Five-times champion Venus Williams returned to the Wimbledon Championships a quarter of a century after her maiden victory at the All England Club, but she could not continue to recreate her old charm as she lost in the first round to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Monday.
The 43-year-old American, who is competing in the tournament for a record 24th time, still had the powerful hitting that made her dominate center court but lost 6-4 6-3.
“The grass is slippery and it will slide at some point,” Williams told reporters. “I wasn’t lucky today.”
Williams, who won her last Wimbledon title in 2008 at the expense of her sister Serena, won the first two games but appeared to be in trouble after spraining her right knee, which she had a large bandage on, when she advanced to take a shot.
The fans appeared worried after she fell on the grass, but she completed the match after receiving treatment, and the old warrior spirit returned to her.
“I’m not sure what I did. I’ll look into it tomorrow. It’s late today. But it was a very painful (defeat),” she said.
The 28-year-old Svitolina won four games in a row to clinch the first set despite struggling to hold serve at 5-4.
Williams received more treatment before the start of the second set but immediately dropped serve with a forehand curling into the net.
Venus was supported by the crowd, with one chanting “You still have the power Venus”, as she fought back in her 355th Grand Slam singles match, a record bested only by her sister Serena (423 matches).
But former world number three Svitolina, who reached the quarter-finals of the French Open last month in a fantastic comeback after being sidelined by pregnancy, put in a solid performance and advanced 5-1.
Williams, who also won the title in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007, did not concede and hit some powerful shots to win by two games.
And Svitolina managed to finish the job as Williams walked out, waving to the fans in what may be the last farewell.
Asked if she had considered quitting after her fall, Williams said she was just looking for a way to win and explained, “I tried to fight for another day.”
2023-07-03 23:33:54
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