Venus Williams seems to have stopped the aging process.
The elder Williams sister, whose tennis career appeared over in 2011 when she announced she was suffering from Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks joints and causes fatigue, is enjoying a rebirth of sorts, tennis.com reported.
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After falling to as low as 103rd in the world in 2011, Williams is back up to No. 11. She won a title in Auckland in January and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open later that month.
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She switched to a vegan diet in 2012 and began her long journey back to the upper echelon in women's tennis. She was asked during the Australian Open whether she envisioned herself becoming a force in the game ever again.
"I feel like, yeah, I have that potential," the 34-year-old Williams said, according to tennis.com. "[But] when you step out time and time again and you can't reach that, it's definitely challenging and it definitely makes you feel . . . some type of way. That's all I can say about that."
As tennis.com also noted, more of today's experienced players are enjoying more success later in their careers. Venus, sister, 33-year-old Serena, is No. 1 in the world, and most tennis enthusiasts agree that when she's on her game, she's virtually unbeatable.
On the men's side, 33-year-old Roger Federer is No. 2 in the world and won five tournaments in 2014.
"I think at this level the younger body doesn't help, per se," Williams said in Australia, according to tennis.com. "Everybody out here is ready to go. If you're here and you're playing this deep, it means that you've done the work and you're fit. . . It doesn't matter, any of these variables. That's what they are: Variables. I don't think that enters our mind out there."
One variable not explored is the possibility of wear and tear Venus' condition actually may have saved her. Because of her battle with Sjogren's Syndrome, she was not advance deep into many tournaments. So while she felt tired and the disease was attacking her joints, she was not putting a lot more miles on her body in terms of spending a lot of time on the tennis court.
So as she learned to equip herself to combat her disease, she was competing physically with a body that had not been worn down from tennis - like her sister's might.
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