Tim Henman shares his Wimbledon views

But there is little to choose between the three according to Henman.

He said: "I can't see the winner coming from outside the top three. I think Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have just played so well. I put Nadal and Federer as the joint favourites but I think Murray is a very close third.

"Perhaps before the French Open I would have given Nadal the slight edge. But now that Federer's been able to achieve this unbelievable feat of 14 Slams, adding the French Open to his CV, I would imagine he will be so relaxed and so confident he's going to be difficult to beat.

"His record at Wimbledon is just phenomenal. Even the match that he lost last year was an incredible match. It's the tournament he's owned and it's the one he cherishes the most, so he'll be keen to try and win it back."

Andy Murray carries British hopes and Henman, who faced similar expectation, does not believe the pressure will bother him.

He said: "It really isn't something I thought a great deal about, and if there was any effect it was a positive. That was because of the support, playing at home, playing in such familiar surroundings.

"Andy's the same. He really does thrive in those conditions. Grass is a good surface for him, he can play well on it. It's going to be interesting to watch."

Henman, 34, was speaking after giving a group of Greenwich schoolchildren a coaching lesson last week as part of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon scheme to promote grassroots tennis.

Pupils from St Alfeges school were shown the basics by the former British number one and top All England Club coach Dan Bloxham.

Henman believes Federer and Nadal are the perfect role models for the youngsters to follow.

He said: "We're so lucky right now with Federer and Nadal who are just incredible ambassadors. The way they handle themselves, the way they compete and the rivalry between them is very good for our sport.

"It's definitely good for kids to see how they conduct themselves, not just what they have achieved with the tennis. It's a great lesson that those two guys can compete as well as anyone but at the end of the match they have an enormous respect for each other and also an enormous friendship. That's rare."

Britain has been waiting an awfully long time for a winner of one of tennis' Grand Slam titles, since 1936 when Fred Perry won Wimbledon and the US Open. Henman was our best hope for a decade but never quite reached the highest level and now Murray carries the baton.

But there should be more young players coming through to strengthen British tennis, with facilities and coaching vastly improved in recent years.

The problem, as Henman sees it, is competition from other sports, particularly football, means tennis has to be enjoyable if children are going to take it up seriously.

He said: "It has to have the element of fun. There are different and more and more opportunities for kids and they are going to do the things that they enjoy.

"Other sports are our competitors and we need to try and get as many kids playing the game as possible. If they can be out there and be taught the fundamentals, the basics, but have a laugh on the court then they are going to want to come back and do it again.

"The facilities are better. A lot of money has been spent but you want that accessibility everywhere. Whether kids are living in an inner city or out in the middle of nowhere you want to have opportunities in the local areas.

"Wimbledon there's always a massive amount of interest that's generated in the summer, but we have to try and harness that and make sure that kids keep that interest and enthusiasm for the game throughout the year.

"Let's face it, our climate isn't great and we need indoor courts and we need those facilities to give the kids the chance to play on them."

Which is why programmes like HSBC's Road to Wimbledon are so important.

"I think they are really important," said Henman. "Looking at tennis as a whole, at grass roots we need to get more kids playing the game and it's great working with HSBC. They go into the community and schools and give kids the opportunity.

"That's what it's about because you want to make the game as accessible as possible. You see how much fun and how much enthusiasm there is coming from the kids."

Wimbledon always boosts interest in the sport in the UK but more top class tennis will be served up in London with the ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in November.

"It's brilliant," said Henman. "At the end of the day it's probably the strongest tournament of the year because you've just got the eight best players.

"Federer and Nadal are pretty much guaranteed to qualify and Murray is getting quite close so it will be another great asset for tennis in this country.

"I played in it three times and it's an unbelievable event. Once you've played it, you just don't want to miss it. But it's not easy to qualify. I'll definitely be there watching."