Venus Williams has been playing professional tennis since 1994. She has won 22 Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles Grand Slam titles, a Tour Final, 4 Olympic Gold medals and too many other titles to mention here, so one may think that it’s time for her to slow down.

But anyone who follows tennis will tell you that despite her being the older and more composed player than younger sister, Serena, she is a fighter in her own right. She has had her fare share of injuries, most notably being diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease in 2011, which not only saw her sidelined, but her ranking drop to No. 102.

However, in true No. 1 Williams style, she has clawed her way back and her efforts have not only earned her three titles this year (ASB Classic, Wuhan Open and the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai), an invite to the WTA Finals in Singapore as an Alternative and her 700th career win, she has also been rewarded by ending the year as the No. 7 ranked player.

So at 35 years of age, when most players are either considering retirement or have retired, Venus’ star is still shining brightly.

Photographs courtesy of various publications.