What’s New for Tennis in Indian Wells?

By 7th-grade blogger Morgan Richardson

The BNP Paribas Open is running now from March 2nd to March 16th in my home town of Indian Wells. The event brings in huge crowds and will hopefully break last year’s record of 493,440 guests (bnpparibasopen.com). The streets of Palm Springs and Palm Desert are filled with visitors eager to attend this annual tennis tournament in our very own tennis paradise. In the past, many celebrities including Tom Holland, Zendaya, P!nk, Bill Gates, Will Ferrell, and Patrick Mahomes have attended, and who knows what stars will surprise us at this year’s BNP. Rumors are Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner have been in this year’s crowds. One of the main attractions, outside of world class tennis, are the many high-end restaurant options like Nobu, Porta Via, Molé, and Ristorante Mamma Gina. Many local favorites including J’s Deli, Tanya’s Kitchen, and even Coachella Coffee in case you need to hide from any bad weather are available at the BNP. To kick off the BNP, a family day is also available for free with face painting, yoga, crafts, and tennis lessons included. 

Fun Facts

• The BNP has the second biggest outdoor tennis court in the world!
• The BNP has held the event at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since 2009.
• It is the best attended tournament outside of all four Grand Slams, which is why it is often called the fifth Grand Slam.

I was first introduced to the BNP by my father, who attends religiously each year. And, if my father isn’t at the Gardens, he’ll be keeping up with matches via television. My mother is fortunate enough to see the finals every year with Dad, for this reason she’s become smitten with Carlos Alcarez, who has moved up in the ranks recently beating previous champion Novac Djokovic twice at Indian Wells. Some say that Carlos Alcarez is the GOAT of tennis.

I turned to my fellow classmates and asked who their favorite player or former player at the BNP is?

7th-grader Gavin had to go to Google to get an answer: 

“Simone Bolelli is my favorite tennis player.”

Ms. Maguire gives a shout out to her hometown Buffalo girl:

“Jessica Pegula is the best tennis player out there.”

Mr. Satterfield, with little to no tennis knowledge, puts a historic player at the top of his tennis pyramid:

“My favorite tennis player is Roger Federer.”  

Elizabeth Greenwood answers with a popular tennis favorite:

“My favorite tennis player is by far Serena Williams.”

My favorite tennis player is Novac Djokavic, though at a losing streak he has become my tennis inspiration. Winning or losing and still getting back on the court is one of the many valuable life lessons tennis has taught me. 

Sources:

https://bnpparibasopen.com › history

desertsun.com