article_snippet: The match was being televised on one of the biggest sports networks in the world, ESPN.
article_snippet: I had trouble holding back tears.
article_snippet: The fans' reaction apparently stemmed from the sisters' semifinal -- or lack of it.
article_snippet: But what transpired tarnished the tournament, the sport and hurt one of tennis' all-time greats to such an extent that Richard Williams stayed away from Indian Wells.
article_snippet: It has been difficult for me to forget spending hours crying in the Indian 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," Richard Williams told Time.com in February.
article_snippet: Even with the best efforts of the tournament -- now owned by billionaire Larry Ellison --
article_snippet: The false allegations that our matches were fixed hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply.
article_snippet: The under-current of racism was painful, confusing and unfair.
article_snippet: In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid.
article_snippet: I thought it was very tough on the players.
article_snippet: I thought it was unfair to Serena and Kim.