India, Feb. 22 -- Venus Williams is getting a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the BNP Paribas Open next month in the Southern California desert. The 45-year-old will be making her first appearance in the tournament since 2024, when she lost in the first round as a wild card. She's a three-time semifinalist, most recently in 2018. She boycotted the event between 2002 and 2016 after a controversial incident in 2001.

"It's an honour to award the first wild card of this year's event to Venus Williams," tournament director Tommy Haas said Friday. "Venus is a legend of the game and one of the most accomplished players our sport has ever seen." It will be Williams' 10th career appearance in the tournament, which runs March 4-15...