Venus Williams will return to the BNP Paribas Open next month after accepting wild cards into both the singles and doubles draws, tournament organizers announced Friday. Williams, 45, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1, said she is looking forward to coming back to a tournament she long called home in Southern California.
“I’m so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can’t wait to return home to play in California,” Williams said in a statement released by the tournament. Tournament director Tommy Haas said the event was proud to award Williams the first wild card of this year’s tournament.
The BNP Paribas Open is a WTA 1000 event. The women’s main draw is scheduled to run March 4–15, with the overall tournament listed as March 1–15. Williams’ appearance will be her 10th at Indian Wells. She is a three-time singles semifinalist at the event and last played there in 2024, when she lost in the first round as a wild card.
Her return comes after a stop-start stretch on tour. In January, Williams became the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw, and she was beaten in the first round by Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in three sets. Williams had also stepped back from competition for extended periods.
She returned last July at the Washington Open after a 16-month hiatus, playing on a wild card. In doubles at Indian Wells, Williams is expected to team with Leylah Fernandez, her partner during a 2025 U.S. Open run.
