MELBOURNE, Australia — Thanks in part to a movie about Nelson Mandela, Serena Williams has moved toward ending her more than decade-long absence from a high-profile tour event in Indian Wells, Calif.

Williams, the top-ranked player on the WTA Tour, has not played in Indian Wells since 2001, when she was booed and heckled relentlessly during a final she won over Kim Clijsters. The crowd had turned on the Williams family after Venus Williams withdrew from a semifinal against Serena shortly before the match. When Venus walked down to her seat to watch the final along with her father, Richard, she was booed, and Richard said he heard racial slurs aimed at him.

The Williams sisters have not entered the tournament since, and Venus is still not entered into this year’s event, the BNP Paribas Open. Serena, however, has put her name on the entry list.

Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said that Williams had listed her name to leave open the possibility of playing, which was still not guaranteed.