Serena Williams says she will return to play in the tournament at Indian Wells, California, next month after boycotting the event for 14 years.
In a column for Time.com, Williams writes about the jeering and booing and an “undercurrent of racism” she felt during the 2001 semifinal and final.Williams writes that with “a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015.”
After older sister Venus withdrew from the ‘01 semifinal against then 19-year-old Serena with an injury, the crowd booed. Serena wrote that there were allegations that matches between the sisters were fixed. In the final, against Kim Clijsters, the booing continued.
“In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid,” Serena writes in the column.
The tournament is scheduled for March 11-22.
