Venus Williams in transit as form swings to first-round exit Still a force: Venus Williams. After Venus Williams had swept through the first set against Ekaterina Makarova on Monday, thrice breaking her opponent's serve and resembling the force of yore, a pair of American tennis luminaries pondered the notion that, at 33, Venus could again be rising. Chris Evert, whose mark of 18 grand slam singles titles is in little sister Serena's sights this Australian Open fortnight, said Venus still had the power and finesse to be a top-10 player, but simply had not enjoyed the level of health to allow it. Brad Gilbert called her the youngest 33-year-old going around, and forecast that more than one Williams would progress deep into the tournament. She played just 26 matches in 2013, and while her potency was underscored by Victoria Azarenka numbering among her 16 wins, the sad reality is that the elder Williams' tennis has become a reflection of her physical state. She suffers from an auto-immune disorder that causes fatigue and joint pain; it comes and goes, and in the last two sets against Makarova, so did Venus. "The last 12 months I have had issues, but this year I definitely am looking forward to having a good run and feeling well," she said after a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss. Williams led 3-0 in the decider but was undone by more telling numbers, primarily eight double faults and 56 unforced errors. It was just her sixth first-round loss in 61 grand slam appearances that have produced seven singles titles. As much as she put a verbal and body language wall up to questions hinting at irreversible decline, it could not be lost on her that three of those early exits have come in the past three years. "I love tennis, it's fun," Williams said of what keeps her going. I think pretty much anyone who plays tennis will say that they enjoy the game, so I think that is definitely motivation for me. I totally do want to win tournaments ... going into tournaments, that's always something I hope for. The last of major consequence was Wimbledon 2008, three years before she was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome. Evert volunteered that the upside of a diminished status (ranked 37 in a world she once ruled) is playing without pressure, yet while more journeys to the net reaped rewards against Makarova, inconsistency was as telling as a poker player's twitch. "That's difficult to say, because I do play points really well, and then sometimes I don't put them together as well," Williams said of whether she feels she is closing the gap between where she could be and where she is. The latter reality is fifth among American women behind not only Serena but Sloane Stephens, Jamie Hampton and Madison Keys. She has not gone beyond the third round in her last seven majors, but insists only patience and playing more matches will produce the data to assess where her career is at. In the commentary box, the American tennis royalty she will always be, pondered if her 18th grand slam season could be her last. "I love Australia," Williams said of whether we will see her next year. I'd love to come back. Time, and her physical and tennis wellbeing, will tell whether it's as a player, or just rooting for Serena in the stands.