With a rueful smile and a fond wave Serena Williams left the Centre Court on Tuesday night, possibly for the last time.
If this was the last occasion we saw her at Wimbledon then at least she left with the indelible print of a superb contest against a poised and youthful opponent.
Harmony Tan, the world No 113 from Paris, said she was scared when she saw her first round draw, but she showed remarkable composure in pulling off a 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 victory that may go down as Williams’s final defeat at SW19.
Going into a new deciding super tie-break, she fell 0-4 behind but recovered to claim it 10-7. The American, now in her fifth decade, could not haul her ageing frame over the line with more than three hours on the clock.
The fire still burns within – everyone saw that – but even she could not make up the deficit of not having played for a year coming into this.
Yet Williams still achieved her aim in a sense. She wanted to erase the memory of limping out of here in 2021 after six games of her opening match, and she certainly did that.
Serena Williams was denied a fairytale Wimbledon return after she exited in the first round
Williams, who made her comeback at SW19 after a year’s absence, was beaten by Harmony Tan
Afterwards she was non-committal about her future when asked: ‘That’s a question I can’t answer,’ she replied.
‘I’m just playing for right now and seeing how I feel, take it from there. Who knows where I will pop? There’s definitely lots of motivation to play better and at home (the US Open).
‘Physically I did pretty good. The last couple of points I was really suffering. If you are playing week in week out there’s a bit more match toughness.’
A 23-time Grand Slam champion, Williams was taken to a deciding set and lost on a tiebreak
Tan’s game is delightful and harks to another era, and, ever-poised, she carved Williams open
Williams was coy over the extent of her preparation, but she found herself misfiring early on
Perhaps after that she will choose to spend more time with her child, husband, venture capital business, Oscars ceremonies and plethora of other interests.
Or perhaps not, because you doubt anything will recreate the feverish excitement of matches like this which have studded her career.
As with most happenings in her life it was never dull or predictable, a clash of styles lighting up the grand old arena with Williams playing the lead role as she has done so many times before.
It was as if the 23-time Grand Slam champion came to this fight armed with a baseball bat, to her opponent’s stiletto.
Even at 40, the American can summon up ferocious power, and when she launched her fightback the blows were often accompanied by determined yelps and groans, amplified when the roof was closed after the first set.
However, the legend was able to fight back, and took the match the distance under the lights
Tan suffered a fall during the thrilling showdown, but continued to test out Williams’ stamina
In an era when many of the women’s top 10 could walk down Wimbledon High Street without any fear of being recognised, Williams retains a star quality all of her own.
Tan could certainly stroll down the Champs Elysees unbothered, but she has a delightful game to watch that harks to another era.
It proved just enough, when bolted on to the remarkable maturity she showed under pressure.
Williams served for the match at 5-4 in the third – at one time could have closed this kind of encounter out in her sleep.
But the mistakes crept back in, and soon she was wildly missing a straightforward volley and facing a match point at 5-6, which she saved with another flourish at the net.
With more match practice she might have finished it off, although her quality of movement cast doubt on the suggestion that she will ill-prepared.
After her victory, the little-known player celebrated with her family watching on Centre Court
One experienced coach who witnessed her first practice on the south coast ventured that her ball striking was so clean that she must have been in proper training for some time.
So perhaps this was less of a calculated risk – playing just two double matches in Sussex before heading to SW19 – than might have been estimated.
After a slow and misfiring start it became clear that Williams’s stamina would be tested. The first set took 64 minutes and the second game of the next took just shy of 20 minutes and 30 points before the American finally clinched it on a seventh break opportunity.
Experience helps when it comes to transitioning from daylight to floodlight, and the more emboldened Williams started to steam through the set.
Tan took a six-minute toilet break before the decider, a chance to collect her thoughts and for Williams to lose some momentum. When the breathless denouement came she showed similar composure.
