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Serena Williams will play at Indian Wells, ending 13-year absence

Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts after winning the first set against her compatriot Madison Keys during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts after winning the first set against her compatriot Madison Keys during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

Serena Williams will play at Indian Wells this year, a tournament she and her sister Venus have avoided since 2001. The tournament isn't just any run-of-the-mill event: it's the largest combined WTA/ATP two-week contest outside of the four Grand Slams.

Recent champions include world No. 2 Maria Sharapova and No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki. It's also the tournament where Serena won her first professional match and where she and Venus played their first big tournament together.

Serena has often said that she would never return to the California venue because she was overwhelmed by fan criticism and an "undercurrent of racism" during the 2001 final, when she was just 19 years old. But as she writes in an essay for TIME magazine, she is now ready to move forward.

She starts by explaining what happened.

As I walked out onto the court, the crowd immediately started jeering and booing. In my last match, the semifinals, I was set to play my sister, but Venus had tendinitis and had to pull out. Apparently that angered many fans. Throughout my whole career, integrity has been everything to me. It is also everything and more to Venus. The false allegations that our matches were fixed hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply. The under­current of racism was painful, confusing and unfair. In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid.

The experience haunted her for years.

It has been difficult for me to forget spending hours crying in the Indian Wells locker room after winning in 2001, driving back to Los Angeles feeling as if I had lost the biggest game ever—not a mere tennis game but a bigger fight for equality. Emotionally it seemed easier to stay away.

She decided 2015 is the year to return because the sport's governing body has moved forward in recent years. When a Russian official made racist and sexist remarks about her and her sister last year, she adds, the USTA and WTA jumped to their defense. That support helped her realize how far she has come, too.

I’m fortunate to be at a point in my career where I have nothing to prove. I’m still as driven as ever, but the ride is a little easier. I play for the love of the game. And it is with that love in mind, and a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015...  I have faith that fans at Indian Wells have grown with the game and know me better than they did in 2001.

In her recent run to her sixth Australian Open title, and 19th Grand Slam championship, Williams said that this season she's making a statement about female strength. By playing at Indian Wells, she's also looking to make a statement about the power of forgiveness.

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells will be held March 9-22. Venus Williams has also boycotted the tournament since 2001; the essay does not say whether Venus will play this year.

In conjuction with her return, Serena partnered with the Equal Justice Initiative to give one fan a chance to travel to Indian Wells, hit with Serena, and take home one of her rackets.

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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or find her on Twitter.