Two Decades Later, Serena Williams Still Disturbed By Horrific Incident, Says She was Just Bawling

Published 11/19/2021, 1:24 PM EST

Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players in the history of tennis. Even though fans love her, there was an incident at the Indian Wells 2001 finals that had a long-lasting impact on her. Fans booed her, her father Richard Williams, and sister Venus when Serena arrived to play the match against Kim Clijsters.

There were allegations that Richard deliberately made Venus pull out of the semi-final tournament so that Serena could win it. The sisters were supposed to go up against each other in the semi, but Venus withdrew just before the match due to an injury. Although the 23-time Grand Slam champion eventually won it, the allegations were never proved.

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Serena Williams recalls what happened to her at Indian Wells 2001 finals

In a recent promotional interview with Will Smith for ‘King Richard’, Serena remembered her infamous experience at the Indian Wells 2001 finals when fans started booing her and continued to do so throughout the match. Even though she went on to win the tournament, she revealed that she didn’t want to win it but just finish the match.

“I mean, it was hard and I just remember, I was losing and I didn’t even care, I was like I don’t want to win. I just want to get out of here with dignity… That was a rough one for me because I’ll never forget driving back and Yetunde was there. I remember just getting in the car and I was just bawling. I was at the gas station, there was no celebration and I was just crying and crying and crying,” said Serena in the interview.

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“Was really hard for me”- Serena

After this episode, Serena didn’t return to Indian Wells for 14 years. In the same interview, she revealed what was going through her mind when she finally made up her mind to feature at Indian Wells again.

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“Talk about post-traumatic stress and mental anxiety. I remember sitting in the bathroom thinking, ‘Wait, I’m not going to go back. I just don’t think I should do this. What if they start booing again?’ It was really hard for me,” added the 40-year-old.

Undoubtedly, even after 20 years, the episode still gives mental stress to Serena Williams. However, her supporters know that she is a strong player who can rise up from any situation. Will she be able to win her 24th Grand Slam title before bidding goodbye to the sport?

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Written by:

Anshul Singh is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports, currently pursuing Journalism Honors from Delhi University. Having significant experience with content, Anshul has authored over 1000 tennis articles. He has previously worked as a writer and an editor for DU Express, penning riveting articles on sports, politics, and culture.

Two Decades Later, Serena Williams Still Disturbed By Horrific Incident, Says She was Just Bawling

Serena Williams recalls what happened to her at Indian Wells 2001 finals

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“Was really hard for me”- Serena