• Wimbledon

Beaten Venus rubbishes retirement talk

ESPN staff
June 30, 2010
Venus Williams has not failed to reach the Wimbledon final since 2006 © Getty Images
Enlarge

You can follow every ball from SW19 with our live scorecentre, featuring in-play updates and commentary.

Venus Williams has rubbished any suggestion that she may retire after her shock Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Tsvetana Pironkova, insisting: "I rock and roll this game".

Williams, who has triumphed at the All England Club on five occasions, was dumped out on Tuesday by world No. 82 Pironkova 6-2 6-3. Such was the uncharacteristic manner of Williams' exit that her opponent needed only 85 minutes to get the job done.

The 30-year-old American berated her game in the aftermath of defeat, admitting she did not play a single shot with conviction. Defeat to Pironkova marked her heaviest Wimbledon loss for 13 years, but she was keen to quash any speculation of a pending retirement.

"I missed all shots today... forehand, volley, backhand. If there was a shot to miss I missed it," admitted Williams. "I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of short balls. I just seemed to hit each one out. I don't think I did anything right.

"Any time you accept losing it is a good time to walk away. Today I didn't seem to be the best tennis player, but for the most part, I rock and roll this game. I've just got to avoid having days like this."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices