Tiger Tim has backed Andy Murray to win this year’s Wimbledon title and said there would be no bitterness if his friend became the tournament’s first British winner in 73 years.

Speaking to the Wimbledon Guardian, the former British number one urged the Scot to go one better than he ever managed at the All England Club.

Henman, who reached the semi-final four times, said: “Andy is playing fantastically at the moment and no one has raised their game and improved in the last year as much as he has.

“It's going to fascinating to watch how he does this year, but there's no doubt he's got a great chance of winning.”

And when asked if the World No 3 will have difficulty handling the weight of a nation’s expectation, he added: “It's funny but I get asked that question more than any other.

“It's much easier when you're playing rather than watching – you can stay pretty detached from it all, you're only worried about your own performance and the things you have control over.

“Andy's dealt with the pressure and expectation in the past and he'll have no problem dealing with it this year and in the future. He's already been a grand slam finalist and is very confident right now. It'll certainly be interesting to see how it unfolds.”

Speaking next to thousands queuing for tickets on day one of the tournament, Henman admitted his love and fascination of Wimbledon has not relented since retiring from tennis two years ago.

He said: “From the position of a player, it's the history that goes with the tournament that makes it so special. If you asked all 124 competitors in the locker room which tournament they would want to win the most, it's this one.

“Wimbledon has meant everything to me from the moment I first came here as a five-year-old to watch Bjorn Borg. It's been an enormous part of my life.”

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