Venus Williams' Next Tournament: All you need to know about the American legend's first confirmed appearance in 2025

Venus Williams continues to be an active professional, one of the oldest on the women’s Tour. She has pushed boundaries throughout her career and will now have her sights set on Indian Wells, where she will play her first tournament of the season.

The American last played a competitive match way back in March 2024, losing in the opening round of the Miami Open. Injuries then sidelined Williams for a big part of the 2024 season.

Back healthy, Williams has received a wildcard to the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells alongside fellow Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova, who is returning from maternity leave. The tournament organizers shared the news on its official social media handles, writing:

"Familiar faces return to the desert @Venuseswilliams & @Petra_Kvitova are among this year’s women’s singles wildcards!" the official announcement on X read.

Williams has not won consecutive matches in quite some time. In fact, the last time she even scored a single match win was at the Cincinnati Masters way back in 2023. She had at the time scored a big win over Veronika Kudermetova before going down in three sets against Zheng Qinwen.

In her latest appearance, the American will be joined by the likes of defending champion Iga Swiatek, top seed Aryna Sabalenka and a host of other title hopefuls. The Pole defeated Maria Sakkari in the summit clash to claim the trophy last year.

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Venus Williams looking to reset after difficult 12 months

Venus Williams in action during an ecnounter at the 2023 US Open. (Source: Getty)

Venus Williams will be hoping to make a solid start at the tournament, where she has thrice reached the semifinal stage.

Her recent performances may not inspire much confidence but she has the game needed to turn over a new leaf. The American played in just two tournaments last year, making early exits in both.

The American could also run into some of the big names on Tour, with all top-10 players set to feature in this year’s draw. Last year, she had entered the main draw but could not score a win despite battling hard against Nao Hibino.

Williams then went on to succumb to Diana Shniader in the opening round of the Miami Open. She has not played a competitive match on Tour since. The BNP Paribas Open begins in a few days' time, with qualifiaction rounds commencing on March 2.