Serena Williams announces return to Indian Wells, ends 14-year boycott

Author:
Courtney Nguyen
Publish date:
Feb 4, 2015

Serena Williams will end her 14-year boycott of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., returning to the tournament for the first time since an ugly racial incident overshadowed her run to the title in 2001. In an essay published by TIME.com, Serena says it's time for forgiveness:

There are some who say I should never go back. There are others who say I should’ve returned years ago. I understand both perspectives very well and wrestled with them for a long time. I’m just following my heart on this one.
I’m fortunate to be at a point in my career where I have nothing to prove. I’m still as driven as ever, but the ride is a little easier. I play for the love of the game. And it is with that love in mind, and a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015.

Serena's announcement marks a seismic shift in the tennis landscape. Serena and Venus have refused to play the tournament, one of the largest WTA tournaments of the year and a mandatory one since 2009, since both were booed in the stadium in 2001. Both sisters made the semifinals that year and were set to play each other, but Venus announced her withdrawal due to injury, which put Serena into the final against Kim Clijsters. The move angered fans and raised questions about the legitimacy of Venus' injury. Elena Dementieva, who lost to Venus in the quarterfinals, didn't help the situation when she told the press that she believed the matches between Serena and Venus were rigged.

"I don't know what Richard thinks about it," Dementieva said when asked to preview the all-Williams semifinal. "I think he will decide who's going to win tomorrow."

Both sisters denied their matches were anything less than purely competitive. "We're competitors and we always go out to compete, and that's how it's always been," Serena said. "I think maybe if my dad would decide, then maybe Venus wouldn't be up 4-1, maybe it would be three-all by now." The WTA issued a statement denying the charges as well.

Venus' withdrawal before the semifinals was held until the last minute. Richard Williams wrote in his book last year that they had notified the tournament if Venus' inability to play and it was the tournament's decision to hold the news until the very last minute. Whatever the reason for the decision, the last-minute announcement riled up ticket-buyers. Fans reacted by booing Venus and her father Richard as they took their seats in advance of the final, while jeering Serena while she played. It was an ugly scene.

Watch a clip from that match below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEIeZczHa2Q]

Watch Serena's post-match comments and the crowd booing her as she hugs her family:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Fuw7pzNbI]

"This haunted me for a long time," Serena writes. "It haunted Venus and our family as well. But most of all, it angered and saddened my father. He dedicated his whole life to prepping us for this incredible journey, and there he had to sit and watch his daughter being taunted, sparking cold memories of his experiences growing up in the South."

Ranking Serena's Grand Slam Titles

2003 Australian Open

In the fourth consecutive Williams-Williams Grand Slam final, Serena became the fifth woman in history to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, joining Margaret Court, Maureen Connolly, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf.

1999 U.S. Open

At 17 and in only her second professional season, Williams defeated 18-year-old Hingis, the world's top ranked player, to become the first black woman to win a Grand Slam title since Althea Gibson in 1958. In capturing the title, Williams beat three of the top four women in the world --Hingis, Lindsay Davenport (2) and Monica Seles (4).

2012 Wimbledon

Just six weeks earlier she suffered her first loss in the opening round of a Slam at the French Open. But after being sidelined for almost a year with a foot injury and being rushed to the hospital for a pulmonary embolism, Serena won her first major in two years by defeating Agnieszka Radwanksa 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. At 30, she became the oldest woman to win Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova in 1990. And she smacked a tournament record 102 aces, to boot.

2007 Australian

Serena came into the tournament unseeded, and capped an amazing fortnight by dismantling the top-seeded Maria Sharapova in the final.

2015 Wimbledon

Serena defeated Heather Watson, her sister Venus, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and finally Garbine Muguruza en route to her 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2015. She also completed the "Serena Slam" for the second time in her career and moved one step closer to completing the calendar Grand Slam.

2005 Australian Open

Plagued by a rib injury that forced her to leave the court and get treatment after five games, Serena fought back and eventually wore down Davenport. To reach the final, Serena had staved off two match points by Maria Sharapova in winning a semifinal 2-6, 7-5, 8-6.

2013 French Open

A year earlier Serena lost in the first round to 111th-ranked French wildcard Virginie Razzano 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, her first opening round loss at a Slam in her career. She finally cast off her Parisian demons -- she hadn't been past the quarterfinals since 2004 -- to win her second French Open title 11 years after her first title in 2002.

2002 U.S. Open

In an awesome display of power, Serena didn't lose a set over the two weeks and was never even taken to a tie-break in her third straight Grand Slam final win of the season.

2014 U.S. Open

The pressure of winning No. 18 weighed on Serena all season, as she suffered early losses in the first three Slams of the year. But she rebounded to roll to the title in New York. She didn't lose a set all tournament and routed Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 to join Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with 18 career majors, putting her in a three-way tie for second place in the Open Era behind Steffi Graf.

2002 Wimbledon

Ranked No. 2 in the world, just behind her sister at the time, Serena denied Venus a third-straight Wimbledon title while winning her first Wimbledon crown.

2009 Wimbledon

In one of the best women's matches of the decade, Serena saved match point against Elena Dementieva in the semifinals to win 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6. She then went on to beat Venus in the final 7-6, 6-2.

2012 U.S. Open

Serena capped off a near undefeated second half of the season by winning her second straight Slam title, 15th overall, beating top-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the final.

2015 Australian Open

It wasn't an easy two weeks for Serena. She had to battle through a cold and was taken to three sets by two young stars in Garbine Muguruza and Elina Svitolina in the first week. But she rolled through No. 2 Maria Sharapova for the 16th consecutive time, 6-3, 7-6 (5), to capture her 19th major title and set up a real possibility she could catch Graf's Open Era record of 22 Slams.

2015 French Open

Carlos M. Saavedra for Sports Illustrated

Battling illness throughout the fortnight, Serena dropped the first set in four of her six matches ahead of the final. The No. 1 seed defeated Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Sara Errani and Timea Bacsinszky before meeting Lucie Safarova in the finals. In the title match, Serena rallied from 0-2 down the in third set to win, keeping the hopes of both a Serena Slam and calendar Grand Slam alive.

2002 French Open

Facing her older sister Venus in a Grand Slam singles final for just the second time in her career, Serena avenged a 6-2, 6-4 loss in the 2001 U.S. Open. The sloppy championship match in Paris featured a combined 101 unforced errors.

2013 U.S. Open

In a tournament in which she dominated, throwing down five bagel sets in seven matches, Serena got her revenge on No. 2 Victoria Azarenka, who had beaten her in all their hard court matches this season. With her 10th title of 2013, Serena became the first woman to ever break $10 million in prize money in a single season.

2008 U.S. Open

In a tournament in which she beat older sister Venus in two tiebreakers to advance to the semifinals, Serena didn't lose a set the entire tournament and regained the world's No. 1 ranking in the process.

2010 Australian Open

With her 12th title, Serena tied Billie Jean King on the all-time list and continued her mastery of Melbourne by defeating Justine Henin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. It was her fifth title Down Under.

2003 Wimbeldon

With her big sister slowed by a strained abdominal muscle and a sore left thigh, Serena won for the fifth time in the last six Grand Slams. She had lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne in the semifinals of the 2003 French Open.

2009 Australian Open

Serena retook the No. 1 ranking in destructive fashion, beating third-ranked Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 in 59 minutes. Said the embarrassed Safina, "I was just a ballboy on the court today."

2010 Wimbledon

Without dropping a set all tournament, Serena beat Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in the final to pass Billie Jean King on the all-time list. During the trophy ceremony she spotted King in the stands. "Hey Billie, I got you!" she joked. She also hit a then-tournament record 89 aces during the fortnight, a mark she would shatter two years later.

"Thirteen years and a lifetime in tennis later, things feel different. A few months ago, when Russian official ShamilTarpischev made racist and sexist remarks about Venus and me, the WTA and USTA immediately condemned him. It reminded me how far the sport has come, and how far I’ve come too."

While Venus has been adamant about her refusal to ever play the tournament again, Serena's stance had shown signs of softening. Last year her name was on the entry list for the first time since 2001 but she withdrew a few weeks before the tournament. When asked about a return this year at the Australian Open, Serena kept her cards close to her chest. "I don't know," she said last week in Melbourne. "I like my vacation time that I get [during] Indian Wells."

Serena Williams wins Australian Open, 19th major title in champion form

Serena's decision to play Indian Wells is obviously a huge boon to the tournament and the WTA. Indian Wells has made massive strides over the last four years in overtaking the Sony Open in Miami as the best tour-level tournament in North America. Soaring prize money -- last year's winners took home over $1 million each -- and renovated facilities have helped bolster that claim. But how can you be the best tournament when you can't even offer the best field? Serena's decision now means Indian Wells can boast it has the No. 1 WTA player for the first time since Victoria Azarenka in 2012.

Serena's return also has a charity arm. She's offering numerous meet and greet opportunities in exchange for donations to the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides free legal representation to mistreated prisoners. You can donate here.

Watch Serena's full announcement below:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/YE_xaNziaf4]