The world’s former number-one tennis star, Venus Williams, received a heartwarming response from fans. This American tennis legend returned to the Indian Wells tournament in 2024 after suffering an injury during the 2023 season. While Williams participated in the ASB Classic 2023, she had to pause her Australian Open dream last year along with the French Open. Venus Williams took part in only eight tournaments, among which she attended just two Grand Slam events last season.

Venus Williams returned to the court for the Indian Wells tournament this season. Now that fans have spotted this American tennis legend on the court of the Indian Wells tournament again, they are delighted.

An adorable gesture from the crowd on her return to the court after a year

Recently, the official X (formerly Twitter) channel of the BNP Paribas Open shared a clip on their platform. In this clip, fans spotted Venus Williams being greeted by the crowd at the stadium, who said, “Venus, you’re awesome! We appreciate you.”  Venus Williams also signed autographs for the fans and responded overwhelmingly, “You’re making me cry.” 

This heartwarming moment between Williams and her fans truly mesmerized the whole tennis fraternity. It showed that Venus Williams is still a fan-favorite WTA star.

This year, Williams received a wild card entry to the Indian Wells tournament. This decision by the committee received a huge backlash from the fans. Many believed that Williams did nothing to deserve this entry. She was also criticized for taking these chances in her professional tennis career. However, now that fans were cheering for the American tennis legend, it felt that, despite the backlash, people wanted to see Venus Williams play in this prestigious tournament again.

Venus Williams expressed motivation ahead of her Indian Wells presence this year

While coming back after a year with injuries, Williams specifically mentioned her desire to take part in the BNP Paribas Open. Williams said, “One of my big goals is to play United States, to play in the Miami Open and at Indian Wells, I have not played there since 2019 due to injuries. It’s a long time. … It’s a lot of years not to play at home. So that’s of course one of my big goals on the horizon.” 

She also mentioned how her baby sister Serena Williams told her that she couldn’t quit, and this motivated her. In Venus Williams’s words, “My little sister, Serena, told me I’m not allowed to quit, and of course, I would never quit. But it’s the mandate. She said no, so I will be back on the court.”

The crowd’s response to seeing Venus Williams play in the Indian Wells 2024 delighted the whole tennis fraternity. It proved that no matter what, Venus Williams will always be a fan-favorite tennis star.

Read more: 22 Years After Suffering a Heart-Wrenching Incident at Indian Wells, Venus Williams Breaks Silence on How Sister Serena Williams Motivated Her to Finally Make a Comeback at the Controversial Tournament