Indian Wells, the prestigious tennis oasis event, is upon us. Here’s a little behind the scenes of the tennis tournament that won the "Best Tournament of The Year" award for the past four years.
Simultaneously a Men’s and Women’s event, it is the most attended ATP and WTA tournament in the world, and one of the only two tournaments that extends over eight days, the other one being the Miami Open. (Excluding the Grand Slams) - Link to next blog about tournaments structure. Also called the BNP Paribas Open and WTA Indian Wells Open, the tournament’s name changed quite a few times since it started in 1974.
Ran by former world #2 Tommi Haas, Indian Wells is known for the incredible energy and atmosphere, spoken for by both players and fans alike. BNP Paribas Open has the second largest permanent tennis stadium in the world after Arthur Ashe (Us Open) and an 8,000 seat stadium 2. If that wasn’t enough to spark interest in a tennis enthusiast the venue includes incredible dining options including the famous Nobu and underwent a makeover in 2016 and 2017 with remodelled suites and addition of over 20 restaurants. Located in Coachella Valley, southeast of the luxurious Palm Springs area, in Southern California, it is often called a tennis paradise. The on-court and off-court experience make Indian Wells a prime destination for players, tennis fans and their whole family.
The investment of making Indian Wells a state of the art tennis haven is paying off, in 2017 the tournament generate $407million in economic impact. The tournament is also known for advocating for equal Men and Women prize money with a total of 7.973 million USD, and the winner will take $1,354,010. Link for more details https://bnpparibasopen.com/experience/tournament-information/
Women’s main draw starts Wednesday, March 6th (Today) Men’s start Thursday, March 7th, and both finals are scheduled on the following Sunday. Enjoy the show and cheer on our fellow Canadian players! Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu and Genie Bouchard.
https://bnpparibasopen.com/