer. ``It's disappointing for us, because we've grown up with Pete here, and we got Pete to come and play again. . . . We hope Pete gets well soon, because we all want to see him win another Slam.'' MERCEDES AT A GLANCE What: Mercedes-Benz Cup (formerly Infiniti Open, originated as Pacific Southwest in 1927). Where: Los Angeles Tennis Center, UCLA. Surface: Pacific Pave (hard court, similar to U.S. Open). Who: 32 singles players, 16 doubles teams. Top-seeded players include Patrick Rafter, Goran Ivanisevic, Tim Henman, Andre Agassi, Thomas Enqvist. Schedule: Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., noon & 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 4 p.m. TV: Fox Sports West, Saturday 1-3 p.m., 7:30-9:30 p.m. and Sunday 4-6 p.m. Benefits: Southern California Tennis Association's junior development programs. Noteworthy: Actors Robin Williams and Billy Crystal team with Rafter and Agassi in doubles match Monday evening, proceeds benefiting United Friends of the Children. Tickets: $16-$36 on daily tickets; call 310-824-1010. CAPTION(S): Box BOX: MERCEDES AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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