British pair pipped in marathon by No 3 seeds

The mutual respect between Andy Murray and Tim Henman is obvious on and off the court. The current and former British No 1s were unable to make further progress in the doubles at the Monte Carlo Masters here yesterday, losing to Fabrice Santoro and Nenad Zimonjic, but the younger man felt he had learned some valuable lessons during his first week of the clay-court season.

"I learned a lot playing with Tim," Murray said after the narrow 6-3, 3-6, 8-10 defeat, which needed a champions tie-break, by the No 3 seeds. "He's got probably the best volleys in the game. Mine aren't exactly the best, so I know I've got a lot to work on."

What else could Henman teach him? "I can learn about things like concentration and realising that when there's a big point you have to keep the pressure on," Murray said. "Obviously Tim has had a lot more experience than me and he knows when to keep the pressure on. I also learn a lot when we practise together. We have good chats. Tim has been a great help."

What did Henman think he could pass on to Murray? "It's obvious he's got all the shots. I think there are mental aspects that you learn through experience which I can pass on. A lot of it is about the mental side."