By Chris Oddo | Tuesday March 1, 2016
Venus Williams pulls out the pen and sums up her feelings about returning to Indian Wells in this heartfelt column for the Players' Tribune.
Photo Source: Halo
A week before making her first appearance at Indian Wells since the much-publicized incident that led to a Williams Sisters’ boycott at the event in 2001, Venus Williams pens a heartfelt column for The Players’ Tribune,” giving readers insight for the first time into Williams’ feelings about the events that occurred 15 years ago.
Read the Full Article Here
She writes:
“I remember the hurt I felt. I remember my confusion and disappointment and anger. I remember how the coverage of it at the time didn’t seem concerned with me and Serena, as people, at all — but rather only with the story itself. And with the version of the story that would get the most attention, regardless of the truth. I remember feeling that I had been wronged, and that I had done nothing wrong. I remember feeling that I had unfairly gotten the brunt of the blame for a bad situation.
And I remember leaving Indian Wells in 2001 feeling like I wasn’t welcome there.”
The 35-year-old gives credit to Serena for paving the way back to Indian Wells after all these years, saying that she had always been the big sister, the one to protect Serena during their decades-long journey to the top of the tennis world, but on this occasion, Venus says Serena deserves the credit.
“Seeing Serena welcomed with open arms last year at Indian Wells, that I think I fully and truly realized what being the big sister means,” she writes. “It means that, for all of the things I did first, and all of the times when I paved the way for Serena, the thing I can be most proud of is this time. … When Serena paved the way for me.”