At 4.23pm yesterday Tim Henman finally subdued the challenge of Robin Soderling, whereupon he spun on his heel a nd milked the loving applause that rained down from his courtiers. God was in his heaven.
But for how long? Although he'd never care to admit it the chances of the four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist winning another match in this tournament appear slimmer than an underweight stick insect.
King Roger of Federer lies in wait in the second round and if the evidence of their contrasting opening encounters is anything to go there will only be one outcome. Henman will bring the short, Federer the sweet.
Extrapolate the Briton's likely elimination into 2007 and consider the fact that his is a star in decline and one must wonder whether the 31-year-old will ever win another match at the venue with which he has become synonymous.
Could Henman Hill, C'mon Tim, Henmania and that slightly effete clenched fist of his be about to pass into All England folklore?
If so then his gripping round one match against Soderling, which he eventually won 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, was a fitting epitaph to more than a decade spent toying with the nation's emotions. It had all essential elements.
Bungee jumping from Pluto aside it is difficult to think of a more dramatic way to spend three-and-a-quarter hours than watching Britain's favourite tease lead his opponents and his supporters a proverbial merry dance.
Which is exactly what he did yesterday. Reduced to the role of warm-up lackey, coming out first game on Court One says as much about his receding prospects as Monday's washout, Henman oscillated between the brilliant and brittle from one point to the next.
If anyone should wish to boil down the last 12 years any further they could do worse than use the first set as an allegory for his entire time at Wimbledon. Hugely enjoyable but ultimately fruitless.
He manufactured a break point in the first game but when he was given a look at the eminently fallible Soderling second serve he chopped it into the net.
Further opportunities to break the Swede were produced in the seventh and ninth games only to disappear when two thumping first serves fizzed past. Appositely this set would go the distance and end in a tortuous tiebreak.
Henman played with his followers throughout, as they scolded every uncharitable net cord and hissed at any line judge who had the temerity to rule against him. They even booed one in the deciding set.
The breaker was excrutiating. Trailing 5-3 he came up with a mini-break by punishing Soderling for being too tentative with a backhand drive down the line.
Two service winners gave Henman his first of three set points. Each one was saved and when Soderling produced his first, Henman double faulted. It's always like this.
Perhaps mindful of his diminishing opportunities to play here Tiger Tim sprang into action in the second and third sets and produced what he felt was some of his best grass court tennis for five years.
He was in total control and broke Soderling in the seventh game of the second and the first and third of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead and seemingly put the early hiccough behind him.
By that stage, because of the closeness of the first set and the way he dominated the next two it was clear Henman was the better player. Soderling was exposed as a one-paced automaton.
Much improved from the last time the two met, he lost in straight sets in 2003, Soderling is still little more than a big serve and a heavy forehand.
Henman exposed his leaden-footedness and out-thought as much as out-played his opponent, keeping him on the move and troubling him with a slow, kicking serve.
Whenever he brought Soderling forward with impudent drop shots or his angled slice the world No 37 resembled a gangly teenager, increasingly nervous the higher up court he strayed.
The gulf in class was palpable, speaking afterwards even Henman suggested his supremacy was never in doubt and he claimed he always felt on top of his game. But there was the customary loss of focus.
Having held his serve virtually unchallenged for two sets, he lost it three times in the fourth. The arena went flat and the exhortations were born of desperation, rather than domination.
Soderling raced to 5-1 and thumped down another ace to level the match. Only Henman could waste his undoubted superiority and allow such a one-dimensional opponent to share in a five-setter. He looked a class apart in the decider, though.
Leading 1-0, he pinned Soderling into his backhand corner and all it took to relieve the shaven-headed Swede of another service game was a switch to the forehand side.
Stretched beyond belief for a man of his height, Soderling hooked wide and finally there was clear water between the protagonists.
From then on, Henman played it straight and served out by converting the first of two match points. We've had the nerve-shredding win, all that remains is the gallant loss and every indicator is that Federer will oblige.
