INDIAN WELLS, California — Venus Williams will return to the BNP Paribas Open next month with wild-card entries in both the singles and doubles draws. The 45-year-old will make her first appearance at the tournament since 2024, when she lost in the first round as a wild card.
Williams is a three-time semifinalist at Indian Wells, most recently in 2018, and previously boycotted the event from 2002 to 2016 following a controversial 2001 incident. This will mark her 10th career appearance at the Southern California event, which runs March 4-15.
Tournament director Tommy Haas said, “It’s an honor to award the first wild card of this year’s event to Venus Williams. Venus is a legend of the game, and one of the most accomplished players our sport has ever seen.”
Williams expressed her excitement, saying, “I’m so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can’t wait to return home to play in California.” She most recently competed in the Australian Open, exiting in the first round in both singles and doubles, and is scheduled to play in the ATX Open, a WTA 250 event in Austin, Texas, starting Saturday through March 1.