Venus Williams Reveals She Felt ‘Fear’ After Sjögren’s Diagnosis

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is sharing her path to success in her new book, Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome. During her appearance on The Tamron Hall Show on Oct. 17, the 44-year-old athlete discussed key principles from the book and reflected on her more than 30-year tennis career, highlighting the strategies she used to remain focused on her journey to greatness.

Believe in yourself.

Williams told Hall that she always believed that she could do the unthinkable. According to the Lynwood, California, native, unwavering belief and determination are needed to reach for the stars in whatever field you desire. 

It was belief that allowed Willams, at 17, to win the six matches needed to advance to the U.S. Open Women’s Singles final in 1997, where she made history as the first Black singles finalist and the first unseeded player to reach a U.S. Open Final in the Open Era. While her performance was amazing, the tennis legend ultimately fell short of the points needed to defeat Martina Hingis. 

“The six matches, I believed that I could win, whether it was one point, or at least, allowed myself to believe that it was a possibility, right? But in this final, I had no idea what I was doing, and I never allowed myself to believe for a moment that I could win this match,” the tennis star revealed. “Part of it was immaturity, but also it was okay to believe. And so I had to learn that no matter what the circumstances, no matter if you have no experience if you don’t know anything, you should still bet on yourself because that’s your best bet.”

The small setback did not stop Williams from achieving greatness. The tennis pro champ went on to win seven Grand Slam singles titles, including five Wimbledon championships (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) and two U.S. Open titles (2000, 2001). In addition to her singles success, Williams has earned four Olympic gold medals—one in singles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and three in doubles with her sister Serena Williams (2000, 2008, 2012). She reached a career-high world No. 1 ranking in singles in 2002, holding the top spot for a total of 11 weeks. Williams also achieved remarkable success in doubles, winning 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside Serena.

Make small daily goals.

In 2011, Williams was compelled to slow down her busy work schedule after being diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the body’s moisture-producing glands. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common symptoms include chronic dryness in the eyes and mouth, along with joint pain, muscle pain or weakness, swollen lymph nodes, and persistent fatigue. The diagnosis significantly impacted her life and career, forcing her to navigate the challenges associated with the condition.

Williams shared with Hall that coming to terms with her diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome was challenging, as she felt “afraid” of how it might affect her career.

“If you have no energy and you still have to play a match, it’s not easy,” the champion shared. “You have no idea what’s going to happen when you walk on the court. And that’s hard…So I had to just focus on what I could accomplish instead of what I couldn’t. And a lot of days it was a daily thing of refocusing back on what I could accomplish, instead of focusing on all the things that I couldn’t do anymore.” 

Williams mentioned that she established daily, realistic goals based on her energy levels and condition, allowing her to stay focused on her performance while also working to improve her health.

“I would negotiate with myself, like, ‘Okay, if I can run 10 minutes today, this is huge for me.’ You know? And if another day I could run 20, or if another day it was five, then it all adds up. As long as you’re making an effort, those efforts add up. It’s like a ladder. When you take a step, you keep going up. You don’t take a step and stay down, but it’s important to take the step.”

Watch the full interview with Venus Williams on The Tamron Hall Show below, and purchase your copy of Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome here.

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