Venus Williams Pulls Out Of Wimbledon

MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GettyImages(LONDON) -- Venus Williams has withdrawn from this year’s Wimbledon due to a lower back injury.

The 33-year-old Williams has played in 16 consecutive Wimbledons, winning the women’s singles title in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Last year, she lost in the opening round of the grass court tournament to Elena Vesnina of Russia, 6-1, 6-3.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has played in only three matches over the last two-plus months due to her bad back. In last month’s French Open, she lost in three sets to 40th-ranked Urszula Radwanska of Poland.

Williams is currently ranked 34th in the world.

This year's Wimbledon tournament begins June 24.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Venus Williams Knocked Out of Wimbledon in First Round

MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GettyImages(WIMBLEDON, England) -- Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams fell to Elena Vesnina on Monday in her opening match 6-1, 6-3.

The last time Williams lost in the first round was in 1997.

"Give credit to her (Vesnina), she played well, made hardly any errors and served well," said Williams who was making her 16th straight appearance at Wimbledon.  "Obviously I would've liked to have won the match, but it didn't happen today."

This was Williams' second Grand Slam appearance since pulling out of her second-round match of the U.S. Open last year, revealing that she'd been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.  Williams lost in the second round at the French Open two weeks ago.

"I come into tournaments with a positive attitude," Williams said. "I don't really feel like talking about my health now. It is what it is. I'm just a couple of months into getting back on tour. Life is challenging but I'm always up for a challenge."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio