February 14, (THEWILL) – Former world number one tennis players Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki have been given wild card entries to play at the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, tournament organisers announced this week.
Williams, a 43-year-old American with seven Grand Slam titles, will return to Indian Wells for the first time since 2019. The veteran reached the quarter-finals that year but suffered a disappointing first-round loss at the 2023 US Open, her most recent tournament.
Wozniacki, who is 33, came out of a three-year retirement last season following the births of her two children. The 2018 Australian Open champion made the fourth round of the 2023 US Open and the second round of this year’s Australian Open. The former world number one last played Indian Wells in 2018 when she was the defending champion.
The prestigious BNP Paribas Open, which takes place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden from 6 to 19 March, gives Williams and Wozniacki chances to regain form on the WTA tour. The tournament comes on the heels of rising American teenager Coco Gauff’s breakthrough Grand Slam victory at last year’s US Open.
Both veterans will be hoping to recapture former Indian Wells glory, with Williams seeking her first title since 2016 and Wozniacki her first since 2011.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
