NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former world number one Venus Williams will not compete at next month’s Indian Wells tournament despite the WTA 1000 event giving the 44-year-old American a wild card.
Williams, who played only two tournaments last season, said at a speaking event in Denmark that she had not been told of the wildcard before the tournament announced it on Wednesday and added that she was unable to compete due to prior commitments.
“I found the announcement super amusing because, I don’t know, people seem to be happy, so I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll just go with it, I don’t know’,” Williams said at the event in the city of Naestved.
“I’m actually not going. I’m going to be overseas.”
Tournament director Tommy Haas later released a statement confirming that Williams would not be playing at the March 2-16 event in Southern California.
“Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year,” it read. “We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future.”
Williams boycotted the event for 15 years after fans booed and heckled her younger sister Serena during her 2001 final victory over Kim Clijsters, apparently in response to Venus withdrawing injured from their semi-final.
“I love Indian Wells, I would love to be there and if I could have accepted it, I would have been like, ‘Yes’, but I already made commitments,” Williams added.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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