By Bill Simons
LONDON—Before today’s Serena Williams vs. Heather Watson third-round match, savvy headline writers warmed up.
‘That’s Elementary, Our Dear Watson—You Lost, ” was one headline possibility. An even more outrageous option was “She Who Heather-Tates Has Lost.”
After all, Heather Watson may be Britain’s best woman player, but the No. 59-ranked scrambler would be going up against a force of tennis nature, Lady Serena.
Heather, insisted British sage Simon Cambers, “has a chance. But 99 times out of 100 Serena will win.”
After all, the five-time Wimbledon champion Williams is ranked No. 1. Serena was going for her 24th-straight match win in a Slam, and trying to secure her fourth straight major (gaining a second Serena Slam). The possibility of her winning a calendar Grand Slam in the Big Apple in September has been hovering over all of tennis.
So while critics claimed the enchanting “Guersey Girl” Watson (who had never won on Centre Court) was out to prove she’s no cow on grass, Serena was playing for history.
But, not unlike gravity, history is a force unto itself. The pressure constant, often unsparing. You can’t see it, but oh, can you feel it. It can drag you down.
At the start, Serena, playing a Brit on Centre Court for the first time, defied the weight of the moment and the roar of the English partisans, capturing the first set, 6-2, and nosing ahead in the second.
But Brits do love to tweak history. It’s their thing. And Heather rallied. She served surprisingly well, cut down on her errors, stayed low on her backhand and hit deep to break Williams. Henman Hill (rather creatively renamed Heather Hill) erupted. Centre Court exploded. The BBC told us, “The last time a British girl brought this much excitement to Centre Court was when Virginia Wade won in 1977.”
As Watson—suddenly lithe and free—sprinted like a deer, Serena slipped and stomped and seemed to mutter “Oh dear.” Her forehand flew and her primal screams bounced off ancient pillars. History was “chiseling away at her,” claimed one observer.
Serena later insisted it was just that she felt flat. Her mind wandered. She asked herself, “If I lose, what kind of dance class should I sign up for tomorrow? Should I stick around and watch Venus play?” Still, conventional wisdom insisted she was feeling the vise grip of history’s demand. Or maybe she was feeling the effect of the full-throated throng, which Serena said was the toughest Slam crowd she’s ever had to endure.
Young Watson, 23, didn’t care. She broke the best serve in tennis history three times, winning an astonishing six games in a row to take the second set 6-4 and go up 3-0 in the decisive third.
In other words, Serena had the Brit just where she wanted her. Five times at the recent French Open, Serena scored breathless comebacks over foes who were far below her caliber. On cue, Serena’s serve began to impose. She found her rhythm, blasted backhand winners, had Heather on her heels, and won four straight games. Surely, she would prevail.
But as the silly headline writer told us, Watson did not “Heather-tate” to mount yet another comeback. She played sublime defense, prevailed in a long, breathless rally that unsettled Serena, and broke Williams to love. She went up 5-4, then came within two precious points of a monumental upset.
But Watson is the No. 59 player in the world. She’s won just two tournaments, and has never reached the second week of a Slam. And she wouldn’t be able to do it at this year’s Wimbledon. She failed to hit out on a key backhand and was broken and left to wonder, “What if?” Reflecting on her 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 loss, she confided, “Now I wish I could go back and play one point differently and see how it came out.”
That’s not how history works. Instead, Wimbledon, on Monday, will be seeing how an epic encounter between Serena and her surprisingly low-profile sister Venus comes out.
The two first met in a Slam 17 years ago. It’s a span even longer than the fabled Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova rivalry in majors.
Could it be that the 35-year-old Venus, who won in Montreal when the two last met, is the one to halt her little sis’s march to destiny?
Serena was sure the crowd would be rooting for “Vee.” And with deferential admiration, she admitted that if she were a fan, she too would be rooting for Venus.
“She’s been through so much. She’s had a wonderful story. She’s been so inspiring … She’s just an incredible individual. She’s so amazing.”
Then again, Serena herself is fairly amazing of late. Just consider all the mind-boggling Houdini-like comebacks she’s pulled out, all the clutch shots that have kissed the lines, and all the bail-out aces she’s blasted.
Now, indulge us one last time. Allow us to suggest that few at Wimbledon would “Heather-tate” to say the best player of this era, or possibly any era, might just be en route to a rendezvous with Grand Slam history.
“It’s elementary, my dear Watson.”
