Yes Folks, Venus Williams Is Human. 

Venus Williams proved over the weekend that she is human. After withdrawing from last year’s US Open, Venus announced that she suffers from Sjögren’s Syndrome. There is little known about this autoimmune disease but fatigue and joint pain are usually associated with it. Many people afflicted by Sjögren Syndrome visit a back specialist to help bring relief to persistent pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, Sjögren’s disease is extremely rare, affecting only about 1% of the population. Women are more affected by the disease than men, and most aren’t diagnosed until middle age.

Doctors advised Venus to take a break to recover and get her health under control. Venus listened to her doctor’s advice and took a well-deserved break from the tennis scene. She reported to have some very difficult days, saying that on some mornings she struggled to get out of bed. When she was able to make it onto the court, some days she was only able to get 10 minutes of swinging the racquet in. She proved that she could overcome the disease when she returned to the French Open in the spring and announced she was training to win more medals in this year’s Olympics.

With the help of her sister, Serena, Venus showed that she battled Sjögren and was on top. The team of sisters defeated the Czech Republic and took home the gold medal in women’s doubles. It appeared that Venus had defeated the disease that many thought would take her away from the sport permanently. She refers to winning gold in London as the highlight of her career.

Last week she again showed doubters that she was back, playing hard in the Western and Southern Open final. She pushed through three grueling, three-set matches and made it through to the semis. Unfortunately, the back pain was just too much and began receiving treatment from a back specialist on the sidelines. Instead of throwing the towel in, she continued to play even though she was having extreme difficulty serving and was having difficulty getting the ball over the net. Unfortunately Sjögren’s got the best of Venus at this match up, but she was thankful for the opportunity to make it to her first semifinal of the year.

Venus’s persistence and dedication makes her appear to many as a superhero. Although Venus failed to win at the Western and Southern Open, she shows people everywhere that she too is human. Many are confident that she is on an upswing and will return strong to next year’s US Open.

Jesse Dugan is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites. Follow him @JesseDugan.