Venus Williams was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease so exhausting she could barely get out of bed — then her sister suggested the dietary change that kept her on tour a decade longer

Venus Williams was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease so exhausting she could barely get out of bed — then her sister suggested the dietary change that kept her on tour a decade longer

In the late summer of 2011, Venus Williams won her opening match at the US Open and then, two days later, withdrew before the second round. The reason she gave was not an injury. She had been diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s moisture-producing glands and leaves many patients too drained to get out of bed. She was 31, a former world number one and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, and the diag…