As Lleyton Hewitt lay stretched out grimacing in pain at the side of Court No 2, being treated by a trainer for a thigh injury and on the point of going two sets down to Radek Stepanek, you would not have given him a wombat in hell's chance of keeping his Wimbledon ambitions alive.
But then we remembered this was Hewitt we were watching. In cricket, an idle pastime is to ask which batsmen you would choose to play for your life; in tennis, there isn't a question, is there?
Hewitt hauled himself up gingerly, received another dreaded chorus of "C'mon Aussie C'mon" from his small band of religious 'Fanatics' - dreaded by the rest of the 4,000 on site, that is - dropped the second set and then proceeded to continue writing just about the most romantic story of this Wimbledon so far.
Fading former champ undergoes the knife to cure a hip complaint.... struggles on his comeback... but, out of the blue, makes a dramatic comeback at the same venue he enjoyed his greatest triumph....oh yes, and rediscovers his voice, screaming 'C'mon!!!'.
No wonder his missus, Home and Away star Bec Cartwright, was so enthusiastic; this could have come straight out of a soap. For his comeback five-set win 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in 2hrs 54mins puts the former champion back in a Wimbledon quarter-final for the first time in three years, just four months after his fall from the world's top 100 supposedly told of a man washed up at the highest level.
But who knows what he is capable of now? Waiting for him in the last eight is an old foe, Andy Roddick, who played comfortably his best tennis of the championships by despatching the very dangerous Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6, 6-4, 6-3.
What about Andy Murray, Hewitt was asked about his potential semi-final opponent. "I'm not worrying about Andy Murray too much yet. I'm worried about Andy Roddick," he smiled. And so he should be. Roddick beat him in a tight affair at Queen's a fortnight ago.
Both these old warriors - hard to believe Roddick is still only 26 - appear to be enjoying a fresh lease of life, particularly the 28 year-old Hewitt, who is living off a new surge of adrenalin, the same old unquenchable spirit and a band of supporters who must be worth at least the odd break point through their capacity to both inspire Hewitt and get under the skin of his opponent.
In the final set, as victory for their idol loomed, they got a bit excitable and earned a ticking off from a steward. Did Hewitt think their chanting was unfair to his opponents? Did he heck.
At the end, he skipped across to that barmy little army of about 25, who once again had camped overnight to make sure they got tickets to see him and rewarded them all with some souvenir wrist bands and towels. Clearly, they are easily bought.
"I'm not sure an opponent would be thrilled about them but they're not in their face either," reckoned Hewitt. "I draw a lot of emotion and energy from those guys."
Too much emotion for Stepanek, who was struggling with a knee injury of his own and also ended up belatedly needing a time out. Only by that time, the Czech under-achiever had really been beaten in heart and mind.
The contrast with Hewitt was inescapable. Stepanek is one of those players who has made a fantastic living out of tennis, making about £3.3 million in winnings while hovering largely around the 20-ranking mark and winning only four tournaments. What's he most famous for? Being a locker room irritant. He doesn't have the make-up of a great champion.
Hewitt does, though. Struggling with a twinge in his left thigh midway through the first set, he struggled on in pain until he was a set and 4-1 down before deciding to call for the trainer.
Those who believe it unfair that the course of a game can be dictated by a player being allowed to receive a medical time-out will not have enjoyed what followed. Talk about the magic sponge.
Hewitt came out refreshed, found it easier to push off from his left leg as he was serving but reckoned he still felt twinges of pain even as he began to completely dictate proceedings. A rain-break helped him get further treatment. Result? For the sixth time in his career, he completed a successful comeback from two sets down.
Roddick, who sent down 24 aces while dismantling 20th seed Berdych, knows what comes next. "You know, everything is a fight with Lleyton. He's not going to give you anything." Their battle could be one of the treats of the fortnight.
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