A mere mention of Serena Williams' name was enough to whip the Centre Court crowd into a frenzy on Tuesday night.
The All England Club's luck has not been in this year. Carlos Alcaraz's injury news would have sent groans around SW19.
So too the withdrawals of Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper before they had hit a ball. The mass exodus of British players that followed did not help either.
How grateful, then, Wimbledon chiefs were to have the enduring star power of Williams at the grand old age of 44 back in town.
This was 1,396 days since her last singles match and the Centre Court announcement that she was ten minutes away from returning sparked huge cheers.
Two doubles matches served as Williams' only preparation for Wimbledon. A late decision was made to accept a singles wildcard too, with Williams deciding the opportunity to put on a show for her two children outweighed any doubts.
Olympia and Adira were both in Williams' box as she walked out with Maya Joint in the first round. Williams wore headphones but the ovation will have come through.
The 'Come on Serena' shouts came thick and fast, one from a girl sounding so young she was surely not born the last time Williams won a match at Wimbledon in 2019.
Over the next two and a half hours, Williams offered glimpses of the past among more regular reminders of the present.
A tight three-set defeat was not what the Centre Court crowd craved but Williams took them on a thrilling ride.
Her serve remains a potent weapon, getting up to 123mph.
Joint could have opted to slice and dice her way past Williams, 24 years her senior. She instead decided to slug it out with the 23-time Grand Slam champion, standing on the baseline armed with the kitchen sink.
That exposed where Williams can no longer compete. More than once she attempted to up the intensity and the guttural roars grew louder. In her pomp, those would crescendo into a celebration, her opponent left battered into submission.
Here Joint stood firm and traded back at her, neutralising the aggression and responding with more of her own.
Williams' movement in the corners looked extremely limited, as expected. She was often off-balance, the footwork tentative and not committed enough. A more ruthless, canny opponent would likely have run her ragged.
Joint was firmly on top in the test of staying power. The longer rallies favoured her. Once points were extended, Williams looked her age.
A more ruthless, canny opponent would likely have run Williams ragged.
However, when the battle became one of nerve and moments, Williams' stubborn instincts kicked in.
In the second set tie-break, Williams produced a serving masterclass. In seven points off her own delivery, Williams did not miss a first serve. Four did not require a second shot. A match point was staved off and Williams won the set.
The champion aura was still there. Opponents can still be rattled. However, time cannot be defeated. Joint proved too good and she had not won a tour-level match since January.
Williams will be back for her doubles campaign alongside sister Venus and that can be approached with optimism. Having a partner will help some of the movement issues.
Williams has insisted she has no expectations of herself. She has declared, too, that she does not need to win.
If the aim of this Wimbledon comeback was to summon up a more fitting farewell than her 2022 defeat to Harmony Tan, she can be satisfied.
However, Williams is a true sporting great, a status not achieved by viewing the result as being of secondary importance. Perhaps time has softened her outlook and time away from the sport granted perspective.
Those innate values, though, surely cannot entirely disappear. Williams' decision not to conduct any post-match media duties suggested she was not in a particularly buoyant mood.
It remains to be seen how long this comeback tour lasts. She will surely play at the US Open later this summer.
How far it stretches beyond that is the real question. Tuesday night was far from the embarrassment some might have feared but it was also not a launchpad to suggest she can trouble the elite.
Whether that is enough for Williams will determine what comes next.
© The Standard Ltd