2003 Dec 03 - Henman appoints new coach Annacone

Tim Henman has announced the appointment of cpach American Paul Annacone on a part-time basis.

This follows almost 3 months without a coach, following the split with Larry Stefanki, a time in which Tim has played some of his best tennis. Although he admits that Annacone's influence was a factor in his winning the Paris Masters title.

If you are wondering where you have heard the name Paul Annacone before, it is likely that you remember him as the coach of legend Pete Sampras.

Tim said:

"I've played well and enjoyed considerable success when I've had the freedom to make my own decisions on the couple of occasions in my career when I haven't been working with a coach.

"On the other hand, I've also learnt a great deal from both David (Felgate) and Larry (Stefanki).

"It's always nice to have somebody to be able to talk things through with whenever the need arises, so this time I want to try and get the best of both worlds by working with a coach on a part-time basis."

"Paul and I have been friends for a long time, and we got to know each other pretty well when he used to work with Pete. I obviously have a lot of respect for him for what they both achieved together.

"Having had some time to reflect on my success in Paris and the year as a whole, I've spoken to Paul at length and we've come to an agreement which we think will enable us both to achieve our goals next year.

"Paul is going to come over to the UK soon for just over a week to get some on-court work done, and then I'll be teaming up with him again in Melbourne after I've played in Doha so we can prepare for the Australian Open.

"We'll continue to work together at various times throughout 2004 in the hope of maximising my performance at the biggest events of the year."