They say that Tim Henman can win and lose the same point. They say that against Rafael Nadal you have to win the point twice and they say that against Roger Federer on grass you can't win any point if he is playing well. Henman's frailties were exposed yesterday by the world number one and defending champion, who beat him in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.
Henman's game was shown to have flaws years ago, and although he had a better head-to-head record against the Swiss player than most others in the world (six wins, four defeats), those past statistics were, on yesterday's evidence, telling an outrageous lie to the present.
One commentator on Centre Court suggested Henman should take a leaf from the game of chess, where you can simply knock over your king, signifying submission and the end of the game. That ploy was mentioned early in the third set. The English 31-year-old departed without a whimper as Federer played another textbook round and continued his incredible winning streak on grass.
As ever when you look at arguably the best tennis player in history, nuggets of proof-of-genius come tumbling out.
Over the three successive Wimbledon titles Federer has won, he has dropped only four sets. If a certain beer did Grand Slams, that's how it would do them.
But there were no shrieks from Henman Hill, no more cries of the heart from the Centre Court crowd for their failing prince.
At the fag-end of his career, one which he nevertheless hopes to continue for a few more years, Henman has a choice.
He can go gently into the dying of the light or do what Andre Agassi did when he dropped to 141 in the world and fought his way back through Challenger events to become the world number one.
But he must consider, too, that following the miraculous arrival in Scotland of Andrew Murray as a genuine tennis saviour, people have quickly come to believe more deeply in another. Energies and attention have shifted to the young Dunblane lad, who is beginning to look endearingly like a teenage scarecrow.
There was not much to say about the character of the match. Federer was too good, too clinical, too fast, too strong on his serve and return, more polished at the net and even more stylishly equipped in the 85-minute tango. If it had been shorter he'd have been asked if the men deserved more money.
"It was an excellent match. I was very, very happy. Beating two such great players (Richard Gasquet and Henman) very convincingly definitely gives you the feeling that you are playing very well," said Federer.
"But it's not a lot of fun beating a friend like this. That's for sure," he added.
Federer continues to see the third seed, Andy Roddick, and sixth seed, Lleyton Hewitt, as his two principal concerns in the draw, although notably not the second seed, Rafael Nadal.
Both Hewitt and Roddick came through with varying degrees of difficulty.
Roddick struggled with his game, came up with huge serves and won in four sets against Janko Tipsarevic, who now heads to Dublin for next week's Irish Open. "You know what?" said Roddick. "My whole thing is survive and advance. It's just about survive and advance. That's it."
In contrast, Hewitt breezed into round two. The Australian, champion here in 2002, wasted little time with Italy's Filippe Volandri. It took him only 69 minutes to make his way into round two (winning 6-1, 6-1, 6-3), the first set lasting only 18 minutes and the second just 20 minutes.
Today's order of play
Play starts at 1pm
Centre Court
Robert Kendrick (USA) v (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa), (1) Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) v Samantha Stosur (Aus), Andrew Murray (Gbr) v Julien Benneteau (Fra).
Court One
(25) Andre Agassi (USA) v Andreas Seppi (Ita), Lisa Raymond (USA) v (6) Venus Williams (USA), (6) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v Hyung Taik Lee (Kor).
