It would have been a very long goodbye for Anett Kontaveit had she failed to beat Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round of the women’s singles here on Wednesday. Three rain delays meant that a match scheduled to start at 11am, in the distinctly low-key surroundings of court six, was not wrapped up until nearly 4pm with Kontaveit winning 6-4, 6-4.
Defeat, the former – indeed, fairly recent – world No 2 had already announced, would mean instant retirement, because of chronic and untreatable problems with her back. As it turns out, there will be at least one more match, against the No 32 seed, Marie Bouzkova. This time the schedulers will hopefully give her the stage her talent and achievements deserve.
There are the show courts at Wimbledon, the not-so-much-of-a-show courts as well, and a handful that prefer to keep themselves to themselves, with No 6 being a prime example. It feels like an afterthought, with only a handful of park benches for the spectators and a sense that the constant stream of fans passing along the side must know where the real action is.
It is not a court worthy of a player who was the No 2 seed here 12 months ago, even before considering Kontaveit might have been playing the final match of her career. As a result, the surge of genuine disappointment among fans and fellow professionals alike after her retirement announcement last month was followed by anger on social media when it emerged court six would be the stage for her possible swansong.
But if there was any seething among the fans wearing “We love Anett” T-shirts in the blue, black and white of the Estonia flag, it soon subsided as the finest player from a country of 1.3 million people set out on her final Wimbledon journey.
With Kontaveit’s ranking now edging towards three figures on 81, Stefanini, who is two years younger at 25 and rated 111, was a dangerous opponent, on paper at least, but from an early stage Kontaveit’s clear edge in quality was apparent. At any moment, and at the moments when she most needed it above all, Kontaveit was always the most likely to find a big first serve or a forehand on the line.
Her serve was broken twice. Both times, she broke straight back and there were increasingly regular glimpses of the top‑10 player she used to be. The player, sadly, she could be again, were it not for the continual and ultimately unbearable nagging from her back.
Her winner’s mentality was never more evident than in the final two games, immediately after she had been pegged back to 4-4 after breaking Stefanini early in the second set. She tore into her opponent in the ninth game, breaking her to love with a wide range of winners, from a sharp volley at the net to a thumping forehand down the line. She then raced to three match points on serve and forced a clinching error on the second.
Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina, Kontaveit’s doubles partner, had already talked about their sadness over her decision to retire before Kontaveit appeared for the post‑match press conference. “It’s really sweet that they’re trying [to talk me out of it],” she said. “A lot of people tried. But I cannot play without pain pretty much the whole match.
“It was something I considered for a very long time. But it was a very difficult decision and once I decide something big like this I don’t usually start doubting it.”
Konteveit will study psychology in retirement – “I think it’s helped me get to know myself a little better,” she said – and hopes to get a showier court. “I do hope to get a bigger court next time,” she said. “I was not expecting to play on Centre or a huge court [but] it’s their decision and nothing I can do about it.
“It definitely is emotional. It feels a little different but I’m really excited I get to play a few more matches here hopefully, and just do my best every time I walk on the court, which is what I’ve been doing my whole career. I really want to do that one last time.”
