LONDON: Looking as though she could barely be bothered to get off her chair, five-times former champion Venus Williams went out of Wimbledon’s opening round today, thrashed 6-1 6-3 by Russian Elena Vesnina.
It was the former world number one’s earliest loss at Wimbledon since she went out in the opening round on her debut here in 1997 and, following her second-round defeat at Roland Garros last month, must raise questions about the American’s future in the game she has graced for a decade and a half.
At the age of 32, and trying to come back after being diagnosed with the autoimmune, fatigue-inducing illness Sjogren’s Syndrome, Venus looked a shadow of the woman who used to skip across Wimbledon’s grass slaying opponents at will.
She never recovered from a terrible start against doubles specialist Vesnina and lasted just 75 minutes on Court Two in a match she littered with unforced errors.
Almost every shot looked an effort for the tall American and at changeovers she walked slowly to and from her chair.
Though the fans applauded politely as Vesnina took point after point, most were rooting for Venus to show her old form but she obliged only in tiny flashes.
‘Come on Venus’
Perhaps buoyed up by a cry of ‘Come on Venus, we love you!’ from a man in the crowd, she produced an ace and held to love for 3-5 in the second set but it was too little, too late and she succumbed to defeat in the following game.
Venus, who returned to the tour in March after seven months out with her illness, took umbrage at suggestions that she was struggling and might now think about retirement.
“There’s no way I will give up just because I have had a hard time in the first four or five tournaments back. That’s not me,” said a feisty Williams at a post-match news conference.
When asked if she will play at Wimbledon in 2013, she was adamant.
“Sure,” she said. “I feel like I am a great player who has had to deal with exceptional circumstances.
“I don’t have time to feel negative. It doesn’t feel good. I am as tough as nails, I don’t have time to be sorry for myself.
“I can keep going for a while. You will see me playing here again next year.”
“I have lost before and I know how to deal with it,” said Williams after Monday’s 75-minute defeat out on Court Two.
“I came in with a positive attitude and wanted to do my best. Life is challenging but I am up for a challenge.”
Vesnina, who had lost in the first round of nine of her last 10 Grand Slam appearances, will face Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska for a place in the third round.
Sharapova cruises
Meanwhile, French Open champion Maria Sharapova picked up right where she left off at Roland Garros, cruising into the second round at Wimbledon on Monday by beating Anastasia Rodionova of Australia 6-2, 6-3.
Top-ranked Sharapova completed a career Grand Slam by winning her first French Open title last month.
She’s looking for her second title at the All England club after winning as a 17-year-old in 2004 and losing in the final to Petra Kvitova last year.
She had little trouble getting past Rodionova on Centre Court, breaking the Australian five times – although she was broken once in each set, including when trying to serve out the match at 5-1 in the second.
There were only a couple of other upsets, with 16th seed Virginie Razzano going down 6-2, 6-4 to Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Monica Niculescu (29th seed) losing to Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Crowd favourites Maria Kirilenko and Daniela Hantuchova were scheduled to play their matches later in the day. (Agencies)