Venus Williams Secures Wildcard to Compete at Indian Wells Tournament

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Image caption: Williams last played a match at the Miami Open in March 2024

Published on February 19, 2025

Venus Williams, once the world’s top-ranked tennis player, has been granted a wildcard for next months Indian Wells tournament. This will mark her return to play after an absence of nearly a year.

The 44-year-old athlete currently holds a world ranking of 974th and last competed in WTA Tour-level matches at the Miami Open, where she was eliminated in the first round back in March. Her last victory on the tour came as far back as August 2023.

With seven Grand Slam titles to her name, Williams’ next appearance will be her tenth time competing at Indian Wells. However, this journey has not been without controversy. She boycotted the tournament for a span of 15 years due to fan behavior during Serenas victory in the 2001 final against Kim Clijsters. It is believed that some fans were heckling both sisters because Venus pulled out injured from their semi-final match.

Following this incident, their father, Richard Williams, accused fans of engaging in racial abuse towards his daughters. Eventually, Serena resumed her participation at Indian Wells in 2015 while Venus returned the following year.

On another front, Petra Kvitova was also awarded a wildcard for next months tournament. The Czech tennis player announced earlier this month that she would return to professional tennis after welcoming her first child in July. Currently 34 years old and having won two Wimbledon titles, Kvitova’s comeback is eagerly anticipated by fans.

In men’s singles news, Joao Fonseca from Brazil secured a wildcard for Indian Wells following his impressive victory at the Argentina Open on Sunday as an 18-year-old rising star. Additionally, American player Learner Tien was granted the same privilege after reaching the fourth round of last months Australian Open.

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Last updated on January 31