Henman learning the hard way on French clay

Having completed his preparation for the French Open at the World Team Cup on the clay in Düsseldorf last week, Tim Henman had a knock-up at Roland Garros yesterday with Simon Stevens, from Belgium. You will not have heard of Stevens, but he startled the British No 1 with the quality of his top-spin forehand, one-handed backhand and net rushing to punch away Henman-style volleys. Not bad for a six-year-old.

"The LTA could do with a few youngsters like him," Henman said, stepping out of an indoor carpet mini-tennis court provided by Adidas, his clothing sponsor. The 27-year-old from Oxfordshire then turned his thoughts to the serious competition, looking no farther than his first round opponent, Galo Blanco, of Spain.

"This has been my best clay court season so far," said Henman, a semi-finalist at the Monte Carlo Open last month, "but unfortunately that doesn't guarantee me anything. I've lost in the third round here for the last three years." Which is as far as he has progressed at the Grand Slam tournament on the world's slowest courts.

A year ago, when he was working without a coach, Henman was worn down in five sets by Guillermo Canas, an Argentinian whose sturdy legs enabled him to capitalise on Henman's errors, particularly when the Briton's first serve let him down.

Henman says he learns from every setback, and that cannot be denied where his game on clay is concerned. He enjoyed thinking his own way through technical and tactical problems last year, and has made further improvements with the guidance of his American coach, Larry Stefanki.

Blanco, who defeated Henman in their only previous match, in Monte Carlo in 1998, may also be successful here tomorrow. But he is unlikely to find Henman as naive as he was then. "I don't try and beat these guys at their own game, from the back court," he says. "I've got to use all my attributes and get them out of their comfort zone. My wins on clay are the most satisfying because it is the most difficult surface for me to play on."

Although seeded No 6 by virtue of his ranking over the past 12 months, Henman will do well to improve his record here, though he is not the type to underestimate his chances. "On my day I believe I can beat any of these guys on clay – but to beat seven in a row is something else. I've never managed to do that anywhere, and the French is the toughest for me."

Gustavo Kuerten, of Brazil, will be attempting to defeat seven men in a row at Roland Garros for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in six years. In the short time he has played since recovering from hip surgery, Kuerten has regained a semblance of form, though he is not convinced he has the match toughness to carry him through the tournament this time.

"I cannot say I don't have any chance," Kuerten said yesterday, "but it seems like many guys are playing better than me, and I don't know how my body is going to respond to maybe five set battles, match after match. I have spent many hours on the court and and in the gym to try and get ready, but I think it would be a good effort if I get to play in the second week."

Whatever befalls him here, Kuerten is likely to miss Wimbledon for the second year in a row. "I prefer to take one month off after the French Open to relax and do more rehabilitation and probably play a little more on clay," he said. "I'm still a little afraid to go on the grass at this stage."

Kuerten, who was at the forefront of the dispute over the Wimbledon seedings policy last year, missed those championships because of the hip injury. "Maybe some people got the wrong impression," he said. "Normally, the months leading up to the French is the part of the year I have to put in more effort and to play more. The times I kept going and played Wimbledon I was unable to play well all the year long. I didn't go to Wimbledon last year because I already had this injury."

Jennifer Capriati is attempting to make a successful defence of the French Open women's singles title, as she did at the Australian Open in January, albeit after saving four match points against Martina Hingis in the Melbourne final. "It feels like I've played a lot more tennis leading up to this," Capriati said, "but physically I feel good, and I'm eager to play."

Bringing a touch of déjà vu to the proceedings, Capriati has been practising with Kim Clijsters, of Belgium, whom she defeated in last year's final, 12-10 in the third set. "We practice a lot together at tournaments," Capriati explained. "Kim's a good friend. We always have fun practising together, so it doesn't matter if we were in the final last year or if we're on opposite sides [of the draw] this year."

There is also a chance that Capriati, the top seed, could meet Serena Williams, the third seed, in the semi-finals, having defeated the 20-year-old over three sets in the quarter-finals last year. "It's been close every match we've played," Capriati admitted. "You can't have any lapses of concentration against Serena. The way she plays makes it difficult to keep your momentum. Her movement is the biggest improvement she's made on clay since last year. She doesn't get off balance so much."