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This match changed the trajectory of Venus's career. An injury causing her to miss 6 months on the tour only to return with Sjogrens fully taking over her body. It would be a few years until she learned to manage the illness effectively enough to rise back up the rankings.
Well the Sjogren's was always there, it just didn't get definitively diagnosed until the summer of 2011. Honestly, this injury was bad and derailed her for months, but she didn't look in great shape going into the 2011 Australian Open. She was carrying a bit of weight by her standards and hadn't played since the 2010 USO. In some ways, the Sjogrens was a mixed blessing as it allowed her to get diagnosed, change her diet and eventually build her strength up to play at a high level again.
Richard always said Venus and Serena play better when they're injured. They are more focused on precise shot making and ending the point early because they know their movement is limited. And they go bigger on serve to avoid being drawn into long rallies. I played a similar match tonight while injured and hit 4 aces in a row to close out the first set. I did NOT want to rally lol.
Of all of Venus's wins, this is one of my least favourites because it was painful to watch her play while injured. Even before that dreaded point in the tie-break, she wasn't playing properly.
@@coreychristian2312 Same here. Glad Venus pulled off the win, but she was forced to retire from her next match against Andrea Petkovic ... Another match that Venus won, but I didn't like was the Kimiko Date Krum match at Wimbledon later that year. Again, Venus wasn't moving properly/quickly nor was she hitting the ball properly. And I hated the comnentary. 2011 is a year (among others) I'd rather forget, but at least she finally got the diagnosis that explained a number of her strange performances going back a few years.
