How Venus Williams roared back at 37: diet, brains and bloody mindedness


The American is enjoying one of her best seasons at an age when most players have retired. How has she come back from injuries and an auto immune disease?

It is hard to underestimate someone with seven grand slam and 49 WTA singles titles. But despite this, Venus Williams’ remarkable run at Wimbledon is a surprise not just because of her age – at 37 Williams was the oldest finalist since Martina Navratilova – but because her battle with a chronic health condition nearly forced her out of tennis.

Diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an auto-immune disease whose symptoms include joint pain and fatigue, Williams has struggled in the demanding two week grand slam events since her diagnosis, pulling out of the 2011 US Open after being overwhelmed with fatigue and not reaching a quarter-final in singles at a grand slam tournament in 2012, 2013 or 2014.

Related: Venus Williams’ glorious reinvention undaunted by Wimbledon final defeat

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