Wimbledon: Venus Williams vanquishes Donna Vekic to start 19th All England Club visit with a bang

American seals victory in straight sets

Venus Williams on her way to victory on day one of Wimbledon (Getty)

Nineteen years and 90 matches into her Wimbledon career there is a fondness for Venus Williams around these parts that few can match. The American calls Wimbledon the love of her life; well, the feeling seems to be pretty mutual.

By the time she wrapped up her straight sets win over Croatia’s Donna Vekic on Monday applause was ringing around Court One. An hour and a half earlier, she had been greeted by more gentle cheers from the slowly filling arena as Wimbledon stretched, yawned, wiped the sleep from its eyes and contemplated the fortnight ahead.

For Venus, it is unlikely to last two weeks. Her slam appearances don’t these days, that pleasure, of course, is reserved for her younger sister and defending champion Serena. But the five-time winner still rocks up and gives it her grunt-filled all.

Under light, white clouds and intermittent sun Venus was clad in brilliant white on the flawless green turf of SW19, the scene as she began picture perfect. Towels were neatly folded over chairs, line judges immaculately turned out in cream trousers and blue pinstriped jackets, a reminder, if one were needed, that this is a festival much more reserved than the Euros taking place through the Chunnel – but one with equal prominence on the sporting landscape.

Venus began by fizzing an ace down the middle; shortly after, the first cork popped in the crowd to mild amusement – an early to start on the sauce in these grounds: less so if you’re in France with the football. Very different strokes for very different folks.

Donna Vekic showed some flashes of brilliance against Venus Williams (Getty)

Venus, who has just turned 36 and by six days is the oldest competitor in the women’s draw, is still ranked eighth in the world yet has not troubled the SW19 engravers since 2008 and last reached the final the following year. Yet, despite being held together by strapping around her left upper leg, she proved too much for Vekic. The old power may have dimmed slightly for Venus but the love of a scrap, and that knowhow gleaned down the very many years, came to the fore.

Vekic, who has had to endure some ugliness already on the tour when she was the subject of some nasty sledging from Australian naughty boy, Nick Kyrgios, when he goaded her partner Stan Warwrinka last year over her nocturnal activities, is at the other end of her journey.

Despite being only 20, however, the Croatian world No 112 is no Wimbledon virgin, this her fourth appearance at the All England Club. However, the comparative career prize money earned - $33m plays $1m - told its own story and Vekic’s serve let her down at key moments against Venus. There were flashes of brilliance too but she froze on the big points.

Venus was broken in the seventh and 11th games when she pumped forehands long, the wrist roll absent. But Vekic littered the following games with double faults to hand the advantages back, perhaps the occasion and the hope of taking down such a stellar name as Venus getting to her.

Garbine Muguruza was pushed all the way on day one at Wimbledon (Getty)

Having saved set points, Venus bossed the first set tie-break as Vekic, coached by David Felgate formely of Tim Henman’s camp, wobbled. Her mother was a professional hurdler, but even Mrs Vekic Snr would not have overcome an obstacle as stubborn as Venus who took the second set 6-4, turning the screw in the ninth game with the break. It was a scrap all the way, few games won to love in a match punctuated by more challenges than you’ll see at the Euros and all in all suggests Venus, no matter her love of the place, may not be around in the second week.

"You've got to live in the moment," she said afterwards. "When it's over, it's over."

Last year’s beaten finalist Garbine Muguruza beat Camila Giorgi, the world No 67, but not without a fight on Centre Court. In the day’s second most important Italy v Spain clash, the No 2 seed took the first set 6-2 but lost the second 7-5 to the diminutive Italian before eventually closing out the decider 6-4.

Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion and former world No 1, blamed a wrist injury for a shock defeat at the hands of the Russian qualifier and world No 223 Ekaterina Alexandrova.

“It was very tough,“ Ivanovic said. “For two weeks I've struggled with my right wrist. It was very hard to accelerate on my forehand. It was a little bit sore. I feel like it caused me a lot of miss-hits.”