Tim Henman and Seffi Graf led the tributes to the immensly-respected tennis writer John Parsons, who died on Monday night, aged 66.

The tennis correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, Parsons was taken ill with pneumonia during the Nasdaq-100 open tournament in the United States last month and died in hospital in Miami with his sister, Heather, at his bedside.

To show the regard in which the Oxfordshire journalist was held, a number of players visited him in hospital and one of the first bunches of flowers he received was from seven-times Wimbledon champion Graf.

But Henman admits to a 'special relationship' with Parsons, and says that his press conferences will no longer be the same.

"He followed my career from the start, and because we were both from Oxford there was a special relationship between us," he said.

"It was always a tradition that he kicked off my press conferences with the first question - it will be so strange and so sad not having John around.

"Everyone who was a part of the tennis world was also a part of John's family. Tennis was his life and he was so passionate about the sport - he was the grandfather and the godfather."

Graf echoed the words of the Oxfordshire No 1.

"John was there through- out my career, right from the very beginning," she said. "I got to respect and love him for his knowledge and his charm and, like many others, will miss him terribly."

Parsons started his career at the Oxford Mail, and reported on Oxford United's early seasons in the Football League as well as covering other local teams.

He moved onto the Daily Mail, before being appointed tennis correspondent of the Daily Telegraph in 1981.

Oxfordshire LTA stalwart John Harrop said of Parsons: "It is the respect in which he was held by the whole of tennis as to how you will remember John.

"All of the players had the utmost respect for him, but it was the fact that the whole of the world's press and administrators knew him that showed the esteem in which he was held.

"He was just such a nice guy, so friendly and so proud of Oxfordshire."

Oxford City FC secretaryJohn Shepperd, who knew Parsons from his time covering non-league football for the Oxford Mail, added: "It deeply saddened me.

"I still treasure a cutting from a report John wrote when I was playing football."