Fuente : Wimbledon
http://www.wimbledon.org

WIMBLEDON: Finn Relishes Henman Challenge

/noticias.info/ Tuesday, 21 June, 2005

Finn Jarkko Nieminen, Tim Henman's opponent today, appears confident ahead of his first ever Centre Court match at The Championships, even though grass is perhaps his weakest surface.

He also has to face the small matter of Henmania, the massive crowd support for the British No.1, and the fact that Henman is so familiar with the Wimbledon experience that he could be excused for treating the Centre Court as his living room.

Today's match is the first meeting between Henman and Nieminen. The just married Nieminen, who recently returned to the courts after having been sidelined with a hand injury for six months, told Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat: "I have to play aggressively and keep near the baseline. My strength is that I can change my style of play."

Nieminen says he relishes the chance of playing on Centre Court, adding it to his tally of main courts at both the French and Australian Open. "I have always felt comfortable playing big names at the main courts," he says.

Nieminen's coach, Henrik Johansen, is not shy about the Finn's chances either, telling Turun Sanomat, the newspaper covering Nieminen's home area, that Henman's "performances have been very inconsistent. He is not in the form people have been used to seeing him in. I believe Jarkko can beat him."

Henman told the Finnish press: "Nieminen is a good player. After all, he just beat Andre Agassi. I know his game well because I have trained with him."


Written by Jukka Viskari notas_de_prensa_archivo