From an early age, both Venus and Serena Williams showed tremendous tennis prowess. And right now, they are arguably the most successful siblings in the history of sports, not just in tennis.

Despite such immense success, they had to face a lot of adversity early in their career. Notably, in 2001 Indian Wells, both the Williams Sisters had to face a lot of criticism and boos from the crowd. Moreover, the crowd reportedly passed some racist comments as well toward Venus and Richard Williams. As a result, both Venus and Serena boycotted the tournament for around 15 years. When the sisters finally made their comeback in 2015, Serena revealed the reason behind her decision.

Serena Williams talked about changing her mind about Indian Wells

Back in 2015, Serena had an interview with Vogue where she opened up about changing her mind regarding participating in Indian Wells. According to Serena, she got the inspiration after reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’. “That’s when I realized I had to go back,” Serena said as she read about Mandela’s struggles. 

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 “I always talk about forgiveness, but I needed to actually show it. It was time to move on,” Serena further said. 

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Notably, Indian Wells invited the Williams Sisters many times to play in the tournament. However, nothing could sway them, but in 2015, they made their much-awaited return to California, as the tennis world finally got to see the Williams Sisters play.

What happened in Indian Wells in 2001?

In the 2001 semi-finals, Serena was scheduled to play Venus. However, the elder Williams sister pulled out before the semis, which drew heavy criticism from the media and fans. Moreover, many accused the Williams family of deciding the outcome of their meetings beforehand.

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In the final, Serena was facing Kim Clijsters, and the crowd booed her along with her sister Venus and father, Richard. There were also certain members of the audience who passed racist comments towards the Williams family. Even though Serena looked happy after winning the match, she broke down afterward.

Later, the Williams family made a collective decision not to return to Indian Wells before changing their mind in 2015.