Tim Henman might have invented Henmania but he concedes that Murraymania could be a more virulent strain.

Henman reached four semi-finals at the All-England Club but believes Andy Murray could be on course to finally end the 77-year wait for a British men's singles champion.

Murray will take on Mikhail Youzhny in today's fourth round after the Russian came through in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 against Viktor Troicki.

The second seed has won both his previous matches against the 31-year-old, who is ranked 26th in the world, though their last encounter was four years ago.

After three straightforward and straight-set wins, some have questioned whether Murray will require a tougher match before the tournament reaches its conclusion but Henman insists he won't be bothered.

"He's been tested at points of all his matches and he's come through well," he added. "I don't think having a really tough five-setter is going to help him, he'll be very happy with progress like this throughout the tournament.

"He's a better player than ever but while it's his best chance, he knows nothing can be taken for granted.

"Andy can win because he got so close last year and his grass court record is fantastic.

"I'd still say that Novak Djokovic is a very slight favourite to win but I think that Andy's a very close second favourite."

Henman took time out from his commentary and All-England Club duties to put some of the next generation of British players through their paces as part of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon, a grass roots tournament which starts with 20,000 players nationwide and concludes with final matches on SW19's manicured lawns.

With coach Ivan Lendl in his corner and an entourage of hitting partners and trainers, Murray isn't short of support whenever he steps on court.

But only Henman really knows what he is going through when it comes to coping with the weight of expectation. "Watching now, I think I'm much more aware of the pressure that would have been on me than I was at the time," he added.

"I remember thinking that if I'd known what was being written, or knew about all the expectation, then playing tennis would have been virtually impossible. It's hard to ignore when you are a home player but you have to do it."

Tim Henman is an Ambassador for HSBC, sponsor of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge, the UK's largest national junior grass court tournament.