By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Sunday, February 23, 2025
Picture 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.
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The 44-year-old Venus, who has been in Europe just lately for style occasions and promotional appearances, was requested in the present day 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 mentioned 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 mentioned. “Truly, I discovered the announcement tremendous amusing as a result of, I do not know, folks appear to be joyful, so I used to be like, ‘Possibly I will simply go along with it, I do not know.’ I am really not going.
“I will be abroad. I am not going to be [there] … I simply had a participant textual content me in the present day too, like, ‘Are you able to play doubles?’ [But] I am not taking part in. “I came upon concerning the wild card if you guys did. Simply saying.
“And I like Indian Wells, I might like to be there and if I may have accepted it, I might 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.
