Venus Williams has had a professional tennis career that has spanned over three decades and yet has the potential to grow.
After withdrawing from the 2022 Australian Open, the former World No. 1 who made her debut in 1994 is yet to compete in a tournament this year.
The 41-year-old, whose last tournament appearance was in August of 2020 at the WTA Chicago Women’s Open, claims she will return to competitive tennis.
Fans of Williams are well aware that the chance of her winning additional titles and setting new records exists, given her history of miraculous comebacks.
The year 2010 will go down in the annals of the Williams sisters as the year they finally reached the pinnacle of women’s doubles tennis.
Venus Williams also reclaimed her position as the world’s No. 2 women’s singles player before a knee injury ended her season after the 2010 US Open.
Venus Williams’s Diagnosis with Sjogren’s Syndrome and The Challenging Times Ahead
At the 2011 Australian Open, Williams’s luck continued to run out when she had to withdraw in the third round due to an injury. Williams hadn’t been forced to withdraw from a Grand Slam competition since 1994.
Venus Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome during the middle of the US Open, a month after she had to pull out of the Western & Southern Open with a viral infection. When she was eliminated from the New York tournament before her second-round match, it marked the first time in her career that she had failed to get to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
The older Williams sister, who was around 30 at the time, did not play any competitive tennis for the remainder of the year due to a condition that causes exhaustion combined with muscle and joint pain.
Williams adopted a vegan diet despite being warned by doctors that medicines to alleviate particular symptoms related to her illness could take months to take effect.
Williams’ rigid routine helped her recuperate, as it included a fruit and smoothie breakfast followed by meals that met her needs for protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner revealed that her symptoms, including exhaustion and shortness of breath, first appeared in 2004, but she didn’t receive a diagnosis until 2011.
By the start of the 2012 season, Williams was no longer in the world’s top 100.
With the help of wildcards to the events in Miami and Charleston, the California-born tennis star fought back to finish the year as World No. 24 after winning the Luxembourg Open.
Williams made it back into the top 10 and won the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award in 2015.
However, The Best Was Still to Come.
Williams advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2016, then in 2017 she won the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam singles title since 2003.
Despite losing the final against her sister Serena Williams, Venus Williams went on to advance far in another Grand Slam tournament. Williams, 37 at the time, was the tenth seed at Wimbledon and made it all the way to the finals. She fell in straight sets to Garbine Muguruza.
In addition to finishing the year in the top five, her semi-final run at the US Open and her final appearance at the WTA finals helped her achieve this position.
Fans of the 41-year-old Venus Williams are hopeful that she has kept her greatest tennis for last after she battled a severe ailment and accomplished what few expected her to do.