Picture Credit: Twitter
43- year-old Venus Williams had a tough day at the Wimbledon 2023 as she started with her first-round loss on Monday, July 3. The American tennis star, who took an early lead against her Ukrainian opponent, fell soon after suffering a nasty blow at the nets at the Centre Court.
Also WATCH: Venus Williams screams in pain after a nasty slip in Round one of Wimbledon 2023
The 6-4, 6-3 loss of Venus Williams against fellow wildcard entrant Eina Svitolina of Ukraine was by the American player taking two medical breaks after her fall at the nets. All was well until her match finished but the 43-year-old got herself under scrutiny when she snubbed a handshake with the chair umpire.
As Svitolina hit a deep forehand return that was called by Venus, thinking that she had won a point. But Svitolina challenged and the Hawk Eye proved the ball inside the court as it touched the line with the umpire calling, “Game, set, match Svitolina.”
However, the two players shook hands after this match, But the five-time winner Williams snubbed the customary tradition of shaking hands with the chair umpire. She just gave a wry smile and walked off. Notably, the chair umpire was the first person to rush and check on Williams after she sustained a knee injury during her Round 1 match against Elina Svitolina.
The 43-year-old surpassed Martina Navratilova (23) for most appearances in the Open Era (since 1968), making her 24th presence.
