Maybe he should be rechristened Tim-Nice-But-Slim - because that just about sums up Henman's hopes of ever winning Wimbledon.

For a short time yesterday he raged against the dying of his Wimbledon light, trying gamely to stay in touch with Lleyton Hewitt.

But as soon as Hewitt turned up the semi-final heat, Henman froze.

Don't accuse Henman of bottling it. Unlike 12 months ago, when he threw away his semi against Goran Ivanisevic, this time he was just not good enough.

The painful truth is he never got into a position yesterday from where he could bottle it.

Henman's serve lacks the venom of previous years, he simply places his volleys over the net rather than drill them out of his opponent's reach, and his overall game lacks conviction.

At Wimbledon, he was always a defeat waiting to happen.

Henman only beat Michel Kratchovil because the Swiss player could not handle the pressure. Stomach upset or not, the Brit was staring into the abyss, only for the ineptitude of his opponent - together with smelling salts - to revive his hopes.

Two days earlier, Wayne Ferreira blew set-winning leads in two tie-breaks, while hometown line decisions also proved decisive in swinging that match towards Henman.

Andre Sa, scarcely a household name in his own household, stretched Henman to four sets and exposed glaring flaws in the British No 1's armoury.

Hewitt merely confirmed what everyone had secretly feared: Henman is unlikely ever to be more than a pretender to the Wimbledon men's singles crown that he covets.

Over the last couple of years, Henman's world ranking has soared as his game on clay has improved no end.

But this year he lost in the second round of the French Open - ironically to Xavier Malisse, conqueror of Greg Rusedski earlier this week.

As Henman reflects on another opportunity missed, he may ponder the irrefutable fact that his Wimbledon chances have been damaged by his obsession with becoming a more rounded player.

He is never going to win at Roland Garros - but he might one day reign supreme at the All England Club.

But just as French Open champion Albert Costa, and a welter of the Spaniard's fellow clay court experts, refuse to countenance the idea of changing their game to suit grass, so Henman might have been better served pursuing his Wimbledon dream to the detriment of his world ranking.

Henman's serve has lost its bite. Rather than fizzing past his opponents, now it sits up and begs to be fired past him - as Hewitt did time and again yesterday.

When Hewitt had to take his game to another level, he did so effortlessly.

When he failed to hold his serve to win the match at 5-4 up in the third set, he just produced another couple of booming returns to break Henman again.

The draw could not have been kinder to Henman, yet still he did his damnedest to get knocked out before he reached the semis and met his swift end.

Sampras and Agassi were out by the middle of the first week; Ferreira was the closest Henman got to meeting a grass court expert.

Yet he was again found wanting on the big stage. There was a crisp volley here and an accurate return there yesterday, but never enough to worry the best player in the world.

A rain break might have proved his salvation, but if anything Hewitt came out even better after the interruption.

Again Henman's assault on Wimbledon had proved to be a damp squib.

And Henman's slim hopes had turned to none.