US player Venus Williams waves to the audience as she leaves the court following her defeat against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the end of their women's singles tennis match on the first day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 3, 2023. (Photo by Daniel Leal / AFP)
WIMBLEDON, England: Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams lost in the first round of her 24th appearance at the All England Club.
Williams fell to the ground at Centre Court early on against Elina Svitolina, and her right knee was treated twice by a trainer, including getting taped up during a medical timeout after the second set.
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina returns the ball to US player Venus Williams during their women's singles tennis match on the first day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 3, 2023. (Photo by Daniel Leal / AFP)
The 43-year-old American kept playing but could not manage to overcome 2019 Wimbledon semifinalist Svitolina in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat on Monday at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Williams was the oldest player in this year’s field and the fourth-oldest to compete in the main draw at Wimbledon.
Svitolina was only 2 when Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1997 and just 5 when Williams won the event for the first time.
