Story highlights
Serena Williams tells CNN how her 2012 season went from disaster to triumph
The 31-year-old didn't leave the house for two days after first round French Open defeat
Williams roared back winning Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and two Olympic golds
Serena says she is in awe of sister Venus, who also had health problems in 2012
Just 38 days separated the lowest moment in Serena Williams’ 2012 season, and the undisputed highlight.
After a crushing first round defeat at the French Open to world No. 111 Virginie Razzano in May the 31-year-old was so distraught she didn’t leave the house for two days.
But just over a month later Williams was hoisting her fifth Wimbledon title – her 14th grand slam singles win – a triumph she hadn’t thought possible after a blood clot on her lung nearly ended her career prematurely.
It proved the catalyst for an all conquering end to the season, as Serena won every major title on offer, including two Olympic gold medals, in the singles and in the doubles with sister Venus, the U.S. Open and the season-ending WTA championships.
Read: How tennis aced austerity
It prompted many to isolate that decimating defeat in Paris as the kick start her season needed but speaking to CNN’s Open Court show, Serena offered a different explanation.
“I think that for me the turning point was in April,” she said.
“I had decided that I wanted to play better, and I told my dad, ‘I want to play, for the rest of my career, I want to play better, I want to be focused and what are we going to do about it?’
“Then for me to lose in Paris was completely disappointing. I was completely shattered, I was really sad, and I didn’t leave my house for two days.”
That self doubt resurfaced during the final at Wimbledon, in front of a packed Centre Court.
Having breezed through the opening set against Agnieszka Radwanska, competing in her maiden grand slam final, the Pole fought back to take the second set 7-5, sparking a mini meltdown in Williams.
“I lost the second set, I panicked and then after that I thought, ‘I’m never going to win another grand slam, I’m going to be stuck at 13 for the rest of my life’,” she said.
“I should have been happy the last time I won Wimbledon, and then when I was in the hospital I thought I wouldn’t even play tennis again, so to have that opportunity from going from that low, from the bottom to the top, it was probably the highlight of my year.”
Li Na recently compared taking on Serena to playing a wall – everything comes back.
But Serena concedes her outward demeanor – stalking the court in such intimidating, predatory fashion – is sometimes a shield to what is really going on inside.
“I don’t look at me being great or me being good,” she explained. “I just am a player and I know I’m good at tennis. And I get nervous, I get apprehensive, I have all those feelings.
“I do (hide them). I’m a good actress. But I have all those emotions and feelings, which I think is completely normal. And then sometimes, I think really what helps me is I’m really strong mentally, so it helps me get through it.”
If that was Serena’s individual highlight of the year there is no doubt as to the collective one.
After a long absence from the women’s Tour due to a foot injury and the subsequent blood clot on her lung, Serena returned to action for the first time in nearly a year at Eastbourne in June 2011.
But within three months of her comeback there was more bad news for the Williams sisters as Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome – an autoimmune disorder that causes joint pain and can deplete energy levels.
It would be February before she returned to the Tour full time but, just like Serena, her form was patchy – until Wimbledon arrived.
Undeniably, the famous environs of SW19 propel both Venus and Serena to a higher plane.
On the same day Serena secured the singles title, the Williams sisters took their fifth doubles crown at the All England Club – a sign their stranglehold on the women’s game is far from over.
But it was the success they shared just a few weeks later at the Olympics on the same showpiece court that meant most to Serena.
“Venus and I went through so much, her finding out about her Sjogren’s disease and myself with my near-death experience in the hospital, and to share that moment on the podium and holding that gold medal was, was amazing.”
The pair enjoyed their most recent Games experience so much they confirmed to CNN they’d be sticking around to defend their title at Rio in 2016.
And when they both say they enjoy each other’s success as much as their own it isn’t hard to believe, especially when Serena talks of her sister’s first Tour victory in two years at the Luxembourg Open in October.
“Venus winning after two years is great,” Serena said. “She’s been through even more than I’ve been through.
“And so she’s been working really hard, and I see it, I see her work really hard, and go through things that no athlete should go through and continue to play professional sport. I’m in awe of her, really.”
Just as both sisters revel in the delight when the other wins, so they share the despair when the other loses.
Serena added: “I can watch her in person, but I can’t watch (on television). When she played her semifinal (in Luxembourg) I was so nervous, she lost the first set and she was up, and I felt like she should have won.
“I was angry, I was angry at everybody around me, I couldn’t be normal. So yeah, like when she wins, I win, I feel the same way, and when she loses, oh, I lose. I feel that loss.”
Though there are 15 months between the sisters there is no doubt their watertight relationship has helped them as players throughout their career. Serena likens their bond to that of twins.
“She’s done so much for me. I think one of the hardest jobs in the world is to be an older sister. And I think Venus is an amazing older sister, she was a great role model for me, and we feel each other – I can talk to her.
“She knows exactly how I feel about so many different issues, and I love it. I love having that relationship.”