"My symptoms got worse... I couldn’t play professional tennis anymore": When Venus Williams discussed her 'frustrating' ordeal with Sjogren's syndrome

Venus Williams once candidly discussed her difficult journey to receiving her diagnosis for Sjogren's syndrome. The American also revealed how the autoimmune disease adversely impacted her tennis career.

In 2004, with four Grand Slam titles under her belt, Williams began struggling with exhaustion and shortness of breath. In a 2019 interview with Prevention.com, the former World No. 1 recalled the "frustrating" experience, disclosing that her symptoms worsened to the extent that she could no longer compete professionally.

"No matter how hard I worked, I was exhausted, short of breath, and never felt in shape. It was really frustrating. My symptoms got progressively worse, to the point where I couldn’t play professional tennis anymore," she said.

Despite making frequent trips to her doctors, it took seven years for Venus Williams to finally be diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome. The American pointed out how common it was for such autoimmune diseases to be misdiagnosed and lamented that her ability to play tennis was compromised before the illness was identified.

"Unfortunately, that’s typical of people with autoimmune disease. They're misdiagnosed or too sick to function. I literally had professional tennis taken away from me before I got the right diagnosis," she added.

Since her diagnosis, Williams has worked to spread awareness about Sjogren's syndrome and its "unpredictable" nature. She has often shared valuable advice for those afflicted with the same disease and openly divulged information about her own struggles.

"Just being alive was very uncomfortable" - Venus Williams on living with Sjogren's syndrome

Venus Williams - Source: Getty

During the same interview, Venus Williams disclosed that she had found it "uncomfortable" to even be alive before she was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome and received the proper medications. She also described the constant pain and fatigue she endured.

"Before I was on medication, the quality of my life wasn’t as good because I was extremely uncomfortable. Just being alive was very uncomfortable. I was exhausted to the point that I was just always uncomfortable or in pain," Williams said.

Furthermore, Williams asserted that while her life and career had undoubtedly changed after her diagnosis, that did not stop her from reaching for greatness.

"There are times when things are better and times when they’re not as good, that’s when you have to listen to your body and understand that," she added. "Life has changed a little bit, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve the same things. You just have to be smarter."

Interestingly, Venus Williams' ordeal with Sjogren’s syndrome inspired her sister Serena Williams to study holistic medicine so she could be better prepared if her children ever faced similar health issues.