INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — For a change, it was the trailblazing Venus Williams’ turn to follow her younger sister Serena’s lead.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — For a change, it was the trailblazing Venus Williams’ turn to follow her younger sister Serena’s lead.
One year after Serena Williams returned to the desert tournament now called the BNP Paribas Open for the first time in 14 years, Venus followed in her footsteps Friday afternoon, taking the court for a second-round match against Kurumi Nara and receiving a warm reception.
But after rain swept through the desert midway through the first set, the weather turned cold and blustery, and the 10th-seeded Williams struggled to find her form, ultimately falling, 6-4, 6-3, to the 89th-ranked Nara.
“This is the biggest win for my career, so I’m very happy,” Nara said.
Venus Williams had not entered the stadium since 2001, when she pulled out of a scheduled semifinal match against Serena. The late announcement of the withdrawal angered the crowd, which viciously booed both Serena on the court and Venus in the stands during the final.
There was significant fanfare last year when Serena ended her 14-year boycott of the tournament. She had announced her decision to return to Indian Wells last year with an essay in Time magazine, and in making her return she also joined with the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on providing legal assistance to underserved communities.
Venus’ decision to return to Indian Wells was revealed much more quietly, with her name simply appearing on the tournament’s entry list in January. On March 1, she published an essay in The Players’ Tribune explaining her decision and describing the pain that had kept her away for 15 years.
“I remember leaving Indian Wells in 2001 feeling like I wasn’t welcome there,” Williams wrote. “Not feeling welcome somewhere is a hard memory to let go of — at any age. At 20? It’s almost impossible. And so that’s what I did. I held onto it.”
Citing her sister’s example, Venus decided to return.
Serena’s highly anticipated return last year was electric, with a packed stadium roaring as she walked onto the court for a night match. For Venus a year later, the reception was more subdued, but it was warm, with those in attendance for the day session match screaming supportively.
While Serena had tried to keep a straight face before ultimately appearing near tears, Venus smiled broadly and looked up to the stands. When she reached her chair, she waved to the crowd.
In her news conference Thursday before the tournament, Serena remarked on the pair being here together for the first time in 15 years.
“It means a lot; we’re really excited to be here,” Serena said. “I’m excited for her, too, to hopefully have the experience that I had last year. It’s the only reason why I was able to come back. It’s really cool because this is kind of where everything started for us, like I always said, that this was such a big event for us earlier in our careers.”
Although the sisters took separate paths when Serena returned alone last year, they stayed in close contact about that decision, and about Venus’ decision to return this year.
“We talked about it last year, about how my experience was,” Serena said. “I think — I hope — she knows what to expect. I was a little nervous. I was really anxious, and then eventually I got a little nervous the last couple of hours, last couple of days.”
Returning to Indian Wells again this year, Serena said it had started to feel more like business as usual at a site that had produced unpleasant memories.
“I’m definitely a little bit more relaxed,” she said. “Does it feel like a normal tournament? Definitely a lot more than last year. We’re making strides.”