Venus Williams will not be playing in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., after all.
The tournament announced last week that Williams, 44, was granted a wild-card entry into the event. The event is among the most important competitions in the sport outside of the Grand Slams.
But after reports surfaced that Williams told journalists in Denmark that she was not playing in the event, tournament organizers issued a statement reversing course.
“Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year,” tournament director Tommy Haas stated. “We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future.”
This may all be for the best. At the time the wild card was granted, Williams had not played a competitive match in nearly a year. She was ranked 974th in the world. While a picture on her social media showed her in exercise clothes and stretching with an elastic band on a tennis court, she was not inclined to actually play high-level singles, as 44-year-olds rarely do.
It was not immediately clear exactly what the mixup had been, or even if she had known she was being granted a wild card.
Williams has played the event nine times. She and her sister, Serena, did not compete in Indian Wells for 14 years after 2001 after fans heckled her and her family following a withdrawal ahead of a semifinal between the two sisters.
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(Photo of Venus Williams at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
