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Venus Williams, 44, given wildcard for Indian Wells



 Former world number one Venus Williams has been given a wildcard for next month's Indian Wells in what would be her first match for almost a year.

The 44-year-old has slipped to 974th in the world and has not played a WTA Tour-level match since losing in the first round of the Miami Open last March.

A seven-time Grand Slam champion, Williams has also not won a Tour-level match since August 2023.

It will be her 10th appearance at Indian Wells - a tournament she boycotted for 15 years after her younger sister Serena was booed and heckled by fans during her win over Kim Clijsters in the 2001 final.

The jeers appeared to be in response to Venus withdrawing injured from the semi-final between the siblings.

Their father, Richard, later accused fans of racial abuse. Serena returned to the tournament in 2015, while Venus played the following year.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, 34, has also been handed a wildcard after her announcement earlier this month that she would return to tennis following the birth of her first child in July.

On the men's side, Brazil's 18-year-old rising star Joao Fonseca, who won his first ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open on Sunday, was granted a wildcard along with American 19-year-old Learner Tien, who reached the fourth round of January's Australian Open.

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