Venus Williams won't play Indian Wells days after event announced her wild-card entry

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — It turns out 44-year-old Venus Williams will not be playing at the BNP Paribas Open, the tournament revealed on Sunday—days after it announced she would be competing there with a wild-card entry.

"Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year," the event posted on social media, saying it was a message from Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas. "We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future."

It was an odd backtrack that came several hours after audio made the rounds on social media of Williams saying she would not be competing at the tournament in the Coachella Valley next month.

On Wednesday, the BNP Paribas Open issued a press release saying Williams—a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion—was awarded a wild card and would be making her 10th career appearance there.

Williams hasn't competed anywhere on tour since a first-round loss at the Miami Open in March 2024. That was less than two weeks after she lost her opening match at Indian Wells.