Bill Simons
Last year, as Indian Wells began, we noted that there were three icons whose careers were teetering: Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray and Venus Williams. By season’s end, amidst tears, both Nadal and Murray had stepped aside.
Then it was announced that Venus would be getting a wildcard into Indian Wells – how wonderful!
Earlier this year, Gael Monfils had won in Auckland to become the oldest player to win an ATP tourney – quite a miracle. But, compared to Venus, he’s just a baby. The Frenchman is six years younger – Williams is 44. The oldest WTA player to ever win a tournament was Billie Jean King. She was “only” 39.
Sure, Venus’ ranking is now in the stratosphere – she’s No. 974. And we know that she hadn’t won a match since August of 2023 in Cincy. In her last Slam match, she fell quietly in the first round in New York in 2023 to No. 97 Greet Minnen, 6-1, 6-1. She hasn’t lifted a Slam trophy in 17 years.
But Venus has lifted hopes for generations. Seven weeks ago, when Madison Keys was en route to her Melbourne title, the story was told again of how a four-year-old Madison saw Venus (who was already in her seventh year on tour) playing in a white dress at Wimbledon and how Maddy wanted to get a dress just like Venus’.
The announcement about ten days ago that Venus had gotten a wildcard into Indian Wells lifted our hopes. She hasn’t played since last March in Miami. Last year at Indian Wells, she lost in the first round to the No. 94 player in the world.
But we know well tennis’ eleventh commandment: never underestimate a Williams sister. Even though Venus played only two matches last year, she earned $12.1 million and was the ninth wealthiest active athlete in the world. Her career winnings are $42.6 million – second only to her childhood roommate, Serena, who has banked $95 million.
Of course, Serena has a husband and two kids. Venus, who is not married and has no children, confessed, “I hear marriage is hard. You have to be patient; you have to listen.”
Venus was just at Milan’s Fashion Week with the 36-year-old Italian actor Andrea Preti. And, as she sported a huge diamond ring, rumors were rampant about her being engaged to him. If Venus does marry, it will hardly change her status as the most famous sister and aunt in sports history.
Venus’ mindset has long been, “This old cat still has lots of tricks up her sleeve.” Silly us – last year we thought she was referring to her dazzling arrival at the Met Gala wearing a mirror dress, or showing up at a Vogue fashion show in Paris, or her presence at the ESPYS, or her fitness videos. With her hamstring injury, her battle with Sjogren’s Syndrome and her age, she seems to have been quietly receding.
She joked (we think) that she competes because of the WTA health coverage: “There really are great benefits. The insurance is amazing, since I get MRIs every month – those get expensive.”
Of late, Venus has seemed a bit war weary. If you asked her a dreary question, you might get a side-eye glance or a tongue lashing. When ESPN’s Chris McKendry asked her, “What’s the key to your longevity?” Venus replied, “I’m tired of talking about it.”
Maybe the sports world is tired of talking about Williams. But we were excited at the prospect of again seeing the kid who dared to burst onto a white world, the girl in braids and beads whose journey inspired an Oscar nominated film.
Over the years, Venus ticked off virtually every box: fierce competitor who gained WTA glory and Olympic gold, African-American and feminist pioneer, social justice warrior, innovative entrepreneur, fashion star, inspiring survivor and unapologetic lioness.
But let’s face it: “V” defies categorization. She told us, “You can be an inspiration to every single person: man, woman and child. [But] I never wanted to be boxed in.”
She wasn’t.
When Indian Wells gave her a highly publicized wildcard, she said no thanks, not interested. Venus does not like to get boxed in.
UNIMAGINABLE CHALLENGES: Aside from having a daughter, enduring a wretched ankle surgery and making deep runs at Grand Slams, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina has worked hard to support her nation. She just told The Athletic that America has been “helping us for a long period of time.” She added, “Our government is working really hard to still find…solutions for the decisions. They’re trying everything….We are just hoping for the best. We are living with unimaginable challenges, pressure, and not knowing what’s coming tomorrow. Right now…we are united even more because we feel like the United States is not helping us much for the past few weeks…We have to unite – we have to help each other…Trump just started and already made a lot of decisions that really hurt the Ukrainians. I’m just really sad for all innocent people.”
AMERICA SURGES: If you include the United Cup, American women have won half the tournaments so far this year.
MOST INTERESTING DRAW: Few would question the claim that Novak Djokovic is one of the most interesting players in tennis history. And the Serb has a very interesting draw at Indian Wells. He could play his pal and sometimes foe Nick Kyrgios in the second round, and possibly Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, as he did at the Australian Open.
COCO LOVE: Andrea Petkovic said, “Coco Gauff is the best athlete we’ve ever had on the tennis court on the women’s side – period.” And, yes, that was Coco at the Oscars in a dazzling yellow dress. Sporting two different outfits and three different hairstyles, she drew attention at both the Hollywood ceremony and the Vanity Fair party.
Samuel Jackson, Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg and Ben Stiller were just some of the stars who greeted her.
GOLF’S GREAT AMBASSADOR: Before Donald Trump, Dwight Eisenhower was the most pro-golf president in our history. He typically scored in the mid-80s, would practice on the south lawn of the White House and played with a slew of celebs. They named a tree after him in the heart of America’s foremost golf course. Heavens, when Althea Gibson won the US National tourney, Eisenhower’s vice president, Richard Nixon, presented her with a sleeve of golf balls.
That’s a lot of golf. The annual fun-loving fundraiser on the eve of the BNP Paribas Open is called the Eisenhower Cup. When he retired, Ike moved into a home on the 11th fairway at the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells.
GO FIGURE: Andy Murray will be on hand in Indian Wells and Miami to continue coaching Novak Djokovic.
FUNNY FOLKS: Aryna Sabalenka said Ons Jabeur and Grigor Dimitrov were the funniest players on the tour.
THE MOBY DICK DOUBLE: In Dubai, the winner gets a ship-like trophy. Winner Stefano Tsitsipas quipped. “They said I was drowning, so I got myself a boat.” Unfortunately (if you students of American literature can follow me here) there’s no longer a Moby Dick double, in which the man who won Dubai’s boat trophy then lifts a whale in Indian Wells. The tourney has stopped giving out its whale trophy. in 2009. So it’s likely that the only player who will ever have won the Moby Dick double is Roger Federer, who prevailed in Dubai and Indian Wells in both 2004 and 2005.
NO AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FOR PEGULA: World No. 4 Jessica Pegula beat McCartney Kessler in Austin in the first All-American WTA final on American soil since the Sloane Stephens-Madison Keys 2017 US Open.
SASCHA’S WORLD: World No. 2 Sascha Zverev, the top seed at the BNP Paribas Open, is hoping to gain ground on the suspended Jannik Sinner. But he hasn’t been able to get beyond the quarters in the three South American tourneys he’s played since reaching the Australian Open final.
ANDRE’S WORLD: Andre Agassi was not only all over San Francisco last week, going to a Warrior game to promote September’s Laver Cup. He also went to the World Baseball Classic in Tucson with his wife, Steffi Graf, where their son Jaden pitched for Team Germany.
CALIS IN QUALIES: While Thousand Oaks’ Marcos Giron will face a qualifier in the main draw, two other Thousand Oaks residents won opening qualifying matches. Claire Liu beat Spain’s No. 7 seed Sara Sorribes to gain entry into the main draw, while UCLA freshman sensation Rudy Quan fell to Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki. In the first round, Quan had upset Argentina’s Federico Agustin Gomez in straight sets for his first ATP win.
Fresno’s Ethan Quinn also qualified. Other Californians who played in qualies but lost included Ena Shibahara, Julieta Pareja, brothers Zach and Trevor Svajda, Brandon Holt, Kristina Penickova and Stanford’s Valerie Glozman.
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: No one in the Indian Wells press room asked Elena Rybakina about her tumultuous coaching situation with Stefano Vukov, who is now suspended.
