Venus Williams reveals she ‘can’t wait’ after receiving Indian Wells wildcard
Venus Williams has been confirmed to make her return at Indian Wells, with the seven-time singles Grand Slam champion set to play in the desert for the first time since 2019.
Williams last played a competitive match at the 2022 US Open, facing her heaviest ever defeat in the first round to qualifier Greet Minnen.
The American had been struggling with injuries throughout the season, which only allowed her to play a total of 10 matches, winning just three.
A knee injury curtailed Williams’ 2023 season, but now it seems as though the former No.1 is ready to return to the tournament often dubbed as ‘the fifth Grand Slam’.
The current world No.480 has received a wildcard for Indian Wells this year, making her first appearance at the WTA 1000 tournament in five years, to which she responded on social media by saying, “Can’t wait to be back at #TennisParadise.”
Can’t wait to be back at #TennisParadise ????????️ https://t.co/O7bpNh67Yh
— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) February 13, 2024
Williams has never won either the singles or doubles titles in California, but the 43-year-old has reached the semi-finals in singles three times and doubles once.
It is not just Williams who has received a wildcard, with fellow former No.1 and 2011 champion Caroline Wozniacki also being awarded direct entry to the event.
Indian Wells will kick-off the sunshine double on Sunday 3rd March, concluding two weeks later on 17th March.
Inside the baseline…
The Williams’ sisters and Indian Wells have had a rocky relationship with the Indian Wells tournament over the years, boycotting the event between 2001 and 2015 after receiving racism from the crowd. So, this wildcard shows that the relationship with the tournament has healed over time and hopefully shows a change in attitude towards one of the greatest sportspeople in history. Venus Williams has suffered a lot with injury over the past few years, so it would be great if she could have as pain-free season as possible in what is the twilight of her career.
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