Heather Watson makes retirement admission after being dumped out of Wimbledon

Heather Watson has vowed to fight on and hopes to play at Wimbledon more in the future, despite suffering another first-round exit. The former British No.1 started well but was beaten 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 by 23rd seed Clara Tauson on Tuesday.

Watson’s best run at Wimbledon came in 2022 when she reached the fourth round, but defeat by Tauson marked her ninth first-round exit in 15 appearances in the singles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

The 33-year-old responded well to being broken early, reeling off five games in a row to take the first set. However, the match slipped away from her in the second set and she couldn’t stop her Danish opponent's momentum as she reached the second round for the first time.

Watson was an exceptional junior, winning the US Open, and enjoyed spells as the British No.1 between 2012 and 2015, but is now ranked 143rd in the world, throwing up doubts about her continued participation at Wimbledon.

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Asked if this might be her final appearance in the singles at SW19, Watson replied: “Hopefully not. That's not my plan. I want to play as long as I'm still playing tournaments like this. I was so grateful for the opportunity when the tournament gave me the wild card, because this for me is the pinnacle.

“Like when I walked out onto court today, I got a little bit emotional, because it's so special. I just appreciate it so much any time I get to be a part of this tournament. So hopefully I've still got a few left in me and I can get there on my own next year.”

Watson will now move onto the doubles and mixed doubles, but was left to reflect on what could have been against Tauson. “I started so well. I was playing how I've been practicing,” she said.

“Then coming back to the second set was a long break in between the first and second set. I just served like c*** in the second. Honestly, I started trying to count when I would make a first serve, and at one point I was on, like, three, and I was in the last game of the set. So I really felt like that let me down.

“I feel like I was sort of just hanging on. It was just that one break in the first game of the second set. Then [the] third set as well I was trying to find it. I feel like she started to raise her serving as well. It was just a bit like that, but I managed to keep it tight.

“I thought if I go back and try to change something, what would I change? I wouldn't really change anything. I tried my best. I didn't have all the tools in my toolbox today, and I tried to make it work without, but I just was playing too good of a player to be able to get away with missing that many first serves.”