Henman and Ivanisevic in Raeburn Place tennis match

The temporary stands at Raeburn Place were bathed in sunshine for the first day of the Brodies Champions of Tennis event. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

Remarkably, the passing of a dozen years has not diminished the Croatian’s power. Neither has time dulled Ivanisevic’s finely-honed act as the ultimate showman. However, he came off second best yesterday evening in Edinburgh, in the inaugural Brodies Champions of Tennis event. Henman gained a measure of revenge for his agonising defeat to Ivanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001, when the Englishman had reason to shake a fist at the drizzly heavens.

“It’s not quite Murrayfield or Hampden, but we are getting there”, shrieked the announcer last night, gamely attempting to whip the spectators, a mix of the post-work corporate crowd and Andy Murray-inspired  tennis devotees, into a slightly more frenzied state.

The tennis was far higher quality than anyone had the right to expect as two old combatants re-engaged with a fight that reached a zenith at that semi-final in 2001, but is now being re-heated in exhibition events such as this one.

Here, then, Henman was provided with another opportunity to tame Ivanisevic, in the unusual setting of a Scottish rugby ground. This time, we were beneath an impressive canopy structure, rather than the roofless arena that once was Centre Court, Henman’s theatre of dreams, and which, on one occasion in particular, became a chamber of drawn-out torture.

This time the rain which Ivanisevic credits with “saving his life” in 2001 stayed away, on what is the Croat’s first visit to Scotland. Instead, we had a beautiful summer’s evening in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge, as Henman sought to exorcise some painful memories in the company of a politely supportive Scottish crowd. And he did, winning his first appointment in the round robin tournament 10-6 in a tie-break, after each player had won a set each, the first one going to Ivanisevic 6-4, and then Henman winning the second by the same score.

Henman’s time, you may remember, came too early to be helped by the roof that would surely have aided his progression into a Wimbledon final in 2001, after a rain-interrupted, three-day trial of nerves, talent and sheer bloody persistence. Ivanisevic triumphed in the end, but no-one can persuade Henman, and his loyal Home Counties’ fanbase, that it would not have been the other way around had the rain stayed away on that Friday, when, with the Englishman leading 2-1 on sets and firmly in control, the players had to scuttle off court.

With momentum gone, Henman’s chances evaporated over the course of the next two days. Some play on Saturday allowed Ivanisevic to gain a foothold in the match. By Sunday, when the players returned for a second time, the 29-year-old Croat was back in the old routine, which meant he was serving so powerfully his arm was almost flaking out of the socket of his troubled left shoulder. His People’s Final victory over Pat Rafter the  following day remains a high point in sport’s firmament.

Ah, memories. These were the quaint times when Britain was not blessed with a player who we could expect to make a challenge. Then, it was more desperate hope, though Henman did as much as anyone could have asked for, perhaps more. It was gladdening to observe how easily the Scots took him to their hearts last night. “I come to Scotland a little bit now to play golf, and I enjoy that, and, from a tennis point of view, I remember driving to Craiglockhart with my mum for junior tournaments and it was a lot of fun,” he said afterwards. “Tennis in Scotland has changed massively now, thanks to the Murrays.”

As ever, it was Ivanisevic who stole the show, theatrically disputing points and even taking the place of Hawk-Eye on one occasion, as he grabbed a ball and tried to mimic the previous shot’s trajectory, the way it’s done at on the big screens at Grand Slam events.

This, of course, was fun tennis, as opposed to grimly pressurised tennis that Henman will remember from his annual battles to lift the Wimbledon crown. Times are different now. A Scot has inherited that mantle. So here we enjoyed the chance to remember how it used to be. It was particularly enjoyable to engage again with Ivanisevic, who looks barely a day older than he did 12 years ago. His hair is still both long and dark, and his distinctive style of serving remains intact too. His big weapon is still an ace-making factory, able to churn out winner after winner. It could surely still do damage on the professional circuit.

It wasn’t Wimbledon, 2001, but what can ever come close to the spectacle that saw Goran, the wild card, become Goran, the Wimbledon champion. But we even had a Henman Hill of sorts, as passers-by enjoyed the opportunity to take in some tennis from a handy vantage point in nearby Inverleith Park.

“You never like to lose,” said Ivanisevic afterwards. “But I am not going to cry because I lost.” He seemed more perturbed by his country’s defeat to Scotland in a World Cup qualifier earlier this month. “We underestimated Scotland. It was a mistake,” he said, referring to Scotland’s surprise 1-0 win. “You deserved to win.”