Former US Open semifinalist
Elina Svitolina has heaped
praise on her
Wimbledon’s first-round opponent
Venus Williams.
The third Grand Slam of the year will be played from 03 to
16 of July in London.
The 28-year-old will face the five-time Wimbledon champion
Williams on the first day of the tournament.
While talking about her rival, Svitolina was full of praise
for the 43-year-old for still playing tennis at the highest level.
"It's just
really impressive," she said as quoted by The West Australian. "I don't know if I will be playing at
this age and will be in this great shape playing with such a passion. Lots of
respect to her in so many ways."
Both players have
already faced off four times earlier where Svitolina has a clear advantage
with three wins compared to Williams’ one triumph. Interestingly, this will be
the first time when the two will be up against each other at the grass court.
In terms of recent form, Svitolina will clearly start as
the favourite as she has won eight out of her last 10 matches. In comparison,
Williams has only managed to win two out of her last 10 encounters.
In the year 2023, the Odesa-born won 13 out of 21 matches
in all competitions, which included her title-winning campaign in Strasbourg
where she defeated Russia’s Anna Blinkova with a score of 6-2, 6-3.
On the other hand, Williams has just played five professional
tennis matches this year where she suffered three defeats in the process.s