2005 Feb 25 - Henman crashes in Dubai

Tim Henman was defeated by Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 7-5 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open.

In the first set the British No.1 was unable to make significant headway on the Ljubicic serve and then let his own service game slip to allow the Croatian a decisive break.

Despite a perfect start in the second set to break Ljubicic' opening service game, a rain delay - one of many throughout the match - followed, and appeared to help the Croatian who came back to break the Henman serve twice to seal victory.

Tim was unhappy with how the umpire dealt with the rain. He said:

"It was incredibly frustrating. It's raining and the umpire doesn't take control.

"He kept telling us to play till the end of the game. But if it's raining, you come off - the score's irrelevant.

"It couldn't be more frustrating as I was very happy with my form until now. You don't expect this in the desert."