Asked to name a current British tennis player, nine times out of ten people will come up with the names Rusedski and Henman.

And while they are the most famous, there is another lesser known Brit who is more than capable of holding his own on the professional circuit.

Next week, Martin Lee will attempt to secure the XL Capital Bermuda Open title on his first visit to the Island.

Such is the busy schedule of today's tennis pros that Lee had just stepped off a plane after returning from the Estoril Open in Portugal when we caught up with him.

Lee, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, lost in the first round in Lisbon to Dominik Hrbaty (6-1, 6-4) but said he was a notoriously slow starter and so it was no real surprise.

"The first set he started well and it was my first match on the clay," he said from London. "I have also been injured for about three or four weeks before.

"The second set was pretty close and I had a lot of chances late on. He is a good player, especially on the clay and it's not my most favourite surface, particularly at the start of the season."

Lee has been suffering from tendinitis in his knee and has been undergoing intensive physio.

"It seems to be working," said the 24-year-old. "I had it for about 12 weeks last year, especially on the hardcourt. It's a bit better when I play on the clay."

Lee, a 5ft 11in left-hander, described his current form as "up and down".

"I had one good week where I qualified and won a round in Rotterdam beating (Sjeng) Shalken," he said. "But other than that it has been pretty quiet. I am not too disheartened, though, because it's usually not my best time of year anyway.

"Usually at the start of April it starts to get a bit better and then leading on to the summer and through there is when I play my best tennis."

Lee said he hoped success in Bermuda would lead to better things at some of the bigger tournaments later in the year.

"I am going on to Houston afterwards," he said. "And I need a couple of wins to secure my place into Wimbledon. That's my big aim at the moment."

Lee said he would not consider himself a favourite for the Coral Beach tournament, not at the start anyway.

"For me it's always the first couple of rounds," he said. "If I get through them then I usually do well in a tournament."

This year's Open features arguably the strongest ever field, but Lee said he did not need to fear anyone.

"I think my results over the last year have been very good and all the guys around my ranking I know I can beat on my day," he said.

"Tennis is a strong sport at the moment - everyone can play and everyone can beat anyone on their day, especially in the men's game.

"Over the last couple of years, even in the Grand Slams, there are always a lot of shock results. It's the way I think the game is going, everyone is getting better and better and it's mainly down to the mind now."