Venus says no end in sight to end career
new york — Seven-times grand slam winner Venus Williams, fresh off an inspirational run to the Australian Open finals at age 36, sees no end in sight on the tennis court, even envisioning another Olympics alongside her sister Serena.
The American former world number one’s on-court form has been nothing short of remarkable considering she was diagnosed in 2011 with the debilitating Sjogren’s syndrome, but Williams said that will not bring an end to her career.
“I’m planning on playing tennis for a very long time yet,” Williams said on Friday. “That dream is still going strong.”
Since being diagnosed with Sjogren’s, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain and forced her to withdraw from the 2011 U.S. Open, Williams had to rebuild her career and re-evaluate her lifestyle.
Rather than throw in the towel on one of the sport’s great careers, Williams took on a new diet, exercise regimen and managed to come back and play at a high level. “Sjogren’s is something that stays around, hangs around in your body and tries to take over but that’s not how I see it. I’m running the show,” said Williams, who is promoting a #StrengthHasNoGender campaign by Brawny paper towels during Women’s History Month.
Undaunted, by 2012 she teamed up with Serena to win their fifth Wimbledon women’s doubles crown, and later that year won a third Olympic doubles gold in London with her sister, adding to her own singles gold claimed from the 2000 Sydney Games. —