Serena kicks off Wimbledon campaign with victory over unheralded Sadikovic

SW34 is TENNIS.com's Wimbledon blog that will provide on-site news, insight and commentary about a pair of legendary 34-year-olds, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, as they look to once again triumph at the All England Club.

LONDON—Serena Williams saw an unusual opponent across the net on Wimbledon’s Centre Court on Tuesday.

With her fellow 34-year-old champion, Roger Federer, set to face local hero and world No. 772 Marcus Willis in the second round, Williams took on Amra Sadikovic, a Swiss player ranked 148th who had never played a main-draw match at a major.

Sadikovic needed to channel her inner Federer to make this match competitive and, unsurprisingly, she had her work cut out for her. Sadikovic, 27, had competed in just a handful of main-draw WTA-level matches in her career coming into Tuesday’s contest.

The first game, which was filled with a lot of tension, went to Williams, and she quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

“I started fast, so that’s a start for me,” the 21-time Grand Slam champion said.

Sadikovic, much like Willis, has spent time as a teaching pro. She worked as a coach in Basel when she took a 14-month hiatus from the game back in 2014. And just like Willis, she was inspired by a special person—fellow Swiss Timea Bacsinszky—to recommit to the game.

The Swiss tried everything on Tuesday, continually slicing and hitting drop shots in an effort to disrupt Serena. She even chipped returns, and the strategy worked at times, but it was not enough to rattle the American.

“I never underestimate anyone,” Williams said. “It was a really good match, but I don’t think it was tougher than I thought. It was definitely tough. I always expect the best from everyone.”

Frustrated screams erupted from Williams on occasion, including early on when she lost a game to make it 402. The tension gave the qualifier some hope, but the world No. 148 couldn’t make anything of it, as Serena grabbed the first set 6-2.

“This is me,” Williams said when asked if the emotion was more than usual. “I’m always shouting at myself and using myself, so it’s absolutely nothing different.”

The continued effort from Sadikovic broke Serena down a bit, and the world No. 1 went down a break in the second set. But down 2-1, Williams righted the ship quickly and win the next two games to regain a 3-2 lead. Serena was perhaps trying too hard against such an unusual opponent, and the score was evened before Williams held for 4-3. She kept her head above water and eventually sealed the set 6-4 after winning a tight final game.

“It’s great to be back at Wimbledon,” Williams said. “My mom was in the royal box, so that was really nice. I’ve got to get my dad out here.”

Williams said she entered this tournament with less tension than usual, but she seemed tight from the first point to the last. She’ll try to loosen up a bit and hit more freely when she squares off against Christina McHale in the next round.