Nike recognizes greatness of Serena Williams with building 0:55
(CNN) --
Even after a year away from tennis, Serena Williams hasn't forgotten how to entertain.
Her return to Grand Slam action at Wimbledon on Tuesday — a three-hour, 11-minute duel with France's Harmony Tan — was histrionic, captivating, but ultimately ended in defeat.
In the longest women's singles match to date, World No. 115 and making her first appearance at Wimbledon (and on the main stage on Center Court), Tan held her own in a lengthy tie-break to win 7 -5 1-6 7-6 (10-7).
Clearly, this wasn't the highlight of Williams' illustrious career, and it wasn't going to be considering how long he hadn't played.
Wimbledon 2022: dates, match table and favorites for the men's and women's tournament
But when the roof closed and the lights came up on Center Court — a scene that prompted oohs and ahs from the crowd — the two players put on a show that went beyond drama.
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Williams shakes her fist during her first round loss to Harmony Tan at Wimbledon 2022.
In the end, it was Tan who crashed Williams' comeback party, repeatedly producing shots that even earned her opponent across the net applause.
"For my first Wimbledon... it's wow. Just wow," Tan said, speechless, in his on-court interview.
Few of the viewers could disagree.
As for Williams, who turns 41 in September, she refuses to give up on her goal of capturing her 24th Grand Slam title (to tie Margaret Court's record), five years after clinching her last at the Australian Open.
"Who knows where I'll be," he told reporters when asked about his future, even suggesting he could take part in the US Open later this year.
"The US Open, which is the first place where I won a Grand Slam, is something that is always super special," added Williams.
"The first time is always special. There is definitely a lot of motivation to improve and to play at home."
Stiffness was to be expected on Williams' return to Wimbledon and it took time for her to find some rhythm against Tan. Before Tuesday, her only competitive outing in the past year had been two doubles matches at Eastbourne last week.
He was broken in the first game, but in the fourth he began to find his rhythm, hitting cleaner groundstrokes and returning the impact with a double break of Tan's serve.
Tan displayed a wide variety of shots in her three-set victory against Serena Williams.
The first set, however, turned out to be a showcase of the entire match: just as Williams seemed to have the upper hand over her opponent, Tan charged again.
That was the case on multiple occasions in the final set, as Williams twice took a break lead, then took the lead in the long deciding tie-break, only for Tan to win 10 of the next 13 points for the biggest win. of his career.
Tuesday's game was a clear contrast of styles.
Williams' attack was a hit and miss, as he hit 61 winners, a mix of groundstrokes and forehand volleys, interspersed with 54 unforced errors.
Tan, on the other hand, was more conservative and relied on her slice to move Williams around the court, a tactic the American later admitted had caught her off guard.
"I think he could have played anyone, he probably would have had a different result," he said.
"I knew there was a lot of slicing, but not so much on the right. I had to try to find my rhythm. You know, hindsight is 20/20."
The positive for Williams, who retired against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round at Wimbledon last year after slipping and injuring her leg, was that her body held up well against Tan.
"Physically he was fine," he added.
"In the last couple of points I started to feel it. But I move well, I recover a lot of balls. I'm moving well in training.
"That didn't surprise me because I knew I was doing well. I didn't practice, you know, a three-hour match. I guess that's where I went wrong."
It is unclear when and where we will see Serena Williams on a tennis court again.
Before Wimbledon, Williams reflected on how tennis is no longer her only goal in life.
Off the pitch, motherhood, his company and the premiere of the movie King Richard, which he helped produce, have occupied his time.
"It's been totally different, honestly. A part of me feels like it's a little bit more my life now than tournaments," he said last week.
But that is not to say that Williams is fully prepared to say goodbye to tennis, even if she remains undecided when and where her next appearance will be.
And if anything, the loss to Tan has made the tennis fire burn a little brighter.
"It definitely makes me want to go to the practice courts," he said, "because when you're not playing bad and you're so close ... it's really like, 'Okay, Serena, you can do this if you want.'"
Serena Williams Wimbledon