Henman reached six Grand Slam semi-finals during his career

Former world number four Tim Henman will make his return to competitive action at the Masters Tennis event at the Royal Albert Hall later this year.

The 35-year-old, who retired from the sport in 2007, will make his first appearance on the ATP Champions Tour at the event which starts on 30 November.

"I have had a really good break and I would now like to get out and hit some balls," Henman told BBC Radio 5 live.

"This event has really taken off - the Albert Hall is such a special place."

The Masters Tennis event started in 1997 with American legend John McEnroe winning the first three tournaments while the likes of Pat Cash, Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic have also taken part.

In 2009, Australian Pat Rafter defeated Stefan Edberg to win the tournament for the first time.

Henman, who says he hopes it will be the first event of many on the Champions Tour, has played publicly since his retirement, playing in mixed doubles and singles matches with Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters in May 2009 to test the new retractable roof on Wimbledon's Centre Court.

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to Henman's return

And Henman says that his break has done him the world of good.

"It was fantastic to leave it behind, I started when I was three," he added. "But I would not have it any differently - I absolutely loved it.

"To have that break and to be able to be at home and spend time with my family and play a lot of golf. I used to spend no time with my family.

"For 29 and a half years it was my hobby but for the last six months it was my job and I never wanted tennis to be that.

"I stopped at the right time. I loved the freedom of not having to practice, to train, to travel, to go to the tournaments and all the commitments that go with that."

Henman believes that the Masters Tennis event is the perfect way to return to competitive tennis.

"The beauty of playing this type of event is that although I will need to practice and make sure that I am in good shape, it's not the same discipline and the same commitment," he said.

"First and foremost I want to play well because tennis has always been a huge passion of mine and to play well in London in front of a British crowd is another incentive.

"But at the end of the day, these tournaments are to be enjoyed, and if you don't come away with the right result then it's not the end of the world. To know that I'll be able to play with less pressure will make it extra enjoyable."

Eight players take part in the event, with two-groups of four playing in a round-robin format. The winners of each group play eachother in the final.

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