After Diagnosis, Venus Williams has Two Sides

The tennis world was both shocked and devastated when they found out that Venus Williams had an autoimmune  disease that would affect the amount of energy Williams had when she stepped on the court.  It was almost as if she had two sides.  She could be horrific or spectacular, depending on which day you caught her on.  But  which Venus Williams will show up for the US Open?  Both?

Venus Williams has had a spectacular career.  She has made the Final Round of every major, while winning two of them multiple times.  At the age of 20, she won Wimbledon and the US Open, along with taking home an Olympic gold in singles and doubles.  She has won five Wimbledon singles and doubles championships, and if we combine all of her majors (singles and doubles), she has won 20 majors and 4 Olympic golds.  She is a spectacular woman, so when the announcement of her disease came out, it was all the more shocking.

Late in 2011, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.  It was major news across the United States.  The revealing that she had this disease also created some mysteries.  We, the public, weren't really sure how to expect Venus to play.  Was she going to be playing like she did in the olden days, or would she seem old and disinterested on the court.  As it turns out, we got a little of both.

At the French Open, we saw her disease-ridden side.  After barely getting by Paula Ormaechea in three sets, she was thoroughly beaten by Aga Radwanska in a two set beat down.  Now, this was not a huge deal because we could just blame this on rust.  We cannot forget, also, that she did win a match, and even that can be an accomplishment.  Wimbledon would be a great place to see just how well Venus has dealt with the disease.  At Wimbledon, we saw both sides.

Venus Williams showed both sides of her disease-ridden game in singles and doubles at Wimbledon this year.  Against Elena Vesnina in the singles draw, she looked lifeless as she stumbled to a 6-1, 6-4 uninspiring loss.  That was her bad side.  But, something changed in Williams' game as she moved to the doubles tournament with her sister Serena Williams.  The Williams sisters, unseeded, beat down the competition in route to the doubles title.  I don't know whether she mustered the extra energy and firepower from her sister Serena, or whether her autoimmune disease just was not bothering her, but we definitely got to see the good side of Venus Williams' game at Wimbledon 2012.

At the Olympics. Venus Williams really blossomed.  Even though she lost in straight sets in the Round of 16 to Angelique Kerber, she showed great fight and defintely showed that she will not fade into the sunset in singles.  Then, she won the gold medal in doubles, and showed she is still a force to be reckoned with.  This shows even more of the good side of Venus Williams, that side that mezmorized tennis fans throughout the world, that side which made me think the only player she could lose to is her sister Serena.

As of right now, Venus Williams has two sides, the side where she is playing great, and the side where she is playing badly.  Hopefully, in the future, we will only see that great side again.