By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Sunday, February 23, 2025
Photo Credit: Matthew Calvis
The announcement of a wild card for Venus Williams at the BNP Paribas Open sent ripples through the tennis community, and even Venus found it quite amusing!
However, the tennis icon, now 44, has made it clear that she won’t be competing at Indian Wells next month.
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While attending an event named “An Evening with Venus Williams” in Denmark, she was questioned about her participation in the prestigious tournament.
Williams candidly shared, “No, I’m not playing. I found the announcement rather humorous because it seems to have made people happy, so I thought, ‘Why not play along with it? But truly, I’m not going.” She confirmed her plans to be abroad during the BNP Paribas Open scheduled from March 2-16 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
“I just received a message from a player asking if I could join in for doubles,” she humorously added. “But the truth is, I’m not available. I learned about the wild card just like you did,” she stated.
Expressing her fondness for the event, she continued, “I have great affection for Indian Wells, and if I had the opportunity, I would have jumped at the chance to be there. However, other commitments have already been made.”
EXCLUSIVE: Venus Williams confirms in Denmark that the news regarding her wild card acceptance for singles at Indian Wells is “not true”. She will be overseas. pic.twitter.com/z0cNQxujcW
— Tennis Weekly Podcast (@tennisweeklypod) February 23, 2025
With a remarkable 49 career titles, Venus last played at the 2024 Indian Wells, where she faced off against qualifier Nao Hibino and lost with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 0-6. In her most recent Tour-level match, she succumbed to world No. 62 Diana Shnaider with scores of 3-6, 3-6 at the Miami Open.
As of this evening, February 23rd, the official BNP Paribas Open website still lists Venus Williams as a wild card on its 2025 player entry list page.
