Venus Williams Battles Sjogren’s Syndrome At French Open As Net Worth Surges, Will She Win At Roland Garros?

Venus Williams is experiencing a big surge in the world of tennis, and even though she will turn 36 next month and continues to battle an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s Syndrome, Venus and her net worth seem to be ever-expanding. Though Serena Williams always seems to be the Williams sister in the spotlight at the various grand slam tournaments, this year, she is absent due to her first pregnancy, leaving the draw wide open for other players.

But both sisters have had to battle barbs from others, and that includes those within the world of tennis. Recently, even voices from the past like Ilie Nastase who has always been known as a vulgarian and a racist, reported the Inquisitr, have made a resurgence and are taking swings at the top-ranked Serena Williams. Ilie “Nasty” Nastase has started coaching the Romanian Fed Cup team and worked to disrupt several matches within the women’s game by hitting on women and commenting aloud on what color skin Serena Williams’ baby would have, as Serena is black and her fiance Alexis Ohanian is Caucasian. The ITF wisely sought to remove Nastase and issued a statement following the match.

“The ITF’s Internal Adjudication Panel has issued Ilie Nastase with a provisional suspension under the Fed Cup regulations for a breach of the Fed Cup welfare policy at the tie in Constanta.”

But Venus will be the only Williams sister at the French Open, and she is off to a great start, beating Kerber and now Wang Qiang. And even Pam Shriver, who knows pro tennis better than most, believes that Venus Williams is poised, despite her Sjogren’s battle to make a comeback.

“Venus coming off what she did at the Australian Open getting to her first grand slam final since she knew she had the auto-immune syndrome (Sjogren’s Syndrome) and now knowing that her sister is not in the draw. Can she win it? Why not? She is a more capable clay court player than most people think and when you consider the big hitters that have won in the women’s game, Sharapova twice in the last few years and Muguruza last year, Venus is definitely one of the possibilities.”

Chris Evert believes that Shriver is right, as Venus Williams has won several slams and is an excellent clay court player. Evert also says that since being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome in 2011, Venus has made the changes necessary to cope with her disease and still win, and that meant revamping her diet. Sjogren’s Syndrome causes dry eyes and dry mouth, as well as crushing joint pain and fatigue, and Venus has found that by changing to a raw food diet, she is feeling better and it is giving her more energy. She has eliminated all animal products and foods cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Venus says that by making these changes, he has found a better way to fuel herself on the court.

“I started for health reasons. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me.”

Venus found that after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s and before making the dietary changes, she thought she was done with tennis.

“I literally couldn’t play tennis anymore, so it really changed my life. Because it was starting to take away what I loved, I had to make some changes, I had to change my life. Thankfully, I was able to find something that helped me get back to doing what I loved.”

The next step for Venus was to balance nutritional food that treated her disease with food she enjoyed eating.

“I always tell people that you have to enjoy what you’re eating. If you’re eating a plant-based diet or a mixture of one, make sure you’re eating something you like. Find a restaurant, recipes, or join a community—that way you can learn and enjoy your food. If you can’t enjoy your eating, I don’t know how fun life would be!”

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Venus Williams is doing well outside of tennis, as she has several businesses, including an interior design business, and she is launching a television show that is an all-female Shark Tank for those supporting entrepreneurship among ladies. Nobody should be worrying about Venus Williams’ net worth because it isn’t exactly the same as Serena Williams due to all of her grand slam wins. Venus is two years older than Serena, but Venus has still carved out her own piece of the pie at the urging of their father, Richard Williams. Venus Williams went pro at age 14, so she has been making an incredible living in professional tennis for over twenty years.

Do you think Venus Williams has a chance of winning the French Open this year?

[Featured Image by Gareth Copley/Getty Images]