CNN
—
Former world No. 1 Venus Williams will not play at next month’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells after declining her wild card invitation, the tournament announced on Sunday.
“Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year,” tournament director Tommy Haas said in a statement. “We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future.”
The announcement from Indian Wells comes shortly after Williams told the ‘Tennis Weekly’ podcast that she wouldn’t be returning to the court at the event.
“I’m not playing,” she said. “I’m going to be overseas. I’m not gonna be here.”
The 44-year-old had been invited last week to play at the tournament in what would’ve been her first event since losing in the first round of the Miami Open in March 2024.
She hasn’t won a match on tour since August 2023.
She has appeared nine times at Indian Wells, with her first coming back in 1994.
Williams, who has reached the semifinals on three occasions, had boycotted the tournament between 2002 and 2016 after her sister Serena was booed by the crowd in the 2001 final, with the family also saying they were subjected to racist abuse.
In her latest appearance at Indian Wells, Williams lost in her first match against Japan’s Nao Hibino.
While no longer the force she once was, Williams has enjoyed a glittering career which includes seven grand slam singles titles, 14 doubles grand slam titles and two grand slam mixed-doubles titles.
The former world No. 1 also won gold in the singles tournament at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and claimed three gold medals in the doubles tournament in 2000, 2008 and 2012.
In recent seasons, though, Williams has barely played on the tour due to a number of injuries and has slipped to 974th in the world.
The BNP Paribas Open will run between March 2-16.