The past few seasons have been tough for tennis champion Venus Williams, who has been beset by both illness and poor performances on the court. It wasn't always that way. On July 8, 2001, she won the Wimbledon championship title for the second year in a row and became the first woman to capture two consecutive wins at the tennis tournament, which many consider to be the equivalent to the film industry's coveted Oscar award. Williams has won the title five times, besting sister Serena's four. Not yet ready to retire, Williams may have to sooner than she'd hoped. She suffers from Sjogren syndrome, a chronic, autoimmune disease that has no cure. The champion does seem to have a Plan B, however. In addition to creating V*Starr Interiors, she also has earned an associate's degree in fashion design.
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