44-year-old Venus Williams accepts Indian Wells wild card

Seven-time major champion Venus Williams will extend her legendary career at this year’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Williams is set to make her 10th main draw appearance in the California desert after being named as one of four early wild card recipients into the singles main draw.

The BNP Paribas Open will take place from 2-16 March.

Williams, currently ranked 974, last played at the Miami Open in 2024. She has not won a match on tour since the 2023 Cincinnati Open and has only played two matches on tour since her first-round loss to Greet Minnen at the 2023 US Open.

Williams has reached the semi-final three times (1998, 2001, 2018) at Indian Wells, and competed most recently last year as a wild card.

Petra Kvitova was also given a women’s singles main draw wild card. The Czech was away from the tour for 15 months while giving birth to her first child. Kvitova will turn 35 at Indian Wells (March 8). The Czech, who has not played since the fall of 2023, is set to play later this month in Austin, Texas.

A pair of teens were given wild cards on the men’s side, as 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, who became the youngest South American man to win an ATP title in 38 years at Buenos Aires last weekend, and Learner Tien, the 19-year-old who reached the fourth round at this year’s Australian Open, were also given wild cards.

More wild cards will be named shortly, the tournament said in a press release.

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