Tim's latest balls-up at Wimbledon

Tim Henman has been hitting balls for so long that he appears to have started talking them as well.

The British No1 claims the little yellow objects he has been smashing around Wimbledon are to blame for his slump in form there.

He said they have been stale and slow because the All England Club have been releasing them from their pressurised tins too soon.

Henman has persuaded officials to delay opening them this year until the players are on court.

But the 30-year-old's theory has nearly as many holes in it as a tennis racket - staff at Wimbledon have been opening the tins of balls days before matches for as long as they can remember.

Henman said: "In 2001, I felt like I was playing some good tennis. In 2002, suddenly it felt like it was kind of a different game. I don't know whether that has something to do with the balls or what. So then I spoke to Wimbledon, and they said they open the balls 'about' a week before the tournament.

"That might have a part to play in why you feel like you are using flat balls after four or five games."

Officials at the All England Club helping Henman investigate the slow down he has perceived are happy to go along with his request to change their approach.

"Balls have been opened beforehand for many years. They are delivered in batches and it is hard to be precise about when they are opened. It could be a few days before but it is not a week," said a spokesman.

With climatic conditions a factor in how a court plays, the amount of difference Henman's initiative will make remains to be seen.

But after he went out of the French Open in the second round yesterday, he will certainly be hoping for a better bounce at the next Grand Slam.