barely a year after her last singles match, Serena Williams returned to the crime scene and suffered more disappointment. The circumstances could not have been different.
The American scored just six games 12 months ago before having to withdraw from her opening game after a nasty slip on Center Court. It was one of a number of similar incidents, causing Wimbledon organizers to break the tradition of having players practice on the show courts in the run-up to the tournament.
This time it was three hours and ten minutes of brilliance, chaos, exhaustion and finally despair for the seven-time Wimbledon champion. Harmony Tan, in her first-ever main draw at SW19, came through a truly amazing encounter 7-5 1-6 7-6 (10-7).
Williams had at least some grass training in the run-up to her return to singles, teaming up with Ons Jabeur for two doubles matches at Eastbourne a week ago. That would have helped blow off some of the cobwebs, but obviously enough was left, as the American was quickly broken in the opening game of the match.
It was back on the service though, but it wasn’t long before Williams warmed up to her job and she threatened to walk away with it. A year ago, the sixth game was as far as it came for Williams, but this time it brought a break from Tan service.
The American soon found her own serve under pressure and Tan brought things up to speed before finding another service break to lead 6-5. She served for the set and, after seeing a breakpoint, sealed it with a superb forehand winner.
An extraordinary second game of the second set became increasingly important with each two that passed. There were a total of 12, spread over nearly 20 minutes, before seventh time proved to be a charm for Williams when she finally managed a break point.
Four of them came and went for Tan as she missed the chance to break back immediately – a match only three times on the line felt like it robbed the Center Court crowd of action.
Tan’s inability to find the break proved even more costly when Williams had no such problems and went on to lead 5-0 in the set. Rarely, if ever, has a scoring line ever been so misleading. At least there was the consolation of dodging a bagel for Tan, but no more than that, as Williams leveled things up with a big serve wide. Barely a hint of emotion from the American followed as she marched to her seat.
There wasn’t much reaction either when Williams broke into the decider’s third game, but whether that was due to sheer focus or just sheer exhaustion, only she will know. Maybe she sensed what was coming. So she sent an incredulous look to her box as she restored parity, stunned by the role she played in a Center Court epic.
There were wild parties as Williams broke to serve for the match
† AFP via Getty ImagesThe cliches started writing themselves when Tan was unable to hold the serve and fell 5-4 down – the nerves had got to her, Williams’ championship spirit had won the day. The American was almost in tears as she stepped forward to serve.
So not done. The 24-year-old hammered a passing shot past Williams to extend the game further. At this point, the seconds that barely alarmed the speed gun, stunning winners met little more than an extra gasp for air. Williams saved a match point and dragged herself, and the Center Court crowd with her, to a tiebreak.
Again the script seemed ready when Williams led 4-0, but by now the tank was more than empty and the American could no longer stop the warning lights. The unforced errors started pouring in and Tan took five straight runs. She moved 9-7 and sent off a forehand winner, in every sense of the word.
Who knows what will come next for Williams, but if it’s her last Wimbledon appearance, she’ll leave with something other than whimper.
“It was definitely something that has always been on my mind,” she said ahead of the tournament, when asked if being forced to retire last year was a motivation to come back.
That was her second ever first-round exit of a Grand Slam, this is only her third, but it rivaled all of her greatest hits for memories that will take spectators away.