Boycott of Indian Wells Masters by Venus and Serena Williams
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During the 2001 Tennis Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California, controversy erupted when Venus Williams withdrew four minutes prior to her semifinal match with her sister Serena.[1] Serena was subsequently booed during the championship match against Kim Clijsters and during the trophy presentation. Neither Williams sister has played this tournament since, in what has been termed the most famous boycott in modern tennis.[2]
Withdrawal and controversy
Four minutes before taking the court to play in the semifinals against her sister Serena, Venus Williams withdrew with tendinitis in her knee. Tournament director Charlie Pasarell was critical of the decision, saying "I only wish she had at least gone out and given it a try. … This hurts the game of tennis more than the individual tournament."[1]
The following day, Serena played Kim Clijsters in the final. Venus and her father (and coach to her and Serena) Richard Williams were booed as they made their way to their seats.[1] Serena was booed intermittently during the final, in which she defeated Clijsters 4–6, 6–4, 6–2.[1][3]
Richard accused the crowds at Indian Wells of overt racism, saying, "The white people at Indian Wells, what they've been wanting to say all along to us finally came out: 'Nigger, stay away from here, we don't want you here.' " However, no other reports of verbal racism were reported to tournament officials, although Venus has stated without elaboration, "I heard what he heard".[1][4] Oracene Price (mother and coach of Venus and Serena) accused the crowd of "taking off their hoods".[5]
Effects and criticism
Since the initial controversy, neither Williams sister has played the tournament in Indian Wells. The Women's Tennis Association currently classifies the Indian Wells tournament as a Premier Mandatory event for all eligible players.[1] Exceptions are made when players engage in tournament promotions, but Venus and Serena have both declined to directly promote the tournament; Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott agreed he would not, promotionally, "put them in a position that is going to be awkward" and tournament director Charlie Pasarell has stated he would accept the WTA tour's ruling.[1]
Allegations had been made before Venus's withdrawal that Richard Williams decided who won the matches between his daughters.[6] Those allegations continued and increased as a result of her withdrawal.[1]
Richard has said that racial epithets were used against him and Venus as they sat in the stands during the final, but no official complaints were recorded by the tournament. Venus and Serena have been criticized for refusing to discuss the controversy, as some believe that their silence perpetuates racism.[7]
Serena discusses what happened in her view at Indian Wells in detail in an entire chapter titled "The Fiery Darts of Indian Wells" in her 2009 autobiography, On the Line. She says that on the morning of the semifinal, Venus told the tour trainer that she had injured her knee and didn't think she could play and tried for hours to get approval from the trainer to withdraw, but the tournament officials kept stalling.
"What got me most of all was that it wasn't just a scattered bunch of boos. It wasn't coming from just one section. It was like the whole crowd got together and decided to boo all at once. The ugliness was just raining down on me, hard. I didn't know what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. What was most surprising about this uproar was the fact that tennis fans are typically a well-mannered bunch. They're respectful. They sit still. And in Palm Springs, especially, they tended to be pretty well-heeled, too. But I looked up and all I could see was a sea of rich people—mostly older, mostly white—standing and booing lustily, like some kind of genteel lynch mob. I don't mean to use such inflammatory language to describe the scene, but that's really how it seemed from where I was down on the court. Like these people were gonna come looking for me after the match. ... There was no mistaking that all of this was meant for me. I heard the word nigger a couple times, and I knew. I couldn't believe it. That's just not something you hear in polite society on that stadium court. ... Just before the start of play, my dad and Venus started walking down the aisle to the players' box by the side of the court, and everybody turned and started to point and boo at them. ... It was mostly just a chorus of boos, but I could still hear shouts of 'Nigger!' here and there. I even heard one angry voice telling us to go back to Compton. It was unbelievable. ... We refused to return to Indian Wells. Even now, all these years later, we continue to boycott the event. It's become a mandatory tournament on the tour, meaning that the WTA can fine a player if she doesn't attend. But I don't care if they fine me a million dollars, I will not play there again."
References
Further reading
- Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33165-0