A small (re) turn and then leaves.

After a year without playing a singles tournament, Serena Williams was beaten Tuesday by France's Harmony Tan (115th) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7) in 3:11 in the first round of Wimbledon.

Seven-time Major champion on grass and ex-undisputed world No.1, Serena Williams, 40, down to 1,204th in the world, had received an invitation to enter the main draw.

Last year, she left the Center Court during the match, victim of a thigh injury.

Tuesday, back on this same court, she went after a disjointed match at the end of which she bowed.

Sometimes borrowed, not always well placed, even a little lost on the court, not knowing whether to move forward or back, not always sure of herself or her shots, she was unable to impose over the length of the match his game so powerful and intimidating which made his strength.

She gave a lot of screams to try to evacuate the obviously enormous pressure that weighed on her shoulders, but there was too much waste in her game (54 unforced errors against 28 for her opponent).

So she sometimes resorted to attempts at intimidation, with particularly theatrical demonstrations on a few key points like the one that gave her the break and the possibility of serving for the match in the third set.

But in vain.

Williams finishes breathless

Opposite, Tan, 24, made him run as much as possible, forwards, backwards, sideways.

Williams, visibly short physically, finished exhausted while the Frenchwoman, who was participating in her first Wimbledon, couldn't believe it.

“I'm so moved that I can't find the words… She's a superstar, I've watched her so often on television that for my first Wimbledon, it's… wow!

“, commented the French.

“When I saw the draw, I was very scared.

It's Serena Williams, a legend, I was wondering how to play against her and I thought that if I already won one or two games, it would be great, ”added Harmony Tan, whose coach, Nathalie Tauziat, today 54-year-old faced Serena Williams on the circuit.

The Frenchwoman could even have finished a little earlier but Williams saved the first match point at 6-5 in the third set before taking the game into the super-tie break.

The American then quickly pulled away 4-0 and seemed to be heading for a victory, but she was unable to maintain her advantage and ended up losing.

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