Venus Williams accepts wildcard to play at Indian Wells, a tournament she once boycotted.

Venus Williams, 45, accepted a wildcard to play singles and doubles at Indian Wells. She is excited to play in the first leg of the 2026 Sunshine Double, consisting of Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Indian Wells, also known as the BNP Paribas Open, begins on March 1, 2026. This is the most widely attended tournament outside of the Grand Slams and the year-end finals. Its stadium court holds 16,000 fans making it the second largest tennis court in the world behind the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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Williams is enjoying a career renaissance after a successful runs last summer in the US Open hardcourt series and at the US Open where she played all three disciplines: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

At Indian Wells, she will reunite with her US Open doubles partner Leylah Fernandez.

Venus Williams was not always a fixture at Indian Wells

Despite being California natives, Venus and Serena Williams were not fixtures at the annual WTA 1000 tournament.

The Williams sisters boycotted Indian Wells after a 2001 bitter experience. Venus Williams withdrew from her 2001 semifinal match against Serena, citing a knee injury.

Venus Williams and her father Richard were in the stands to watch Serena defeat Kim Clijsters in the final. All were heckled and hit with racial slurs.

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Both sisters eventually put the troubling experience behind them and returned: Serena in 2015 and Venus in 2016. Venus last played Indian Wells in 2023.

Will Venus share news about a potential Serena comeback?

Venus Williams will be barraged with questions about a potential Serena Williams comeback that has been teased for months.

It started when Serena’s name reappeared on the players list subjected to anti-doping testing. Serena has publicly denied she is coming back.

However, her social media posts indicate otherwise. She recently posted video of herself practicing serves for the first time since 2023. Many believe the comeback is imminent with a reunion with Venus in doubles. They were virtually unbeatable in doubles at their peak, winning 14 Grand Slams doubles titles from 1999 to 2016.

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