The Indian Wells Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California, United States. It is played on outdoor hardcourts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and is held in March. The tournament is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour and part of the WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour.
| Indian Wells Open | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| Tournament information | |||||||||
| Founded | 1974 | ||||||||
| Location | Tucson, Arizona (1974–75) Rancho Mirage, California (1976–80) La Quinta, California (1981–86) Indian Wells, California (1987–current) | ||||||||
| Venue | Indian Wells Tennis Garden | ||||||||
| Surface | Hard (Plexipave) – outdoors | ||||||||
| Website | bnpparibasopen.com | ||||||||
| Current champions (2024) | |||||||||
| Men's singles |  Carlos Alcaraz | ||||||||
| Women's singles |  Iga Świątek | ||||||||
| Men's doubles |  Wesley Koolhof Nikola Mektić | ||||||||
| Women's doubles |  Hsieh Su-wei Elise Mertens | ||||||||
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The tournament is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments (493,440 in total attendance during the 2024 event);[1] it is often called the "fifth Grand Slam" in reference to this.[2] The Indian Wells Tennis Garden has the second-largest permanent tennis stadium in the world, behind the US Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The Indian Wells Open is the premier tennis tournament in the Western United States and the second largest tennis tournament throughout the United States and the Americas (behind the US Open in the Eastern United States).
Preceding the Miami Open, it is the first event of the "Sunshine Double" — a series of two elite, consecutive hard court tournaments in the United States in early spring.
Between 1974 and 1976, it was a non-tour event and between 1977 and 1989 it was held as part of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour. Both singles main draws include 96 players in a 128-player grid, with the 32 seeded players getting a bye (a free pass) to the second round.
Location
editIndian Wells lies in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area), about 125 miles (201 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.[3]
The tournament is played in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden (built in 2000) which has 29 tennis courts, including the 16,100-seat main stadium, which is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world.[4] After the 2013 BNP Paribas Open, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden started an expansion and upgrade of its facilities that includes a new 8,000 seat Stadium 2.[5] The revamping of the tennis center also included a "Pro Purple" interior court color created specifically for the ATP Masters Series and first used at Indian Wells, citing the purple color being 180 degrees and exactly opposite the yellow of the ball.[6]
History
editThe tournament was founded by former tennis pros Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore. It has been known by a number of names, and accepted numerous corporate sponsorships, throughout its existence. The French multinational banking group BNP Paribas has held the naming rights since 2009.[7]
Originally the women's tournament was held a week before the men's event. In 1996, the championship became one of the few fully combined events on both the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women's Tennis Association tours.
The Indian Wells Open has become one of the largest events on both the men's and women's tours. In 2004, the tournament expanded to a multi-week 96-player field. Winning the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open back to back has been colloquially termed the Sunshine Double. Dubbed the "Grand Slam of the West",[8][9] it is the most-attended tennis tournament in the world other than the four Majors, with over 450,000 visitors during the 2015 event.[10]
In 2009, the tournament and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden were sold to Larry Ellison.[11][12]
On March 8, 2020, the tournament was postponed, and later canceled, to halt the potential spread of COVID-19.[13]
Williams sisters boycott
editVenus and Serena Williams refused to play the Indian Wells tournament from 2001 to 2014 despite threats of financial sanctions and ranking point penalties. The two were scheduled to play in the 2001 semifinal but Venus withdrew due to an injury. Amid speculation of match fixing, the crowd for the final loudly booed Serena when she came out to play the final and continued to boo her intermittently through the entire match, even to the point of cheering unforced errors and double faults.[14] Williams won the tournament and was subsequently booed during the awards ceremony. Nine days later, while attending the Ericsson Open, Richard Williams, Serena and Venus's father, stated racial slurs were directed at him while in the stands at Indian Wells.[15] He said that while he and Venus were taking their seats for the final, multiple fans used the racial slur and one spoke of skinning him alive.[16] When asked about her father's allegations, Venus said "I heard what he heard."[16] Indian Wells tournament director Charlie Pasarell said he was humiliated by the crowd's reaction, adding, "I was cringing when all that stuff was going on. It was unfair for the crowd to do that."[17]
After a phone call from Larry Ellison (the multi-billionaire founder of Oracle, tennis enthusiast and most recent owner of the tournament), Serena Williams returned to Indian Wells in 2015, ending her 14-year boycott of the event.[18][19][20] Venus Williams ended her boycott by competing in Indian Wells the next year.[21]
Past finals
editMen's singles
editWomen's singles
editMen's doubles
editWomen's doubles
editRecords
editMen's singles
edit| Most titles[25] | 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Most finals | 9 | |
| Most consecutive titles | (2004, 2005, 2006)
|
3 |
(2014, 2015, 2016)
| ||
| Most consecutive finals | (2004, 2005, 2006)
(2017, 2018, 2019) |
3 |
(2014, 2015, 2016)
| ||
| Most matches played | 79 | |
| Most matches won | 66 | |
| Most consecutive matches won | 19 | |
| Most editions played | 18 | |
| Best winning % | 88.89% (16–2) | |
| Youngest champion | 19y, 2m, 26d (1987) | |
| Oldest champion | 35y, 7m, 11d (2017) |
| Longest final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 (51 games) | |||||
| 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 77 | |
| 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 64 | |
| Shortest final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 (14 games) | |||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||
| 2 | 0 | ||||
Women's singles
edit| Most titles | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Most finals | 6 | |
| Most consecutive titles | (1990, 1991)
|
2 |
| Most consecutive finals | (2003, 2004, 2005)
|
3 |
| Most consecutive matches won | 10 | |
Sunshine double
editThe Sunshine Double is a feat in tennis achieved when a player wins the titles of the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open back-to-back.
To date, 11 players have achieved this in singles, and 23 in doubles.
Men's singles
edit| No. | Player[26] | Title(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1991 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1992 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1994 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1998 | |
| 5 | 1 | 2001 | |
| 6 | 3 | 2005–06, '17 | |
| 7 | 4 | 2011, '14–'16 |
Women's singles
edit| No. | Player[26] | Title(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1994, '96 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2005 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2016 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2022 |
Men's doubles
edit- Teams
| No. | Team[27][28] | Title(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1996 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1999 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2002 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2014 | |
| 5 | 1 | 2016[29] |
- Individuals
These players won the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open in the same year but with different partners.
| No. | Player (individually) | Title(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1989 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2022[30] |
Women's doubles
edit- Teams
| No. | Team[27][28] | Title(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1990 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2002 | |
| 3 | 2 | 2006–07 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2015 | |
| 5 | 1 | 2019 |
- Individuals
These players won the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open in the same year but with different partners.
| No. | Player (individually) | Title(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1997 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1999 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2016 |
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "BNP Paribas Open sets attendance record during unforgettable two weeks in Indian Wells". The Desert Sun. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ BNP Paribas Open tennis finally returns to Indian Wells in October, Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2021
- ^ "Google Maps". Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "Indian Wells Tennis Garden – Site Facts". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "2014 Indian Wells Tennis Garden Expansion". ATP. March 3, 2013.
- ^ "BNP Paribas Open Debuts New Plexipave® IW Stadium Court". March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Indian Wells tourney changes name". January 15, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "The Long and Winding Road to Indian Wells". The Beverly Hills Courier. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ "Larry Ellison opens his wallet for Indian Wells event". USA Today. March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ "Top 15 Moments Of 2015 Tournament". BNP Paribas Open. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Charlie Pasarell and Co. keep tennis' desert palace glittering
- ^ BNP Paribas Open Announces Larry Ellison As New Owner
- ^ "Indian Wells tennis postponed after coronavirus confirmed". March 8, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Williams booed after Indian Wells win". CNN.
- ^ "Racism charges swirl as Williams sisters advance". CNN. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- ^ a b "Richard Williams: Indian Wells disgraced America". www.espn.com. Associated Press. March 28, 2001. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Doug (March 28, 2001). "Williams' father says booing racially motivated". usatoday.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Serena (February 4, 2015). "Serena Williams: I'm Returning to Indian Wells". Time.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Bryant: How Serena and Indian Wells came to an agreement". ESPN. March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "Venus books return to Indian Wells". WTA. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ "NOAH BEATS LENDL, ENDING STREAK AT 44". The New York Times. February 22, 1982.
- ^ a b c d "BNP Paribas Open Will Not Be Held As Scheduled Due to Coronavirus Concerns". atptour.com. March 8, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "2020 BNP Paribas Open Will Not Be Held". tennis.life. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "BNP Paribas Open 2024: Draws, Dates, History & All You Need To Know | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. February 26, 2024. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Tennis.com (March 26, 2023). "The Sunshine Double: All the players who've won Indian Wells and Miami in the same year". Tennis.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Walking on Sunshine: Doubles 'Double' winners in Indian Wells & Miami". Women's Tennis Association. April 2, 2020. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Decade In Review: Doubles 2010–2019 | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023.
- ^ Open, Miami (April 2, 2016). "Frenchmen Doubles Team Wins Miami Title". Miami Open. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023.
- ^ "John Isner completes Sunshine Double, wins Miami doubles title with Hubert Hurkacz". www.usta.com. April 2, 2022. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.