Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez were both eliminated in singles for Indian Wells. Many tennis fans have questioned why there is no doubles competition.
Before the tournament, they received a wildcard entry into the doubles.
However, they could not achieve a draw. That’s because another offense against Indian Wells this year has already made two mistakes, one of which involved Williams.
Read more: Adidas faces criticism over Indian Wells kit
An administrative error resulted in Williams and Fernandez being excluded from the draw.
It would have been a fan favorite if the US Open quarterfinalists had played. However, due to an administrative error, he was unable to compete.
Open Court (Canada website) explained, “A mistake occurred during the pre-women’s doubles group draw, so we were unable to certify Venus Williams and Leila Fernandez’s doubles wild card participation. We reviewed all possible options in cooperation with the WTA supervisor, but we were unable to correct the mistake because the group draw had already occurred.”
“We apologize to Venus, Leylah and their team for this issue and regret that fans will not be able to see this duo compete in Indian Wells this year.”
More: Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien doubles team eliminated too soon in Indian Wells.
Venus Williams has a love-hate relationship with Indian Wells.
This doubles the confusion, and the fact that Williams was willing to stop playing until she could drink water in the first round probably makes her feel negative about Indian Wells.
It’s a tournament she and Serena boycotted for years amid racial tensions in 2001. Venus Williams is in for a rough start to the 2026 season, and these Indian Wells issues aren’t helping her cause.
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