V. Williams, Wozniacki returning to Indian Wells
Following the revelation that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka are on the BNP Paribas Open entry list and are expected to return next month to Indian Wells, the Masters 1000 tournament received another major bump in star power on Tuesday.
Former top-ranked players Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, both of whom have won Grand Slam singles titles, have been awarded wild cards into this year’s event, the tournament announced.
The tournament will mark the return of both players after multiple years away from Indian Wells. Williams, 43, will return to play in the desert for the first time since 2019, when she reached the quarterfinal. Wozniacki, 33, will also play Indian Wells for the first time in five years. Since then, the Danish tennis star has retired, given birth to two children and returned to the World Tour.
The 2024 BNP Paribas Open runs from March 3-17 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Wozniacki, who won the Indian Wells tournament in 2011 and reached the final in 2010 and 2013, announced her comeback last summer and returned to competition in August at Montreal. She reached the fourth round at the 2023 U.S. Open, a run which included a win over fellow Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova.
Williams’ illustrious career includes seven Grand Slam titles, 49 WTA titles and four Olympic gold medals.
The BNP Paribas Open plans to announce additional WTA and ATP Tour wild card recipients for the singles, doubles and qualifying draws in the days leading up to the tournament.
Next month’s event is expected to include the return of Djokovic, the 24time Grand Slam champion and topranked men’s player in the world, for the first time since 2019. It will also include the return of Nadal after his absence last year, and the return of Osaka, another Grand Slam champion who missed last year’s event while pregnant with a daughter who was born in July.
Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.