What do Basle in Switzerland and the city of Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine have in common? They were the respective venues the last time Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski were seen wielding a racket in competition. In the case of Henman, that was 14 weeks ago; in Rusedski’s instance, 12.

With less than two months before Great Britain face the Netherlands in a Davis Cup Euro-Africa zone tie in Birmingham — the winners qualify for a world group play-off in September — serious doubts are being raised about whether the stalwarts of the past decade will be fit or able to figure at the NEC.

While the tennis world marches on, Henman and Rusedski have been stagnant, to the extent that Henman’s world ranking is No 38 and will soon tumble away, while Rusedski has slumped all the way to No 200, from where entry into the tournaments he used to frequent can be guaranteed only if directors are persuaded to offer him a wild card. As yet, to his immense frustration, none has been forthcoming.

Official confirmation of Henman’s withdrawal from next week’s ABN/AMRO event in Rotterdam came last night and strong rumours persist that he will not play before the Masters Series tournaments in California and Florida next month. These are events stacked with star names, where points and prize-money are one step short of the grand-slam tournaments and reputations are ten a penny.

An unwillingness to risk the right knee he hurt against Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, last October means that Henman’s decision to “unretire” from the Davis Cup has yet to provoke the handstands from the LTA that it might have generated. John Lloyd, the Britain captain, has travelled to Joplin, Missouri, this week to watch Jamie Baker, the young Scot, play in a Challenger tournament, which suggests that he has begun to reassess the depth of his forces.

Lloyd has said that he wants Rusedski to have played competitively in the build-up to the Davis Cup tie if he is to be considered for a place in the team. Rusedski has chosen not to compete in Challenger events, preferring to wait for invitations into the mainstream championships.

Rusedski is running out of time and tournaments, as well as patience. He reached a grand-slam final a decade ago but is now 33 and his record does not cut it as much as he thinks it should with tournament directors who prefer the up-and-coming or home-based players who can add significantly to ticket sales and television ratings.

It is more than two years since Henman, 32, and Rusedski appeared in a Davis Cup tie together, the world group qualifying defeat away to Austria.

Four months later Henman retired from international competition. He had a change of heart before Christmas, excited by the emergence of Andy Murray, persuaded by Lloyd and believing the latter part of his career would be enhanced by rising to an old challenge.

At the same time he felt a recurring twinge in the hamstring tendons of his right knee and has not played since, withdrawing from the Australian Open and events in Zagreb and Marseilles. “I’m not interested in seeing if I can fight my way through a match,” he said. “That’s not what I’m about any more. I’ve had to make a number of small adjustments with my body and, as yet, things haven’t been quite right.”

Lloyd’s one shaft of light is that the Netherlands are not in the headiest of spirits, either. Raemon Sluiter, No 148 in the world and their No 1 player, is sidelined with a stomach muscle injury and their main hopes will probably rest with Robin Haase and Theimo de Bakker, both teenagers. Intriguingly, Martin Verkerk, who came from nowhere to reach the French Open final four years ago, is poised to return to the tour after an extended absence with shoulder problems if Richard Krajicek, the Rotterdam tournament director, offers him a wild card.

Last weekend’s first-round ties in the world group present Britain with some tasty prospects in September if they triumph in April, with potential matches against Australia, Romania or Austria. Then there is Switzerland, who could not contend with the absence of Roger Federer, the world No 1, who chose to rest his weary bones, and lost to Spain.

Federer intends to play in the next round. Switzerland at home — that would be fun.