Venus Williams: Tennis Star's French Open Collapse Shows Dominance Is Over
A day after sister Serena was shocked at the French Open, Venus Williams has bowed out of Roland Garros as well.
She was swiftly dispatched by No. 3 ranked Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday in the second round, sending Venus home extremely early in her first Grand Slam appearance since last year’s US Open.
This wasn’t a very competitive match. Venus looked extremely sluggish, and it makes you wonder how much more tennis the 31-year-old has left in her.
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Williams entered her 15th career French Open as the active leader in wins at Roland Garros with 54, but never before had the expectations been so low. She began play at the Grand Slam event ranked 52nd in the world and was forced to play one of the favorites in the tournament almost right off the bat.
Yet, there was still hope.
She had a 5-2 career record against Radwanska and played well in her first-round win over Paula Ormaechea.
Some thought this was going to be her big return to center stage.
Instead, Williams folded early and whispers of whether she will ever be an elite player again are beginning to get louder.
Her career took a frightening turn last summer when she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disease. The condition makes her joints ache and creak, while at times making it incredibly difficult just to move.
Although Venus feels like her Hall-of-Fame self on some days, it’s an unpredictable disease that leaves her at its mercy, and that is never going to change.
It has been two years since Williams last hoisted a Grand Slam trophy (2010 French Open), and the odds of her winning another are getting slimmer by the tournament.
It appears that one of the great American tennis careers is on the cusp of its ending, and Wednesday’s loss was the clearest sign yet.
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