Serena Williams ended her long boycott of Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2015, but the tennis legend hasn't forgotten the incident that led her to stay away from the venue for more than a decade.

During an appearance on Red Table Talk (via ESPN.com's D'Arcy Maine), Williams said competing in the 2015 BNP Paribas Open presented some difficulty:

"Even when I went back 14 years later, it was very traumatizing. Talk about post-traumatic stress and mental anxiety. I remember sitting in the bathroom, thinking 'Wait, I'm not gonna go back. I just don't think I should do this. What if they start booing again?' It was really hard for me."

Williams beat Kim Clijsters in the final of the 2001 Indian Wells Masters, her second title there in three years. However, it was far from a joyous occasion due to the reaction she was generating from the crowd.

Despite Williams being a Southern California native, the fans loudly cheered for Clijsters throughout the match.

Richard Williams also said he was called the N-word as he and his daughter, Venus, were walking to their seats in the stadium.

"One guy said, 'I wish it was '75; we'd skin you alive,'" he told USA Today's Doug Smith. "That's when I stopped and walked toward that way. Then I realized that [my] best bet was to handle the situation non-violently. I had trouble holding back tears. I think Indian Wells disgraced America."

Serena also had to contend with an allegation from Elena Dementieva, whom Venus defeated in the quarterfinals, that Richard would decide the outcome of any match between the Williams sisters before they played.

In a February 2015 essay for Time, Williams said she planned on returning to Indian Wells, expressing a desire to "write a different ending" at the tournament. She received a loud ovation while walking onto the court for her second-round match with Monica Niculescu.

Because of what it represented, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion told Sports Illustrated's S.L. Price in December 2015 that competing again at Indian Wells might have been the greatest moment of her career.