A five-time Wimbledon champion, Williams was an Australian Open singles finalist in 2003 and 2017 and won the doubles title four times alongside sister Serena
The 41-year-old Venus, who has seven Grand Slam titles to her name, said she would miss competing at her "favorite slam" and wished all the other players good luck
The Court Three clash of veterans, one of several held over due to rain on Monday, was the 271st victory of a remarkable Grand Slam career for Williams and, despite serving 10 aces, did not come easy.