Serena enters name for 'long-boycotted' India Wells tournament

World number one Serena Williams has reportedly put her name on the entry list for the WTA event at Indian Wells, to be held in March, showing her readiness to end her boycott of the tournament.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion and her older sister Venus have boycotted the California event since 2001, when Serena was fiercely booed as she played Kim Clijsters in the final after Venus defaulted to her due to tendinitis just moments before they were scheduled to meet in the semi-finals.

According to Sport24, however, Serena, the 1999 and 2001 winner at Indian Wells, was among the women who entered this year's event, set for March 6-16, with tournament director Steve Simon saying that the American is thinking about playing in the tournament based on her comments at the Australian Open.

At the Australian Open, Williams said that she is considering a return to Indian Wells, having been inspired toward reconciliation after watching a movie about the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, the report added.