Henman to captain GB in new cup

TIM HENMAN is set to make a shock comeback to high performance tennis by captaining the Great Britain team in January’s new ATP Cup. The 45-year-old has accepted an invitation from the country’s top male players, led by Andy Murray, to be in charge of the side participating in the £11.8million event in Australia. The move is a new departure for the one-time world No 4, who retired in 2007. Sources close to the British men’s team say he is the choice of Murray. Under the rules of the 24-nation event, the captain is chosen by the ‘No 1 singles player in consultation with their team members’. Henman (below) travelled to the Paris Masters last week to have dinner with several of the top British players, such as Kyle Edmund and Jamie Murray, to get to know them better and discuss the new event. The 11-day ATP Cup has been set up by the men’s tour as a rival to the more historic Davis Cup — now promoted by the marketing company of footballer Gerard Pique — as part of an ongoing turf war between the sport’s governing bodies. Somewhat absurdly, it starts only six weeks after this month’s season-ending £14m Davis Cup in Madrid, and GB will play their group matches in Sydney. The five-man squads are picked on ranking. Henman will be responsible for choosing the doubles pairing and will sit courtside offering tactical and coaching advice. Murray and Henman have always enjoyed a close relationship. The 32-year-old Scot — whose third child, a son, was born last week — has previously spoken of the former British No 1’s generosity towards him when he was new on the professional scene.