For those keeping up with the Wimbledon action, it will feel like a long time since we have seen Tim Henman on the court.
The tennis player, who was the first British man to reach the singles semifinals of the iconic tennis tournament since Roger Taylor, now attends the event in a viewing and commentating capacity having announced his retirement in 2007.
Away from the court, the athlete, 49, is a dad of three. Tim shares three grown-up daughters with his wife of 25 years Lucy Heald - Rosie, 22, Olivia, 20, and Grace, 17.
© Helen Murray/BBCGet to know the tennis star's family…
Daughters
Little has been seen of Tim's daughters since his tennis days. The first photo of their eldest, Rosie, was released shortly after her birth in 2002.
Speaking directly to his fans via his website, Tim wrote: "Lucy and I had our first baby, Rose Elizabeth, who weighed eight pounds, four ounces, on October 19 2002. We'd both been looking forward to becoming parents for much of the year and it proved to be well worth the wait."
© GettyThe new doting dad was seen cuddled up to his wife and their newborn who was adorable in a swaddle.
Reflecting on Olivia's birth, the tennis champ wrote: "Lucy had our second child, Olivia, who weighed eight pounds, one ounce, on December 15 2004 to cap off a fantastic year. Watching Rosie grow up has been a wonderful experience and we feel blessed that she now has a little sister."
© Getty2004 marked the year that Tim was appointed an OBE in the New Year Honours list having reached the semi-final of both the US and French Opens that year.
© Getty"We had our third child, Grace, who weighed eight pounds 11 ounces on Friday September 14 2007," the doting dad told his fans. "We both feel blessed that we have been lucky enough to have three beautiful children and we couldn’t be happier."
Home with daughters
Little is known about the girls' lives now their dad has retired from tennis. Tim did however reveal to the Evening Standard in 2021 that he and Lucy have moved to a small village south of Oxford having raised their daughters in Barnes.
© Getty Images"We’ve got horses, dogs and cats, so you could call it a zoo," the singles pro revealed. "We still have a place in Barnes where I stay during Wimbledon."
Wimbledon: 5 surprising facts
© AFP via Getty Images1. A lot of tennis balls
Throughout the tournaments, Wimbledon goes through over 50,000 tennis balls! After the first seven games, the balls are replaced and refrigerated to maintain bounce.
2. Strawberries and cream
Tennis and strawberries are never apart throughout Wimbledon, and in fact, they only get the fruit from one supplier. Last year, Hugh Lowe Farm in Kent provided around 1.5 million strawberries over the two-week tournament.
3. Rufus the Hawk
Rufus, the hawk, has been the protector of the Wimbledon courts for the past ten years. He flies above the grounds in the early AM to chase away any pigeons to maintain a pristine court condition.
4. Prize money
The winners of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles championships will each receive £2.2 million. Additionally, the winners of every round will also receive money, ranging from £1500 for the winner of the first round of mixed doubles, up to £1.1 million for the runner-up in the final.
5. Longest match in history
In June 2010, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled for 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days, with the longest match in professional tennis history. The match totalled 183 games, and John eventually won 70-68.
The MailOnline also reported that Tim encourages his daughters to lead a healthy lifestyle. "I've got three daughters and they're all very active. They play a little bit of tennis but also lots of other sports – hockey, netball and gymnastics," he said.
© Alamy"I think it's very easy for kids to spend too much time on their computers and PlayStations but we definitely encourage our girls to get out, play sports and lead a really active lifestyle."
Although his children have played tennis, Tim confessed on Laura Whitmore: Under the Spotlight, that he was "pretty happy" none of them chose to play the sport professionally. He explained that Henman might be "the wrong surname" due to the expectations that would be placed on their shoulders.
