Henman Now Says No Retirement this Year

Henman has suffered with back problems over the last year and had indicated that if things didn't get better he would be forced to pull the plug on his career in 2006.

"If I wasn't enjoying it and feeling I was able to compete, then certainly it would be time to assess things," the 31-year-old told the BBC. "But right now that certainly seems a long way off and there's no reason why I can't play a good few years yet. Right now I'm very motivated, feeling healthy and looking forward to having some better results."

Before the back injury it was shoulder problems that were hampering Henman's serve.

"There's no doubt it's been a difficult 15 or 16 months and that's been probably dominated more by back problems than my results on the court," Henman said. "In the last couple of months I've really felt like I've begun to turn the corner."

In Miami Henman beat Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt in consecutive rounds, results which have had an effect on his outlook for the remainder of 2006.

"I've felt healthy on the court and that puts a totally different slant on everything," Henman said. "When you can practice and train properly and actually enjoy what you're doing it's going to have a knock-on effect on performance. I've started to really feel like I've been playing some good tennis. In individual matches I've started to have some good results. It's a question of stringing that together over a 10- or 11-month period."