WIMBLEDON, England — It had been nearly six years since Venus Williams had been in a moment like this: Years of figuring out how to play with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease. Years of battling back to the top 10 after being outside the top 100. Years of enduring early-round losses at Grand Slam tournaments.
By the time Williams, 36, arrived Thursday at her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2010 United States Open, she had spent about 14 hours playing singles and doubles at the All England Club — about eight more than her opponent, 28-year-old Angelique Kerber.