Henman must be wary of Arazi ambush

As Tim Henman prepares himself for the long haul to Wimbledon glory, his British compatriot, Alex Bogdanovic, will be hoping for at least 15 minutes of fame when he plays Roger Federer, the defending champion and world No 1, in the opening match on Centre Court on Monday.

Yesterday's draw was reasonably kind to the fifth-seeded Henman, enabling him to avoid Federer and his bête noir, Lleyton Hewitt, who has beaten him seven times out of seven, unless he advances to the final for the first time in his career.

The British No 1's projected tasks are difficult enough. The skilful but flaky Hicham Arazi is seeded to meet Henman in the third round, with the two most recent losing finalists, Mark Philippoussis and David Nalbandian, looming in the fourth round and quarter-finals.

Should the 29-year-old Henman clear those hurdles and reach the semi-finals for a fifth time, the 153 mph serve of Andy Roddick is likely to challenge his right to a place in the final.

But nobody suggested winning Wimbledon is easy. Nor should it be. Otherwise Fred Perry would not be the last Briton to win the men's singles title, in 1936, and Bunny Austin the last British man to play in a final, in 1938.

Philippoussis, the 11th seed, has the power and the pedigree to be a Wimbledon champion. The 27-year-old Australian was unfortunate to run into Federer in full flow in last year's final. Philippoussis eliminated Henman in the fourth round in five sets in 2000.

In the past year, however, his moods and form have swung on contrasting experiences in the Davis Cup: an heroic final against Spain, followed by severe criticism after a subsequent first-round rout by Sweden. His confidence low, Philippoussis was defeated in the Stella Artois Championships last week by Ian Flanagan, a British qualifier, ranked 866.

Nalbandian, the 22-year-old fourth seed from Argentina, has competed in the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam championships. Though well beaten by Hewitt in the 2002 Wimbledon final, he has grown in strength and confidence, and has beaten Henman in four of their five matches. Henman won their only contest on grass, in four sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, when Nalbandian was handicapped by a stomach injury.

For the next four days, the only player on Henman's mind will be his first-round opponent, Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, a 26-year-old from Alicante, ranked 83rd in the world. The 6ft Spaniard is yet to win an ATP title but his record this year includes a final in Zagreb and a semi-final in Lugano.

Bogdanovic, a wild card, ranked 307, lost his Lawn Tennis Association funding after they accused the talented 20-year-old of lacking application in his approach to improving his game and ranking. He could not wish for a bigger stage on which to strut his stuff, against the finest player in the world.

Serena and Venus Williams may be on course to meet in the final for the third year in a row as Serena attempts to complete a hat-trick of Wimbledon women's singles titles. Venus may encounter the Russian second seed, Anastasia Myskina, the French Open champion, in the semi-finals.

Martina Navratilova, the 47-year-old nine-times champion, playing singles for the first time in 10 years with a world ranking of 1001, will meet Colombian Catalina Castano, ranked 100.