Serena Williams tasted bitter defeat on her return to singles tennis at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Elsewhere on day two of the Championships, title contender Matteo Berrettini was forced to pull out with coronavirus while women’s top seed Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to 36 matches.
Williams, 40, won the last of her Wimbledon singles titles six years ago but reached the final in 2018 and 2019.
“For my first Wimbledon it’s wow — just wow,” she said.
Williams was far below her imperious best on Tuesday, struggling from the start with her form and fitness.
But she faltered while serving for the match and faded badly in the third-set tie-break after taking a 4-0 lead.
