"Everything slipped away from me so quickly" - Venus Williams reflects on her 1R loss at Wimbledon 2023

Venus Williams crashed out of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with an opening-round loss to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Monday, July 3.

In the battle of wildcards, the five-time tournament champion was denied a single set, as Svitolina claimed the victory 6-4, 6-3.

The match concluded on a corrected line call in the Ukrainian's favor, after which, Venus Williams was seen giving a disapproving nod, but smiling nonetheless. She reached the net to shake hands with her opponent but did not greet the chair umpire and also displayed a hesitant smile as she waved goodbye to the crowd.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has now opened up about the emotions she went through during the moments of defeat.

“I’m not sure how I managed to smile in this moment but I don’t remember my face looking like this…pleasant…I felt just the opposite,” Venus Williams confessed on social media.

Admitted to feeling disappointed after the loss, the 43-year-old added:

“I felt like everything slipped away from me so quickly and I was disappointed that I wasn’t stronger to pull out the match despite the circumstances."

The tennis legend was happy regardless, for the smile she masked her sadness with.

“I’m happy I can look back at this moment and see I smiled. I felt like crying. But as an fyi (for your information), I didn’t cry,” she said.

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"I believe in being a good sport" – Venus Williams on letting Elina Svitolina have her moment at Wimbledon 2023

Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023

Both Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina were contesting the 2023 Wimbledon Championships in singles after a gap of two years, after their second-round exits in 2021.

While Williams' career has been plagued by injuries of late, Svitolina was out of action due to the birth of her first child in October 2022.

Despite the circumstances, both competitors entered Wimbledon following some positive results. Svitolina lifted one WTA title this year and featured in the quarterfinals of the French Open last month. Williams, meanwhile, earned a favorable grasscourt result against former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Camila Giorgi before losing to former semifinalist Jelena Ostapenko in Birmingham.

“I don’t have time for crying when I’m trying to get to the next level. I sat in the locker room right after thinking…to figure out what I could learn from this and plotting how I was going to be better,” Venus Williams said, reviewing her plan for the future. “I believe in less time crying and more time working.”

The seven-time Grand Slam champion also highlighted her principles of good sportsmanship, which allowed her to smile in the face of defeat, and be happy for her opponent.

“I also believe in being a good sport. You win and lose in life. You can’t cry when you are losing. You have to get to learning. It’s a bad sport if you can’t at least try to be a good sports person in the moment of defeat and allow your opponent to enjoy their moment of victory…until your moment comes,” she said.

After victory over Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina will face off against Elise Mertens in the second round on Wednesday, July 5.