British men's Wimbledon hopes end as Cam Norrie is knocked out by fourth seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets after a mammoth third-set tiebreak

Alexander Zverev ran into the umpire’s chair but it was Cameron Norrie whose challenge hit a hard wall.

If any reminder were needed that the post-Murray years would be tricky, it arrived in timely fashion here with a defeat that means no British man has made it to the second week in the singles.

There was no disgrace for Norrie in losing to the fourth seed on Centre Court, but equally there was only a modest challenge and one where his chances were mainly limited to an epic 32-point tiebreak in the third set.

The rest? He played well without severely troubling this controversial German, whose reputation has been hurt by the recently-resolved domestic abuse case brought by the mother of his daughter. A private settlement has softened a narrative which dominated his run to the French Open final last month, but it remains an awkward accompaniment to his progress here.

On the basis of how he has performed in reaching the last 16, there is a strong chance Zverev will make a deep push on his least favourite surface, while Norrie must reflect on a tournament that at least injected some momentum into a horrible season.

Having lost in the first round at both Queen’s and Eastbourne, hastening a fall to No 42 in the world just two years after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, the hope will be that this small run serves as a platform for a revival. To that end, he left the tournament in a satisfied mood.

‘It was a really positive Wimbledon for me,’ he said. ‘The match with Jack Draper (the new British No 1 whom he beat in the second round) was a high, high level. And it was a high level today.

‘It's exactly what I needed and I'm really pumped for the rest of the season. I'm working so hard and improving all my skills so hopefully I can put it all together.

‘I think there's so much to look forward to the rest of the year - the Olympics, the US Open. I'm excited. It was a really positive Wimbledon for me.’

If there will be a regret for the 28-year-old it is that he inflicted zero damage on the Zverev serve, which until recently was his weakness. Across the past week, in which he did not lose a set, it has been a great strength and it was the driving force in keeping Norrie at arm’s length in his fifth straight win over the Brit.

Of Zverev’s 73 first serves that hit their mark, he won an astonishing 66 of the points. Norrie failed to land so much as a single break point, with his sharpest prospects coming in the second set when Zverev charged into the umpire’s chair and required physio treatment on his knee. Beyond that scare, he was rarely in any difficulty, with breaks in the ninth games in both of the first two sets.

Norrie was solid and despite attempts to instil some aggression in a naturally defensive style, he lacked the weaponry to finish the procession of long rallies.

By the third, he was open to some creative thinking to alter the momentum. In spying Zverev far behind the baseline in anticipation of his serve, Norrie’s delivery came underarm and landed an ace for 6-5 as they worked their way to a tiebreak.

It went on for more than half an hour, with Pep Guardiola among the sporting greats present in the Royal Box. The level they watched in that breaker was brilliantly high, but after giving up an early mini-break, Norrie was subsequently unable to push through with any of his five set points in losing 17-15.

In looking up to Guardiola in the crowd, Zverev said: ‘When I saw Pep I got so nervous for a few games there. Bayern Munich needs a coach but if you are tired of football you can coach me on the court any time.’

The current evidence would suggest the extra help is not needed. The 27-year-old will next face the winner of Taylor Fritz’s clash with Alejandro Tabilo and the confidence of the two-time Slam finalist is climbing, as is his comfort on this surface.

He said: ‘On grass I feel like a cow on ice sometimes. But I am happy with how I played.’