American tennis veteran Venus Williams bowed out of Wimbledon as she succumbed to injury in her tie against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the first round of the competition.

The 43 year old star slipped on Centre Court early in the match, leading to fears she might have to retire injured.

The five-time champion returned and pushed Svitolina before succumbing 6-4, 6-3.

Williams earned a standing ovation from a crowd that was uncertain how long she had left after a record 24th appearance.

It seemed incredible that she was able to finish the match while limping significantly around the court.

In other matches of the Day One of the competition, American teenager Coco Gauff crashed out at Wimbledon after losing a high-quality game against qualifier Sofia Kenin.

Seventh seed Gauff was knocked out in the first round by compatriot Kenin, who has slipped down the rankings after winning the Australian Open in 2020.

i-News Nigeria reported that the Wimbledon Tennis Champion started on Monday.

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious.