Venus Williams follows ‘little sister Serena’s mandate’ to realise goal – ‘She said no’
Tennis great Venus Williams will achieve one of the major goals she has set out for herself for this season as she will compete at the Indian Wells Open.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner has been handed a wildcard entry into the WTA 1000 tournament along with fellow former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
For the 43-year-old Williams, it will be a return to the Tennis Garden for the first time since 2019 while she will also play competitive tennis for the first time since the US Open in August last year as she has struggled with a knee injury in recent years.
Despite being during the final stages of her career, the American admitted at the beginning of the year that she still has some objectives to achieve this season.
“One of my big goals is to play the United States, to play in the Miami Open and at Indian Wells,” she said on her YouTube channel.
“I have not played there since 2019 due to injuries. It’s a long time. It’s a lot of years not to play at home. So that’s of course one of my big goals on the horizon, is to be there, prepare to do that. Amongst many goals on the court, too.
“I want to be there, I want to be there on time, but I have a lot of other challenges to overcome.”
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Williams, who played only 10 matches in 2023, will be following a “mandate” from fellow great and sister Serena as the 23-time winner has given her a “mandate” in terms of her playing career.
She added: “My little sister Serena told me I am not allowed to quit and of course I would never quit. But it’s the mandate, she said no. So I will be back on the court.”
Wozniacki also returns for the first time since 2019 after she came out of retirement midway through the 2023 season. The 2018 Australian Open winner retired from tennis in early 2020, but returned last year.
The Dane won the Indian Wells title in 2011 and also finished runner-up in 2010 and 2013 while Williams’ best performance at the event is three semi-final appearances.
The 2024 Indian Wells Open will run from March 6-17 and the top 32 players in the WTA Rankings are all set to appear at the mandatory WTA 1000 event with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula headlining the field.
Rybakina is the defending champion after she defeated Sabalenka in straight sets in last year’s final.
