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Venus Williams Sets Return to Tennis After Missing Nearly a Year

The legendary tennis star last competed in a tournament in March 2024.

Madison Williams

Venus Williams returns a ball during the 2024 Indian Wells tournament.
Venus Williams returns a ball during the 2024 Indian Wells tournament. / Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Venus Williams hasn't played in a professional tennis match since March 2024, and she's ready to make her return. The seven-time major singles champion will compete at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, which begins on March 5. The tournament announced the news on Wednesday.

Because of the 44-year-old's long break from the sport, many fans wondered if Williams was ready to retire from tennis. She just had her 30-year anniversary from turning professional back in October, so she's definitely had quite the career.

However, this announcement proves that Williams will wait a little bit longer before hanging up her racket for the last time. She won't be following in the footsteps of her sister Serena, who retired back in 2022.

This will be Williams's 10th appearance at Indian Wells, with the most recent being last year when she received a wild card.

Williams hasn't won a tennis match since the Western & Southern Open first round in August 2023. She only won three matches in 2023.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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