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'Despicable': Venus Williams in 'disrespectful' Wimbledon outrage

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (pictured left) walking onto Court 3 and (pictured right) her mother Oracene Price watcing.
Fans were left furious after five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (pictured left) played her opening match on Court 3 (watched by her mother pictured right). (Getty Images)

Tennis royalty Venus Williams opened her Wimbledon campaign with a hard-fought win, but the manner in which is came had fans infuriated with the unfair treatment of the 41-year-old.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, defeated Mihaela Buzărnescu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to advance at SW19.

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But the sight of Williams walking out on Court 3 at Wimbledon prompted calls of 'disrespect' for a former champion and great of the game.

Williams has won five Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and has reached the final on nine occasions.

She last made the final in 2017.

However, it didn't stop Wimbledon placing Williams on Court 3, instead of a larger arena.

Williams was posed the question about her scheduling following her victory, but dismissed any gripe with officials and showed her class.

'I wasn't disappointed [about being on Court 3], but I appreciate you being disappointed for me," she said to a reporter.

Fans slam Venus Williams 'disrespect' at Wimbledon

But the tennis world wasn't ready to let the gripe go.

Many pointed out it would be unlikely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic would be put on Court 3 at Wimbledon towards the tail end of their career.

In fact, at 39 years old, Federer just featured on Centre Court in his bizarre First Round victory.

Others blasted the 'disgusting' handling of the situation.

Tennis Podcast appeared to take a dig at the scheduling when asking why Williams was relegated to Court 3, when Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor were on Court 1.

Regardless, of the furore, Williams was in high spirits after her victory and was even able to crack a joke during her ESPN interview.

Following the match, the question of Williams' longevity once again popped up.

Speaking to tennis great Chrissie Evert on ESPN, Williams was asked: "What's the key to your longevity?"

Having dealt with the same question time and time again, Williams decided a tongue-in-cheek response and even offered a glimpse into her love life. Click here to find out more.

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