Andy Murray drops out of Wimbledon after defeat in the second round against American John Isner

He brought a metal hip, his granite will and the best of intentions. All well and good, but a helmet would have been more useful to Andy Murray on a night when he was beaten out of Wimbledon by a vengeful giant who fired yellow comets from the sky.

What a brutal road to go, and what a way to end his 14th campaign on these lawns. He has never before failed to beat John Isner, and for that matter, he has never once left this tournament before the third round.

But all good things come to an end, and we have reluctantly started thinking about it with some frequency when it comes to the greatest British tennis player of this or any generation. Of course, we can see the victory in the fact that he still shows up after the dance, but few other victories were in sight for Murray on Wednesday night.

Those who were would be considered the given. The obvious. We saw him dig in. We saw him fight. We saw him get inside a fraction of a hideout and then we saw him get out of nowhere in the third set to drip some drama into a heavy loss.

But still. The raw facts are that it was a great defeat, both a master class and a lesson. The master class came from the 20th seed of 6ft and 10ins, which was monstrous with its service and a pleasure at the age of 37 for the lesser known gifts of its art. Not only did he bombard Murray, he stuck himself out at the back of the track and in front, with rallies and his soft touch at the net.

He would not have played much better matches over the past two decades, certainly not in the deafening backyard of opposition. Blimey, he gave up just two break points all night, in the fourth game, and saved both. After that, Murray did not have a sniff except for the draw he won in the third.

And that takes us to the lesson. For Murray, it went just as well for the numerical facts of defeat, which suffered in mini-losses through all facets of the game, but also in terms of his future ambitions. If he no longer has the faculties to win on his favorite track against a man he beat eight times out of eight, then we can confirm the assumption we already had – that the clock will stand at three Slams forever .

But where’s the fun in watching sports alone through victory? Where’s the point of seeing such a technicolor masterpiece like Murray in black and white terms? Well, the reaction he elicited at Center Court for his third set return alone was proof of what a treasure he is in this country. His trials, even in defeat, are some of the very richest sights in sports, so maybe we should just enjoy it while we can. And for so long.

We were in a hurry to see the future with Emma Raducanu, but her latest defeat came on the same track on which Murray walked a little before 6pm. The expectation was for a marathon, or at least a stroke, and by losing the first set it was clear that it would certainly not be easy.

At that point, it was not just a beating by force by probably the biggest server in the game’s history. Isner had more on him than that, with 17 winners and only five unforced errors over the first set.

For some of his deception, see how the backhand Isner is led in the smallest aisles on the line to break for 2-1, and then the softest of the falls he put in the next at 30-40. Granted, a bit of brute force also helps, shown by how he handled the situation a moment later when Murray deserved another chance in the same game to break even – a 128mph bait for two, a 126mph bait for advantage and a 134mph service winner for the hold.

After that missed opportunity, Murray barely had another for the rest of the game. His movement was good – the way he ran down a lobe and hit a backhand pass on the turn was so much proof – and his error score was low. But his ministry was far, his foundations were scaly and short of the lines, and all too often he could not find passing lanes on the frequent occasions Isner reached at the net. He was losing to the better man.

The second set was tighter, albeit won by Isner at the breakout point after a parade of held service matches, but it was only the third that Murray raised his level. This was due in part to a crowd loyal to their two-time champion.

As one guy put it: “Come on, Andy, he’s older than you.”

Where. But that was the only benchmark in his favor through that stage, until he somehow squeezed the third set with a 7-3 tiebreak. I had a chance. An opening. Not much more, but he was in a fight, that place he loves.

Alas, he faced a man who would loose 36 aces over the entire game. He would also win 94 of the 128 points played on his first discount and beat 81 other winners. That against a number of just 13 unforced errors from Murray. Both factors came into play when Isner broke 3-2 in the fourth, and then concluded the victory under the roof.