Tim: I do have a ruthless streak

The comedian Linda Smith once described him as the "human form of beige". On his website, he says, twice in the same paragraph that "what you see is what you get". But it turns out that isn't strictly true and it makes interviewing him as tricky as returning one of his volleys.

"I'd be the first to admit that I give the 'right answer' rather than the honest answer because I know that the extra attention ... well, I'm not interested in all that. I want to be as good a player as I can be and, aside from that, I want to be with my family and friends. All the other rubbish that goes with it, it's never been a motivating factor.

"If people perceive me as boring, it doesn't concern me. The people who know me best know there's two different people - there's the one that's in the public eye but I've always tried to deflect as much of that as possible.

"Then there's a different person that very few people get to see because that's the real me, the person I am with family and friends. If you ask people, they'd say I have a pretty good sense of humour and fun to be around."

Really? I say, I can't imagine it. He has been known to smoke the odd cigarette. Is this evidence of a wilder side? He thinks for a moment.

"Well, I am into wine and I've just built a wine cellar at my house," he says. "I'm not saying I'm going to turn into an alcoholic when I've finished playing but certainly I've always liked drinking wine and champagne. I would definitely like to collect wine and enjoy it with friends."

He says he will probably stop playing professionally in four years, "as long as I remain fit and injury-free.

There aren't many careers when you can retire at 35 with the rest of your life in front of you (he is worth around £10 million)". Before then, though, he has Wimbledon to win.

"It's been my dream, when I started, to play at Wimbledon and now my game has got better and better, it's my ultimate goal to win it." He has reached four semi-finals but this could be the year Henman lifts the trophy. Despite his youthful looks, he is getting on and if he doesn't do it this year, there is a sense he never will.

"My chances are better than they've ever been. I've come pretty close on four occasions but I just reflect on how much my game has improved in the past eight months. I'm very optimistic about my chances."

Wimbledon is his favourite time of year. Apart from the buzz of Henmania, he likes being able to stay at home in Barnes with his wife, Lucy, and their daughter, Rosie. "I stay in hotels for 30 weeks of the year, so to sleep in my own bed and be at home helps me feel comfortable and relaxed, so that's a big advantage."

He met Lucy, a documentary director, when she interviewed him in 1996. He knew straight away they were going to get married, and they did, three years later. Their daughter, Rosie, is 20 months old and their second child is due in December.

"It's really exciting, I love being a dad," he says. "My life has definitely changed for the better. We don't go out as much now but we still find time to go for dinner with friends. Our daughter has startedtalking and has been running around for a while. It's such a good side. For a large part of the year, it's like a travelling circus, one place to the next and it's the same people playing the tour. It's a great source of stability when you've got a family to come home to."

He's very much a hands-on father, he says. "Nappy changing, everything, I love all that. Even though we're both away a lot, we didn't want a nanny, we both want to bring up our own children. My wife works at nine of the tournaments. She's away for probably 10 or 11 weeks and I'm away even longer but our daughter comes with us."

Despite his family man image, is he aware of attention from his female fans? "There are always going to be hangers-on and groupies," he says. "If people want to take advantage of that, that's their choice." Has he? "No!" he says, half-laughing, half-annoyed I even had to ask. How does Lucy cope with the attention he gets? "She's very secure and she's been around tennis for quite a few years so she knows what it's like. She accepts it's certainly not a distraction for me, it's just something that goes with the territory. She's secure in our relationship."

He started playing tennis almost as soon as he could walk, following the family tradition. His great-grandmother, Ellen Stowell-Brown was the first woman to serve overarm at Wimbledon; his grandmother, Susan Billington, the last to serve underarm. His grandfather, Henry Billington, reached the third round three times. Mother, Jane, played at Junior Wimbledon and now designs tennis wear and father, Tony, a solicitor, played to county standard.

Henman had a comfortable upbringing, playing against his two older brothers on the tennis court in the garden at his Oxfordshire home. When he was 11, he went to boarding school, Reed's, in Surrey on a tennis scholarship. He was coached for three hours a day.

His Wimbledon dream started when he was five and was taken to watch Bjorn Borg play on centre court. "Now I pretty much play all my matches on centre court and it's amazing to reflect back and realise this time it's me out there."

He faces the Swiss Ivo Heuberger in round two tomorrow. Does he get nervous before a match?

"Yes, but it's more excitement. I'm not the type of person who lets the tension become too much. Nobody is worrying me. There are a handful of guys who have a good chance of winning and, absolutely, I'm one of them." Fighting talk indeed.