LONDON: Five times Wimbledon champion, Venus Williams, was knocked out of the tournament in the first round of the 2012 edition of the tournament on Monday.

Williams lost to Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1 6-3 in what seemed to be a shocking moment for both the five time Wimbledon champion and her fans.

Venus Williams was forced to return to the Wimbledon arena in a bid to improve her ranking points and book a place in next month’s Olympic games. Williams is suffering from Sjogren’s syndrome, an incurable auto-immune disease which causes chronic fatigue, dryness and joint and muscle pain.

At the age 32 and the disease issue, Williams’s game seems half as good to what her real show used to be during her peak. Her serve, once a huge weapon, did not have the appropriate magic and her court coverage, always a strength, was a weakness. Vesnina, ranked 79, took the first set almost at a stroll and broke in the sixth game of the second, serving out for victory as the American netted a return.