Venus Williams has been awarded a wildcard entry for Indian Wells next month.
The 44-year-old is ranked 974th in the world and hasn’t played since the Miami Open in March 2024.
However, the seven-time Grand Slam to the court in the Californian sun at Indian Wells.
Williams has been announced as one of four wildcard entries for 2025 along with Petra Kvitova, Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien.
It will be her tenth appearance at the competition, which is dubbed as the ‘fifth Grand Slam’ thanks to its regular huge attendances.
However, Williams and her sister Serena boycotted Indian Wells for 14 years following a shocking incident in 2001.
Serena was crowned champion but fans booed the then 19-year-old during her final win against Kim Clijsters.
She also faced racial abuse along with Venus and their father Richard.
The sisters were due to face each other in the semi-finals but Venus withdrew with a knee injury just moments before.
Her decision seemingly angered the crowd, whose abuse caused the Williams sisters to snub the tournament for over a decade.
Serena returned to Indian Wells in 2015 and reached the semi-finals but withdrew with another knee injury.
Venus on the other hand made her comeback a year later and made it as far as the second round.
The tennis legend is a three-time semi-finalist at Indian Wells and was also a wildcard entry last year.
Williams’ appearance was the first of two in 2024 and her return will come almost an entire year since her last outing.
It’s also close to two years since she last played in a Grand Slam, which was the 2023 US Open.
However, Williams could win the 50th title of her stunning career in her appearance at Indian Wells, which begins on March 2.
