Henman: My reasons for quitting Davis Cup

Obviously, believing that winning a Grand Slam rather than adding to his sterling Davis Cup record is the way his career will be defined, Henman, currently warming up for the Australian Open, is in confident mood after reaching the semi-finals of the French and US Opens last year and once again reaching the last eight at Wimbledon.

"At this stage in my career the combination of the Davis Cup format and the rigours of the ATP tour have made it necessary for me to make this decision," he wrote on his personal website. "After much deliberation I'm confident this offers me the best opportunity to fulfil some goals I have left in the game.

"I've enjoyed working under Jeremy Bates and I'm sure he will continue to do an excellent job."

Great Britain lost a Davis Cup tie in Austria last year which left them floundering in the Euro-African Zone and are due to play in Israel in March. Without their inspiration Henman, whose Davis Cup record was a remarkable 36 wins from 50 games, even this modest opposition may well now prove too tough an ask.

Bates said: "Tim has quite simply had a phenomenal Davis Cup career and it has been an absolute privilege to have captained the team with him in it.

"Looking to the future this decision obviously marks a watershed in British Davis Cup tennis but it is also a huge opportunity for the next generation to make their mark. We have a host of talented players coming through and I remain confident about the future."

The Lawn Tennis Association's chief executive John Crowther echoed the sentiments, saying: "His decision marks an opportunity for the next generation to step up to the plate and seize their chance."

This, of course, is a case of desperately trying to look on the bright side of life. The fact remains that last year in the only other Davis Cup singles match not played by Henman or Rusedski, Arvind Parmar got beaten.

Britain does not as yet remotely have the strength in depth to make ant sort of respectable challenge in this event without him.

The irony is that Henman, whose individual efforts in Grand Slams have long been the subject of unfair criticism, never let himself down in the Davis Cup.

In 2002, for instance after being called a wimp by one newspaper following another Wimbledon exit, he basically carried Britain to victory over Thailand singlehandedly despite hobbling around with an injury. As probably our greatest ever team player, he will be sorely missed.