Venus Williams exits Wimbledon singles early on Wednesday, a day after sister Serena Williams, who was forced to withdraw from the first-round game at the All England Club in tears vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich due to an injury to her leg after slipping in the first set.
90th Grand Slam appearance and her 23rd #Wimbledon
Always a pleasure, @Venuseswilliams ☺️ pic.twitter.com/xocQe5Yyys
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2021
This is the first time when neither of the sisters, Serena nor Venus has advanced to the third round at Wimbledon while both have played.
This is the first time that neither Serena nor Venus Williams has advanced past the second round at #Wimbledon when both have played the tournament
It has been an amazing run, and I don't use that word lightly#getty pic.twitter.com/F4dbT3kZ7N
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) June 30, 2021
Venus had reached this level by overcoming Mihaela Buzarnescu with a three-set victory at the major event’s day 2 on Tuesday. She recorded her 90th Grand Slam appearance with the win.
41-year-old fought hard at first in the starting set against Ons Jabeur but that wasn’t enough as she got dominated by the 21st seed Tunisian to a 7-5 6-0 loss. She is out of the singles but her journey at the championship is not over yet as she is going to play the mixed doubles with Nick Kyrgios. It was hard for Venus to see her younger sister exit tearfully, previously a day before.
“Absolutely couldn’t watch. It was too much. I just couldn’t watch it. I know exact what that feels like when all your faculties are taken away, things you work hard for and earn, and suddenly life happens,” said Venus Williams.
When asked how her sibling Serena was, she replied: “I think she’s doing the best you can when you get hurt. It’s awful and it sucks.” She also told that she will let everyone know about her last Wimbledon, “When it’s my last, I’ll let you know.”