Fallen Venus breaks Navratilova record but leaves Wimbledon on a flat note

The sentiment was nowhere to be seen. Even though there were 15,000 spectators in the stands, feeling wronged after the last point, she just shook her head at the decision of the linesmen, waved impassively to the crowd and did not even shake hands with the umpire.

It didn't matter to her that Hawk-Eye proved the officials were right, the elder Williams sister was convinced that the video review shouldn't even have happened. "I don't understand why the video was called at all. It was just a weird day," she lamented after the match.

Injuries as a speciality

Williams' preparation for this year's grass Grand Slam suggested she might succeed. In Birmingham, she won a three-hour battle with Camilla Giorgio but, at Wimbledon, she ran into an opponent who didn't give her a chance.

She played the match with a tweaked right knee and it was obvious how badly she was moving. After one of the exchanges, when she fell at the net, Svitolina ran to her and helped her up.

"I was playing with a lot of injuries and I was winning with them, it's kind of my speciality now. But today I couldn't figure out how to win. The grass is always going to be slippery, you're going to fall at some point. I was just unlucky. I was in perfect form, I could have won, but the grass killed me," Williams said.

It was Wimbledon number 24 for her and she surpassed Martina Navratilova in the number of singles matches played in the open era. She made her debut in 1997 when many of today's tennis players were not even born yet - Svitolina, for example, was just two years old. She's been a constant in women's tennis for over a quarter of a century, and her tally of 49 singles titles, including seven Grand Slams and four Olympic gold medals, make her a true legend.

Svitolina, although she was taken aback by the somewhat strange ending and you would have looked in vain for joy on her face, spoke of her opponent with respect. "She tried, she wanted to play. She's a champion, she gave it her all and fought. She's just amazing..."

However, while the London tournament should be a showcase for sporting behaviour, Venus didn't show much respect for this year's event. She walked away defeated, disappointed and - in her eyes- wronged. Considering she said a few days ago that she felt she could play until she was maybe 50, she might want to come back next year for a more fitting farewell.

Not even among the three oldest winners

She may be motivated to do so by the performances of her predecessors. After all, there are still a few players who have succeeded in the most famous tennis tournament in the world even beyond the age of 40.

Japan's Kimiko Date was 42 in 2013 when she managed to reach the third round before being knocked out by Serena, the younger of the Williams sisters. Navratilova managed to win a singles match at the age of 47, thrashing Catalina Castagna in 2004 (6-0, 6-1).

The oldest ever player to win a match at Wimbledon, however, is Madeline O'Neill, who was 54 years old when she won a match in 1922. A few years before the British tennis player set that record, she reached the quarter-finals in 1909 and 1913.

So, Venus didn't make it onto the podium of veteran winners this year, but Elina Svitolina is a wildcard entry herself, and another story worth mentioning

She is one of the few tennis mums on the circuit. In October, she and her now husband Gael Monfils welcomed their daughter, Skai, into the world. And while the French tennis player pushes around the stroller, his wife continues to successfully battle the competition after resuming her career post-maternity break. She even reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

Outside of tennis, Svitolina is experiencing the ongoing war in her native Ukraine. "I talk to my grandmother every day. My dad goes back and forth, but she stays there. She's 85 years old now and her health won't allow her to leave Ukraine..."

Svitolina will face Elise Mertens of Belgium in the second round.