Although Venus Williams was knocked out of the U.S. Open doubles along with sister Serena, she had a nice toned shoulder to cry on. According to People Magazine, Williams is dating Elio Alberto Pis, a Cuban model, and the pair have been seeing each other for a few months.
According to People’s report, the two were seen holding hands and kissing while they were at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the competition. Although Pis isn’t as famous as his girlfriend he seems to be a pretty interesting guy. According to the report, Pis has been getting steady work and has posed for Williams’ athletic clothing line, EleVen , Russell Simmon’s clothing line and French Vogue.
The Miami resident also has a degree from Florida International University in psychology and taught himself English.
Perhaps Pis has been the one keeping Williams company as she took time off from tennis to focus on her health. After four years of unexplained fatigue, Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease, last year. “Everything was hard. I didn’t understand why,” she said of her illness. “And then just being at the tournament, every day, I just wanted to quit at practice. I would tell myself, ‘Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel better. Just keep going.’”
After about six months on medication, Williams started to feel better and was able to regain focus. “I focus a lot on my tennis and I try to get a lot of rest. My life is changed, so I just try to focus a lot more on saving energy for tennis. I’m not trying to conquer anything else. I’m tired,” said Williams. “I really love tennis,” she said. “And I feel like I have so much to give, especially since I have had my health problems. I feel like I can’t let anything take me down. I have to beat this.”
