Tim Henman was one of Britain’s most successful tennis players and has remained in the public eye since retiring, but he has kept his family life away from the spotlight
Mark Whiley Sports Reporter and Tom Victor
15:00, 19 Sep 2025
Tim Henman in San Francisco for the Laver Cup(Image: Getty Images for Laver Cup)
Tim Henman, Britain’s top tennis player in the late 1990s and early 2000s, achieved his highest world ranking of No. 4 between July 2002 and October 2004. Despite his achievements, Andy Murray’s subsequent triumphs have somewhat eclipsed Henman’s legacy.
‘Tiger Tim’ made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals four times but never reached a Grand Slam final. However, at 51 years of age, he remains one of the most recognisable figures in British tennis and continues to be associated with SW19 due to his BBC commentary and punditry work, as well as the affectionately named ‘Henman Hill’.
He has been named vice captain of Europe’s Laver Cup team, where six of the continent’s best male players will test themselves against the best of the rest of the world from Friday to Sunday this weeknd. Yannick Noah has been named as captain, while Andre Agassi will captain the Rest of the World team with Pat Rafter in support.
“Having watched the Laver Cup as a pundit and seeing first-hand the intensity, the quality of tennis and the passion and interaction between the players on the bench, I know how special this event is,” Henman said in March when his role was confirmed. “Being invited by Yannick to be part of the Laver Cup is a great honor and I’m really looking forward to working alongside him and the team to continue Europe’s winning tradition.”
While some tennis stars have taken a big step back since retirement, fading into the background, that’s not the case with Henman. Here’s a glimpse into his life away from the limelight and his support for Emma Raducanu….
A private home life
Tim Henman with wife Lucy on their wedding day(Image: Press Association)
In 2004, Tim and his wife Lucy Heald, to whom he has been married since 1999, moved to a splendid manor house in Aston Tirrold, a peaceful village parish near Didcot in south Oxfordshire.
The impressive Grade 2 listed 17th-century property is situated on five acres of land, boasting an outdoor pool, stables, and paddocks. It also features an outhouse used as a guest lodge, stunning gardens, a vast lawn and, unsurprisingly, a tennis court just a stone’s throw from the main house.
The house itself has eight bedrooms, with traditional interiors decorated with large Persian rugs and patterned wallpapers. There are also several reception rooms and a drawing room for the family to relax in.
In 2022, the Henman family’s mansion was put on the market for £6.5 million, suggesting a possible move. A Rightmove listing more than a year later showed that the property had returned to the market and was under offer for £4.5m, though it’s uncertain whether Henman has actually moved house. The family also keeps a home in Barnes, south-west London, which acts as Henman’s headquarters during his Wimbledon duties.
Tim Henman’s stunning family homeSeldom-seen offspring
Tim and Lucy are devoted parents to three daughters – Rose Elizabeth, 22, Olivia Susan, 20 and Grace, 18. The family initially raised their children in Barnes, where they lived a peaceful existence away from public attention following Henman’s retirement from tennis, with a love for pets throughout their home.
“We’ve got horses, dogs and cats, so you could call it a zoo,” he once joked. He champions healthy living and has consistently pushed his daughters towards active lifestyles, explaining: “They’re all very active.
“They play a little bit of tennis but also lots of other sports – hockey, netball and gymnastics. I think it’s very easy for kids to spend too much time on their computers and PlayStations but we definitely encourage our girls to get out, play sports and lead a really active lifestyle.”
Net worth
Henman during his run to the US Open semis in 2004(Image: A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
While Henman never won a Grand Slam, his accomplished career earned him a significant amount in prize money. According to official ATP Tour, figures, he scooped more than $11million (£8m by today’s exchange rate) over the course of his time in the sport, when you combine his singles and doubles winnings.
His career-best year, money-wise, came in 2004. He won £1.46m in total that year, reaching the semis of the French Open and US Open and sealing another six-figure score when he made it all the way to the final at Indian Wells.
Since retiring in 2007, he has maintained a presence in the sport to ensure he still has income streams from tennis. He has commentated on some of tennis’ top tournaments, including on the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, while his new Laver Cup role points to his continued work with the game’s elite.
Emma Raducanu connection
Henman has remained a loyal advocate of British star Emma Raducanu ever since her extraordinary victory at the US Open in 2021 as an 18-year-old qualifier. He not only offered guidance as a behind-the-scenes mentor during her historic run but also spoke highly of her, recalling: “The way she was playing, the way she was behaving, the way she was performing, you were wondering, ‘is this destiny?'”
Henman has consistently backed Emma Raducanu through difficult times(Image: Getty Images)
Raducanu has voiced her respect for Henman, crediting his influence in her strategy to approach matches “one point at a time”. His admiration was clear when he described her achievement at Flushing Meadows, stating: “She won 10 matches without dropping a set. It’s an absolute joke… it’s unbelievable. She is going to win more of these, she is that good. This is not some flash-in-the-pan fairytale.”
Despite a period of injuries hindering her development since, Henman continues to praise her talent and remained positive even after her first-round defeat to Sofia Kenin at the 2024 US Open, which brought her to tears.
He commented at the time: “It’s certainly not the last we’ll see of Raducanu. Fingers-crossed she’s going to have many more opportunities here at the US Open in the future. It’s all a rebuilding process as she comes back from the surgeries. When she has played, she has played very well.”
Henman praised her choice to skip qualifiers in 2024, as she was still rediscovering her form in the sport. He once more stood by her, saying: “There’s almost an obsession over her schedule or coach. She’s 21 and she’s got a lot of opportunities ahead of her. She just needs to focus on the process.”
Henman established a target for the star at the close of last year, expressing confidence that she possesses the ability to return to the top-30 rankings shortly if she improves her physical fitness. Since then, she has climbed from 61st in the world to 33rd, knocking on the door of that target, and ended a long wait for a first US Open match victory since her 2021 title.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Tennis podcast, he said: “I think the challenge for Raducanu is around physical resilience. Raducanu has had a decent year, going from sort of 300 into the top 60 but, when you look at the amount of tennis she’s played, she hasn’t played a great deal.
“If she builds up that resilience, every time she steps on the court, she was playing good tennis. Therefore, top 50, top 30 in 2025, I think is completely realistic.”