Venus Williams voted Comeback Player of the Year

I’ve been writing a lot about the accomplishments of Venus Williams this year because I love a good comeback story.

And this year, Venus has had a comeback for the ages.

At 35, she’s back into the Top 10 for the first time in years and it was announced earlier today that she has been voted WTA Comeback Player of the Year for 2015.

Venus, currently ranked number 7, is the oldest Top 10 player since a 38-year-old Martina Navratilova on January 1, 1995.

She won three tournaments this year and made it to the quarterfinals of the US and Australian Opens.

So why is her comeback so noteworthy?

Because Venus, a five-time Wimbledon champ, two-time US Open winner, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist and former world number one found herself ranked No.137 in the world the week of February 13, 2012. This was after a seven-month absence from the tour during which she was diagnosed with the energy-sapping Sjögren’s Syndrome disease.

Instead of retiring, Venus tried to find ways to conserve her energy, adjusted her lifestyle and kept on playing. Eventually, she found a way to win again.

Her steady progress over the past three years has, of course, been overshadowed by the enormous success of her younger sister, Serena Williams who was named WTA Player of the Year once again.

Since the start of 2012, Serena has won three US Opens, two Wimbledons, two French Opens, an Australian Open and and Olympic Gold Medal. She was two matches away from a Grand Slam before being upset in the semifinals of the US Open in September.