Venus Williams shrieks in agony after falling to ground during Wimbledon 1R clash

Venus Williams shrieks in agony after falling to ground during Wimbledon opening round clash
Venus Williams shrieks in agony after falling to ground during Wimbledon opening round clash

Venus Williams tumbled to the ground during her opening-round match at Wimbledon against Elina Svitolina.

Williams' quest for her sixth Wimbledon title was cut short on Monday on Centre Court when she suffered a disappointing 6-4, 6-3 defeat in the first round against Svitolina in a match that lasted one hour and 31 minutes.

Both Williams and Svitolina were given a wild card entry to the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Venus Williams began the match with great momentum. However, her fortunes quickly turned when she suffered an injury during the third game. The incident occurred as she approached the net after a grueling rally and unfortunately slipped and fell with great force.

The excruciating pain caused the 43-year-old to let out a shriek, prompting Elina Svitolina and the chair umpire to rush to her aid. Williams was then promptly checked by a trainer.

The fall was particularly unfortunate as Venus Williams' right knee, which had already been wrapped up prior to the match, extended in an awkward manner just moments before the accident.

"I got killed by the grass" - Venus Williams

Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2023
Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2023

During a press conference after her match against Elina Svitolina, Venus Williams discussed the circumstances that led to her fall on the court at Wimbledon.

She acknowledged that grass is inherently a slippery surface, making it inevitable for players to occasionally lose their balance.

"Grass is inherently going to be slippery, Williams said. "You're going to fall at some point. It was just bad luck for me. I started the match perfectly. I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass

The former World No. 1 stated that she did not commit any errors that would have caused her to stumble in such a manner.

She went on to add that such challenges are emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding on the court.

"I think what makes this one hard to process is I've had so many injuries. I've been missing from tour for quite a while. This is not what I want for myself. This kind of fall, I didn't do anything wrong. I just went for the ball. There's nothing I can really do about it. Those kinds of things are hard to process emotionally, mentally and physically on the court," Venus Williams said.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion mentioned that she has persevered through various injuries and emerged victorious in numerous matches while being injured. It has almost become a specialty of hers.

However, Williams simply could not find a solution to overcome the obstacles presented to her today.

"I've played through a lot of injuries and won a lot of matches injured. It's almost a specialty of mine. I just couldn't figure it out today," she added.

Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"

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Edited by Samya Majumdar
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