Timing is everything in this world and Tim Henman's leaves a little to be desired. Just when he thought he had everything neatly in place - his shoulder restored to full fitness, his game restored to the sort of form that once carried him to No4 in the world and his very first Masters Series title to boot - the season ends. For the next six weeks he is all dressed up with nowhere to go.

In many ways Henman could not wait for 2003 to end. It was, in his own words, his most "difficult" year, a "challenge", and it has undoubtedly been exceptionally trying for the British number one..

When he finally returned to the tour in February after surgery to repair that ailing shoulder, he struggled for months to find any semblance of form. By the time he was feeling more like his old self, Wimbledon was over and he had another year to wait to fulfil his lifelong dream of winning in SW19. He had a week of success in Washington - he beat Andy Roddick on his way to the title - but the rest of his results were sporadic. Roddick gained revenge in the first round of the US Open and Henman was back to square one.

Then, in September, he parted company with his coach, Larry Stefanki, and decided to go it alone. Opting to play his game, his way - a little bit of patience, a good deal of aggression and a determination to welt his first serve - he was refreshed, rejuvenated and he was winning. He reached the semi finals in Vienna, the quarter finals in Basle and, with a final flourish, he won the Paris Masters in Bercy.

Given that he had never got beyond the third round in Paris before and always went there with a sense of foreboding, it was a remarkable performance. He served and volleyed his way past Nikolay Davydenko and Sebastien Grosjean before taking on the grand slam champions, past and present. Gustavo Kuerten, Roger Federer and Roddick were dispatched without the loss of a set. Then, in the final, he faced Andrei Pavel, another man on his way back from injury and one with nothing to lose.

For the first time that week Henman was the favourite to win and that brought new and unwelcome pressure. But, sticking to plan A, he stayed "strong between the ears" and won 6-2, 7-6, 7-6. The Masters Series events are on the rung just below the grand slam tournaments and it was the first time in 64 attempts that Henman had won a title of such importance. And, on my, was he pleased.

"If you had told me six months ago that I'd win this title, I'd probably have thought you were smoking something," Henman said. "I've never doubted my ability but to beat the calibre of players that I did - you can only feel good about your game after that."

As the seasoned Henman watchers became over-excited and started dreaming of grand slam titles, Henman was saying nothing. Wimbledon remains the burning ambition but even if he is making no great predictions, he does think he understands the place at last. "It's Tim's time," Lleyton Hewitt has said of the two weeks when the nation hangs on Henman's every word and move. At the age of 29, Henman has realised it, too.

"There are a lot of negatives at Wimbledon - the spotlight, the attention, the pressure - but I draw a lot of confidence from that," Henman said. "It's not all about me, but this is my tournament. That's never going to be the same at other tournaments but I have to have that type of self confidence at other events."

He knows that he is viewed differently at Wimbledon and he knows that he thrives in those conditions. So, reminding himself to think as he does at Wimbledon, he is trying to take a little piece of SW19 with him wherever he goes.

"It's taken me a long time to realise it," he said. "At Wimbledon I go out there and say: 'This is what it's all about' and I play great. I've played some good tennis at other slams but I think some of the matches where I've played poorly in the round of 16, there's been way too much expectation and pressure from within. I have treated those matches differently when I should think: yeah, I've won three matches in a slam, I'm on a roll, let's get out there and go for it. I think the way I've approached it has been: 'oh, here's a chance to get to the quarters. Never been in the quarters in a slam outside of Wimbledon, come on' That's not the way to approach it."

With his new philosophy, he was able to take Paris by storm. As he put it: "I got it right this week". Now he is back at home waiting for his daughter, Rosie, to take her first steps and counting off the days before he is let loose on the tennis circuit again and can take a few major strides of his own.