Serena through while Stephens and Svitolina out

Serena Williams is willing on the pressure. She said she almost wanted it.

At 36, now a mother to daughter Olympia, and with 23 Grand Slam singles trophies to her name, motivation to win, understandably, might be getting a little harder to come by these days.

Williams admitted she has felt less pressure on court since her comeback from maternity leave. Life was good now and after the complications she endured giving birth, she had gained a whole new perspective.

Just one Slam title shy of Margaret Court’s record, however, there is still motivation at play to add a bullet point to that pages-long CV.

Only a day out from her first match at the All England Club since she claimed her seventh Wimbledon title in 2016, Williams tweeted: “In this moment, 22 was the greatest feeling, but ultimately getting to 23 was even better. Never let anyone put a limit on how far you can go.”

Sloane Stephens was unusually late to arrive to the grass court season, and unexpectedly early to depart her first Wimbledon as a reigning Grand Slam champion. The US Open winner was beaten 6-1, 6-3 by world No.55 Donna Vekic, as the Croat recorded her first career victory over a member of the top five.

In her first match since losing the Roland-Garros final to Simona Halep, No.4 seed Stephens continued her undulating form at major level, alternating finals with first round defeats at the Australian Open and now at The Championships, as well.