Henman keen to help British tennis

Tim Henman hopes to play a major role in improving British tennis after his retirement.

The former world number four will call it a day after Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Croatia at Wimbledon next month, but Henman is keen to give something back to the game.

"Looking at this moment in time, with the structure that has been put in place, I'm very excited," Henman said. "Would I like to be involved in the future? Absolutely, because I feel there is now a system in place where you can see things happening. There are people in place who I absolutely believe in."

Henman will retire after a career spanning 14 years. He won 10 ATP Tour titles but suffered defeats in six grand slam semi-finals.

A troublesome back injury, combined with the desire to be with his wife Lucy for the birth of the couple's third child, prompted his decision to go now rather than slip further down the world rankings - he has already dropped to 92.

But rather than look back with regret, Henman insisted he was full of optimism for the future.

"It's something I'm very, very excited about. Obviously it's the end of something but it's also a new beginning," he added.

"I'd like to feel there will be a lot of opportunities out there to explore.

"In the short term, I'm looking forward to just stepping away from things. But whether it's next year or the year after, I will look at what's out there and I think that will definitely involve tennis.

"I don't envisage stepping away from the game for good because it's been such a good part of my life."