Venus Williams was briefly visible on Centre Court, giving the stadium that has seen five of her grand slam victories a peek of her in action. The 43-year-old promptly broke service in the opening game of their eagerly anticipated matchup with Elina Svitolina. The ball was flying off her racket cleanly and with comfort.
But as soon as she had gained stability, she lost it. Williams was protecting the net when she stumbled on the turf at a score of 2-0 and screamed while clutching her left knee. Williams eventually stood up and continued after a few stressful seconds, but as she proceeded cautiously, Svitolina shown her experience by seizing charge during the uncertainty and never looking back.
With a clean, mature performance, Svitolina returned to Wimbledon for the first time since 2021 with a win, defeating Williams 6-4, 6-3 in a contest between two players embarking on inspirational comebacks to reach the second round.
“It was a special day for me today to play on Centre Court. I mean, couldn’t be more special to play also against such a great champion as Venus is. Just really happy I could get a first win on Centre Court for me,” said Svitolina.