Tim Henman's Wimbledon preparations got off to a shaky start today, squeezing past Davide Sanguinetti 3-6 6-3 7-6 at the Stella Artois Championships.
Having received a bye in the first round, Henman looked off pace throughout against the Italian on the slick lawns of west London's Queen's Club.
Three times a runner-up here, seventh seed Henman struggled with his serve and was fortunate to survive a set point while trailing 6-5 in the third set.
The following point Sanguinetti fell awkwardly and never recovered, Henman winning the tiebreak 7-3."I have to pick out the positives and work on areas which weren't quite so good," Henman said.
"You have got to be prepared to work hard out there. Just because it is a grass court you can't think there's not going to be long rallies."
Henman smiled at the let-off. "It (victory) was never in doubt was it?," he asked.
"Once I saved match point I felt I had momentum in the tiebreak. I wanted to get off to a good start.
"It's not the best match I ever played but it is important to come through.
"For a split second I thought Nottingham (next week) might be an option, but I wanted to hang around in this tournament for a while longer.
"He made life difficult for me but the most important thing is that I am coming back on Thursday."