Venus Williams is 44 years old and has not played a WTA Tour-level match in nearly a year. She played two last year and lost them both.
But Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion will be at it again next month in California after receiving a coveted wild card entry into the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
“Williams, a Southern California native, has competed on the WTA Tour for more than 30 years since her debut in 1994,” the tournament said in a statement announcing its first four wild card entries on Wednesday. “Williams is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles and has won a combined 23 Grand Slams across all competitions, including seven in singles, while also winning four Olympic Gold Medals and the 2008 WTA Tour Championships. The 2025 BNP Paribas Open will mark Williams’ tenth career appearance at Indian Wells.”
Williams has reached the semifinals of Indian Wells three times. This will be her 10th appearance. She and her sister, Serena, stayed away from the tournament for 14 years following an ugly incident in 2001, after Venus withdrew with a knee injury from her semifinal match against Serena just before it was supposed to start.
Venus and her father, Richard, were booed as they sat down to watch Serena play the final against Kim Clijsters. She was booed further when celebrating with her father and sister after she won the match.
Williams also received a wild card last year to Indian Wells and also to the Miami Open. She lost in three sets to Nao Hibino of Japan at Indian Wells and in straight sets to Diana Shnaider in Miami.
In the last two days, she has posted on social media about her favorite stretching exercises as well as a photo of her stretching with a band on a tennis court. Williams is currently ranked 974th in the world and last won a match in August of 2023.
The tournament also awarded wild card entries to Petra Kvitova, who is coming back from childbirth, to 18-year-old Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca, and Learner Tien, the 19-year-old American from Orange County who made the fourth round of the Australian Open.
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