Strawberries and cream, the smack of balls on the tennis court and the start of British summertime -it can only be Wimbledon fortnight. In those two weeks the nation's hopes of producing a tennis champion will reach fever pitch, only to be cruelly dashed. So can Tim Henman win Wimbledon this year? Our columnists RACHEL BRADMAN and RUPERT SMYTHE shout “fault!” RUPERT SMYTHE SAYS ... Why support a no-hoper?

I AM conscious that I always seem to start this column with a gripe. But how else am I supposed to react when year after year, what should be the beginning of a long, pleasant summer is marred by the disaster that is Wimbledon?

Do not get me wrong, I enjoy a knock-up on the courts, but the frenzy which accompanies this festival of underachievement drives me to distraction.

I refer, of course, to the lamentable state of British tennis and the ever-optimistic but continually-disappointed fans of Tim Henman.

This limp-wristed individual, who is apparently our number one player (the other one we have is a Canadian), could not serve his way out of a paper bag.

Compared with the likes of Goran Ivanisevic and Pat Rafter, Henman is a mere schoolboy.

Even I could beat him. But the talent blindness which greets his mere arrival on court results in scores of screaming females waving Union flags, indulging in what the sycophants have sickeningly termed “Henmania”.

Some might say it is all harmless fun and it does us good to release a bit of steam, especially at this time of year, but it disguises a more serious problem with the British psyche.

We are so desperate for success we will back any no-hoper, and hang the consequences. Anyone remember Eddie the Eagle?

We are told Henman is “pleased” to be ranked 10th for the tournament, which probably means he will be out before the end of the week.

Oh dear, here we go again.

RACHEL BRADMAN SAYS ... Our chance to back our ace IT IS that time of year again when the celebration of traditional English pluckiness is allowed free rein — Wimbledon fortnight.

Of course in the same way Henman was “pleasantly surprised” to be seeded 10th, so I will be a little taken aback if he lifts the winner’s cup.

But that is not the point. I, unlike the doom merchants, will bask in the opportunity to support “our boy”, who could bring home the silverware against the odds.

After all — it is not the winning but the taking part which counts.

Although this sounds clichéd and outdated, it encapsulates the spirit with which all sport should be played.

The furore and excitement which accompanies Henman’s appearance at Wimbledon shows the British understand this and are eager to get behind our national teams whatever the likely outcome.

Over the past decade our football and cricket teams have failed to become world champions yet we have stuck by them through thick and thin. Look at the success of our rugby team!

So why should tennis be any different? He may not be the most dynamic or successful player in the world but he is a role model to youngsters in this country who need all the encouragement they can get to play sports.

So don’t be a sour-faced cynic — get behind Henman and cheer the country to victory.