Andy Murray wanted one last shot at Wimbledon glory, but sport is cruel and you don't always get what you want.
Murray had worked tirelessly to get himself ready to play at the All England Club, practising relentlessly in the hope that he could play in the singles for one last time. That dream was robbed from him by the cyst close to his spine and, just 12 days on from back surgery, his hope of progressing in the doubles alongside his brother Jamie was extinguished too.
The Centre Court crowd turned up hoping to see the two-time champion triumph in amid a celebratory atmosphere, but John Peers and Rinky Hijikata had other ideas.
The Australian pairing didn't care for sentiment - they came to win and, much to the disappointment of the crowd, they did so in ruthlessly efficient fashion, winning the first-round match 7-6 6-4.
In some ways the Andy Murray of old was present. The disgruntled moans to his family in the stands, the fist-pump after winners and a few glimpses of his talent. But in others it was evident that he is a 37-year-old with a metal hip less than two weeks on from an operation.
Andy tweaked his back reaching for a ball on the baseline in the third game, but after some gasps from the crowd, a grimace and a stretch, he continued. It took a while for things to get going, but there were some huge cheers from the crowd when the match delivered some spectacular points.
But, although Andy won all four of his points in the first-set tie-break, it was the Australian pairing who prevailed, with Hijikata coming up trumps. After trading breaks in the second set, they broke again and sealed the win.
The Aussie duo were apologetic in their post-match interview, as the BBC prepared to roll out the red carpet for Murray. Sue Barker appeared, along with a whole host of British players from past and present, to ambush him with an emotional montage of his best bits.
Hijikata and Peers sat down in their chairs and watched as the Centre Court crowd saluted one of the players they had just beaten.
