Serena Williams avoided participating in the Indian Wells tournament for 14 years due to accusations of match-fixing.

Serena Williams, along with her older sister Venus, abstained from participating in the Indian Wells tournament for more than ten years. Following their appearances in 2001, they refrained from taking part in the WTA Premier (now WTA 1000) event until 2015 and 2016, respectively. It wasn’t until they had a personal discussion with Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and the new owner of the tournament since 2009, that the sisters decided to end their absence.

Serena Williams, alongside Venus, opted out of the tournament following incidents of racial abuse.

Although there were accusations of match-fixing against the Williams sisters in 2001, that wasn’t the primary reason for their prolonged absence from Indian Wells. At that time, Venus was the more established player, while Serena was still emerging. Consequently, when Venus withdrew from their Indian Wells 2001 semi-final, speculation arose about the Williams family orchestrating the outcome in advance. As a result, Serena faced jeers during the final.

Venus Williams entered the Indian Wells tournament in 2001 as a two-time singles Grand Slam champion, boasting a total of 15 WTA titles. In contrast, Serena had only won the 1999 US Open and had secured a total of eight titles by that time. Consequently, Venus was considered the more prominent player at that juncture.

The sisters were scheduled to face each other in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells tournament in 2001. Given their status as top 5 players, fans were eagerly anticipating the showdown. However, just moments before the match, Venus withdrew, granting Serena a walkover. This decision raised eyebrows among many fans and analysts, who speculated that Richard Williams had instructed his elder daughter to pull out in an attempt to elevate Serena out of her shadow.