As Cameron Norrie and Alexander Zverev hardly need reminding, it’s the hope that kills you. This time, it was Norrie’s turn to feel the blood-shivering pain of dashed expectations.
Norrie the dream-killer beat Wimbledon’s latest pin-up boy, Jack Draper, in round two and thereby inherited the extra weight of love from his compatriot’s fan base, only to find the world No 4 waiting for him, a ready-made nightmare, lurking on Centre Court like a ravenous eagle.