Venus Williams Gets Favorable Draw
Venus Williams at 45 landed in a section of the Indian Wells women's draw that gives her a legitimate shot at a main draw win. Her continued presence on the WTA tour remains one of tennis's most compelling storylines as she extends her remarkable career into another decade.
Now in her 33rd consecutive season on the professional tour, Venus Williams is competing at Indian Wells thanks to a wild card entry. Her current WTA singles ranking of 560 means she requires special invitations to enter the main draw of major tournaments. The "favorable" draw places her against a qualifier in the opening round, avoiding a top-seeded player. A victory would likely set up an all-American second-round match against the 15th seed, Madison Keys. Williams is seeking her first main draw victory of the 2026 season, having lost in the opening rounds of tournaments in Auckland, Hobart, and the Australian Open. This marks Williams' 10th career appearance at the BNP Paribas Open. While she has never won the prestigious event, she has reached the semifinals on three separate occasions, most recently in 2018. Williams is aiming to become the oldest woman to win a singles match in the tournament's history. Her career longevity is such that Lindsay Davenport, whom a 16-year-old Venus faced in the 1997 quarterfinals, is now a retired commentator for the Tennis Channel. The tournament holds a complex history for the Williams family. Venus and her sister Serena boycotted the event for 15 years, from 2002 to 2016. The boycott stemmed from a 2001 incident where Venus withdrew due to injury from a semifinal match against Serena, leading to a hostile reception from the crowd during the final.
