The new Hopman Cup organisers have taken a big risk by signing veteran Venus Williams to the 2013 event.
The 32-year-old seven-time Grand Slam winner constantly battles fatigue and joint soreness since being diagnosed with the auto-immune condition, Sjogrens syndrome, in 2011.
Williams missed most of the first half of 2012 as a result of the condition and has admitted that she is not sure she can play from one week to the next.
This would not be re-assuring factor with the new Tennis Australian governed tournament that has a history of star players withdrawing either during or before the event, much to the disappointment of fans who have bought tickets to see that particular player, only to be watching a replacement.
Although no-one can begrudge players who are genuinely injured from training or playing mishaps, it’s playing Russian roulette if the player, like in Williams’ case, has a predisposed condition, creating a distinct likelihood of them having to withdraw due to the illness relapsing during the coming month.
Whilst Williams would have been a major crowd puller prior to her illness, she has only played one match in the last 12 months that matched her past high standards.
The second round US Open thriller against world number six Angelique Kerber was a very high quality match that may have indicated that Williams was over the worst of the condition, but it was fatigue, again, that was her undoing in the third set tie breaker.
Most of her matches this year have been lacklustre affairs due to the fatigue the illness causes. Williams was a shadow of her former self in the 6-1, 6-3 first round drubbing at the hands of Russian Elena Vesnina at Wimbledon in June.
Her only noteworthy wins this year have been in doubles with sister Serena, defending their Olympic gold medal and adding another Wimbledon title to their collection.
While Williams has reassured fans that she is over the worst of the condition, only time will tell if she is well enough to play the Hopman Cup and put in her best effort for six tough matches during the 2013 event.
The Hopman Cup will run from 29 December to 5 January.
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
I suffer Rhueumatoid Arthritis...the auto immune twin sister of Sjorgens....it has a chronic stage in its first year and with management and medication you can get on top of it.. BUT you cannot train at the intensity you once did to keep your fitness to compete at a high level....but you can still play....but you push the envelope too much and bingo you ar eback to sqaure one...Venus maybe over the first chronic stage....but it is management from now on....she will have some good wins and good matches but is very unlikely she has the energy, fitness and lack of sore joints to win more that 2-3 mathes in a tournament at best......she may have a great tournament but then will be spent after it....my point is that the Hopman Cup were taking a risk signing her knowing that she can have a relapes at any time and this is coming from a tournament that has a history of late withdrawels of supposdely fit players not those with a pre-condition.
m_dubb
Guest
Let's take into account the fact that it's only been a year since the Sjogren's diagnosis, folks. VW herself said she was going to need this year to gauge how she should rest and how she should play. She also admitted that she came back too early to make sure she qualified for the Olympics. She just played a weekend of World Team Tennis where she proved vital in both the Eastern Conference and the championship matches, earning MVP honors. None of us are in Venus' head, so none of us can know how she feels from day to day. It's not a matter of getting more fit (because she's VERY fit) or healthy (Sjogren's doesn't go away). It's about her being able to manage the illness. She made it to the semifinals of the Cincinnati tournament. Had she not tweaked her back in the warm-up, I think she would've served Li Na off the court and taken it to Kerber the next day. It's not crazy thinking, either. It's just listening to her. Something tells me she knows this better than we do...
m_dubb
Guest
The errors in the Kerber match were due to the fatigue of Sjogren's. She said in her presser after the match that she was battling Kerber - and herself. That being said, if she was having a bad Sjogren's day and that match still went the distance, I'll still put my money on VW any day of the week!
Jim
Guest
I can see your point about Venus's Sjogrens, but somehow I don't think it'll be a big problem. An interesting stat that hasn't been mentioned in any comments so far is that she hasn't retired from any of her matches this year. And her workload at the Olympics was probably heavier than she will face at the Hopman Cup. She may not be fit enough to play her best tennis in every single match, but I would back her to go the distance. And given how hugely popular she is, I think this is a real catch for Tennis Australia.
k77sujith
Guest
Past her prime sadly. Still a marquee player but her fitness is affecting her performances. Such a pity that while she's on the wane, sister Serena's on the surge again. Thanks.
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
No-one is denying her past record and some of the matches in 2012. The question is whether she can sustain it over the week and the risk is signing someone with a condition that can flare up and any time. maybe everyone should do some research on auto-immune diseases first before jumping to Venus defence and my demise.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
As much as Venus Williams hasn't played much tennis in 2012, if she can get healthy for the start of 2013, then there's every chance she could challenge at the Australian Open. The Hopman Cup has always been well supported in WA and will continue to be. With Ivanovic and Djokovic there, now Venus Williams, the fans will still want to be part of it. Then again, with Tennis Australia taking over, I wonder if we'll start seeing the quality of players diminish, as was predicted by Paul McNamee.
Vinny J.
Guest
Wow...someone didnt really do their research on Venus' 2012 season. "Her only noteworthy wins this year have been in doubles with sister Serena, defending their Olympic gold medal and adding another Wimbledon title to their collection." ?? I guess defeating the defending Wimbledon champion at the time, Petra Kivitova (ranked 5th in the world), the defending US Open champion (Sam Stosur, twice), French Open finalist, Sara Errani (ranked 7th, twice), Maria Kirilenko and Ana Ivanovic who both had pretty decent 2012 seasons and are both in the top 15 of the world. She reached the QFs in Miami, Rome and Charleston and the SF of Cincinnati losing to Radwanska, Sharapova, Li...her only "surprising" lose came to Elena Vesnina at Wimbledon. Her lose to Kerber at the US Open had nothing to do with fatigue...theres no way she wouldve won that match, committing over 60 unforced errors (Venus stated that herself) and her serve was just awful in both matches shes played against kerber yet both matches were extremly close! She won the championship match in WTT a few days ago. She started the year (after missing the first few months, ranked 130 or 140ish (i could be wrong) and despite only playing for abt HALF of this years season, she's got her ranking up to 40 in the world...in other words, Venus isnt as big of a risk as this article says.
Jay
Guest
Take a risk with Venus? Venus has won a Grand Slam doubles title (Wimbledon), and a gold medal in doubles. As of current singles rankings, Venus is 40. Not bad for someone who played a minimal schedule the past 12 months, but obviously not great. Let's look at some stats. As of these current rankings she had 5 top 10 wins- Kvitova, Errani (2), and Stosur (2). Venus actually only had one loss all year to someone not currently in the Top 10. How many other people can say that? Her current season record is 19-9, which is really not bad at all. So let's give Venus a little credit. Her game started to pick up at the end of the year. She is a mutli-Grand Slam champion. She seems to be energized and wanting to play tennis. So why don't we give her the opportunity. At one moment, the media is asking, why isn't Venus playing? The next moment, she is playing, and the media is asking, why is she playing? I mean it's just ridiculous. I don't know who was on last year's Hopman Cup team, but they went 0-3 and only won 2 matches of the 9 they played. I think we should just support Venus and John Isner, and hope they can bring a better result this coming year!
Johnno
Guest
What choice does tennis in Australia have. The game is struggling ot win the hearts and minds of the public. It doesn't have much bargaining power so has to be flexible with the stars, The sport is dieng out there in the suburbs. Paritciapations rates right down, a lot less tennis courts than in the 1950's-1990's. A great doco on foxtel , on history of aussy sport, and tennis had one as well. It was narrated by Todd Woodbridge, was really good. And back then pictures of suburban courts everywhere, suburban tennis pennant comps, all these things are a thing of the past. The glory has gone. We remember the glory days of cashy wimbledon , and cashy as a 18 grabing the nations heart and headlines winning at kooyong in 83 beating Sweden Joachim Nystrom, to win the davis cup the with ABBA blaring at kooyong on grass, great memories. And the epic clashes cashy had with edberg and Pernfors, and wilanders, in the swede's golden generation. And the Czech's too like Lendl and Mecir. Those days are sadly gone. And great days like a 16 yr old Hewitt beating Andre Agassi at the Adeliade international or Rio challenge after the underwear company sponsored it, i think it was known then. Now Adelaide has been relegated to just some exhibition folly's by veterans before the aussy open starts now which is a real shame and slap int he face for Adeliade tennis fans, as Leconte and co give comedy, but alas that is is all. We havnt won the davis cup since 1999 when Scud's heroics over the French. And just last week lost to germany to stay relegated in the world group and wishing out on davis cup re-entry. -To me the last real highlights in aussy tennis and so fleeting over the last 10 years, was Dokics efforts at 2009 aussy open, and Tomic 2011 wimbeldon efforts, and Hewitt making the aussy open final in 2004. But the point is no trophies in a long time. And subruban tennis at grassroots levell is dieing as less tennis courts being built, and less junior participation. How tennis fans long for laver, rosewell, roche, Newcombe, John fitzgerald, Cashy, Rafter, Scud, and Hewitt.