The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California has an ugly secret. As a relative newcomer to watching pro tennis, references to Serena and Venus Williams’ multi-year absence from Indian Wells caught my attention. The commentators never explained, and each time the Williams sisters took to the court, they were wildly applauded and adored, as they always are. But back in 2001, that wasn’t the case.
In 2001, the year Roger Federer won his first title (see my 3/3/19 Commentary), the Williams sisters were to play each other in the semi-finals of what was then known as the Tennis Masters Series Indian Wells, the second biggest tennis tournament in the United States. A fellow player publicly accused their father, Richard Williams, of deciding the matches between the sisters. When Venus retired (i.e., withdrew) due to an injury minutes before the match, seemingly proving the allegation, the crowd booed. When Serena, then a teenager, went to play in the finals, the booing continued. When Venus, then only 20 years old, and her father were spotted coming down the stairs of the venue to watch the finals – you can find this footage on youtube –the fans booed and jeered. Mr. Williams told the media that the tennis fans were name calling (you know the word they used), and one said “If it were ’75, we’d skin you alive.” Mr. Williams said he stopped and looked at the person but continued on, and you can see his pause, his hesitation in the footage. While this occurred in sunny, southern California, known for its cool, laid-back vibe, the crowd was fierce and ugly.
I can’t imagine how that would affect a 19 year old girl, especially one who called that part of the country home. A reporter noted that Serena’s double faults and mis-hits into the net caused the crowd to celebrate. But after losing the first set amid this angry and hostile crowd, Serena turned inward and won the match, 4-6, 6-4 and 6-2. Even after her victory, the crowd both cheered and booed. And how did that 19-year old version who would become the GOAT handle it? She said, “’I’d like to thank everyone who supported me, and if you didn’t, I love you guys anyway,” when she accepted her trophy and purse. Yet in an interview she gave afterwards she revealed, “It has been difficult for me to forget spending hours crying in the Indian Wells locker room after winning in 2001, driving back to Los Angeles feeling as if I had lost the biggest game ever — not a mere tennis game but a bigger fight for equality.” Knowing about this 2001 incident puts the 2018 U.S. Open finals into context for me – why Serena so fiercely and rightly defended her integrity in response to the coaching charge.
Serena boycotted Indian Wells for 14 years; Venus for 15. Venus wrote a beautiful, heartfelt essay explaining her decision to follow her sister and return to the tournament, which you can read here.
We were delighted to see Venus, now age 38, reach the quarter finals in this year’s Indian Wells tournament, though she fell in straight sets to Angie Kerber.
