By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Sunday, February 23, 2025
Photograph credit score: Matthew Calvis
The BNP Paribas Open awarding Venus Williams a wild card thrilled the tennis world and amused Venus herself.
That is as a result of the previous world No. 1 says she’s not taking part in Indian Wells subsequent month.
MORE: Andreeva Sweeps Swiatek in Dubai
The 44-year-old Venus, who has been in Europe lately for style occasions and promotional appearances, was requested right now if she was taking part in Indian Wells.
Williams instructed a crowd in Denmark at “An Night with Venus Williams” she has no plans to play Indian Wells.
The five-time Wimbledon winner stated she will probably be abroad when the BNP Paribas Open, set for March 2-16 on the Indian Wells Tennis Backyard, is contested.
“No, I am not taking part in,” Williams stated. “Really, I discovered the announcement tremendous amusing as a result of, I do not know, folks appear to be completely satisfied, so I used to be like, ‘Possibly I am going to simply go along with it, I do not know.’ I am truly not going.
“I will be abroad. I am not going to be [there] … I simply had a participant textual content me right now too, like, ‘Are you able to play doubles?’ [But] I am not taking part in. “I discovered concerning the wild card while you guys did. Simply saying.
“And I really like Indian Wells, I’d like to be there and if I might have accepted it, I’d have been like, ‘Sure.’ However I already made commitments.”
EXCLUSIVE: Venus Williams talking in Denmark confirms that the story that got here out final week that she had accepted a wild card to play singles at Indian Wells is “not true”. She is abroad and won’t be taking part in. pic.twitter.com/z0cNQxujcW
— Tennis Weekly Podcast (@tennisweeklypod) February 23, 2025
The proprietor of 49 profession titles, Venus Williams performed the 2024 Indian Wells bowing to qualifier Nao Hibino 6-2, 3-6, 0-6. In her final Tour-level match, Williams misplaced to world No. 62 Diana Shnaider, 3-6, 3-6, on the Miami Open.
As of tonight, Sunday, February twenty third, the official BNP Paribas Open web site nonetheless has Venus Williams listed as a wild card on its 2025 participant entry checklist web page.
