Wimbledon Day 2 results wrap: Serena Williams’ comeback epic, Rafael Nadal survives scare

Serena Williams’ time at Wimbledon came to a premature and unexpected end, but fans were more interested in what was on her face.

Margaret Court’s record as the most prolific grand slam winner of all time is safe - at least for now - after Serena Williams crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round.

Playing her first singles match in a year, Williams was a shadow of the once fearsome player she was, losing 7-5 1-6 7-6 (10-7) to France’s Harmony Tan.

Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam singles titles has been under siege from Williams for years but the Aussie has managed to stay in front because the American keeps tripping up at the last hurdle.

Williams has been stranded on 23 majors since 2017 - but just can’t get the elusive one she needs to equal Court.

Williams has lost four finals since her last win and at age 40, time is running out, raising questions about how much longer she will continue.

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Serena Williams has suffered a shock first-round defeat to France’s Harmony Tan, in a sad end to her grand slam comeback. Picture: Getty

Asked whether she will return to Wimbledon next year, Williams was non committal.

“I don’t know. Obviously, we’re in the Summer now so right in the swing of this,” she said.

“That’s a question I can’t answer, I don’t know. Who knows where I’ll pop up.”

Pressed on how she would summarise her career at Wimbledon - where she has won the singles titles seven times - Williams wasn’t giving anything away about her future plans, though she did suggest she would play this year’s US Open, starting late September.

“I’m not summing it up but I think I’ve been pretty solid out on the grass, though maybe not today,” she said.

“It was really tough. I had some chances to win that first set and it didn’t work out. It was just totally different for me.

“It was definitely a long battle and fight, it’s definitely better than last year. Physically I did pretty good.

“When you’re at home, especially in New York and the US Open being the first place I’ve won, there’s definitely lots of motivation to get better and play at home.”

Williams shares a moment with Tan at the net after their first-round showdown. Picture: Getty

Seven-time champion Williams was cheered as she walked onto Centre Court for the evening match, but she looked rusty and was broken in her first service game.

Fans were quick to question why she was wearing black tape on her face.

Williams was sporting two pieces of sporting tape on her right cheek which, according to reports, is to help ease the pressure on her sinuses.

“My secret’s out,” Williams told Reuters. “I’m a sinus sufferer. Playing tennis or pretty much doing anything everyday is not easy when you have sinuses.

“You feel a lot of pressure, congestion and pain and training for grand slams such as … Wimbledon and the French Open, it’s not easy.”

Williams, far below her imperious best and apparently lacking fitness, bounced back, breaking in the fourth game to level at 2-2, buoyed by a supportive crowd at the All England Club.

The pair swapped further breaks but Tan, ranked 115th, broke again in the 11th game and held her nerve to close out the set 7-5.

“For my first Wimbledon it’s wow -- just wow,” said Tan.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, broke after a mammoth second game of the second set and went on to level the match 6-1.

The American was first to break in the decider but Tan levelled at 3-3. Williams broke again in the ninth game, throwing her arms into the air in jubilation but faltered as she served for the match.

The unseeded Tan produced the win of a lifetime in dethroning Williams. Picture: Getty

She faced a match point on her own serve in the 12th game but saved it with a forehand volley, taking the contest into a third-set tie-break.

Williams stepped up a gear, winning the first four points as the match, under the Wimbledon roof, ticked past three hours.

But still her French opponent was not down and out, winning the next five points to edge ahead.

Williams, looking out of breath, could not find inspiration netting when facing a second match point.

“I’m so emotional now,” said Tan.

“She’s a superstar. When I was young, I was watching her so many times on the TV.

“When I saw the draw, I was really scared. She’s such a legend. I thought if I can win one game, two games, that would be really good for me.” Twelve months ago, Williams quit her Wimbledon first-round match in tears after suffering an injury and she had not played singles tennis since until Tuesday.

Doubts had been growing about whether the former world number one -- who has slumped to 1,204th in the rankings after her period of inaction -- would return to the sport.

But she warmed up by teaming up with Ons Jabeur in the doubles at Eastbourne last week.

Williams, 40, won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles titles six years ago but reached the final in 2018 and 2019.

Williams looked a shadow of her best as she went out in the first round. Picture: AFP

Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, overcame a huge scare to reach the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday after title contender Matteo Berrettini was forced to pull out of the tournament with coronavirus.

Elsewhere on day two of the Championships, women’s top seed Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to 36 matches and Serena Williams returned to singles tennis after a year away.

An off-key Nadal, already halfway to a calendar Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open and French Open, dug deep to beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

“Three years without being here on this amazing surface, it is amazing to be back and I can’t thank (people) enough for the support,” said the Spaniard, who has not played at Wimbledon since 2019.

“It is not a surface that we play very often, especially in my case. In the last three years I didn’t put any foot on the grass.”

Spain's Rafael Nadal had some nervous moments, but forced his way into the second round. Picture: AFP

The Spaniard appeared to be coasting to victory when he took a two-set lead but his Argentine opponent won the third set and then went a break up early in the fourth.

But the match suddenly switched gears as Nadal broke to level at 4-4, accompanied by roars from the Centre Court crowd.

He held serve and then broke again to seal the victory and will face Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis in the next round.

There was a question mark over the Spaniard’s durability for the two weeks at Wimbledon having played the entire French Open with his troublesome left foot anaesthetised.

The 36-year-old second seed has since undergone a course of radiofrequency stimulation, a treatment aimed at reducing nerve pain in his foot and he looked mobile.

“Every day is a test,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion.

“I am at the beginning of the tournament and everyone knows the difficult circumstances that I had.”

The early action at the All England Club on Tuesday was overshadowed by the announcement from Berrettini – last year’s runner-up – that coronavirus had forced him out of the tournament.

Poland's world No.1 Iga Swiatek coasted through the first round. Picture: AFP

Poland’s world number one Swiatek coasted into the second round with a routine 6-0, 6-3 victory against Croatian qualifier Jana Fett.

The French Open champion, who has won her past six tournaments, said she was relishing the atmosphere at the grass-court event.

“I feel I have only played 12 weeks of my life on grass but the whole atmosphere and tradition is pumping me up and just looking forward to the next matches,” she said.

Also in the women’s draw, 2019 champion Simona Halep beat Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-2 while fourth seed Paula Badosa lost just three games against Louisa Chirico.

Beaten French Open finalist Coco Gauff, the 11th seed, recovered from losing the first set against Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse to win 2-6 6-3 7-5.