Venus Williams revealed that she first started feeling the effects of the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s Syndrome back in 2007, which was the year before she won her last Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. The disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2011, makes those who have it feel constantly tired.
“The main year for me was 2007,” she told reporters. “I just didn't know what was wrong with me. I just had to get a lot worse before I could get diagnosed. I had different diagnoses, like asthma. One doctor told me that maybe I should go see a psychiatrist. I want to go back to him. I watch a lot of the Golden Girls. There is episode where Dorothy has chronic fatigue syndrome, and the doctor tells her to go buy a new dress or whatever. She goes back to him and tells him off. I want to go to that doctor and say, I had something real. Don't go see a tell me to see a psychiatrist. Something is wrong with me.”
Williams, who recently reached the semifinals of Cincinnati but injured her back there, says she is not 100 percent. She didn't start hitting serves until Thursday.
“I'm not 100 percent, but I'm going to try to get as close to 100 percent for my match,” said Williams, who will face Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round. “That injury was totally unexpected. I have never ever had a back problem. But I feel good about my game. That's the most important thing going into the tournament.”