Victory at the Paris Masters spurred Henman on to his best ever season in 2004. Frequently criticised for failing to reach his potential at Grand Slams away from Wimbledon, he finally set that record straight.

Under the guidance of Pete Sampras' former coach Paul Annacone, Henman became the first Briton to reach the French Open semi-finals in 41 years, playing a brand of attacking tennis which lit up the tournament.

He went on to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the eighth time before another surprise run took him to the semi-finals of the US Open. The award of an OBE capped a brilliant year.