BNP Paribas Open

World class Tennis in CA – 2013 BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells

February 21, 2013 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

Ready for some Tennis?

Living in California offers so many great possibilities that one can surely feel spoiled. Not only do we have the ocean and snowy mountains right in our vicinity, but also world class tennis is part of California living. Every year in spring the BNP PARIBAS Open attracts thousands of tennis enthusiasts to watch the world’s best in tennis compete right here in Indian Wells, CA, just a two-hours drive away from L.A.!

On March 4-17, 2013 it’s time again for one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. For a couple of weeks world class tennis will make its home at the beautiful Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Plan ahead and get ready for some suspenseful matches watching Federer, Djokovic, Azarenka and Sharapova and so many other world ranked players compete for the title!

Fun Facts about BNP PARIBAS Open at Indian Wells:

Last year more than 370,000 fans passed through the gates, making it the most attended tennis tournament in the world behind the four Grand Slams.

The seating capacity of the Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden (16,100) is the second largest of any tennis-only stadium on either Tour. Only the U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium (22,500) is larger.

Hawkeye replay technology was installed on all match courts for the 2011 event. To this day, the BNP Paribas Open remains the only tournament in the world, including the four grand slams, to have the line call challenge system on every match court.

In 2011, the BNP Paribas Open became the first non-Grand Slam tennis tournament to offer $1 million to its singles champions, increasing total prize money to more than $11 million.

In 2012, Roger Federer became the only four-time men’s champion of the BNP Paribas Open. His previous titles came consecutively in 2004, 2005 and 2006, the only player to win three consecutive times.

Annually, the men’s event is the first of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events played on the ATP schedule. The other eight premier events are held in Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid, Montreal/Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.

The women’s event is one of only four Premier Mandatory Events on the WTA. The others are Miami, Madrid and Beijing

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Source: BNP Paribas Open

Photo: CaliforniaGermans (Federer at BNP Paribas Open 2012)

World Class Tennis in California – Indian Wells, a Tennis Lover’s Eldorado (CaliforniaGermans.com)
ATP votes to approve Indian Wells prize money increase (usatoday.com)

Rafael Nadal undecided over whether he’ll play Indian Wells (tennis.si.com)
Andy Roddick miffed at ATP’s rejection of Indian Wells prize money increase (tennis.si.com)
ATP Tour, BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in prize money dispute (m.si.com)

World Class Tennis in California – Indian Wells, a Tennis Lover’s Eldorado

March 15, 2012 by Cornelia 2 Comments

Palm Springs in the desert, widely known as a perfect weekend getaway, is also a familiar destination for many Californians wanting to escape the colder winter days.

But every year in March the Californian desert means much more than dry weather and sunshine. It transforms into the world tennis’ center stage and Indian Wells becomes home to the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world, the “Indian Wells Masters tournament, a.k.a. the BNP Paribas Open (previously the Pacific Life Open), a joint event of the ATP World Tour and the WTA Tour” (wikipedia)

For a couple of weeks Indian Wells turns into the playground of the world’s tennis elite crowding up at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, an impressive tennis facility that was built in 2000 and has 20 tennis courts, including the 16,100-seat stadium court. It is the second largest tennis stadium in the world.

The BNP Paribas Open in March is the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world outside the four Grand Slam tournaments. With its six easily accessible practice courts BNP Paribas Open offers viewers the great opportunity to watch their favorite players up close during a warm up session or a practice match and secure an autograph right after.

For the Californian, Indian Wells Tennis Garden offers a convenient way to watch some world-class tennis just a couple of hours away from Los Angeles and Orange County. The BNP Paribas Open takes place every year in March. This year it started on March 5th and will continue until March 18th, 2012. The tournament has something to offer for every tennis enthusiast. It certainly is an unforgettable experience to the seasoned tennis player and the novice alike to see the players in action so close up front. Not to mention the educational benefit. It is just amazing what one can learn just by watching the pros.

Like last year we took our eight-year old, headed out to Indian Wells, and spent a few days on the tournament grounds. We were thrilled to witness such a close match between Victoria Azarenka who got challenged by the young German Mona Barthels, who almost upset Azarenka. The match eventually, got decided by a tie breaker with a final result of V Azarenka (BLR) d M Barthel (GER) 64 67(4) 76(6) (http://www.bnpparibasopen.com/Scores/Results.aspx )

After having watched Djokovic on the main center court, we felt so lucky when we caught a space in a front row of one of the practice courts to watch not only Roger Federer but also Rafael Nadal in a practice with their coaches as well as in a warm up session with another player.

One of the many highlights of the trip was Federer signing our son’s hat. Our eight year old was gleaming, and it was hard to convince him to take off his hat at night. All the endless hours in the melting sun were worth it after all, even in his eyes. He is ‘sold’ on Indian Wells and definitely ready for next year’s event.

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