Sports

Williams returns to U.S. Open, rallies for win

It was a year ago this week when Venus Williams shockingly pulled out of the U.S. Open just hours before her second-round match, four years of fatigue, aches and pains finally diagnosed as autoimmune disease Sjogren’s syndrome. Yesterday, she made her Arthur Ashe Stadium return a winning — and healthy — one.

Williams — who has gained a new perspective on her own athletic mortality while dealing with an ailment for which there is no known cure — shrugged off the gusting winds, an early deficit and eventually fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands for a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

“I was nervous in the beginning, coming back to the Open after last year. It was a big deal for me, so to get back out there in front of the crowd was a wonderful feeling,’’ said Williams. “Honestly, I didn’t even understand what I was going through last year. This summer I’ve come to acceptance. It takes a long time, especially when you’re an athlete. You see yourself as a healthy person.

“[You think] nothing can defeat you, so it takes awhile before you can see yourself as someone with flaws and chips in the armor. Now that I’ve come to accept it, it helps me a lot in how I need to prepare for matches, the mindset I need to come into it. I definitely was intimidated in a lot of matches this year, learning to play with this, so I’ve come a long way mentally, emotionally and physically as well.’’

Yesterday, Williams showed just how far she had come. After a nervous start, broken in her first game and trailing 0-2 in the first set, she tore off 20 of the next 22 points for a 5-2 lead. She hit 124 mph on her trademark serve, showed a good forehand despite the winds and didn’t look rusty at all considering the time off.

“After that she was crushing her serves and hitting return winners,” said Mattek-Sands, clad in a black skirt, red ABA-style shoes, eye black and a green ponytail. “I can’t beat myself up too much. She was playing a lot like I like to play, but she did it better.

“[Williams] had a better summer than people give her credit for.’’

Williams faces No. 6 seed Angelique Kerber tomorrow, against whom she is just 1-2. She fell to the fast-rising German twice this year, in Madrid and again in the Olympics singles competition.

“To me, this is all icing on the cake, because the Olympics was my goal this year,’’ said Williams, who won doubles gold with sister Serena. “For now I’m just building on the good play. … I’m looking forward to the top 10, all that great stuff. I feel like I have it in me.’’