INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Serena Williams is back at Indian Wells for the first time in 14 years, and the world’s top-ranked women’s player is in a forgiving mood.
She’s stayed away from the BNP Paribas Open since winning the 2001 title as a 19-year-old, getting booed by the fans for what happened a day earlier, when she was to play older sister Venus in a semifinal and Venus withdrew because of injury 20 minutes before the start.
She will play Monica Niculescu of Romania in a second-round match Friday night.
”I’m looking forward to stepping out on center court and letting the whole world know that it doesn’t matter what you face, if it’s something that wasn’t right, hurt you, hurt your family, you can just come out and be strong and say, ‘I’m still going to be here, I’m still going to survive and I’m still going to be the best person I can be,”’ Williams said Thursday.
Williams is 14-1 with two titles to her credit in three previous appearances in the desert.
Caroline Wozniacki, one of Williams’ closest friends in tennis, is among several players glad to see her return.
”It’s a big step for her and I’m sure she’s going to handle it great,” Wozniacki said.
Venus Williams hasn’t changed her mind about boycotting Indian Wells, although she and the sisters’ parents are supportive of Serena’s return. In 2001, her father Richard said he heard racial taunts from the crowd, and there was speculation that he dictated which sister would win their meetings.
Now 33, Serena said it wasn’t one thing in particular that brought her back to the tournament that she had vowed she would never play again.
Her decision was partly based on wanting to raise awareness for Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners who have been denied fair treatment in the legal system.
”A lot of things that have been happening lately definitely played a part in the whole picture,” she said. ”I thought it was really good timing, not just for me but for Americans in general, to step up and say that we as Americans can do better. We can be better, and we are better.”
