Venus Williams continues the game at 44, defying age in tennis

Former world number one Venus Williams has revealed the reason behind continue playing despite turning over 40. The 44-year-old is one of the oldest, if not the oldest player, currently playing in women’s tennis in the singles category.

Venus, sister of former world number one Serena, was recently quoted in a report where she highlighted her reason for not quitting tennis. She stated that she is dealing with a rare autoimmune disease that has taken a toll on her body.

“I have never neared a burnout, although last week I said I needed a permanent vacation! But I was going too hard for a few months with my schedule,” she said. “That was my decision. We don’t always have a choice, but periods of rest are so important. I will do that as long as I have cartilage. If I keep playing, hopefully the ageing process won’t start. When you crash, you go so hard that you can’t get up, literally. But I still got up, because I had to. Lying in bed is not fun. There is no substitute for being well. I had to change my pace Was I working too hard? What was I doing wrong? That takes its toll and it’s not easy to walk out there when you don’t have much to give.”

Venus is currently placed 957 in the WTA rankings. Her most recent match in professional tennis was way back in March in the Miami Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the round of 128 to Russia’s Diana Shnaider in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3. Venus has a relatively successful career at the highest level where she has won as many as seven Grand Slam titles. Her last big title was way back in 2008 when she lifted the Wimbledon title after beating her sister Serena in the final with a score of 7-5, 6-4.