Lopez poses tough threat to Henman

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After disposing of Carlos Moya in a first round epic which spanned two days the new challenge for Henman was Feliciano Lopez, a 26-year-old left-hander from Madrid, who can not wait to sample the remarkable atmosphere which has accompanied Henman at SW19 since he played his first Wimbledon 13 years ago.

"To play him on Centre Court is going to be nice, a match to enjoy. It's one of these matches that you will never forget," said Lopez. "It's going to be tough. The crowd is going to be very noisy."

If the match against Moya, which Henman finished off on Tuesday with a 13-11 final set, is anything to go by then that is some understatement. The passionate support of the Centre Court crowd and the thousands on the famous hill is one of the most potent weapons in tennis and Henman is quick to embrace it.

"It's fantastic," he said. "Centre Court is obviously different with the lack of a roof but the atmosphere is second to none. The support I've had, as I've always had, has been incredible. I've used it to my advantage."

In Lopez, however, Henman faced a 6ft 2in left-hander with a big serve and no mean record in Grand Slams.

The man from Madrid reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2005 and the fourth round in 2003 and 2002. He has also been to the third round of the US Open and the fourth round at Roland Garros. Those are impressive all-surface statistics and why he posed a serious danger to Henman's progress at these championships.

Henman needed no warning, however, having lost to Lopez in three tough sets in Las Vegas earlier this year.

"It will be a different type of match this time playing a lefty," said Henman.

"Moya served and volleyed more than I thought he was going to. He served phenomenally well, so consistently and very heavy. Lopez is going to be looking for the same type of thing, same strategy. He's had good results on grass and there are many opportunities for that type of guy to play well now."