2015 was a renaissance season for Venus Williams, but 2016 could be her swan song.
Williams, the No. 8 seed, became the highest ranked player to fall in the first round of the Australian Open, losing in straight sets to No. 47 Johanna Konta (6-4, 6-2) on Monday, according to ESPN.
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Konta is playing in her first Aussie Open.
Serena's older sister, who was the dominant player in women's tennis before Serena's emergence, won three tournaments last year -- her most since discovering she was suffering from Sjogren's Syndrome, an energy-sapping autoimmune disease, in 2011. Venus changed her lifestyle and diet and was able to minimize the effects of her illness.
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In fact, Venus won her only other match against Konta last fall at the Wuhan Open in a three-set, two-hour-and-39-minute marathon 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
But the 24-year-old Konta simply wore down the 35-year-old Williams in Australia, creating doubt as to how much longer the elder Williams wants to continue playing with her prime continuing to disappear from her rear-view mirror.
"Last year, Venus was the WTA's comeback player of the year, but Tuesday at Rod Laver Arena, she looked all of her 35 years as she labored around the court with a heavily taped left thigh and struggled with the serve (one ace) that was once her greatest weapon," ESPN reported.
Konta moved Venus from side to side throughout their match, giving Williams' upcoming, younger opponents a blueprint from which to employ against her as she moves on in 2016, according to USA Today Sports.
"I have a very strong belief in the way I want to play, the way I want to think," Konta said in her on-court interview, via ESPN. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and today, I won."
Venus certainly could be forgiven if she isn't thinking about retirement yet after last season. But sooner or later, the aging champion with the debilitating disease may reach a breaking point if she no longer can beat the players she used to beat on a regular basis when she was No. 1.
Venus is 0-2 so far in 2016. A few more early exits certainly could make her think a lot more seriously about retirement.
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