Former world No. 1 Venus Williams has been awarded a wild card for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The 44-year-old will be returning to court after nearly a year.

Venus Williams has been granted a wild-card entry for the BNP Paribas Open, set to take place next month in Indian Wells, California. This marks the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion's first tournament in almost a year.

Former world number one Venus Williams is given a wildcard for next month's Indian Wells in what would be her first match for almost a year.

Grand Slam champions Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova were among four wildcard entrants announced Wednesday for next month's ATP and WTA Indian Wells tennis tournament.Williams is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one who will make her 10th career appearance at Indian Wells.

The Grand Slam champions bolster an already stacked field at this year's Indian Wells tournament. Rising teens Joao Fonseca, Learner Tien also added

Venus Williams returned to Indian Wells in 2016 following a 15-year boycott; she now has a wild card for the 2025 WTA 1000 tournament - the BNP Paribas Open; watch all the ATP and WTA events in Dubai,

Her first appearance at Indian Wells came in 1994. Williams won five titles at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open in singles, along with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her younger sister, Serena. Other wild-card recipients announced Wednesday include two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova — who is returning to action after a 15-month break while giving birth to her first child — and teenagers João Fonseca and Learner Tien.

Tennis legend Venus Williams has received a wild card entry for next month’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, in what would be the 44-year-old’s first event in almost a year.