Venus Williams, seven-time Grand Slam winner, has withdrawn from playing in this year’s Australian Open. She has been plagued with injuries since the middle of the 2010 season. Besides, she has been struggling with her fight against Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease.
The disease is caused from fatigue and joint pains, something that the tennis star has often faced in her long and illustrious career. The disease is characterized by a loss of energy and severe joint pains.
She posted on her personal website, mentioning that she won’t be taking part in the upcoming Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the calendar year. She also said that while she has been out of the competitive circuit for over 5 months, she has been in intensive training and has been under constant supervision and treatment.
She hopes to return to competitive fitness in quick time. Due to her absence from the professional circuit, her ranking has been constantly slipping. She also pulled out of the WTA event held in Auckland. In fact, she hasn’t played professionally since August 2011.