If 2017 was the year for Serena Williams, 2018 may be the one for Venus Williams. She kicked off the season by debuting her boyfriend, Nicholas Hammond, in Australia, and now she is making news after beating her sister at Indian Wells 2018. While she does have a ways to go to the final round of the tournament, Venus is finally getting the attention she deserves in the media.
The 37-year-old American tennis player suffered a huge setback in her career when she was diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Despite the odds, she still has proved herself to be a competitive player in the circuit. In 2017 alone, she made it to the final round of the Australian Open an U.S. Open.
She kicked off the 2018 season with much drama when she publicly took a walk with her boyfriend, Nicholas Hammond, in Australia. They were spotted before in New Orleans, where her sister got married to Alexis Ohanian, and in New York, where they displayed a lot of affection .
“They were cuddled up the entire time they were inside the restaurant, even kissing while waiting to be seated and continuing the affection at their table,” a source told the Daily Mail .
Venus made news again when she defeated her sister, Serena Williams, to advance to the next round of Indian Wells 2018.
Venus Williams now has her first victory over Serena since 2014 https://t.co/nMiDMGWOJ6
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 13, 2018
She is continuing to do well, beating Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in two sets to reach the quarterfinals. She did not hold back on praising her opponent, who showed much grit and talent .
“There were some points where she just played and it was too good,” Venus told Sports Illustrated . “I thought I was in control of the point and winning the point, and she turned it around. It’s just real talent.”
Serena Williams has been having a hard time coming back from her pregnancy. Her baby is now 6-months-old and is becoming a bit of an Instagram sensation herself . Considering that Alexis Ohanian is the co-founder of Reddit and Serena has 7.8 million followers on Instagram alone, their daughter has a good start in growing her fanbase.
On the other hand, Venus Williams chooses to be less personal on Instagram, not uploading any pictures of her niece or her boyfriend.
