The American wanted to make her big comeback at Wimbledon, but she lost in round one: against a debutante from France who can hardly believe her luck.
Serena Williams had already celebrated as if she had won Wimbledon. On your knees with both arms in the air. And yet she had to suffer one of her most bitter defeats a little later on the Sacred Lawn of Center Court. After a one-year break, Williams lost to French outsider Harmony Tan 5-7, 6-1, 6-7 (7-10).
“It was really tough, I had chances to win the first set, it didn’t work,” said Williams. Physically she felt pretty good, only on the last few points where she suffered. In the important moments, she may have lacked the “match hardness”, Williams said.
Couldn’t believe it: the Frenchwoman Harmony Tan.
(Photo: John Walton/AP)
In her spectacular comeback over 3:11 hours, the 23-time Grand Slam winner delivered a drama that the tennis world had had to do without for a long time. And the brave Tan, number 115 in the world and a debutante at Wimbledon, played more than just a supporting role. But the truth also belongs: For long stretches, Williams was just a shadow of the great tennis player of the past, of whom Tan still said in disbelief in the winning interview: “She’s such a superstar. When I was little, I always saw her on TV. That’s just wow!”
But only now and then Williams’ skills flashed – and the audience always cheered. It wanted a continuation of the spectacle that has kept the All England Club in suspense for days. It wanted to whip Williams to victory. But Tan successfully countered. As the thriller reached its climax in the tiebreak, she kept her nerve.