BNP Tournament Time in the Desert
As snowplows struggle to keep up with record snowfall back east, it’s impossible not to be grateful for the abundant sunshine we experience this time of year in the Southern California desert. It’s no wonder the tennis tour chooses March for its annual stop here in Indian Wells with the BNP Paribas Open. If you’ve followed this tournament over the years, then you’ve seen it grow from attendance in 2006 of 270,000 to the opening of Stadium 2 last year and attendance of over 430,000. It is truly a world class event that we are fortunate to have in our own backyard.
The tournament runs for two weeks, beginning with qualifying matches on Monday, March 9 and ending with both the Men’s & Women’s Final on Sunday, March 22nd.
A few things to note for this year’s tournament:
- Serena Williams is returning to the BNP this year and is offering fans an opportunity to be her guest. Fans who donate $10 or more to Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) will be entered in a drawing to win a trip to Indian Wells and sit courtside during her first match, have the opportunity to return one of her serves during a practice session, and take home one of her racquets. For details visit the omaze website here.
- The McEnroe Challenge for Charity: this special charity event returns this year on Saturday, March 7 and will feature John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport, James Blake, Rick Leach, Coco Vandeweghe and Madison Keys. The designated charities will be the Andy Roddick Foundation, Eisenhower Medical Center, Patient Safety Movement Foundation, and the War Casualty Fund. If you’ve already scored tickets to this free event, you are fortunate, as calls to the box office yesterday found them sold out!
- Collegiate Challenge will welcome tennis teams from BYU, Columbia, Purdue, University of Georgia, University of Oklahoma, Baylor, Cal and USC. The matches will be played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, during the final weekend (March 20-22nd) of the BNP Paribas Open. The Collegiate Challenge is free for patrons with BNP Paribas Open tickets or event credentials for the respective dates.
The tournament’s Facebook page is a great place to follow announcements and keep up with the latest news.