Venus Williams declines Indian Wells wildcard

USA: Former world No. 1 Venus Williams has rejected a wildcard invitation to play for next month’s Indian Wells tournament. 

The competition organisers announced that the 44-year-old athlete had been invited to participate, but the 7-time Grand Slam singles champion has chosen not to accept it. 

In a social media post, the event shared a message from the tournament director, Tommy Haas, stating, “Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year. We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future.” 

A Message From Tournament Director Tommy Haas:

“Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year. We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future.”

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 24, 2025

The reason behind

Venus previously mentioned on the TennisWeekly podcast that she would not be returning for the Indian Wells tournament, which will happen from Mar 2 to 16. The athlete stated her reason, saying, “I’m not playing – I’ll be overseas. I won’t be here.”

She stayed away from Indian Wells for 15 years after her youngest sister, Serena Williams, was booed and heckled by the crowd following her win against Kim Clijsters in the 2001 final. This came after Venus withdrew from the semi-final match against her sister due to injury,

Venus Williams is now ranked 974th in the world and hasn’t played a Women’s Tennis Association Tour match since her first-round loss at the Miami Open last March.