Tennis star Venus Williams bared all for the ESPN The Magazine Body Issue, posing nude and talking about her battle with Sjogren's syndrome.
"In the past, I would train until I died,"
Williams told ESPN. "Now, because of Sjogren's syndrome, I have to be careful. If I train too hard, then I won't be able to do anything the next day. There would be times when I'd park my car at home and I fell asleep behind the wheel because I was so tired! It's a balance between pushing myself as much as I can and being reasonable about what I can achieve and what my body will tolerate."
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Details about the autoimmune disorder that forced Williams to take a six-month break from tennis in 2011-2012, haven’t previously been reported.
Williams’ sister, Serena, posed for the ESPN Body Issue five years ago.
The magazine, which is set to hit the newsstand July 11,
also features men’s tennis player Tomas Berdych, ESPN said. A list of other athletes featured in the magazine will be released Wednesday.
Williams is a five-time Wimbledon champion, and Berdych is a 2013 Wimbledon quarterfinalist.
The announcement of this year’s magazine is drawing attention on Twitter.
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