Tennis star Venus Williams has decided to return to the Indian Wells tournament this year after a 15-year boycott.
Williams suffered from racial slurs and verbal attacks at the tournament in 2001, and she has not participated in the tournament since. She has decided to return the year after her sister, Serena Williams, opted to participate in the tournament after suffering from the same abuse at Indian Wells. Venus made the announcement in an essay on The Player's Tribune website, and said that her sister Serena "paved the way for" her to make the comeback.
The original incident at Indian Wells came up after Venus withdrew from a match due to injury in the semifinals when she was set to face off against her sister Serena. The crowd quickly turned angry and boos started coming down from the stands towards Venus. Many in the crowd could be heard screaming racial insults after the news about her was announced.
Things continued into the finals the following day when Serena faced off against Kim Clijsters. Venus and her father, Richard Williams, attended the match in the players box for Serena, and the crowd there continued with boos and racial insults. Serena did not return to the tournament following that match until last year, while Venus now will return in 2016.
While Venus is now 35 and not the dominant player she once was, her return will make an impact at the tournament. Serena is still the best player in women's tennis and the attention she brought to the situation last year created a positive reaction from the crowd. Venus likely will bring the same feeling this year when she participates in the tournament.
Venus is coming into the Indian Wells tournament after winning her 49th career title at the Taiwan Open in February. She defeated Misaki Doi in the final to take the tournament with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. She had previously lost in the first round of the Australian Open earlier this year.
The BNP Paribas Open, which is known as the 2016 Indian Wells Masters, will take place from March 9 through March 20.
