Venus Williams gets a wild-card entry for the Indian Wells tournament at age 44

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Venus Williams received a wild-card entry Wednesday for the BNP Paribas Open, which would make next month's tournament in Indian Wells, California, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion's first event in nearly a full year.

The 44-year-old Williams hasn't competed anywhere on tour since a first-round loss at the Miami Open on March 19, 2024. That was less than two weeks after she lost her opening match at Indian Wells.

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.

Fonseca, 18, won his first ATP title at the Argentina Open this month. Tien, 19, reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in January.

The BNP Paribas Open runs from March 2-16.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis