Henman, beaten by Hewitt in the past two finals at Queen’s, is confident after beating Brazilian Andre Sa 6-3 5-7 6-4 6-3 in the quarter-finals. Hewitt, by contrast, struggled against Dutchman Sjeng Schalken before winning 6-2 6-2 6-7 1-6 7-5.

‘‘I’m playing okay. I’m in the semis, so I’m obviously doing something right,’’ said Henman, who has been criticised throughout the past fortnight after struggling against lesser-ranked opposition.

‘‘I don’t think I’ve played my best tennis. But keeping winning is the most important thing. I’ve played plenty of matches where I’ve played great and I’ve lost. So just keep doing my best. That’s all I can do.

‘‘Obviously I take in a poor record against Hewitt and that’s clear for everyone to see. But I’m going to have to play very, very well. If I play averagely then I would have thought I’ll lose.

‘‘But if I raise my level and play the tennis I’m capable of, I think I can win.

‘‘It’s much more important that I worry about my own performance and concentrate on the things I can control.’’

It is Henman’s fourth semi-final in five years and the raucous folks on the Wimbledon hill were in typically delirious voice as they tried to lift him through a tricky quarter-final.

So affectionate is his relationship with his army of fans that he admitted he wanted to take a tour of the Henman Hill to thank them if he became the first Briton in 66 years to lift the famous gold singles trophy on Sunday.

‘‘Hopefully they’d be pleased to see me,’’ said Henman. ‘‘I’ve always tried to state how much I appreciate their support, whether it’s in the stadium or outside.

‘‘It’s a really special thing for me because when I look at my life, to have been coming here for so long, first coming here when I was five and now be in a position where they’ve named the hill after me, it’s pretty cool.

‘‘Hopefully I can keep giving them the results that they want to see.’’

When asked if he would go out and thank them personally on Sunday if he won, he said: ‘‘Yeah, I’d sign up for that.’’

Hewitt, meanwhile, was equally confident despite losing his first two sets of the tournament in a marathon showdown with Schalken.

‘‘I’ll take confidence from what happened at the US Open,’’ said Hewitt.

‘‘I went through an absolutely gruelling match against Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals and then bounced back and played Saturday, Sunday back-to-back, the best tennis I’ve ever played against a couple of the most experienced guys in Grand Slams. I can draw confidence from that.

‘‘I think I’m fit enough to bounce back and be ready as soon as the bell goes to come out firing.’’

Hewitt will not be overawed by the inevitable outbreak of Henmania, especially after having beaten Gustavo Kuerten on clay in the Davis Cup in Brazil - one of the most volatile experiences in tennis.

‘‘I can draw strength from matches that I’ve played in clutch situations in Davis Cup ties where I haven’t had the crowd on my side and I’ve been able to block it out pretty well,’’ said Hewitt.

‘‘It’s going to be tough. We’ve never played at Wimbledon. I’m going to have to play a helluva match to beat him.’’