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Former satellite fig 1 Venus Williams has turned down a wildcard for adjacent month's Indian Wells tournament.
Organisers said past week the 44-year-old had been invited but the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion has not taken it up.
"Our squad has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wildcard this year," the lawsuit posted connected X successful a connection attributed to tourney manager Tommy Haas.
"We privation Venus each the champion and anticipation to spot her backmost successful Indian Wells successful the future."
Williams has dropped to 974th successful the satellite and has not played a WTA Tour-level lucifer since losing successful the archetypal circular of the Miami Open past March.
She earlier told the TennisWeekly podcast she would not beryllium making her instrumentality astatine the Indian Wells tournament, which runs from 2-16 March.
"I'm not playing - I'm going to beryllium overseas. I'm not going to beryllium here," she said.
Williams boycotted Indian Wells for 15 years aft her younger sister Serena was booed and heckled by fans during her triumph against Kim Clijsters successful the 2001 final.
The jeers appeared to beryllium successful effect to Venus withdrawing injured from the semi-final betwixt the siblings.
Their begetter Richard aboriginal accused fans of radical abuse. Serena returned to the tourney successful 2015 portion Venus played the pursuing year.
English (US)