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Venus Williams' practice session in Indian Wells attracted a massive crowd.
The American is making a comeback to the tournament after a five-year absence and is poised to kick off her 2024 season there.
A lot of people turned up for Williams' practice session on March 3 and gave her a huge cheer as she went towards them to sign autographs.
Venus Williams receiving a wildcard for the BNP Paribas Open was criticized by a few fans. However, the American's practice session, which drew a large crowd, received significant attention and praise from many.
One fan even called out those who criticized her for being given a wildcard, stating that tennis 'owed her a reserved seat at any table she wants to sit.'
"Save your hot takes about "wasted wildcards", Venus Williams still draws more fans than some current top 10 players on either tour. If you can't see why tennis owes her a reserved seat at any table she wants to sit, at least see the financial benefits of having her there," the fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
One fan said that the seven-time Major champion was loved by people and drew more people in her practice sessions than some players could draw to their matches:
"Exactly the people love her so much. She draw more people at practice than there faves can ever bring to there matches."
Another fan said that Venus Williams' wildcard appearance at the first leg of the Sunshine Double had more weightage than the WTA's Top 50.
"That one wild card appearance hold more weight than the entire wta top 50! Venus is a legend and people want to see her no matter what," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Venus Williams has won 21 matches in Indian Wells throughout her career
Venus Williams has appeared in eight editions of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with 21 wins out of 28 matches. However, she has not won the WTA 1000 tournament yet.
Her best performance was reaching the semifinals thrice, the first of those instances coming in 1998 when she was beaten by eventual champion Martina Hingis. The American's second final-four appearance in Indian Wells came in 2001 when she was scheduled to face her sister, Serena Williams, only to pull out of the match later.
The Williams sisters boycotted the tournament due to racist remarks they faced from the crowd that year during Serena's clash with Kim Clijsters. Serena and Venus made their returns to Indian Wells in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Venus reached the semifinals for the third time in 2018, but she was defeated by Daria Kasatkina.
Venus Williams' most recent appearance at the BNP Paribas Open came in 2019 where she was unseeded. The American beat the likes of Andrea Petkovic, Petra Kvitova, Christina McHale and Mona Barthel to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to eventual runner-up Angelique Kerber.
Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"
