Just like that, Serena and Venus ousted at Wimbledon

First, Serena Williams lost and less than a hour later, sister Venus Williams was eliminated Monday at Wimbledon.

This is the first time since 2006 that neither Venus nor Serena will be in the quarterfinals.

Given the sad state of professional tennis in the United States, that's not good news.

Between them, Serena and Venus have won 20 major titles, nine at Wimbledon. Serena is the defending champion and a four-time Wimbledon winner.

Venus is a five-time Wimbledon champion.

They've won nine of the past 11 Wimbledon championships. 

In a sport loaded with teenagers and players in their early 20s, Venus is 31 and Serena two years younger. 

Which begs the question; will the Williams sisters ever return to their once-dominant form?

"I think I did really well, just being able to come back and win some matches," said Serena, who is returning from a year-long battle of injuries.   "I can only get better. And that can, potentially, be really scary. I can only go up from here. I can just do so much more."

Let's hope so. Tennis needs them.

— Paul Christian