Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas confirmed that Venus Williams decided against accepting their wildcard invitation.
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Last week, the WTA 1000tournament announced the seven-time Grand Slam champion as a main draw wildcard recipient through their social media channels.
But on Sunday, the 44-year-old stunningly shared on the Tennis WeeklyPodcast that she wasn't planning on playing in the desert.
"I'm not playing - I'm going to be overseas. I'm not going to be here," Williams said.
Since the tournament confirmed her as a participant but the former world No. 1 personally said she wouldn't play, that led to some confusion.
However, that was all cleared by tournament director Tommy Haas as the tournament offered a wildcard but it was rejected.
"Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wildcard this year. We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future," Indian Wells tournament director Haas said in a statement.
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Williams made her comeback last year in Indian Wells
After dealing with a leg injury during a 2023 US Open first-round loss, the American didn't play for the next six months until returning to action in the desert as a wildcard.
Following an Indian Wells first-round loss to Noa Hibino, the former world No. 1 also played in Miami as a wildcard and lost to Diana Shnaider in her opening match.
Since then, Williams hasn't made any appearances on the Tour.
When thewildcard news came out last week, the 44-year-old's fan got excited, believing the American was about to play again - but her comeback to courts has now been delayed.
