Heather Watson disagrees – because athletes hate to embrace defeat – but she might never reach a higher standard of tennis than that which she showed in losing to Serena Williams in three sets of incomparable drama on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Friday evening.
To lose the way she did, with quiet elan and sustained skill under intense pressure, leaving every sweat-drop of effort on court during two and a quarter hours against possibly the best player in the history of the women’s game – such a British defeat – was a victory in itself.
It inspired Andy Murray to Tweet: “Retweet if @HeatherWatson92 just made you feel effing proud! Favourite if she made you feel really effing proud!”
An hour or so after the match the latter outpointed the former 22,464 to 16,868.
Nevertheless the nation’s pride in her performance will not strike Watson as a reason to celebrate losing – and that is exactly the attitude to have if she is to build on this third-round defeat in her first match against the world No1, a player at the peak of her powers with 20 grand slam titles to her name.
“I was two points away from winning that match, so I’m pretty disappointed,” Watson said. “But the atmosphere on court was amazing. It really helped me and pushed me. I just wish I could have closed it out at the end – and, no, I wouldn’t call losing the greatest day of my career.”
She did surrender a 3-0 lead in the third set, having won six games in a row from the middle of the second, but her level hardly dropped. It was Williams who rescued it, not Watson who threw it away.
She did something that few players manage to do: reduced Williams to a shaking wreck, near tears and screaming in exasperation, before the world No1 regathered her fighting spirit and came back at her like a wounded lioness to win6-2, 4-6, 7-5. The American’s prize is a fourth-round match against her sister, Venus, whom she has not played since losing in the semi-finals in Montreal last year but who will do well to stretch her as far as Watson did.
Venus beat the Serb Aleksandra Krunic 6-3, 6-2 in only 71 minutes on Court Two.
Two sets of numbers told the tale on Centre Court. Williams, straining at the edge of her strength and menacing power in nearly every shot, hit 53 clean winners – along with 13 aces – and 33 unforced errors; Watson, smaller, quicker, way less powerful and playing watchful, intelligent tennis, hit only 20 winners – with three aces – and only 11 unforced errors.
Yet the match was coat-of-paint-close, all the way to the final game, theatre of the highest order containing a standard of play matched by any other contest at these championships, men’s or women’s.
“I honestly didn’t think I was going to win,” Williams said. “I don’t know how I pulled through. [At 0-3 down], I was thinking what am I going to do tomorrow, find a dance class, hang around to watch Venus play? She just did everything so well and I wasn’t able to keep up. Obviously I keep fighting. She played unbelievable. She went out with the mind-set of winning.
“At the end, I was trying to get myself pumped up. I got a little slack. It was really intense today. The crowd were really vocal, between points and during points. They were rooting for their champion to do well. You can’t blame them. I’ve never heard boos here before but, hey, I’ve been through it all.”
Williams threatened to overwhelm Watson at the beginning, winning the first set pretty much as she pleased, with not a hint of the drama to follow.
Williams held to love at the start of the second set and came close to breaking at the first opportunity. The shouts of encouragement for the home player grew weaker and more sporadic. Williams kept her pinned on the baseline in nearly every exchange, one return off a first serve seeming to take Watson off her feet – but she held.
Watson got a couple of points up on Williams’s serve in the fifth game, prodding her into a loud and quite menacing response, her winning forehand ripped with all the intensity of a right hook in a world heavyweight title fight. Another followed.
Then Watson got a break point. To secure it would be a triumph in itself, surely – but Williams found another huge serve for deuce. When she hit long to give Watson a second look, there was further hope. A serve hit the net – and another. Her first double fault – and Watson, to the astonishment of everyone but herself, perhaps, led 3-2.
From that point it was a different match. Watson produced some delightful groundstrokes and leg-stretching defence to hold and take the second set before they embarked on the most fitting of conclusions to a great match.
Watson went 3-0 up and at 40-love looked to have the match in her pocket. Williams, however, landed a smash on the line at Watson’s feet, ground out the break and won the next three games. It was looking grim for the British No1 but she would not go away.
Her defence hit stratosphere levels at the start of the ninth game. Williams, plainly rattled, double-faulted then hit long on both wings after excellent rallies and Watson served for the match after two of the best hours of her career.
Williams dug into her extraordinary reserves to grab two break points and returned long on the first one; Watson hit the line to save the second. Williams got another chance – and Watson saved with her third ace of the match. Williams got a fourth break point and this time Watson cracked, netting her backhand.
Williams held to love but blew match point on Watson’s serve with a lazy forehand. She got another with a smash, then netted again. A third arrived at the end of a long rally and this time she benefited from another kind, but fair, line call when the ball landed at Watson’s feet
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