The expectation hangs heavy in the Wimbledon air like the famous ivy clinging to the grand old halls of the All England Club.

Can Tim Henman go one better than the last two years when he has reached the semi-final?

Can Greg Rusedski, the world's fastest server, take advantage of one of tennis' most potent weapons to become the first Briton to win the men's singles for 64 years?

Henman and Rusedski will carry the hopes and dreams of a nation this next fortnight. But the nation should not hold its breath. For Britain's big two go into these championships having played only a handful of matches this year on grass.

Indeed, Henman, who hit the career heights of number four in the world a year ago, is going through a dip in form which threatens to develop into something of a crisis.

He lost to anonymous American Bob Bryan in the first round at Queen's a fortnight ago and then, after desperately seeking more match practice at Nottingham, again crashed out in round one this time to veteran Swede Jonas Bjorkman.

Put those confidence-draining defeats together with an ultimately disappointing clay-court season and persistent criticism that he needs to part with coach David Felgate to fulfil his true potential and his Wimbledon warm-up has been little short of calamitous.

''It has not been ideal preparation,'' admits Henman, who is the number eight seed and plays Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan in the first round.

''But it has happened before and not effected my form at Wimbledon. I have never played Paradorn before but I know he has a good serve and I am under no illusions of what I have to do.''

The fact, however, is that Henman's game at the highest level continues to be bedevilled by alarming inconsistency. He has a tendency to throw in appalling service games without warning. Earlier this year he reached the final of the Rotterdam indoor tournament and then days later crashed out of the ATP Axa Cup at London's Arena in the first round to unknown Brazilian Mariano Zabaleta.

He has lost depressingly in the past to Frenchman Jerome Golmard, a journeyman pro, and famously to Spain's Alberto Berasategui in the third round of the French Open a year ago when leading two sets to love and 3-1 up in the third.

''That was a hard and unpleasant lesson,'' said Henman, even though it was on clay, his least favourite surface. But has the lesson been learned?

Not on the evidence of his losses to Bryan and Bjorkman. Such frustrating lapses in concentration cast the main doubts on Henman's prospects of one day claiming a Grand Slam title.

But Wimbledon has always been his greatest inspiration. It is where his reputation as the best natural serve and volleyer since Stefan Edberg stirs the emotions of the nation.

There is no question Henman remains ruthlessly ambitious. ''When I'm playing tennis I'm not this nice guy that everyone imagines me to be,'' Henman once admitted.

''I'm cold and ruthless. It's in complete contradiction to my image, it's a battle between two people.

"It's very in your face which is what I love about it. One of you gets the next flight home and one of you stays. Losing is so unpleasant, it's actually painful. Both physically and mentally it hurts. It makes me more determined to win.''

Rusedski, who has struggled with injuries over the past 18 months, faces Vince Spadea in the first round.

Like Henman, however, Rusedski's problem has been inconsistency and a worrying tendency to lose rhythm and tempo on that formidable serve.

The British number two and 14th seed should have little trouble with Spadea, but his lack of competitive match play might well be exposed by sterner tests to follow.

As with England at Euro 2000, this year the nation would be advised to deal in hope rather than expectation.

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