His 42nd consecutive grass-court victory, achieved with consummate ease 6-3 6-2 6-2 over French contender Richard Gasquet, enabled him to beat the record he had held jointly with the great Bjorn Borg.

But the defending champion swatted away comparisons by insisting Borg’s record, which unlike his own was attained entirely at Wimbledon, still stands as an almost unbreachable All England Club standard.

With Federer in this sort of form, his own conviction that Borg’s run of five consecutive titles is “almost beyond possibilities” is only a little more appreciable than his modest assertion that Henman represents a major threat to his winning streak.

Federer said: “It is as tough as it gets for a second round really. I would absolutely hope that Tim was not going to be in my section of the draw.

“I know how well he can play on grass and he beat me here in 2001. Obviously it is not a nice draw. We are good friends so it is tough. But somebody is going to win and I hope it is going to be me.”

The chances are Henman is on the brink of becoming Federer’s 43rd victim of a dominant streak stretching back four years to his 2002 first round defeat to Croatian Mario Ancic.

After all, unlike the slowly sliding Henman, Gasquet had bounded into SW19 brimming with renewed confidence after recovering from a year ravaged by illness and injury to claim his second successive Nottingham Open title.

Long before Federer’s clinical smash which ended today’s Centre Court rout, that confidence had been put in sharp perspective and Gasquet was looking every inch the man who could not wait to get back into the locker room.

Resuming today with Gasquet leading on serve in the second set after yesterday’s hastily abridged action, the Frenchman may have been fleetingly imbued with hopes of an outlandish comeback.

Two uncharacteristically flopped volleys in succession gave Gasquet his first break point but his chance passed by quicker than one of Federer’s ferociously driven ground-strokes.

Normal service resumed as Federer reeled off two consecutive breaks to take the set a mere 16 minutes following the resumption of play, and Gasquet’s fate was effectively sealed.

Having grabbed the initial break in the fifth game of the set, Federer produced an audacious backhand down the line to go 5-2 up and move to the brink of victory.

Broken and bewildered, Gasquet scurried out for the change of ends like a man already resigned to the fact that it would be his last, and Federer duly obliged him in his early exit.

Federer said: “It was one of the toughest draws I have had and to come up and play so well makes me very happy. Maybe it was not my best but it was definitely up there.

“It’s nice to keep any streak going and maybe I can make it last even longer.

“But I’ve had many matches in those 42 which have been incredibly close and I could have lost easily.

“I’ve surprised myself that I’ve kept it going for so long and to come through today was basically my only wish, not to break the streak. When it comes together it is obviously nice.”

Already there is talk of Federer going on to emulate Borg further in future, perhaps one day even accomplishing that feat he would like people to believe is nigh on impossible.

“The five Wimbledons and the sixth final is something almost beyond possibilities for any player,” insisted Federer. “So for me, obviously, he stays a hero.”