When Serena Williams announced last week that she’d be playing Indian Wells this year for the first time since 2001, there was no mention of whether or not her sister Venus would also play the event.

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According to the New York Times, the CEO of Indian Wells is still holding out hope that Serena’s older sister will decide to play.

This, according to Christopher Clarey of the Times:

Raymond Moore, the chief executive of the tournament, said in a telephone interview that he had had no direct contact with Venus Williams but that he intended to reach out to her. Moore said the tournament was keeping a wild-card slot available for her, just as it had for Serena Williams. Neither sister was on the original official entry list for this year’s event, which will run from March 9 to 22.

Moore also said he hoped Richard Williams would return. We’ll see what happens in the next month, whether we can make a few more things happen,” Moore said.

Moore said that Lawrence J. Ellison, the American software billionaire who bought the tournament in 2010, spoke directly with Serena Williams at her request in early December. I had two calls with Serena directly,” Moore said. “The first one was through Stacey, and Serena was, I think, on her way at that time to the WTA finals in Singapore. And she said, ‘All right, let’s talk when I get back.’ And when she got back, she said to me, ‘I take everything you say, but Larry owns the tournament, and I’d like to hear from Larry.’ ”

“He paid respect to her as a great athlete and said, ‘Serena, I will do everything to make you comfortable and welcome in Indian Wells.’ So that went a long way.”