Venus eclipsed anything we saw in the Ladies’ game this year
DESPITE losing in the semi-finals, Venus Williams was the stand-out performer in the Women’s Singles.
Five years ago she dropped out of the top 100 after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. Now, at the age of 36, she is up to No. 7 in the rankings.
I’ve always said that the success of the Williams sisters is the greatest sports story in history. Venus’ comeback just adds another chapter.
Venus has five Wimbledon Singles titles, so she has nothing to prove. To be battling as hard in 2016 as she did when winning her first Grand Slam shows a fantastic competitive spirit – and a deep love of the sport.
Venus and Serena’s father, Richard, is a quirky guy. When the girls were younger I used to talk to him a lot.
When Venus was about 15, Richard predicted she would become World No. 1 – and added that Serena, then 13, would take over from her. He was spot on.
This was a man who had never hit a tennis ball in his life, and learned how to coach tennis from a video! It’s mind-boggling.
Richard got one thing wrong. He said that his girls had so many interests, they would not continue to play tennis for very long.
I believe it is because Venus and Serena have outside interests – fashion, interior design, and films to name a few – that they remain fresh and enthusiastic about their tennis at an age when most players have retired.
However, neither Venus nor Serena comes close to being the greatest woman grass court player of all. That’s still Martina Navratilova.