‘C’mon, Tim’ – When Henmania gripped the nation at Wimbledon as Cameron Norrie hopes to avoid semi-final heartbreak

Cameron Norrie joined an elite club when he booked his place in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

He joins Roger Taylor, Tim Henman and Andy Murray as the only four British men to make the final four at SW19 in the Open era.

7

7

The British number one beat David Goffin in a five-set thriller to set up a semi-final with six-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Home tennis fans have been spoilt with Andy Murray over the last 15 years, with the two-time winner reaching the last four on seven occasions, but not since 2016.

Before Murray, Tim Henman was our greatest hope of having success at Wimbledon and there was so much heartbreak to go with it.

Henmania gripped the nation during the late 90s and early 2000s as he reached the semi-finals four times in five years.

We had the iconic Henman Hill outside Court 1 at the All England Club and the desperate pleas of “C’mon Tim” from anxious supporters whenever he played.

Who can also forget the Robinsons branding on his clothing - another memorable moment for tennis fans.

Most read in Sport

Mark Williams leaves referee in stitches with comment in historic World Championship final

Gout Gout's coach issues stark warning to 'new Usain Bolt' on the cusp of breakthrough

Mark Williams accused of mind games over health issues ahead of World Championship final

'Was very upset' - Snooker legend was banned for punch and apology letter was sold

7

7

Henman threatened to go on deep runs at Wimbledon by reaching the quarter-finals in 1996 and 1997 before going one further in 1998.

It was the ever-dominant Pete Sampras who defeated him 6-3 4-6 7-5 6-3 on his way to the title.

Again Sampras defeated Henman in the semi-final the following year in 1999, even though the Brit took the first set.

He managed to avoid the American again in 2001, but ran into the formidable Goran Ivanisevic, who also went on to win the title in a memorable final against Pat Rafter.

That one was particularly heart breaking as Henman was at his peak, while two-time former finalist Ivanisevic was a wildcard on the decline.

7

Brits remained hopeful that our Tim would finally reach a Grand Slam final, before running into Lleyton Hewitt the following year.

Henman may never have won a Grand Slam or reached a Wimbledon final, but he was one of the most popular sports stars of his generation.

In an era dominated by the likes of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the Brits loved getting behind an underdog who showed up every year… and was just a genuinely nice guy.

7

7

There are always some snarky comments about his lack of achievements, but Henman enjoyed a brilliant career despite the enormous weight of expectation on him as a home favourite at Wimbledon.

“Success is about maximising your potential and I know what I put into my career,” Henman told . “I gave everything I had and therefore I am very proud of what I achieved.

“There was criticism at times, but if people want you to give more than 100 per cent, you are fighting a losing battle. With commitment there are no greys areas, you have to give it 100 per cent and I did that.

“When you are a British player and you are challenging for big titles and especially Wimbledon, you either win it or you lose it. There is no in-between. I’ve never been that interested or bothered by many opinions. I listen to my family and the coaches I worked with and outside of that group I was never influenced.”

Like Henman, Norrie will go into the semi-final as an underdog against the 20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.

But he is sure to get a huge amount of support from the Centre Court crowd on Friday.