Rarely has an opening round defeat felt more like a victory. Carla Suárez Navarro, a former world No 6 whose success has been forged through dogged determination, is far too tough a competitor to see it that way. Yet, as she acknowledged after her 6-1, 6-7 (1-7), 6-1 defeat against Ashleigh Barty, there are worse ways to bid farewell to Wimbledon for the last time than on Centre Court, against the world No 1, to a standing ovation.
How richly Suárez Navarro deserved it. In only her second match since returning to the tour from a successful battle against Hodgkin lymphoma, the Spaniard offered a poignant reminder of the tenacity and richly varied shot-making that have carried her to seven grand slam quarter-finals. As her mother, Maria, memorialised every emotionally-charged moment on her mobile phone, it was hard to believe that only two months have elapsed since Suárez Navarro was given the all-clear by doctors to resume her career.
Suárez Navarro looked to be heading towards a routine defeat when Barty served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But her elegant, sweeping one-handed backhand has long been one of the great joys of the women’s game, and it was to that wing that Suárez Navarro turned as she raged against the dying of the light with two lavish winning returns to lay the foundations for a break.
It was the opening the Spaniard needed to force a tiebreak and, as the Centre Court crowd warmed to her cause, and errors crept into Barty’s normally reliable game, Suárez Navarro barely put a foot wrong, levelling the match to force a decider. It was an almighty effort, but it came at a cost physically. With Suárez Navarro tiring rapidly, Barty stepped on the accelerator, racing to a 5-0 lead for the loss of just two points.
“In the second set I think I played a really good game, I was enjoying the match, I was trying to do my best. I know what I have to do to win the match, but my body is not the same as two years ago,” said Suárez Navarro. “I felt tired at the end, a lot of emotions also. Not easy, but I really enjoyed [it].
“I think Wimbledon made me a really good gift. I cannot ask for anything else better than this day. One of my last matches here, against Ash, No 1 in the world, Centre Court, with the roof – it was amazing. I really enjoyed everything I passed through. So today I am the most happy player in the tournament, for sure.”
Suárez Navarro, 32, will now continue her farewell tour, competing at the Tokyo Olympics before retiring at the US Open in September – a year later than she had originally planned. Barty, meanwhile, was relieved to get through her first competitive outing since retiring from the French Open with a hip injury. “I had full trust that we’d done absolutely everything that we could, [but] you just never know. To be able to go out there today and play the way that I did was really nice,” said Barty, who will play Anna Blinkova of Russia in round two.
Barty paid fulsome tribute to Suárez Navarro. “She’s a hell of a competitor, a hell of a fighter,” she said. “It was a privilege to be able to share that moment, share that court with her today. I hadn’t had the opportunity to play Carla. It was really special to be able to experience what she can bring from the other side of the court.
“I think all credit goes to her for her resilience and her nature as a competitor, to be able to come back from the adversity that she has, and to be able to have that moment with her was nothing shy of remarkable.
“She deserves nothing but the best. [At the end], I just said to her, ‘It was a pleasure to share the court with you.’ She’s an exceptional person, a great fighter, a great competitor, and very well loved and respected in the locker room. She’s going to be sorely missed.”
Elsewhere, Venus Williams marked her 90th grand slam appearance with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania. The five-time champion will play Ons Jabeur, the 21st seed, in round two after the Tunisian eased past Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-2, 6-1. But there was heartbreak for Serena Williams, whose bid for a 24th major lasted just seven games. Up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, ranked 100th, Williams slipped twice before she was forced to retire with a thigh injury with the score at 3-3, 15-15.
Karolina Pliskova, the eighth seed, will play Donna Vekic in round two after battling past Tamara Zidansek, a semi-finalist at the French Open, 7-5, 6-4. Also through is Angelique Kerber, the champion of three years ago, who saw off Nina Stojanovic of Serbia 6-4, 6-3.
Ultimately, though, the day belonged to Suárez Navarro, who received warm applause from the Centre Court crowd as she bade farewell for the final time. “I really appreciated it,” she said. “The crowd was amazing, it was fantastic. I’m in love with this tournament, this court and this crowd.”
The feeling was mutual.