Under the microscope

Former British tennis hero Tim Henman, 45, takes our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS

YES. I stopped playing professional tennis 12 years ago and now I keep fit in my home gym, five times a week for around an hour a time. It has a treadmill, bike, Versaclimber [a cardio machine that provides a total body workout] and weights. I also go for 5k runs with my wife, Lucy, and our black Labradors Bumble and Bella.

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

DEFINITELY. Lucy has a vegetable patch and started growing her own. We all [the couple have children Rosie, 17, Olivia, 14, Grace, 12] eat well and have a balanced diet.

EVER DIETED?

WHEN I was playing, I kept my calorie intake up with protein shakes and chicken, fish and steak. Now there’s no real diet, but I pay attention to what I eat. I’m 6ft 1in and weigh just over 12st (77kg).

ANY VICES?

WINE. Any wine. I like it all. Eight days a week.

HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?

WHEN I was 28, my wisdom teeth were coming through and I had all four out under general anaesthetic. I remember friends who’d had terrible experiences, but my teeth were removed at 8am and I ate steak and chips for lunch that day.

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

PRETTY well. I played more than 1,000 matches and stopped in very few of them — though aged 20, I broke my left leg in three places. It was a spiral fracture [caused by the foot remaining in once place while the body was in motion]. I had an operation two days later and three pins were put in at the bottom. I’ve still got them in now and have never had a problem.

WORST ILLNESS/INJURY?

BREAKING my leg. I was ranked 145th in the world at the time and I missed five months of tennis.

POP ANY PILLS?

ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES for my right elbow if it’s sore. I’ve had three operations on it — the first in my 20s; I suspect the damage was triggered by playing too much tennis in my teens when my bones were still soft and muscles were developing quickly.

TRIED ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES?

WHEN playing, I had acupuncture.

BIGGEST PHOBIA?

SNAKES, though I can’t explain why. I can’t watch them on TV and don’t even like toy snakes.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?

I’VE always been a very good sleeper. I can sleep any time, anywhere and never lost sleep before a big match.

HANGOVER CURE?

A PROPER breakfast with eggs, avocado and bacon. Also, hydration.

EVER HAD PLASTIC SURGERY?

IT’S not for me, but horses for courses.

Tim will play at the Champions Tennis event this month. Tickets are available at championstennis.co.uk