Venus Williams falls early in her first match at her 24th Wimbledon and loses to Elina Svitolina

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has 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. The 43-year-old American kept playing but could not manage to overcome 2019 Wimbledon semifinalist Svitolina in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat 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.