Next up? How about Amra Sadikovic, who just a year after making her gritty, unsung comeback to the game following retirement, can savour the unlikeliest reward - a dream assignment on Centre Court against the great Serena Williams as she launches the defence of her Ladies’ singles title.

In May 2014, the Macedonian-born Swiss retired from the game, disenchanted and having lost her motivation, only to start coaching kids but finding that she was “missing the fight” on tour.

So as if she were almost starting her career afresh, Sadikovic had to battle through countless qualifiers of minor tournaments but, with renewed spirit, clambered back up from the tennis wilderness to her current ranking of No 148.

Williams will not take lightly a qualifier with this sort of spirit as she sets out on the road towards a 22nd grand slam singles title, which would equal Steffi Graf’s Open era record. But then everyone should beware a wounded lioness.

After her recent pummelling by Garbiñe Muguruza in the French Open final, she reckoned, as throughout her career, that she had learned a lot from the defeat and would come back “a much better player.”

“I don't feel any pressure. I feel good and confident,” she told us at the weekend. Which is why all her contenders accept she will still take all the beating here.

Talking of fairytales, young Liam Broady also has the chance to revisit a field in which he has a bit of previous.

This time last year, on the opening day, the youngster from Stockport - Fred Perry country, no less - pulled off a remarkable comeback to win a five-setter against Marinko Matosevic before regaling us with uplifting stories about how the prize money would ensure he didn’t have to camp out on his mates’ floors any more.

That, though, was nothing compared with the fantasy he hopes to concoct today. From his natural habitat of Challengers and Futures events, usually watched by one man and his dog, Broady, the world No.235, finds himself elevated to face Andy Murray in the sport’s most hallowed arena.

Until the week before last at Queen’s, he hadn’t faced a Brit in singles combat anywhere for nearly 10 years; then suddenly, like London buses, three have rolled along in Aljaz Bedene, Kyle Edmund and now Broady.

It may feel a mite disconcerting for Murray to find himself deprived of the lion’s share of support, as Wimbledon does love to swoon for a homegrown underdog, but the No.2 seed is so focused, steely and in such fine nick at the moment that beating his old Davis Cup buddy ought to be as painless as Novak Djokovic’s dismissal of James Ward.

Last year, Heather Watson came closer than anyone to derailing Williams on the road to her sixth title. Today, she begins with a tough one against Germany’s Annika Beck on No.2 Court while her successor as Britain’s best, Jo Konta, tackles Monica Puig on No.1 Court.

Konta’s ascent to the top 20 to become Britain’s first woman seed at Wimbledon since Jo Durie, 32 years ago, is a reason to be very cheerful; her Puerto Rican opponent, twice a semi-finalist at grass court warm-up tournaments this summer, is the reason to be fearful.