Wimbledon tennis fans will inevitably be frustrated by the English weather over the next fortnight, but one man has more reason than most to bemoan the rain.

Former world number four Tim Henman, in 2001, came within two points of becoming the first Briton to reach a Wimbledon final since 1938, but lost a five-set marathon encounter to eventual champion Goran Ivanisevic.

The former Barnes resident led Ivanisevic 2-1 in sets and was 5-all in fourth set tie-break but lost next two points and fell 6-3 in the fifth set of a match played over three days because of rain.

But Henman says the delays didn’t bother him and doesn’t lie awake at night thinking ‘what if?’.

“Everyone I speak to has more of an issue with the rain and that match than I do,” he said.

“I played so many matches where the rain helped me. I’ve had a million rain delays.

“Did it help Goran? Yes, it did.

“But people forget I would still have had to have beaten Pat Rafter in the final, so it wasn’t so cut and dried.”