Death, taxes and Venus Williams wildcards.
The American tennis legend and former world No.1, at age 44, six years removed from playing regularly on tour and ranked No.974, will compete at Indian Wells next month thanks to her latest wildcard.
Venus Williams in action at Wimbledon in 2023.Credit: AP
It is a win for nostalgic fans who remember seven-time grand slam champion Williams’ halcyon days, but make no mistake, this is an indictment on a women’s tour lacking in star power and desperate for more eyeballs.
Williams’ only matches last year were back-to-back first-round defeats at Indian Wells and Miami as a wildcard each time, while she also lost in the opening round at her past three grand slam appearances in 2022-23.
Her last win anywhere was in mid-2023, and she has not advanced to the second round at a major since 2021.
But even Australian Open boss Craig Tiley handed Williams a wildcard into his 2023 tournament, only for the super-veteran to withdraw about a week out due to an undisclosed injury.
Tiley did the same for the likes of Caroline Wozniacki and Stan Wawrinka in recent years.
There is no suggestion that Williams is about to launch an audacious comeback, but Tiley and his tournament peers across the globe know she will still pull a crowd. That appeal is surely waning, but the American remains far better known than anyone else outside the WTA’s top 100 – and many inside it as well.
Williams, whose sister Serena is arguably the greatest women’s player ever, boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 15 years after their father Richard claimed jeers from the crowd towards his daughters during the 2001 event were racially motivated.
Perhaps organisers are still trying to make up for that.
Williams’ case is very different to fellow wildcard recipient Petra Kvitova, a dual Wimbledon champion who, at 34, is set to play her first match in 15 months after the birth of her first child. Kvitova is planning a proper return.
By stark contrast, the initial two men’s wildcards went to teenage sensations Joao Fonseca – fresh from winning his maiden ATP title at the Argentina Open – and Learner Tien, who last month became the youngest man to reach the Australian Open’s fourth round since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Williams is seen on more catwalks than tennis courts these days. The Dior ambassador featured only last month in fashion and beauty magazine Elle discussing a spring/summer show in Paris.
The reality of Williams’ wildcard scenario is that sporting events – not just tennis – are increasingly having to look outside the box to appease fans.
Venus Williams arrives for the presentation of the 2025 Christian Dior haute couture spring/summer collection.Credit: AP
The Australian Open long ago became almost as much about off-court entertainment as forehands and backhands, while LIV Golf chiefs just splashed millions on celebrity DJs to ensure they drew a crowd in Adelaide. Melbourne’s F1 grand prix is heading in the same direction.
Williams will collect far more from her appearance fee than her first-round prizemoney in Indian Wells, and who can blame her for adding to her tennis pension?
Melbourne-based tournament director and ex-player Peter Johnston, who loves that Indian Wells gave Williams a wildcard, rightly points out that we are all talking about it.
Life after 40
Tom Brady: The legendary quarterback won his seventh Super Bowl title at age 43 in 2021.
LeBron James: James just received his 21st All-Star selection and is averaging 24 points and nine assists in his age-40 season.
Tiger Woods: The champion American golfer won the 2019 Masters title and his 15th major overall as a 43-year-old.
Jack Nicklaus: Captured three major golf titles after turning 40 and remains the all-time leader with 18.
Randy Johnson: The Hall of Fame baseball pitcher threw a perfect game and led the National League with nearly 300 strikeouts in the season he turned 40, and continued to pitch until he was 46.
Andrew Hoy: Hoy became Australia’s oldest Olympic medallist at age 62 in 2021 when he won silver with the eventing team at his eighth Games.
Miami might follow suit with the same arrangement for Venus, but at some stage – hopefully soon – tennis needs to move on and find a new way to convince fans to buy tickets than rolling out a 44-year-old gimmick.
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