Tennis legend Venus Williams will not play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the tournament revealed.
The development comes days after it announced she would compete after accepting a wild-card entry.
“Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year,” the event posted on X in a statement attributed to tournament director Tommy Haas.
“We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future.”
The BNP Paribas Open previously issued a press release revealing the former world No 1 had been awarded a wildcard to make her 10th appearance at the tournament.
The 44-year-old has not competed since the Miami Open in March 2024.
The seven-time singles Grand Slam champion earlier confirmed to the TennisWeekly Podcast rumours of her professional return were not true.
“I’m not playing,” she confirmed.
“I’m going to be overseas. I’m not gonna be here.”
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open, live on Sky Sports Tennis in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports App.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court.This week, Mirra Andreev
Petra Kvitova joins the growing list of returning tennis moms, which already includes Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic. The two-time
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts! The main draw in Mexico has thrown up an all Czech affair as talented youngster Jakub Me
CNN — Former world No. 1 Venus Williams will not play at next month’s BNP Paribas