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Williams, whose sister Serena is arguably the greatest women’s player ever, boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 15 years after their father Richard claimed jeers from the crowd towards his daughters during the 2001 event were racially motivated.
Perhaps organisers are still trying to make up for that.
Williams’ case is very different to fellow wildcard recipient Petra Kvitova, a dual Wimbledon champion who, at 34, is set to play her first match in 15 months after the birth of her first child. Kvitova is planning a proper return.
By stark contrast, the initial two men’s wildcards went to teenage sensations Joao Fonseca – fresh from winning his maiden ATP title at the Argentina Open – and Learner Tien, who last month became the youngest man to reach the Australian Open’s fourth round since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Williams is seen on more catwalks than tennis courts these days. The Dior ambassador featured only last month in fashion and beauty magazine Elle discussing a spring/summer show in Paris.
The reality of Williams’ wildcard scenario is that sporting events – not just tennis – are increasingly having to look outside the box to appease fans.
Venus Williams arrives for the presentation of the 2025 Christian Dior haute couture spring/summer collection.Credit: AP
The Australian Open long ago became almost as much about off-court entertainment as forehands and backhands, while LIV Golf chiefs just splashed millions on celebrity DJs to ensure they drew a crowd in Adelaide. Melbourne’s F1 grand prix is heading in the same direction.
Williams will collect far more from her appearance fee than her first-round prizemoney in Indian Wells, and who can blame her for adding to her tennis pension?
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Melbourne-based tournament director and ex-player Peter Johnston, who loves that Indian Wells gave Williams a wildcard, rightly points out that we are all talking about it.
Miami might follow suit with the same arrangement for Venus, but at some stage – hopefully soon – tennis needs to move on and find a new way to convince fans to buy tickets than rolling out a 44-year-old gimmick.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Williams, whose sister Serena is arguably the greatest women’s player ever, boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 15 years after their father Richard claimed jeers from the crowd towards his daughters during the 2001 event were racially motivated.
Perhaps organisers are still trying to make up for that.
Williams’ case is very different to fellow wildcard recipient Petra Kvitova, a dual Wimbledon champion who, at 34, is set to play her first match in 15 months after the birth of her first child. Kvitova is planning a proper return.
By stark contrast, the initial two men’s wildcards went to teenage sensations Joao Fonseca – fresh from winning his maiden ATP title at the Argentina Open – and Learner Tien, who last month became the youngest man to reach the Australian Open’s fourth round since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Williams is seen on more catwalks than tennis courts these days. The Dior ambassador featured only last month in fashion and beauty magazine Elle discussing a spring/summer show in Paris.
The reality of Williams’ wildcard scenario is that sporting events – not just tennis – are increasingly having to look outside the box to appease fans.
Venus Williams arrives for the presentation of the 2025 Christian Dior haute couture spring/summer collection.Credit: AP
The Australian Open long ago became almost as much about off-court entertainment as forehands and backhands, while LIV Golf chiefs just splashed millions on celebrity DJs to ensure they drew a crowd in Adelaide. Melbourne’s F1 grand prix is heading in the same direction.
Williams will collect far more from her appearance fee than her first-round prizemoney in Indian Wells, and who can blame her for adding to her tennis pension?
Loading
Melbourne-based tournament director and ex-player Peter Johnston, who loves that Indian Wells gave Williams a wildcard, rightly points out that we are all talking about it.
Miami might follow suit with the same arrangement for Venus, but at some stage – hopefully soon – tennis needs to move on and find a new way to convince fans to buy tickets than rolling out a 44-year-old gimmick.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
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