By Caroline Cheese BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Henman's chances of winning Wimbledon are not over yet

For three years running, Tim Henman has apparently had his "best ever chance" of winning Wimbledon.

This year, as in the last two, the draw seemed to open up invitingly for the British number one after the defeat of top seed Lleyton Hewitt in the opening round.

But once again, his chance has gone begging after a typically agonising quarter-final defeat to Sebastien Grosjean.

Henman's fans always saw Pete Sampras as the only man who stood in the way of Henman and the Wimbledon title, particularly after consecutive semi-final defeats to the American in 1998 and 1999.

However, in recent years, when Sampras has not been a factor, an entirely different aggressor has emerged to dash the Briton's hopes.

In 2001, it was the inspired Goran Ivanisevic and last year it was Hewitt, both of whom went on to win the title.

HENMAN'S CLOSE CALLS 1998 SF lost to Sampras 1999 SF lost to Sampras 2001 SF lost to Ivanisevic 2002 SF lost to Hewitt 2003 QF lost to Grosjean

Shoulder surgery may have upset his preparations this year, but having won four matches with relative ease, hopes for Henman were high against a man who had never reached this stage at Wimbledon before.

Yet only the most one-eyed Henman supporter would not concede that Grosjean outplayed the Briton during their four-set match, regardless of the effects of the rain delays.

At 28, a near veteran in tennis terms - Andre Agassi notwithstanding - and with doubts over the long-term health of his shoulder hanging over him, perhaps Henman's chances have dissipated altogether.

In previous years, Henman has always asserted his confidence that he would win the title one day.

After defeat to Grosjean, he admitted that his chances are "perhaps getting less".

Henman's army of fans should keep the faith

With an ever-increasing group of younger players, including Hewitt, Roger Federer, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick, infiltrating the world's top ten, his relative pessimism is understandable.

But as Henman mulls over the latest disappointment, there are players from whom he can draw inspiration.

Ivanisevic was 29 when he finally got his hands on the Grand Slam trophy he had craved for so long - and famously did so on the back of a wild card handed to him after a desperately poor year.

Just last year, a 31-year-old Sampras took the US Open title after a two-year title-less spell in which he had been written off as a has-been.

And Agassi continues to defy the advancing years and won the Australian Open earlier this year at the age of 32.

There are other reasons to look ahead with confidence.

With Sampras a step away from retirement, Henman is now one of the finest, and only, serve-volleyers in the current game.

The All England Club has hardly helped the net-lover's cause by producing slower courts, but nonetheless the quarter-final line-up at this year's Wimbledon should also serve as encouragement to Henman.

Along with the British number one, Mark Philippoussis, Jonas Bjorkman and Roger Federer all made it to the last eight on the back of attacking grass court tennis.

Boris Becker's verdict: Henman will be back

The tactic, which many thought had died out when Hewitt and David Nalbandian reached last year's final, is clearly still an effective means to success on Wimbledon's grass.

As ever, Henman's departure from the tournament will prompt suggestions that he will never win the title.

In reality, his effort in reaching the quarter-finals, despite an injury-hit season, should be heartily applauded.

His hopes of returning as a potential winner next year rest solely on the continuing improvement in his shoulder injury, which has nullified the bite on his serve.