Venus Williams

The Australian Open begins Monday in Melbourne (Sunday in the U.S.) and the injury scorecard is already cluttered before the season's first major. Serena Williams has already hurt her ankle and Venus Williams didn't make the trip to Australia as she deals with an autoimmune disorder that she disclosed at the 2011 U.S. Open. Roger Federer has been spotted clutching at his achy back. Rafael Nadal has been seen using a bag with wheels to cart around his tennis gear instead of slinging one over a sore shoulder.

Tennis star Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, more than four months after announcing that she has Sjogren's syndrome . "After several months of training and treatment, I am making steady progress to top competitive form," the 31-year-old wrote on her website Monday. "My diet and fitness regimen have allowed me to make great strides in terms of my health and I am very close to being able to return to WTA competition. " Williams finished, "I have every intention to return to the circuit in February.

Reporting from New York — The best players dominated at the U.S. Open on Thursday. Serena Williams, seeded 28th, needed only 49 minutes to beat qualifier Michaella Krajicek, 6-0, 6-1. Third-seeded Roger Federer was on and off Arthur Ashe Stadium in 1 hour 17 minutes with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Dudi Sela. Eighth-seeded Mardy Fish positively dawdled, taking 1:53 to knock out Tunisian qualifier Malek Jaziri, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki cruised past Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 6-0, in 63 minutes.

U.S. Open featured matches Seedings in parentheses; all times PDT Arthur Ashe Stadium Beginning at 8 a.m.: Vera Zvonareva (2) vs. Kateryna Bondarenko; Andy Murray (4) vs. Somdev Devvarman; Venus Williams vs. Sabine Lisicki (22) Beginning at 4 p.m.: Andy Roddick (21) vs. Michael Russell; Maria Sharapova (3) vs. Anastasiya Yakimova. Louis Armstrong Stadium Beginning 8 a.m.: Lucie Safarova (27) vs. Madison Keys; Juan Martin Del Potro (18)

Reporting from New York -- Venus Williams isn't ready to walk away from tennis, but she had to Wednesday, leaving the U.S. Open with her head down. Williams, 31, pulled out of her second-round match against 22nd-seeded Sabine Lisicki, a big-serving German who is a decade younger than Venus. In a statement, Williams said she had an autoimmune illness called Sjogren's syndrome. The illness, Williams said, "affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain. " Carlos Fleming, Williams' longtime agent, looked downcast outside the locker room after the announcement.

Tennis star Venus Williams has withdrawn from the U.S. Open shortly before her second-round match, announcing that she has been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to dry eyes, dry mouth and painful joint problems. "I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon," said Williams, who has spent considerable time off the court for various health issues, from a hip injury to a viral infection.  Sjogren's (pronounced "show-grins")

Venus Williams has come to this U.S. Open unseeded, ranked only 36th in the world, having spent her summer withdrawing from hard-court tournaments because of a viral illness and being spoken of only as a tennis afterthought. And then Williams, after taking a few games to locate her ground strokes and power up her serve, soon enough was applauding the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd as it applauded her. Williams, a two-time Open champion and a semifinalist last year, defeated 91st-ranked Vesna Dolonts, 6-4, 6-3. And if there is a reason to still be cautious about Williams' overall chances, it would be that her 22-year-old Russian opponent had arrived in New York from Russia only on Monday morning after a sequence of trouble with her international visa and a flight delayed by Hurricane Irene.

Chris Kirk won his first PGA Tour event with a one-stroke victory in the Viking Classic, shooting a four-under-par 68 to beat Tom Pernice Jr. and George McNeill by one stroke at Madison, Miss. The 26-year-old rookie tied the tournament record with a 22-under performance over four rounds, taking advantage of Annandale Golf Club's soft greens and fairways. He broke a tie with McNeill on No. 17, hitting a 140-yard approach over water to within five feet of the hole for an easy birdie putt.

Serena Williams is not finished, but Roger Federer might be. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal seem ready to offer tennis fans a new rivalry, but women's tennis is still looking for the player or players to carry its appeal to wide audiences. There might be signs of life for American men's tennis with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison winning his first main-draw match, but, for now, the women's side is dependent on whether Serena and Venus Williams are fully engaged and healthy. That's some of what we've learned from Wimbledon.

Tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams were both ousted by less experienced players at Wimbledon on Monday -- Serena by France's Marion Bartoli and Venus by Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova. Was it because, in the great tradition of sports narratives, the underdogs were inspired to take their frontrunning rivals down a notch?   Well, not necessarily. According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, underdogs aren't the ones supplied with extra motivation -- the favored athlete is. People worked about 30% harder when they were ranked higher than their competitors, according to the researchers.