French Open 2020 - 'Don't jump to conclusions about British tennis after Roland Garros' - Tim Henman

ByDan Quarrell

Published 11/10/2020 at 12:45 GMT

British tennis endured a hugely disappointing 2020 French Open, but Tim Henman does not believe people should be jumping to conclusions following the year's final Grand Slam in isolation. The Eurosport expert says he has seen first-hand what many British players are capable of in his role of ATP Cup captain earlier in the year.

Tim Henman has said he would not be jumping to conclusions about British tennis after the very disappointing 2020 French Open.

Andy Murray lost in the first round to Stanislas Wawrinka, and British hopes in the singles at Roland Garros were ended abruptly across the board at the opening hurdle.

Heather Watson and Jamie Murray have been among the big names to have spoken about the struggles British tennis is currently facing after the underwhelming collective performance in Paris.

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But Henman, who was Britain's ATP Cup captain earlier in the year, says he would not be rushing to judgement right now and insists that he has seen many players perform 'fantastically well'.

'Don't jump to conclusions about British tennis after French Open' - Henman

"I think it was a challenging tournament, no doubt about it," Henman told Barbara Schett in the Eurosport studio.

"On the positive side, Liam Broady came through qualifying, which was a great achievement in these conditions.

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"The other main draw players, when you look at [Dan] Evans or [Andy] Murray, it's a difficult surface for them. They are not necessarily so well suited for clay.

"I think Murray has obviously played well in the past, but having had hip surgery and not having the preparation, it was always going to be difficult.

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"On the ladies' side with [Johanna] Konta and [Heather] Watson, they can play well on clay but they didn't play so well in this tournament," he continued.

I wouldn't necessarily be jumping to conclusions just on the back of one event. At the beginning of the year I was involved in the ATP Cup, I was captain of the British team, and they played fantastically well.

"So when I look at the group of male and female players at the top of the British game, I think they can play better. They didn't play well, but I wouldn't be jumping to conclusions just yet."

The first-round exodus in Paris meant there were no Brits in the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2013.

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