Serena Williams to be Joined by Venus at BNP Paribas

Serena Williams returned to Indian Wells in the match against Monica Niculescu of Romania in 2015. (Courtesy of Jessica E. Davis)

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INDIAN WELLS, CA- The world’s number one women’s tennis player, Serena Williams, will be joined by her sister, Venus, at this year’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, event organizers announced Wednesday.

The annual event, billed as the world’s largest combined WTA and ATP professional tennis tournament, will be held March 7-20 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

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“We are thrilled that Venus Williams, one of the greatest women’s players in the history of the game, is returning to play in the BNP Paribas Open,” said Raymond Moore, CEO of the event. “Our fans embraced Serena last year, and we expect nothing less for Venus when she returns to compete at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.”

The Williams sisters will be joined on the women’s side by defending tournament champion Simona Halep and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

On the men’s side, world number one player and defending tournament champion Novak Djokovic will be joined by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and all of world’s other top 10 players.

Last year, Serena Williams ended a 14-year boycott of the tournament, saying she was returning in a spirit of “forgiveness.” She said the relentless booing she received from fans when she last played the event in 2001 haunted her for a long time.

Williams won the tournament that year, but she and her sister Venus were booed by fans when their head-to-head semifinal match was scrubbed due to an injury suffered by Venus.

After the match, another player who was asked in a news conference who would have won the match between the sisters said their father, Richard, would probably decide -- an insinuation that their matches were rigged.

“The false allegations that our matches were fixed hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply,” Serena wrote in a column announcing her return last year, which was published on Time.com. “The undercurrent of racism was painful, confusing and unfair. In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid.”

When Williams played in that year’s tournament final -- which she won -- she was booed throughout the match.

She was forced to withdraw from a semi-final match last year, after suffering a knee injury.

– By City News Service.