Instead it was a familiar tale of woe for the 21-year-old 16th seed as he was outplayed in the first round by Russian Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6) 6-2 6-2.
Coric beat eight-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer to win the Halle title in the build-up to the year's third Grand Slam -- a result that reverberated around the tennis world.
But after failing to convert a set point in the opener he faded away to a fourth defeat in five Wimbledon matches.
"He was much the better player today," Coric, the first of the men's top 16 seeds to tumble, told reporters.
"But I knew it was going to be tough because I learnt by now that this is tennis and one week can be great; another one can be a disaster like now."
Coric said the Wimbledon grass is not the same as the lawns in Halle.
"It's completely different conditions," he said. "Someone told me I could play Federer in the fourth round here but I didn't even look beyond the first round.
"The grass is definitely a little bit different (to Halle). I was really struggling to move today. It was really windy. I didn't find it very enjoyable.
"If I get that first set, it could turn around a little bit. But then after that, my level just really dropped."
Despite the defeat Coric said it had still been a positive grasscourt season after winning only his second career title in Halle.
"If somebody said I'm going to do 500 points on the grass, I would sign up. So I cannot complain," he said.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
