Venus says she plans to return to tennis

Venus Williams said Thursday that she plans on returning to tennis as she battles Sjögren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

Speaking for the first time about her condition, she told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "Sjögren's is something you live with your whole life. The good news for me is now I know what's happening after spending years not knowing . . . I feel like I can get better and move on."

Sjögren's Syndrome can cause fatigue, joint pain and dryness of the eyes and mouth. In extreme cases, it attacks vital organs and can cause scarring of the cornea. There is no cure and it is treated medicinally along with diet and lifestyle protocols.

Williams said she has had problems with fatigue for years without finding the cause. She said that only when the symptoms intensified this summer was the Sjögren's diagnosis made.

This has been a difficult year for her. She retired from the Australian Open with a hip injury, developed an abdominal injury, and after returning in June to play at Eastbourne and Wimbledon, she pulled out of other tournaments this summer, citing a viral illness. The Open was only her fourth tournament this year. She beat Vesna Dolonts comfortably in the first round.

The 31-year-old told ABC that "it's not that you don't have energy; you just feel beat up."

After her match Thursday, Serena Williams said she had yet to speak with her sister but expected they would meet later. "I know she's a fighter and that she is really strong," Serena said. "I think she's happy now that she knows what it is after all this time. I think, if anything, it's going to help her now to treat it and go forward."

Dr. Robert Spiera, director of the Scleroderma and Vasculitis Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, said: "Without knowing the details of her diagnosis, it will be challenging for her. The dryness of eyes and mouth alone can be very difficult for an athlete. It will depend on the extent of her disease and the effectiveness of medication and diet. It's possible that she could continue her career, but I don't have a crystal ball."

Williams entered the Open ranked No. 36, and that was based largely on her semifinal finish at Flushing Meadows last year. Because her points for the 2010 Open will come off the board at the end of this tournament, the WTA projects she will fall out of the top 100.