We are excited to share one of our favorite stories from espnW here on FitSugar!
by espnW
We are excited to share one of our favorite stories from espnW here on FitSugar!
By Kate Fagan
After her first-round win at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last week, Venus Williams went back out that same night to hit more balls. For most players, that would not be a big deal. But practicing extra is something Williams hasn't been able to do — at least not nearly as often as she would like — since announcing at last year's U.S. Open that she suffers from Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that produces joint stiffness and prolonged fatigue. Williams then stepped away from competitive tennis for seven months, and, since returning this past March, she has suffered some of the worst singles defeats of her career, most notably her listless first-round exit at Wimbledon, where she has won five of her seven Grand Slam titles.
Draw set up for Serena at U.S. Open
Yes, Williams won Wimbledon and Olympic gold doubles titles with her sister Serena. But, at age 32, Venus finds herself answering new questions, as tennis fans and pundits wonder whether we are watching one of the greatest players ever shrink before our eyes. After her straight-set Wimbledon defeat, there was talk that we might have seen her last singles match at the All England Club. And now, on the eve of the U.S. Open, which starts Monday in New York City, some are asking whether this could be her last hurrah there, too.
Not a chance.
"She has absolutely no plan of retiring anytime soon," said Mary Joe Fernandez, who coached the U.S. Olympic tennis team in London. "People believe when you turn 32 that you should be done, but Venus says, 'Why?' That was really refreshing for me to hear. I saw a different side of her in London, that she loves the game and doesn't want to stop playing. She was even talking about the next Olympics — four years from now."
Women's No. 1 ranking devalued
Fernandez asked Williams whether she would retire from singles and just play doubles. "She dismissed that idea out of hand," Fernandez said. "She is quite focused on playing singles." Which brings us back to Cincinnati and that postmatch practice session. Maybe it really was no big deal, just a momentary energy surge. Or maybe it was a sign that Williams is writing the opening page to a new script: How to Win with Sjogren's. "I'm doing a lot better than this time last year," Williams told reporters in Cincy, where she made it to the semifinals. "So much better than a couple of months ago, as well. I am learning to deal with everything a lot better."
Read on for more.
