Back in the groove
Venus Williams is back in the zone. One match at a time, one hurdle at a time.
The 38-year-old dismissed the inconvenience of the heat on No.2 Court before being given something to think about by world No.58 Johanna Larsson.
Williams has been here before at Wimbledon, 20 times to be precise, so she knows that No.21 is all about preparing for the long haul.
She needed to battle as she marked the start of her record 79th Grand Slam appearance with a 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-1 victory over the Swede.
A runner-up at Wimbledon in 2017, and a five-time champion, Williams needed two hours and eight minutes to post her 88th match win at the All England Club.
Only two women in the Open era have more victories at Wimbledon than Williams – Martina Navratilova (120) and Chris Evert (96).
Bidding for a 50th career title this Fortnight, Williams could become the oldest women’s champion of all-time at Wimbledon if she can produce another good run on her beloved grass.
“I’d like to take it a step further [than last year]. I have to focus on every round,” said Williams, who lost to Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. "I’m a Florida girl, so for me this heat, I can understand it and deal with it."
The match was like a tug of war, with frequent momentum swings but Larsson could not sustain her level, allowing Williams, who played with a sleeve that covered her right arm, to fly in the deciding set.
Larsson has never won a main draw match at Wimbledon and has lost in the first round every year since 2011. Any suggestion that she was there just to make up the numbers was put to bed with the inch-perfect lob which broke the Williams serve in the tightest of first sets.
The 29-year-old Swede produced some thrilling tennis in that first set but could not sustain it, while Williams forced gasps from the crowd with a couple of spectacular tumbles.
She found her feet, stepped up a gear and closed the second set comfortably in 35 minutes to force a decider. The momentum had shifted and Williams sailed through into the second round where she next faces Romanian qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru, who overcame Czech lefty Kristyna Pliskova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
