Serena Williams still traumatized by jeering incident at 2001 Indian Wells

WTA legend Serena Williams claims to still be haunted by memories of the crowd booing her after sister Venus Williams pulled out of their semifinal clash at the 2001 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells tournament.

The Williams sisters were set to battle for a spot in the final, but older sister Venus withdrew on the day of the semifinal, citing tendonitis. The fans were outraged, with several alleging that Richard Williams, father of the sisters, had decided which of the sisters would advance and so asked Venus to withdraw.

The crowd of nearly 16,000 fans booed 19-year-old Serena during the final, as well as Venus and Richard when they took their seats. Although Serena came from behind to win the title in three sets, she said she was in no mood to celebrate.

“I remember I was playing this infamous match at Indian Wells ... That was a rough one for me,” Serena, 40, told Will Smith in a Red Table Talk interview ahead of the release of “King Richard” - a film about their father.

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“It was so hard. I’ll never forget driving back ... I remember just getting in the car and I was just bawling. I was at the gas station, there was no celebration and I was just crying and crying and crying.”

Serena did not return to the event the following year, and boycotted Indian Wells until 2015.

“Even when I went back 14 years later, it was very traumatizing,” recalled the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

“Talk about post-traumatic stress and mental anxiety. I remember sitting in the bathroom thinking, ‘Wait, I’m not going to go back. I just don’t think I should do this. What if they start booing again?’ It was really hard for me.”

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