Venus Williams: With Nothing Left to Prove, She Must Consider Retirement

If you think Serena and Venus Williams have had great careers, just imagine how great either would have been if the other didn't play.

Of course, the numbers would be inflated, but the era dominated by a family rivalry would have been lost. For the fans, it's been worth it.

Venus withdrew from the US Open before her match with No. 22 Sabine Lisicki even began. We then learned of Sjögren's Syndrome, a disease that Williams has been stricken with that causes fatigue and joint pain.

It's estimated that four million Americans are living with this disease. Of them, a whopping 90 percent are women.

Honestly, I would be lying if I said I knew much about this disease. Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch details Williams' Wednesday in New York here.

So, we know that the disease can't be cured, but that it's treatable. Is it treatable in the sense that when under the right medication, Williams can play tennis while showing no ill effects?

Truthfully, if Williams is going to be in the least bit hindered, she should absolutely retire.

Short of winning in Australia and France, there is nothing left for Venus to prove. She has seven Grand Slam titles, is arguably the best Wimbledon player in the history of the women's game, and is on everyone's short list when discussing the all-time greats.

At this point, her tennis future is in doubt. All we can do is speculate and offer our advice. That's really all that I am trying to do here.

Personally, I like Venus Williams. It's unfortunate for me to sit here and say that she should retire. I hope that the disease is nothing serious and Williams can come back and play at the elite level we're all used to.

But at this point, Williams hasn't won a Grand Slam since 2008. She hasn't won a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon since the US Open in 2001.

The women's game will miss her and her star power, but Venus would be best advised to call it a career right now, leaving behind one of the greatest legacies the game has ever seen.