After the excitement and drama of the US Open, tennis fans are now turning their attention to the next tournament on the horizon – Indian Wells.
The WTA 1000 event is the best-attended tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slams. As a result, Indian Wells is often called the 'fifth Grand Slam'.
The women’s tournament is shaping up to be one to watch, despite the withdrawal of world number one Ashleigh Barty. Shock US Open champion Emma Raducanu will go up against the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Karolína Plíšková and Elina Svitolina.
After sitting out of the US Open with a torn hamstring, 23 Grand Slam winner Serena Williams will miss Indian Wells as she continues to recover from injury.
Despite being one of the greatest tennis players of all time, the 40-year-old has actually rarely graced the courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Both Serena and her sister Venus Williams boycotted the tournament from 2001 to 2015.
GiveMeSport Women looks at what was behind the boycott, and why the Williams sisters decided to return to the tournament.
Indian Wells, 2001
Back in 2001, Serena Williams was a 19-year-old emerging talent with a Grand Slam title already to her name. She had triumphed at the US Open in 1999, winning Indian Wells in the same year.
Serena arrived in California alongside her sister Venus and father Richard, desperate to regain her title from Lindsay Davenport.
The young star did indeed knock out the defending champion, beating Davenport in the last eight. This set up a semi-final clash with Venus.
On March 15th 2001, the crowd at Indian Wells waited with anticipation for a semi-final showdown between the American sisters. Just four minutes before the match began, however, Venus pulled out with a case of tendonitis.
A loud round of boos went round the venue as the crowd heard of the withdrawal. The timing of the announcement wasn’t helped by comments made the day before by Elena Dementieva, who had been defeated by Venus in the quarter-finals.
The Russian player had suggested Richard, the father of the Williams sisters, influenced the outcome of matches between the pair.
When asked who she thought would win the upcoming semi-final clash, Dementieva answered: "I mean, I don't know what Richard thinks about it. I think he will decide who's going to win tomorrow."
Serena Williams vs Kim Clijsters
The saga did not end there. Following Venus’s withdrawal from the last four, Serena faced Belgian star Kim Clijsters in the Indian Wells final.
Just as the match was about to begin, Venus and Richard walked in to take their seats in the stand. Their entrance was met by the overwhelming noise of boos and jeers, from a crowd who clearly felt Venus had faked an injury to let Serena reach the final.
Their anger was directed at Serena when the match began. Every double fault and unforced error was cheered loudly by the crowd. Following a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory against Clijsters, Serena was booed after the match.
In a piece in Time Magazine in 2015, Serena discussed the racial undertones of the reaction from the Indian Wells crowd.
"The false allegations – that our matches were fixed – hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply," she wrote. "The undercurrent of racism was painful, confusing and unfair... This haunted me for a long time.
"It haunted Venus and our family as well. But most of all, it angered and saddened my father.
"He dedicated his whole life to preparing us for this incredible journey, and there he had to sit and watch his daughter being taunted, sparking cold memories of his experiences growing up in the South."
Indeed, Richard claimed he was racially abused as he took his seat to watch his daughter play in the Indian Wells final.
"When Venus and I were walking down the stairs to our seats, people kept calling me 'n-----.',” he told USA Today. “One said, 'I wish it was '75, we'd skin you alive.' I think Indian Wells disgraced America."
End of the Indian Wells boycott
Fourteen years after the Williams family decided to boycott Indian Wells, Serena decided to return to the tournament in California.
She gave her reason for ending the standoff in the Time Magazine article, writing: "Indian Wells was a pivotal moment of my story, and I am a part of the tournament’s story as well. Together we have a chance to write a different ending.
"I’m fortunate to be at a point in my career where I have nothing to prove. I’m still as driven as ever, but the ride is a little easier. I play for the love of the game.
"And it is with that love in mind, and a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015."
This time, Serena received a very different reception as she stepped out at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. With the support of the crowd behind her, she progressed all the way to the semi-finals.
Venus finally returned to the tournament in 2016, and Serena was beaten in the final by Victoria Azarenka in the same year.
In 2018, the draw threw up a third-round tie between the Williams sisters. This time, with the crowd cheering them on, both sisters contested the match. Venus was the winner, triumphing 6-3, 6-4.
"I definitely feel the crowd behind me if I’m getting behind and when I get match point I feel the love," Venus said as she progressed all the way to the semi-finals. "So I love it, I’m happy. This is home."
