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Venus Williams was a straight-sets winner over Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor at the Australian Open on Tuesday and the seven-time grand slam champion is confident she can enjoy a clean bill of health after being diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome four years ago.
Williams first revealed she was suffering from the autoimmune disease, which causes fatigue and joint pain, in 2011 following her withdrawal from the US Open.
Many would have agreed that Williams' best days were behind her, but the 34-year-old has showed no signs of slowing down.
A year after losing the ASB Classic final to Ana Ivanovic, Williams returned to Auckland earlier this month in triumphant fashion by defeating Caroline Wozniacki to claim her 46th WTA Tour title.
And Williams – seeded 18th – carried that form to Melbourne Park, where she made light work of her Spanish opponent on Hisense Arena.
"You know, I got issues, but so do a lot of people. Everyone has different kind of issues," Williams said.
"I deal with my own the best way that I can. I'm creeping closer. I did enter the top 20. But I had some issues. Now I'm back again.
"I'd like to think that moving forward I have a lot of good days ahead of me in terms of health.
"I think also learning to manage things, because it's a mental challenge when you don't feel well and I think I'm learning to manage that a lot better."
Williams spent a little over an hour on court against Torro-Flor.
She hit 20 winners and served at 68 per cent in a decent first-up performance that earned her a second-round showdown with fellow American Lauren Davis.
"I felt good out there. I felt like my serve was working, moving well, playing aggressive," Williams added.
"She [Torro-Flor] and I had a really tough match at Wimbledon last year. Even from the first game, she was just hitting the ball so hard. So obviously I was just prepared for her to play well again.
"But thankfully I was able to break serve a few times and make it a little easier than last time we played."