Venus was set to play Wimbledon semifinalist Sabine Lisicki in the second round. Just when she was about to play her second round match at the U.S. Open, Venus Williams withdrew from the tournament due to an autoimmune disease with which she was recently diagnosed.

“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year’s U.S. Open. I have recently been diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain.”