From The Independent: "So that's it for another year. In households up down the land, children will be putting their tennis rackets back in the store room. Tim Henman is no longer around to emulate. In spite of a wave of optimism, the 29-year-old from Oxfordshire is not going to win Wimbledon, any more than David Beckham will be lifting the silverware at Euro 2004.

As Henman suffered his latest setback yesterday, soundly beaten in the quarter-finals by Mario Ancic, a 20-year-old from Croatia, the land of Goran Ivanisevic, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2, he prepared himself for the type of recriminations that usually follow.

Having been unable to advance to a fifth semi-final in his quest to become the first Briton to win the men's singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, Henman was asked how his disappointment on this occasion compared with other years.

"It think it's worse, actually," he replied. "That's the honest answer." Will he ever lift the trophy? "It's a question I ask myself a lot," he admitted. "It's obviously a big talking point, given the nature of this environment and the tournament being in the UK and me really being the only player right now. I've never hidden behind the fact that this is the tournament I'd love to win the most. And the reality is that I don't have an endless number of years.""