Milan: Venus Williams plans to make her comeback in an exhibition match against her sister Serena in Colombia next Wednesday after being forced to pull out of the US Open because of an immune system disease.
Venus told Thursday's Gazzetta dello Sport that she has changed her diet to fill it with vegetables after being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, a chronic disease where white blood cells attack moisture-producing glands and can cause dysfunction of organs and body systems, which can cause fatigue and joint pain.
After playing Serena in Medellin, Venus will then pair with her sister against Italian pair Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta in another exhibition match in Milan on December 3.
Serena also hasn't played since losing to Sam Stosur in the US Open final.
"I did a lot of medical therapy and a serious evaluation of my diet to understand which foods help control the symptoms better," Venus Williams told the Gazzetta, which is sponsoring the Milan exhibition.
"I (altered) my mind frame completely because I was the person who always ate their steak first and their salad second."
"And that's why I've completely changed my diet and filled it with a lot of vegetables. In the meantime, I've continued to keep myself fit with tennis and in the gym," Venus added. "I'm very confident in my progress."
Having also missed a large part of this season due to injuries, Venus' ranking has fallen to No. 103. She is planning to return to the WTA Tour in January at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
"The London Olympics are a big goal," the five-time Wimbledon champion said. "I would like to continue playing at my best level. I love tennis and the racket seems like it was made explicitly for my hand."
"Within the next 12 months, I'm expecting to get back to the top of the rankings in singles and doubles. I want to play all year long. I've still got a lot of work to do but it doesn't scare me - I'm used to it."
Williams's last Grand Slam singles triumph was her 2008 Wimbledon crown.
"My goal next year is to play a full schedule. It will take some work to get there, but I'm no stranger to hard work," said the 31-year-old.
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