Day 3: Impending addition to the WTA, more fans, less Monfils
Friday at Indian Wells was a little cooler, a little cloudier, and a whole lot busier. Lines to get through the gates wound around chock-full parking lots, but the organizers of this tournament know how to manage crowds; things moved quickly, and the enormous facility absorbed the extra fans with ease.
The players’ lawn continues to be a hub for the athletes and their camps to work out and chill. Today, though, it was also the location of a fan gender-reveal: the expecting parents, standing on the catwalk that runs above the lawn, lowered a piece of paper on a string down to GOAT and Baby Oracle Novak Djokovic (who might be the lawn’s biggest fan, because honestly he seems to be there all the time). The big news: It’s a girl. Congratulations to the happy couple.
Turns out, Venus Williams stuck around Indian Wells after her first-round loss to Diane Parry after all. She was watching the Ben Shelton-Reilly Opelka slugfest yesterday, just sitting there in the normal human stands, watching tennis with her new husband like a regular person, instead of the Serene Queen that she is. As she watched, the so-called servebots (not our word) did servebot things and went to two tiebreakers before Shelton prevailed in the third.
Later, Jasmine Paolini of Italy toughed out a three-setter against Austria’s dangerous Anastasia Potapova, and moves on to a match with another strong opponent: Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
We never want to use the word “last” in reference to Gaël Monfils, because we don’t want to imagine a future in which he’s not playing, but the Frenchman did lose to Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in his last match at the BNP Paribas Open. We were not alone in our tearful admiration; La Monf got a standing ovation more than once during the match, but none more effusive than when we walked off court with a wave. Sniff.
Day 2: Hottie Coach Brackets, Queen Vee & Escape from Oman
Day two of main-draw play began with another perfect sunrise over the Coachella Valley. Not long after the orange-pink glow of the desert sun hit the ochre walls of Stadium 1, players began to filter into the grounds and onto the lawn to socialize and blow off steam.
The player lawn at the BNP Paribas Open is famous for being perfectly situated and perfectly sodded and just a perfectly delightful place to wind down after a match or wind up before one. And the digs keep getting better: The outdoor workout space at the southwest side of the lawn has expanded, there are more shaded cabanas for players to relax in, and there’s a new disc-golf basket for impromptu ultimate games. Of course, one of the most popular uses of the grassy expanse remains pickup soccer (GOAT Novak Djokovic in particular takes full advantage of the tiny goals on the pitch).
Grigor Dmitrov of Bulgaria took advantage of the cooler temperatures Thursday in a three-set morning-into-afternoon match against Terence Atmane of France. Tennis pundits are always sounding the death-knell for the one-handed backhand, rightly pointing out that there’s less available power when you don’t use both hands to propel and steady the racquet. But there’s power of a different kind when you can open up a one-handed winner down the line, and that’s just what Dmitrov did: the 34-year-old defeated Atmane and moves into the second round, where he’ll meet world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
On Wednesday evening, it was a battle between two of a maybe-not-dying-just-yet breed: Canadian Denis Shapovalov’s lefty masterpiece of a one-hander took out Stefanos Tsitsipas’ lissome righty version. The loss is another in a worrying series of early-round defeats for the Greek, whose on-again, off-again coaching relationship with his father Apostolos is currently on after a recent session of musical chairs with Djokovic’s ex-coach, Goran Ivanisevic. (Ivanisevic is considered a “supercoach,” which explains why he’s always in high demand, if sometimes only briefly: in 2025, he was Elena Rybakina’s coach as well; now, he’s on the team of 21-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils.)
There’s absolutely nothing worrying about 29-year-old American Taylor Townsend’s game. The former world no. 1 in doubles continues to prove a worthy opponent on the singles court as well: she roundly defeated Marie Bouzková of Czechia 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday morning. Townsend plays in her own TT brand of tennis wear, co-created with designer Alexander-John, which she debuted last summer. The custom-made apparel sometimes features a T-Rex motif, because her 4-year-old son loves dinosaurs.
Later in the day, wildcard recipient Venus Williams, who at 45 is the oldest player in the tournament and the oldest woman ever to play here, lost to qualifier Diane Parry of France in three sets. Williams’ serve is still the dominant weapon it’s always been during her storied 32-year career, but Parry’s all-court game had all the answers.
Williams often chooses to play doubles as well at tournaments, but not this time—she’s free to head home to Florida, where she might get a wildcard to play in the Miami Open two weeks from now.
Three Russian singles players who were stranded in the Middle East, and whose participation in the BNP Paribas Open was in question, have made it to Indian Wells the hard way: by driving for hours to reach Oman, flying from there to Istanbul, and catching another plane to Los Angeles. Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are happily all seeded players, with byes in the first round. Maybe we were projecting, but Medvedev, the 11th seed, looked relieved and happy to be there as he signed autographs in the sunshine on Thursday afternoon.
Finally, the Hottie Coach bracket has reached the final four. Two of Tennis Channel commentator Sam Querrey’s top seeds still stand (Top-seed Marat Safin is up against Patrick Mouratoglou), but on the other side of the bracket, two March surprises will go head-to-head: Álvaro Alcaraz takes on Ryan Harrison. Watch this space for updates.
Day 1: Draw Ceremonies, Familiar Faces, Extracurriculars
Tennis-world excitement reaches a fever-pitch in early March each year, as pros and their entourages, fans and sun-seekers descend on the Coachella Valley for the first 1000-level event of the tennis calendar. The BNP Paribas Open is the first 1000 of the year, but it’s also the biggest: last year, a record 504,000 fans packed the 54-acre tournament grounds; Stadium 1 here is the second-largest tennis arena in the world; and players split the largest pot of prize money outside the four majors: $9,415,725. All of which earns the BNP Paribas Open the unofficial title of The Fifth Slam.
And why not? This is, after all, Tennis Paradise: perfect weather, at a perfect facility, with beautiful hotels and homes to stay in, in an improbably gorgeous setting. The ball flies higher here, but the purple courts are grittier (and therefore a little “slower”); a perfect combination for many.
It’s also the only major tournament on the West Coast (in fact, it’s the only one west of the Rocky Mountains), which adds to its mystique and feeds the tennis fever of a major chunk of the US population at a time when many people are looking for a reason to head south for a week or two.
Showing impeccable timing, Coachella Valley temperatures are moderating after they hit record highs last week. The welcome cool-down comes just in time for the start of main-draw play (but not before hard-working qualifiers slogged their way through sweaty rounds for a spot in the tournament). The weather ahead looks downright perfect for watching—and playing—tennis: pleasant, sunny days, and coolish nighttime temps that make you happy you packed a light jacket for the evening matches.
Real ones know that the fun at the BNP Paribas Open begins way before the start of main-draw play; as early as last weekend, hard-core fans sat courtside watching qualifiers fight their hearts out, and pored over the practice schedule to make sure they’d see top players hitting on the outer courts.
For the first time ever, Tennis Channel covered Monday’s main draw reveal at Stadium 1 Plaza. There were no surprises, exactly, but who-plays-who is of vital importance to the athletes and those who want to watch them. First-round popcorn matches abound: Italian Matteo Berrettini, who had to withdraw from the Australian Open in January due to a recurring abdominal injury, takes on 37-year-old Adrian Mannarino of France, a wily veteran who knows how to outlast big hitters. On the women’s side, Yulia Putintseva of
Kazakhstan, who registers every “out” call as a personal affront, plays former world no. 2 Paula Badosa of Spain. Badosa retired during a match in Dubai in February; fingers crossed that her on-again-off-again back injury is off for good.
Novak Djokovic, a five-time BNP Paribas Open champ, is back again and looking to win a sixth title, which would break the record he shares with the retired Swiss Roger Federer. The 38-year-old Serbian GOAT is the no. 3 seed, behind Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner. Djoko will have to get past them both if he wants to break that record.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka, 28, is the 16 seed this year; this four-time grand slam winner and former world no. 1 is mounting a comeback after a pregnancy in 2023 and a slow start in her first years back. She appears to be in top form now, ready for whoever she meets after her first-round bye. What didn’t wane in her absence from the tour is her flair for the dramatic when it comes to fashion; she regularly pushes the tenniswear envelope in partnership with Nike. In January, she stepped onto court at the Australian Open in a jellyfish-inspired ensemble designed by Robert Wun that included a parasol, a wide-brimmed hat, and a veil. No word on Osaka’s plan for this year’s BNP Paribas Open, but we won’t be sad if there’s a theme involved.
Last year’s champions are back in the desert getting ready to defend their titles, but things have changed for each since last year. Men’s champ Jack Draper, the 14th seed this year, is sporting a new buzzcut; Mirra Andreeva, the no. 8 seed, is sporting something cuter: Rassy, her new ultra mini labradoodle. If last year is any guide, the canine will be courtside for two weeks while Andreeva slays all comers.
The players aren’t the only ones locked in fierce competition this year. Sam Querrey, former player and fan-favorite commentator for ESPN and Tennis Channel, has reprised the Nothing Major Podcast’s “Hottie Bracket,” this year pitting coaches against each other for the dubious honor of top Hottie Coach (Matteo Berrettini won last year’s Hottie Bracket for players and took home a $15 gift card for Olive Garden). And things are heating up: as of press time, there had already been one walkover (Christian Ruud bowed out to top-seed Marat Safin).
Rest assured, Querrey’s doing loftier things, too: LA’s Sweetfin poké has set up shop on the tournament grounds, and they’re featuring Sam Q’s Salmon Bowl, made by the man himself when he has time. Food collabs are a thing here: you may remember the buzz last year around the new OAKBERRY açai bowl location in Stadium 1 and ArynaSabalenka’s signature Tiger Bowl.
On the eve of main-draw play, top players joined forces Tuesday night for the co-ed Eisenhower Cup. Teams played “tiebreak 10s” for a $200,000 purse. Two last-minute replacements were announced before the event: American Learner Tien stepped in for Andrey Rublev, and Kazakh Alexander Bublik played for Daniil Medvedev. Both Rublev and Medvedev were stuck in Dubai thanks to bombing in the region; they are reportedly making their way to Indian Wells, having made it to Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon. Each has a bye for his first round, and won’t play until Friday; here’s hoping a day or two in the desert sun will be enough to cure the jet lag.