Thai breaker can add insult to Henman's injury fears

The outcome of next week's Davis Cup match between Britain and Thailand could hang on the test Tim Henman will undergo in Birmingham tomorrow on his damaged shoulder. When the draw was made for the World Group qualifying round there was much relief at Britain's "soft" pairing and strong expectations that the team, having lost their place in the 16-nation "premiership" of the event following home defeat by Sweden in February, would bounce straight back by thrashing one of the tennis tiddlers at the National Indoor Arena, starting on Friday.

Since then Henman's injury and a stunning surge by the top Thai, Paradorn Srichap-han, have levelled the scales. Srichaphan has won 15 of his last 18 matches, lifted his first ATP tour title in Long Island just before the US Open and famously walloped Andre Agassi in straight sets at Wimbledon, so the worries of Britain's captain, Roger Taylor, are understandable.

Taylor's reign began with that shattering home loss to Ecuador two years back; defeat by Thailand would prove equally embarrassing, howitzers once more aimed at the Lawn Tennis Association's scarred battlements. So, then, will Henman's shoulder prove strong enough to save the day? Since returning home, the British No 1 has been undergoing twice-daily treatment on the injury he sustained at Indianapolis five weeks ago. Tomorrow will be the first time he has picked up a racket since New York.

"Tim is progressing well," was Taylor's prognosis. "He is optimistic at the moment and he has an 80 per cent chance of playing if all goes well." The damage, diagnosed as an inflamed bursar sac which is pressing on a ligament, left Henman a dejected straight-sets loser to Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela at the US Open.

As a measure of Britain's task, Chela fell to Srichaphan in the Long Island final. "My shoulder is improving with every day that passes," Henman insisted. "Had I not been playing a Grand Slam I would definitely have rested after Indianapolis and by now it may well have cleared up completely. Fingers crossed, I will have recovered in time for the Davis Cup."

His fingers also crossed, Taylor ventured the opinion that Henman was mistaken in risking the shoulder at the US Open. "You could see he was hurting," said the British captain. "The decision about playing in Birmingham will rest with Tim. It would be unfair to send him out to play unfit. But the way he's trying to get fit says everything. If he can make it, he will. It is terrific for me as captain and the rest of the boys that Tim is so keen to be involved."

The "rest of the boys" are Greg Rusedski and the next two in the world rankings, Martin Lee (163) and Arvind Parmar (192). The trio have been practising indoors at Wimbledon over the past few days and are due to link up with Henman in Birmingham this evening. Parmar is recalled to the squad for the first time since the Ecuador debacle, when he replaced an injured Rusedski for the decisive rubber and lost.

"I think it has taken Arvind a while to get over that," Taylor admitted. "He is finally shaking it off, but you won't know until he is in that position again. Right now both he and Martin must be thinking there is a chance they might play. Last time Arvind was thrown in at the last moment. This time he could be preparing himself mentally."

Taylor, himself shaken by the Ecuador result, claims: "I am better for it. We rely so much on Tim and Greg you don't think it is going to happen. But it did happen and I realise it could happen again. We need Tim and Greg at their best to win this match."

A bright statistic for Britain is that one of Srichaphan's recent losses was to Rusedski in five tight sets at the US Open. It was his upset of Agassi in Wimbledon's second round that brought the Thai six-footer to British attention. Starting at 112 in the rankings, he has shot up to 31, ahead of Rusedski (35). He inspired Thailand to the 4-1 victory over Japan in the Asia/Oceania zone which lifted the country to a spot in the World Group qualifying round for the first time.

Srichaphan keeps reflexes razor sharp by practising the Thai sport of kick boxing and is the brightest member of a tennis-devoted family; father Chanachai introduced Paradorn to the game at six and is still his coach, while older brothers Thanakorn and Narathorn have played Davis Cup. Indeed, the 30-year-old Narathorn is No 3 on the team for Birmingham, though the second singles spot will go to the 21-year-old Danai Udomchoke. This small, slim son of a Bangkok lawyer took up the sport on medical advice at eight to develop his strength and, though his name is new in Britain, Taylor knows all about him.

"As soon as we drew them I looked at his computer ranking. He was 400 in the world. Now he is 201. He is not a power player but he reads the game well, is very quick and is making a reputation for himself." We may get an idea of how this suddenly-prickly tie is going if Srichaphan, who kneels to touch the court surface whenever he plays in accordance with Thai custom, opts to don a red shirt. Red, the symbol of power and strength in his homeland, is what Paradorn prefers when he is headed for victory.

So let us light a candle, preferably red, for the full restoration of health to that Henman shoulder this week.