Henman's last Wimbledon was a typical nail-biter. In this year's first round, the 32-year-old came from two sets to one down before sinking fellow veteran Carlos Moya 13-11 in an epic fifth set.

It was an enthralling match but his last tilt at the title came to a disappointing end with defeat to Feliciano Lopez in the next round. Would he be back next year? "Absolutely," came the reply.

But a string of morale-sapping defeats, coupled with his dodgy back, put paid to that. He announced on 23 August that he would bring the curtain down on his career at Wimbledon after Britain's Davis Cup tie against Croatia.