Venus Williams Has Been An Inspiration To Little Sister Serena

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 21st February 2014

Venus Williams Has Been An Inspiration To Little Sister Serena

epa04093259 Venus Williams of the USA returns the ball to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark during their semi final match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 21 February 2014. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

Serena Williams admits that if it had been her suffering with Sjogren’s Syndrome rather than big sister Venus, she would have almost certainly retired from top flight tennis, or at best just played doubles.

Today, as the pair prepare to contest different semi-finals in the Dubai Duty Free Championships, Serena again paid tribute to Venus’s bravery after refusing to buckle against the chronic autoimmune disease which she was diagnosed with suffering after the 2011 US Open.

“She’s such an inspiration,” said Serena. “She’s the ultimate inspiration. I think her story is the greatest for me to go through what she’s going through.

“I probably would have kind of hung up my rackets and maybe played some doubles. She has so much courage to show up week in and week out and play. That’s what I call courage.”

Venus had to drastically modify her diet to combat the disease and the rest of the immediate Williams family have changed with her. “Serena has been extremely supportive,” said Venus. “In fact my whole family has.

“They have changed their lifestyle for me. I think as a family we’ve gotten healthier. That’s been amazing, and Serena has just always been in my corner. No matter how tough things get for me, she’s always been there. So it makes me feel better, makes me keep going.”

Serena offered a rare insight into the secrets of the Williams family when she said Venus used to love junk food and devoured red meat. “I never ate as bad as her but she’s thinner and I guess that’s my luck,” said Serena.

“She changed her lifestyle. She had to because of her illness. Now she calls herself a cheagan, because she used to eat a lot of beef. Now every blue moon I will see her eating a steak. Literally twice a year, or maybe even once.

“We live together. My mom started, and then I followed. I felt like I can’t bring bad things in the house. And I love to cook, so I learned how to cook vegan and stuff like that. And raw. So it was a great experience for us all.”

“It’s a great way to live. It’s so healthy. Forget tennis and everything. It’s just about living a healthy lifestyle and being the best person you can on the inside and healing your body from the inside out.”

The last time the Williams sisters played each other was at Charleston last year but the last final they contested was at the 2009 WTA Championships and Serena won both. Today Venus, Dubai title-holder in 2009 and 2010, faces 2011 champion Caroline Wozniacki in one semi while Serena must take on Alize Cornet.

Topics: 10sballs, Alize Cornet, Caroline Wozniacki, Dubai, Serena Williams, Sjogren's Syndrome, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Wta

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls_com says:

February 21, 2014 at 7:58 am

Venus Williams Has Been An Inspiration To Little Sister Serena – http://t.co/PyOlNfzPWn @Venuseswilliams @serenawilliams #tennis #news