'Irritable' Henman striving to address age syndrome

Tim Henman is wrestling with his good-guy image and that of a grumpy old man after admitting he is coming down with "over-30 syndrome". As the only member of the world's top 10 never to have reached a grand slam final, Henman is using Andre Agassi as a role model as he seeks to blossom in the latter years of his career.

Tim Henman is wrestling with his good-guy image and that of a grumpy old man after admitting he is coming down with "over-30 syndrome". As the only member of the world's top 10 never to have reached a grand slam final, Henman is using Andre Agassi as a role model as he seeks to blossom in the latter years of his career.

But he admits to having become "irritable" at the slightest disturbance, and admits his attitude has been questionable. For the 30-year-old Henman it is an unfamiliar position, and he recognises that now is the time to address and eliminate the problem, ahead of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Today he faces Argentinian Juan Ignacio Chela in the third round of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami. It is a match which Henman is relishing, not least because he enjoyed arguably his career-high moment against the 25-year-old in the quarter-finals of last year's French Open, casting aside his aversion to clay to pummel a clay specialist.

If Henman is to make up for his failure at Indian Wells earlier this month, then he will need to find his best form this week. To go beyond the last eight he will almost certainly need to oust Roger Federer, who he is seeded to meet in the quarter-finals.