Five-Time Champ Venus Out On First Day

Five-times Wimbledon winner Venus Williams has crashed out of the London event on the opening day of the 2012 tournament after going down 6-1, 6-3 to Russian world number number 79 Elena Vesnina.

Williams was one of the big casualties on the opening day, along with Daniela Hantuchova and Jelena Jankovic, while Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych and John Isner bowed out in the men’s.

The American, who is currently world number 58 following a disease which appears to have threatened her career, battled against Vesnina, eventually succumbing in straight sets.

“I am a great player. Unfortunately, I had to deal with circumstances that people don’t normally have to deal with in this sport,” Williams told reporters afterwards.

“But I can’t be discouraged by that… There’s no way I’m just going to sit down and give up just because I have a hard time the first five or six freakin’ tournaments back.”

Meanwhile in the men’s tournament, 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Berdych was the big loser, going down in straight sets to Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4).

Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic won in straight sets against former world number one Juan Carlos Ferraro, while Roger Federer also got through in three against Albert Ramos.