History wags its finger for Tim

Is friendship Tim Henman's biggest barrier to victory against Pete Sampras? Such was the vexed question posed in hand-wringing fashion by one of the Sunday papers ahead of the Stella Artois final.

How very inconvenient that the debate was rendered irrelevant when Lleyton Hewitt beat the Wimbledon champion yesterday morning at Queen's Club in their rain-delayed semi-final. For whatever caused Henman's afternoon defeat to the fearless young Australian in the final, warm mutual admiration did not seem a significant factor.

On one of those days when the English summer performed its favourite party trick - a convincing impression of mid-November - there were times during the final when the atmosphere became equally wintry. The lips of both players appeared to form words beginning with F on several occasions, mostly directed at themselves but mouthed while glaring furiously at their opponent between points.

Line calls were regularly met with withering stares and shaking heads.

After one frustrating game, Hewitt stomped back to his chair and seemed to address the service line judge. Remember the character known as Duckface in Four Weddings? That was the name Hewitt appeared to give the line judge.

Something similar to Duckface, in any case.

Ah well. Once Hewitt had defended his title 7-6, 7-6, the protagonists kissed and made up by doing that gripping-of-fists thing at the net which the male players opt for instead of a mere handshake when they want to show the other guy respect once combat is done. Strength and honour, as Maximus would say. Or mine's bigger than yours, as the modern translation has it.

Now is when history wags its finger, and tells us in its sternest voice that we should spring to no conclusions about Wimbledon on the strength of yesterday's results. A year ago Hewitt made mincemeat of Sampras in the Queen's final, prompting many a correspondent (this one, for example) to trumpet the Australian's Wimbledon chances no end. How we laughed a week later in SW19 as Hewitt was obliterated in the first round by Jan-Michael Gambill.

Everybody yesterday bent over backwards to underline the complete irrelevance of events at Queen's to Wimbledon. Sampras and Henman made it sound as if defeat made for the ideal build-up - although Sampras sounded more convincing thanks to his useful habit to date of winning Wimbledon no matter what happens at Queen's. But with successive victories over three of the best grass court players around - Greg Rusedski succumbed before Sampras and Henman - Hewitt has reason for optimism. The vanquished were impressed, anyway.