Henman feeling positive

Tim Henman is hoping his near miss in Japan will spark a resurgence.

The 32-year-old Briton lost in straight sets to world number one Roger Federer in the final of the Japan Open on Sunday - but he was delighted with his performances during the week.

"It has definitely been a fantastic week for me with the level I have played. It is great motivation and to be back in a big final is fantastic," Henman told his official website. "Unfortunately, I was not able to go the whole way, but there are plenty of positives for me to take from the trip as I feel I have shown on the match court what I have been feeling in practice for a while now."

The last of Henman's 11 singles titles came at the Paris Masters in 2003, and he was never likely to end that barren spell once three double-faults in the sixth game of the match handed Federer his first break of service.

Federer closed out the first set 6-3 with his fifth ace, and after breaking to go 2-1 up in the second, completed the job by the same score in just 67 minutes.

Henman added: "Roger was too strong for me and he is a phenomenal player - there are very few that can live with him on any surface other than clay at the moment.

"It is difficult to hurt him as he has got so many strengths and so few weaknesses and the scary thing is, he is still improving.

"So it is tough to compete with him, especially in the latter stages of tournaments when he has had a chance to build up his confidence.

"But that is what we have all got to try to do. It is a formidable challenge, but competing against arguably the greatest player of all time is the ultimate test and so it is one that I still enjoy."