Good form gives Henman new goal

Tim Henman hopes his recent good form can propel him up the world rankings as he bids to take full advantage of his wild-card entry into the Madrid Masters.

Henman cruised through the first round with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Spain's Fernando Verdasco. The Englishman was rarely troubled during the 98-minute match and now faces another Spaniard David Ferrer, the number 14 seed.

"I feel like I want to have something to focus on," said Henman. "If I could get into the top 32, then certainly it would help in Australia (Open). I wouldn't necessarily say I'm going to lose any sleep over it."

Afterwards Henman said he felt his form was just a continuation of that shown in Bangkok and Tokyo, where he reached the quarter-finals and final respectively.

"I served fantastically well and at the right times," he added

"It's a good start for me and good to continue where I left off in Tokyo.

"You don't want to talk it up too much when you've got to come back in 14 hours' time or something but it was good.

"I'm feeling good on the court and I'm timing the ball better and better. It gives you confidence for the next one - but it won't get any easier."