Serena still upset with Indian Wells treatment

After being loudly booed during the 2001 Pacific Life Open final, Serena Williams (picture) re-iterated that she and her sister Venus would continue to boycott the tournament.

"If anyone could be in my shoes, to be 19 years old and have a whole crowd jeer... I can't explain that feeling," Serena said yesterday. "I've never felt like that before in my career and I hope never to feel like that again.

"I enjoy going places where people enjoy seeing me play. That was one place where apparently a lot of people didn't want to see me play."

In 2001, Venus pulled out of her semi-final against Serena with a knee injury just moments before they were scheduled to play.

A day before that, fellow professional Elena Dementieva had questioned whether the contest between the sisters would be legitimate, suggesting their father Richard would dictate the outcome.

With some media outlets questioning the authenticity of Venus's injury, fans reacted angrily to the Williams family from the moment Serena stepped on court for the final against Belgium's Kim Clijsters.

They booed Serena when she entered the arena before jeering Richard and Venus as they walked towards the family enclosure.

The crowd continued to hoot and holler throughout Serena's three-set win and during the awards ceremony.

After the match, Serena called the accusations of potential match-fixing "scandalous lies". Stunned and irate, the Williamses vowed never to return.