Venus Williams, making her 24th appearance at Wimbledon, lost her first-round match Monday after rebounding from a twisted knee in the early going.
Elina Svitolina beat Williams in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. In the third game of the first set, Williams collapsed in pain after her right knee bent at an awkward angle. After a few minutes, play resumed, but the match was never very close.
Williams, 43, has stayed in the pro singles game longer than her sister, Serena, who announced her plan to “evolve away” from tennis last September following the U.S. Open. Venus Williams has won five Wimbledon singles titles, more than only three other players in history, but has not gotten past the third round at any major tournament since 2018. In 2021, she made her record 90th appearance at a Grand Slam. She has also won 90 singles matches at Wimbledon, also a record.
The end of Monday’s match was anti-climactic, with replay review confirming that Svitolina’s return of serve had caught the line for a winner. Williams couldn’t suppress a smile at the irony of not being able to play out the final point of the match, but instead have it decided by a computer.
With her sister no longer competing, Williams had been asked with increasing frequency by reporters if she was contemplating an exit from tennis. She slyly countered that she might play into her 50s. “It’s never been done before so if there was one to try it, it would be me,” she said, adding with tongue in cheek, “There are really great insurance benefits on tour. I need those so I figure I may as well keep going!”
Here are short clips of the injury and match point: