Serena Williams left her future open to question after her return to Wimbledon ended in a first-round defeat by Harmony Tan.
In what was her first singles appearance since her injury at Wimbledon 12 months ago, the 23-time Grand Slam champion was visibly rusty.
Despite that, the American supplied ample moments of excitement to keep the Wimbledon faithful on the edge of their seats.
What a rally by Serena Williams ‼️
She came back from being down 0-2 in the first set 👏 pic.twitter.com/JBTiElpT0l
— ESPN (@espn) June 28, 2022
Cheered on by a supportive crowd, she was able to overcome adversity from the first set and saved a match point in the 12th game of the decider.
Unfortunately, Williams suffered just her third first-round loss at a grand slam, falling short in a deciding tie-break after three hours and 10 minutes of play.
It's always a pleasure, @serenawilliams #Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/ALkCMy1sFD
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
At 40, it's becoming increasingly difficult to defy the limitations, but she has remained vague about her future.
"Like I said coming into this, I’m just planning for right now, seeing how I feel, just to go from there," she said.
Further pressed on whether it was a goodbye to the All England Club, Williams added: "That’s a question I can’t answer. I don’t know. Who knows where I’ll pop up"?
Serena Williams received a standing ovation from the #Wimbledon crowd as she left the court 👏 pic.twitter.com/h75gwxWEPv
— ESPN (@espn) June 28, 2022
Williams would surely not have come to the All England Club if she did not believe a record-equalling 24th grand slam title was still a possibility.
Asked if she could be satisfied with Tuesday’s loss being her final Wimbledon memory, she said: “Obviously not. You know me. Definitely not.
