"The wildcard is a joke": Tennis commentator weighs in on Venus Williams being handed return route at Indian Wells

Venus Williams has received a wildcard to play in the 2024 Indian Wells Open (BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells) and will return at the age of 43 once again for a comeback. Conjecture has surrounded Williams and the continued wildcards despite her being a tennis legend.

Craig Shapiro, who is a tennis commentator and podcast host was quizzed about the wildcard with Williams and Caroline Wozniacki set to play during the Sunshine Double as a result and he called it a 'joke'. This is despite in his own words having a 'reverence' for both sisters and using a picture of the pair to answer the question.

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Venus Williams has not played a competitive match since last year's US Open, where she lost in straight sets to Greet Minnen. She has exclusively played with wildcards in every tournament since her comeback in August 2022 after taking a hiatus of a year meaning her ranking dropped.

She hasn't played at Indian Wells since 2019, where she reached the Quarter-Finals for the sixth time eventually losing to Angelique Kerber. It also holds some bad memories for both Williams sisters who boycotted the tournament for 14 years after a hostile crowd booed and jeered the pair. She did not return until 2016, a year after Serena Williams made her return. But now she will make yet another return and in a time when Andy Murray has received criticism for supposedly tarnishing his legacy, Venus Williams will likely be subject to the same questioning once more in the Sunshine State.