The phrase was mentioned at least half a dozen times. The end of an era, he said it, we said it and it was the overriding emotion of the half an hour it took Tim Henman to say that the career that salvaged the sport for Britain was over.

Dressed in white - he doesn't need Wimbledon's predominantly white rule to revert to type - the former world No 4 (let us never forget that) walked into the main interview room at Flushing Meadows to say what had been on his mind for quite a while. He did it with half a smile on his face, there was no background mood music, no wailing violins. Henman being Henman, he just said what had to be said. No arguments, no fanfare.

That his 15-year professional career had to finish in such a state of anti-climax - about six dozen people showed up and most of them were cameramen - was not of his choosing. He had been preparing to say something this week and he said that some of the gloss had been taken off when The Times revealed on Monday that he was going to call it a day after next month's Davis Cup tie against Croatia at the All England Club.

It is officially over to Andy Murray and whoever else out there wants to assume Henman's unwieldy mantle.