My two days of tennis in Indian Wells

In our previous March issue, we featured an article titled Tournaments for adults only - the dirty little secret of the tennis event industry (The illusion that expensive tournaments will help tennis grow) which addressed concerns regarding high prices and unfriendly policies toward children at tournaments such as the US Open, BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open, San Diego Open, and Western & Southern Open. In order to validate my claims and discover the truth, I decided to assess the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, located in the Coachella Valley region of California, which happens to be the closest tournament to my office.

I would like to disclose that I have been attending this tournament for over 25 years, and I hold a deep affection for it. Although it is difficult for me to criticize this event, it is necessary to address the concerns I previously raised. It is important to note that I receive complimentary access to the tournament as I have been granted media credentials. I believe that this tournament is the most aesthetically pleasing among all the Masters 1000 tournaments in the United States, and this report aims to highlight its beauty while still addressing some of the issues I previously mentioned.

Day 1

Parking is free! After expressing my dissatisfaction with the high parking fees at the BNP Paribas Open and other major tournaments, I now discovered that parking at this establishment has been complimentary for the past two years. I was informed of this fact, which I neglected to verify before publicly criticizing the event. (It is essential to ensure our information is accurate, Mr. Neher.)
Is it possible that the availability of free parking plays a significant role in attracting almost 500,000 fans who travel from Los Angeles and San Diego?

(All of the below photos have been taken by me)

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet up with my friend and occasional contributor to the newsletter, tennis coach, Bill Patton, on that particular day. Bill made the journey from San Diego, which is a picturesque drive through the mountains. He thoroughly enjoyed observing the matches. Bill is widely recognized as an accomplished author, tennis director, and high school coach. Recently, he relocated from Oakland in Northern California to the vibrant San Diego region, which had been my place of residence for 17 years before I moved to the San Fernando Valley.

The photograph on the right showcases the expansive Champagne Tent and seating area. It is worth noting that a glass of Moet & Chandon Champagne is priced at $34, yet this cost does include the glass. Cheers to that!

One of the key highlights for tennis enthusiasts is the convenient access to the practice courts. The front court, in particular, witnessed a full house as all the seats were occupied. Attendees eagerly observed Sasha Zverev engaging in practice sessions with his coaches. On the court next to Zverev: Andrey Rublev and his team. Notably, each of the 6-8 practice courts hosted top 10 ATP and WTA players, providing an exceptional viewing experience for spectators.

The image on the left showcases Tommy Haas, the Tournament Director of BNP, who is known for his approachability and friendly demeanor. Moving to the middle photo, we observe a 'Rent a Portable Charger' station. It seems that providing complimentary smartphone charging became financially burdensome for the event. Although public Wi-Fi is widely accessible and free within the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the charging station incurs a cost of $14 per day. Finally, on the right side, we see Charlie Passarell, a revered figure and one of the co-founders of the tournament, who also had a successful career as a professional tennis player. Here is a short video of the crowd relaxing in the shade.

The tournament has designated BMW as the 'Official Luxury Car' partner, showcasing their complete performance line at the venue. Additionally, the Tennis Warehouse tent offered a comprehensive selection of leading vendors in the tennis, Pickleball, and Padel industries.

Main draw matches had not begun yet but I walked into Stadium 1 nonetheless and was rewarded with a special treat: Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas practicing together. I shot a 15-second video of the action.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is a Platinum Partner of the BNP Paribas Open and Official Sponsor of the ATP Rankings. The BNP website states, “PIF will partner with ATP Tour events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing and the ATP Finals in Turin, in addition to the Next Gen ATP Finals, hosted in Jeddah until 2027. Following the launch of ATP’s Baseline program earlier this year, PIF has further committed to developing and unlocking new opportunities for young players and player pathway initiatives, providing a significant boost to the game’s next generation of stars.”

The PIV tent space shows very little except for some games and graphics. I shot a 13-second video of the inside.

Noticeable on Day 1 at the BNP Paribas Open

I learned that on the first three days of the tournament, ground passes are only $10 each and I had to applaud this. Funny, despite that low cost of entry, among those approximately 5,000 people on the site, I saw only 5 children.

As expected, food was quite expensive. I don’t want to mention the vendor but I had a non-descript salad on Pita Bread with some dried-out Mahi Mahi on top and paid $21 for that pleasure. Washed it down with a can of beer for $15. But I guess I can’t complain too much. Not too long ago, I paid $65 for 2 beers, 2 hot dogs, and 1 serving of fries at a Florida Marlins baseball game. Although, quality-wise, the baseball food was quite a bit better. I wish tennis tournaments such as the BNP Paribas Open would take a page of the Savannah Bananas playbook, where ‘open seating tickets are $35 and it's all-inclusive. Every Bananas Ticket at Grayson Stadium includes All-You-Can-Eat Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Chicken Sandwiches, Chips, Popcorn, Dessert, Water and Coca-cola products.’ No wonder they are sold out for the 2024 season.

Overall impression despite the price of food: Outstanding! For me, a much better experience than the US Open.

Day 2

I spent the first half of my second day in the desert walking the Indian Wells Tennis Garden grounds again, enjoying the sunshine and watching some practice action. The highlight was lunch because the media was treated to a showcase of all the delicacies available at the venue. Not sure where because I couldn’t find many of them in the outside food tents. Nonetheless delectable and nicely presented by the BNP’s new Hospitality Management Partner Sodexo Live.

In the afternoon, I was treated to another delightful event, this time at La Quinta Resort: The 20th Annual Desert Smash. Founder and Executive Producer Ryan Macaulay had invited me to experience it for the first time and an outstanding experience it was! My guest for the afternoon was Barbara Wintroup, well-known former USPTA Pro and now accomplished Championship Pickleball player in the senior age groups.

The event had a ton of sponsors and one huge draw of an MC: Charlize Theron. From the event website: “We are thrilled to welcome award-winning actress, producer and philanthropist, Charlize Theron as the host of the 20th Annual Desert Smash! This year’s Desert Smash will benefit her eponymous charity, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. (CTAOP) - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to investing in the health and safety of young people living in Southern Africa to create a more equitable future for all.”

Here is a short video of the Desert Smash crowd.

The above photo in the middle (yes, he could have shaved and gotten a haircut for the occasion LOL) shows renowned technology solutions provider for the tennis industry, Todd Conley.

And we saw some great, entertaining tennis from Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur, Frances Tiafoe, Donna Vekic, Hubi Hurkacz, Casper Ruud, and others. (Sam Querrey didn’t really play but I caught him in the stands.) Btw, the photo shows the approximate sizes of players. From left: 6’, 5’6”, 6’2”, 6’6”. I took a short video of Frances Tiafoe and Casper Ruud.

Overall, I observed a fantastic event for the audience, and for Charlize Theron’s charity. There was only one thing that didn’t sit well with me. I had a good talk with Ryan Macaulay at about 4 pm and decided to leave an hour later. What he didn’t tell me was that a surprise guest was expected. Next day I read in the news that Novak Djokovic made an appearance. Ouch. Thank you, Ryan! LOL. (Still, a super event!)

Unpopular BNP decision after Rafa withdrawal

The following letter came to me after the BNP Paribas Open 2024 was over. It sheds a not-so-favorable light on tournament management and their hunger for money. A reader who shall remain anonymous (you all know the reasons why in our industry) wrote:

“I had a private with one of my Adult Advance Beginner students about his horrible experience this year at Indian Wells. It goes hand in hand with what you talked about with ticket prices. Now I know why there was no one in the stands in the QF matches.”

03/14

In January we purchased ground tickets for the quarterfinals which technically allowed us into stadiums 2-7.  As we walk up to get into the Sinner match security tells us Stadium 2 is now ticketed as of that morning.  Heard through intel at Nike, that since Nadal backed out of the tournament the day before, they lost $700k in tickets and tried to recoup their losses on ticketing attendees the following day with ground tickets. Turning Stadium 2 into a Stadium 1 situation which has not been the case in the tournament’s history.

Apparently, Nadal had played the Netflix special, flew out to Indian Wells, played 36 holes of golf, and practiced 2 hours every day leading up to the tournament. He had some pain in his abdomen and got an MRI. He was cleared to play by the doctor but then 48 hours later pulled out of the tournament.

Heard from a security guard the night before they found out about the money grab - they had about 500 people at the box office trying to get refunds.

Box office agreed to refunds only on the grounds that afterward you would be escorted out by security or pay an additional $100 to enter Stadium 2.

At that point, matches were already underway and stadiums were empty.”

The reader closed with this question: “Do we need Jesse Cole from the Savannah Bananas to run tennis and put fans first?”