Venus Williams granted wild card entry for her comeback at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Venus Williams has received a wild card entry into both the singles and doubles draws for the BNP Paribas Open next month in the Southern California desert.
The 45-year-old will be making her first appearance in the tournament since 2024, when she was eliminated in the first round as a wild card. She has reached the semifinals three times, with her last appearance in that stage occurring in 2018. Williams boycotted the event from 2002 to 2016 following a controversial incident in 2001.
“It’s an honor to award the first wild card of this year’s event to Venus Williams,” tournament director Tommy Haas stated on Friday. “Venus is a legend of the game, and one of the most accomplished players our sport has ever seen.”
This will mark Williams’ 10th career participation in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from March 4-15. Last year, she was offered a wild card but chose not to accept it.
“I’m so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can’t wait to return home to play in California,” Williams expressed.
Her most recent competition was at the Australian Open, where she was defeated in the first round in both singles and doubles.
Williams is set to participate in the ATX Open, a WTA 250 event in Austin, Texas, starting Saturday and continuing through March 1.
Source: espn.com
