Prior to an explosion of interest in professional tennis last year, the sport had endured a few years of uncertainty, and even setback.
The 2020 BNP Paribas Open was abruptly canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and crowds at other tournaments across the globe were smaller than normal. There were no paying spectators at the 2020 U.S. Open, making the Grand Slam event in New York feel like a ghost town.
Even when the Indian Wells tournament returned, 19 months later, it felt like something was still missing. Fans couldn’t get as close to players as they had been accustomed, and some of the icons in the game began to retire, leaving a void following a golden era in the sport.
While the 2022 BNP Paribas Open broke its record for attendance, the number of spectators slightly dipped a year later, with several days of rain and without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic playing the event for the first time in two decades. Tennis icon Serena Williams also had retired.
Then, last year at Indian Wells, everything felt like normal again. Djokovic was back for the first time since 2019, and the next generation of stars brought their own electricity to the fans, with their play on the iconic hardcourts.
Indian Wells, some might’ve said, had its mojo back.
“It’s been amazing the last few years of seeing how the fans have responded to tennis being back,” said retired Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport, a broadcaster for Tennis Channel. “It’s been a couple of years, but you go to the first weekend in Indian Wells, and you see signs everywhere. It’s sold out. It’s so exciting. The final weekend, just the electricity around the grounds, and the players definitely feel it.”
With Djokovic returning, the BNP Paribas Open broke its own attendance record last March, with 493,440 spectators attending the annual two-week event. The men’s and women’s draws were arguably as strong or stronger, top-to-bottom, as they had been since at least 2019.
The record came amid an explosive year for professional tennis, with the four Grand Slams setting a collective attendance record of 3,360,000. That marked a 10% increase from 2023.
Now, this year, a goal of 500,000 spectators appears to be within reach for the Indian Wells event that begins March 2 and continues through March 16. The number is significant for the tournament as it is an indication that organizers are providing a product that not only continues to endure in popularity with the masses but also continues to grow while the faces in tennis come and go.
Ticket sales for this year’s tournament offer an early indication that the magic number is a realistic goal, according to Philippe Dore, the tournament’s chief marketing officer.
“I’m pretty confident that we will surpass the half a million people,” Dore said. “I could be wrong. As you know, we depend on competition and weather and all that good stuff. But we’re, we’re hoping to surpass half a mill, which has been a goal of ours.”
While there’s an argument to be made that the larger crowds would naturally lengthen lines for stadium entry and concessions, tournament organizers have made efforts to offset that potential issue. The tournament monitors ticket sales and the number of grounds passes being sold, and stops making them available if it hinders the overall fan experience.
Additionally, organizers have optimized parking and have installed more water stations and concessions to meet the demand.
“Last year, we’re very close to breaking that number that we wanna break — the 500,000 spectators number,” tournament director Tommy Haas said. “So, hopefully, this year we will be able to do that.”
There’s reason to believe that it will happen.
Aside from Jannik Sinner, the top-ranked men’s player who was suspended earlier this month, the field in the both the men’s and women’s draws are stacked. Aside from Djokovic’s expected return to Indian Wells, Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz is looking for his third consecutive Indian Wells title. Only Djokovic (2014-16) and Federer (2204-06) have accomplished that previously.
Americans Taylor Fritz, who won the tournament in 2022, and Tommy Paul are each in the top 10. Last August, when the American men had five players in the top 20, it marked the first time since 1997.
On the women’s side, Iga Świątek is looking to become the first woman ever to win three Indian Wells singles titles. She’ll be challenged by top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and three Americans who also rank in the top five in Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, who won the Australian Open in January.
At the tournament, the last-minute addition of a mixed doubles draw generated excitement last year and should offer more intrigue this March, and a private “champions lunch” that celebrates last year’s winners. Alcaraz and Świątek will participate in that.
Then there’s an almost entirely new food and drink lineup that was introduced last year, and a completely revamped Stadium 3, which will be able to seat more fans and will look more like an actual stadium than bleachers.
Last year was a big year for tennis tournaments. Organizers at Indian Wells are aiming for an even better 2025.
“Tennis has a great buzz around it right now,” Davenport said. “We were a little unsure what would happen, obviously, when you lose an era of great stars like we’ve had with Roger and Rafa and Serena. There was a period of uncertainty, but the next generation has really done a great job of taking control of the sport.”
Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
BNP Paribas Open
When: March 2-16
Where: Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Who: Many of the top tennis players in the world
General parking: General and ADA parking off of Miles Ave. is free.
Tickets: To purchase tickets online, visit https://bnpparibasopen.com/tickets/. To purchase tickets over the phone, call 1-800-999-1585 from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Qualifying days (Sunday, March 2, Monday, March 3, and Tuesday, March 4) are $10 admission with all proceeds going to benefit The Champions Volunteer Foundation. Parking is free during qualifying.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Indian Wells tennis tourney sets lofty goal for 2025
