You might not know it from Wimbledon’s serene and elegant lawns, but behind the scenes tennis is a back-stabbing mess of warring factions. It is about time that Tim Henman – one of sport’s most wholesome characters – pulled on his flak jacket and entered the fray.

A member of the All England Club committee for more than a decade, Henman has steered clear of other tournaments since his retirement in 2007. But after a year of escalating tensions over players’ pay, he is ready to bring his no-nonsense negotiating style to the table.

During a conversation at Queen’s Club last week, I asked whether he found the state of the game interesting or worrying. “Both,” replied Henman, who is one of the lead BBC commentators at Wimbledon. “I think it’s becoming more and more disjointed. There’s a lot of elements that are pulling in different directions. The optics from outside are not good.”

In recent months, the majors have come under heavy pressure from a faction of players – including world No 1 Novak Djokovic – to redistribute more of their massive revenues in the form of prize money. According to Vasek Pospisil – the Canadian who is the most vocal member of the group – the US Open pays only 14 per cent of its income back to athletes, while the equivalent figures for all the major American sporting leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) hover around 50 per cent.