US player Venus Williams celebrates beating Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova during their women's singles quarter-final match on the ninth day of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 5, 2016.
Image by: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
Image by: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
When Venus Williams was diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren's syndrome five years ago, many were preparing to write her tennis obituary.
She was already in her 30s, and would now be battling with an illness that can cause fatigue, reduce strength and lead to joint and muscle pain.
It has certainly been a long road back to the top for Williams, whose ranking plunged to 137 in 2012. Today, against fourth seed Angelique Kerber, she plays in her first grand slam semifinal since 2010, the year before she was diagnosed with Sjogren's.
Reflecting on her first Wimbledon semifinal since 2009, Williams said: "It feels good. But it doesn't feel foreign at all, let's put it that way."
When she speaks, she radiates a calm that helps explain how she is still competing despite her illness and relatively advanced age.
She says of the past six years: "I don't have any regrets about anything that's taken place. It's been a journey, but it's made me stronger.
"The most difficult part is just not being in control because when you're an athlete, you're used to being in control, being able to work for anything. Not being able to do that is a challenge.
"It's easy to be afraid. But you have to let fear go. You have to believe in yourself. There's no way around it. No matter how things are stacked against you, you just have to every time."
The American also dismissed the idea of quitting when the illness was at its worst.
"Retiring is the easy way out," she said. "I don't have time for easy. Tennis is hard."
Venus is aware, though, that she will have to improve her level, especially as a potential final with sister Serena awaits. The dynamic between the sisters has fascinated the tennis world since the pair arrived in the 1990s, and a ninth grand slam final between the two is becoming more and more likely.
But Kerber is yet to drop a set this tournament and defeated Serena in the Australian Open final in January. She poses a formidable obstacle .
The difficulties Venus has overcome to get to this point have prompted suggestions that a sixth Wimbledon title would be the greatest all-time achievement in tennis. Williams would not be drawn on that, but she accepted her story had a whiff of Hollywood about it.
"It's like that movie Wimbledon," she said. "But real life is what Hollywood is based on. So, hey, let's do it."
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