14 years after, Serena returns to Indian Wells

WORLD Number1, Serena Williams will return to the Indian Wells tournament, which she and her sister, Venus, have boycotted for fourteen years. 

  She last played in the tournament, when she was still a teenager and vowed never to return after she and her sister suffered racial slurs and taunts from fans in 2001. 

 Serena has accepted a wildcard for the tournament, which runs from March 11-22. She said that her reason to return was because of her undying love for the game and a forgiving spirit. 

  Serena and Venus were scheduled to meet in the semifinals in 2001, but Venus withdrew 20 minutes before the match because of an illness and the fans booed and taunted them. 

  Allegations of match fixing arose from that incident and according to Serena, the accusation cut her deeply and made her feel unwelcome. 

  She would later go ahead to win the match despite being booed throughout the match and hearing undercurrents of racial slurs and taunts. The boycott was on. The sisters, coached by their father then, promised never to return again and they had stood by that decision until Serena’s latest turn around.

  Serena adds that the suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation President, Shamil Tarpischev, last year helped in changing her thinking. He was suspended and fined $25,000 for calling Venus and Serena “The Williams Brothers”, and questioning their sexuality. 

  The sisters were defended and Serena claims that this has convinced her that times have changed. She is now thirty-three years old and though the incident happened years ago, she says it was a pivotal moment for her life and career. 

  She also hopes that the fans at Indian Wells understand her better now than they did all those years ago and hope they have a chance to write a better ending for her career, together.

  The tournament will receive a boost with Serena present, that is certain.