A breezy Centre Court and Serena Williams is ripping through her first round opponent Amra Sadikovic. The two players have been facing opposition other than each other over the past year.

The Macedonian born Swiss player hauled herself back into the game having retired from it in 2014 disenchanted, jaded and not interested in the grind. From that tennis wilderness, she clawed her way to 148 in the world and on Tuesday found herself on the most famous court in the world.

Across the net was the top seed, who after 21 years as a professional now faces questions about keeping it going so long, how the fire keeps burning after winning 70 of the 80 matches she has played at Wimbledon.

Williams may have faced every question before but the sport’s creeping exploitation of her age maybe a new vein. Over the past year as she hit 34-years-old her career has been morbidly observed and picked apart. Her age, despite dominating tennis, is now held up as proof of mortality and how the years will always get you.

In a cruel expression of that process nerves not confidence have begun to reassert influence as if the body and mind understands that the next point, if it ever comes, could be the last. Williams dismisses it all.

“Mentally I’ve been further down than anyone can be,” she said. “Well, maybe not anyone, but I’ve been pretty low. There’s nothing that’s not mentally too hard for me.”

But defeat by Roberta Vinci in last year’s US Open semi final, Angelique Kerber in January’s Australian Open final and Garbine Murguruza at the French Open final this month seems like irrefutable evidence of change.

Stuck just one Grand Slam win away from Steffi Graf’s professional era record of 22, Williams has in the previous 10 months seemed curiously paralysed and unable to step up to the podium beside the German.

For now her big game continues to shake the courts as she continued to carve Sadikovic out of the draw 6-2, 6-4 in an hour and a quarter. Afterwards nobody mentioned her age. But the issue hung there. Was there joy in her game? Was the weight of the number 22 weighing on her?

“I think more or less about winning Australia. I think about winning the French Open. Didn’t happen,” she said. “I think about winning Wimbledon. I don’t necessarily think about winning 22.

“I would be lying if I said I feel fresh, but I don’t feel fatigue. I don’t think I feel fresh, but I feel real hungry, super motivated, extremely ready to do the best.”

The best includes Rio this year where she aims to add to her three doubles gold medals won with sister Venus and a singles gold from London 2012.

To that backdrop golf’s growing lack of even a pretence of love for the Olympics became a live issue shortly after she stepped off court. Jason Day, a world number and golf equivalent of Williams, had just withdrawn. Ireland’s Shane Lowry would do so soon after.

She understands that the place the Olympics holds is always second to the majors as it is still in tennis but Williams is also adamant the golfers withdrawal hurts the Games.

“I do, I think it is sad,” she said. “But at the same time I obviously understand where they’re coming from and how they feel. Part of me feels that way, too, which is why I’m going in, you know, with a whole mindset of how do I protect myself, how do I prevent and also raise awareness for this.

“For me, I look at the Olympics as a bonus opportunity. It’s not something I’ve dreamt of like other athletes, of winning gold medals. It’s probably one thing I have that I love the most. Obviously it’s an individual’s decision.

“It is really one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had. It’s difficult for someone that’s in a sport like golf because their main goal, like tennis, is to win slams.

“I don’t know if they are missing out. Everyone’s experience is different. My experience has been really amazing at the Olympics. I really loved going out there and competing, really just, you know, standing out there and being an Olympic athlete.”

At the other end of the age spectrum the youngest player in the competition, Britain’s Katie Swan lost her first round match. The 17-year-old was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by Hungarian Timea Babos.

Gone are the days of Jennifer Capriati winning a first match here at 14 years and 90 days or Martina Hingis, who at 16 years and four months old won the 1997 Australian Open.

Maybe too it’s the last time a 34-year-old, the third oldest in the draw after Venus (36) and Francesca Schiavone (36), will threaten the main draw.

Play was abandoned on the outside courts at 6.20pm due to rain